Audioquest Storm Series power cables

jayctoy

Do you apply the Q45t to the power cable before break in or after/

thanks

...oh, yes they are spectacular.  I have never had power cords like this in the room and I've had a ton of the exotic ones.  I'm blown away by the physics that Garth uses to make his gear.  I personally feel he's the best going right now nad Bill Low was smart to sign him up.

Now I'm bummed. I had to reconfigure my system when I went to mono blocks and moved a few other things.  I have to now get rid of 5 pair of Hurricane as I need different lengths, lol. oh well.  Here I go again. lol.

I would say that if any improvement can be made the last 6 feet is where to try it. Anything before the panel is irrelevant. 

@1971gto455ho 

You say you've done AB testing.

If you've done it properly, single or double blind, then @ghdprentice is being unfair to you.  I suspect a tiny percentage of AG members have done that.

And yet it's the only way of verifying that any changed perception of sound is not imagination.  Any other listening results are totally invalid.  Although they might give the listener a nice (& expensive) feeling.

westcoastaudiophile states... "I did compare expensive heavy $500 power cord with built-in ferritic RF noise filter clamp"

The power cord (cable) you describe above sounds old & awful. A modern well designed high end power cable simply wouldn’t have the "built-in ferritic RF noise filter clamp".

Have you tried any other aftermarket power cords against "stock" component cords?

Bob I ignored Audioquest pc , I never thought they are as good as their ic , speakers cable, Music direct did have warehouse sale. I took the chance, I can easily sell them anyway if I don’t like them...And they are keepers , Iam very happy.

Painter24 you call MUsic direct they have plenty tornado pc return , ask for a price lower than TMR price.Yes this storm series hurricane and tornado are superb, Music direct will give you nice discounts if you buy 2 or more pc.

The AQ Storm is not inexpensive, but you can buy used and save a bit of coin.

I heard them at Audioconnection when they came out. Yes, they really made a significant difference in sound reproduction (and, mind you, I never thought a power cable would affect sound quality, until then).

Both I, and @ctsooner, heard what the could do. It was, and I kinda hate the expression, mindblowing.

Bob

@jayctoy thanks for the post and your experience with these PCs. I'm currently using lower level AQ PCs and wanted to see/hear for myself if they benefitted my system before moving on up and..... Yep, they certainly do.

Best wishes

Weak, lame, unimpressive comeback. 

@facten "Audiogon really needs an ignore function” agreed!

@facten +10

@westcoastaudiophile "thanks for your fb on my credibility, sorry for not impressing you much (yet)!"

LOL - still not and frankly won’t be. Be happy in your measurement world doing whatever it is that you do. I’ll enjoy listening to music in my system without any need for your 40 years of doing this and that. I’m done with responding to you.Audiogon really needs an ignore function

@facten “possibility of improvement”: I did compare expensive heavy $500 power cord with built-in ferritic RF noise filter clamp, to Accuphase pre/amp stock cables, few times, and found no sound difference. I used analog vinyl - and SACD source. RF filter clamp effect was confirmed in measurements, which come out as about 12dB RF noise suppression in common mode, in 1MHz-1GHz freq. sweep. Similar improvement was achieved by adding standalone RF filter clamp on top of stock cable. As for resistance improvement, higher AC voltage drop of couple millivolts was measured in original cable vs expensive one, which is not significant, and can’t cause any listenable difference. 

@music_is_life how someone can design and manufacture all of your equipment, if it cannot be measured/tested? in analog design we use a lot of very expensive circuit simulation tools as well, where all electrical spec is verified on HVM basis. 

@westcoastaudiophile BS Meter is pegged!

Rotten Apple-Rotten Apple. As only measurement's matter to your kind. Go back to ASR. 

Our discussions are over and out. 

 Currently I am designing analog circuits, and I am using very expensive cable, in some circumstances to do measurements right, some signal test cables cost $5000 a pair! I am reading Audiogon posts to identify what else to look in design, or or testing, to sense valuable customer experience

@music_is_life Higher standards always welcome, but technical performance superiority claims need to be confirmed either by measurements or blind auditioning, apple-apple. 

@facten thanks for your fb on my credibility, sorry for not impressing you much (yet)! Currently I am designing analog circuits, and I am using very expensive cable, in some sensitive measurements, specific signal test cables cost me $5000 a pair! I am reading Audiogon community posts to identify what else to look in analog circuit design, and to improve testing. That’s why I am asking for blind test results, which supposed to be “final" judge since 70s, when discussions got too hot. Btw, what about your credentials, are you technical /science personality, or more like marketing/sales person?

@westcoastaudiophile So you should just move on, non believer. You can not deny that Cardas PC is built to a higher standard using higher quality materials than the POS that came with your gear.

@facten What's the old saying? You can take a horse to water, but you can't make them eat garbage. 

Just let them think what they think and ignore them for they know not what they do not know. 

 My issue is with folks who just deny any possibility of improvement without having actually employed beyond stock cords

 

To let you fellow Agoners my hurricane pc on the wisdom power stages 8 and tornado on Ruby sacd player does continue to make  good music on my system . My Andra Eggleston sound are fuller, no more thin sound even if I play them with high volume, more air, blacker background, soundstage much wider and higher.

Looks like the Audiogon censors are at it again. They just deleted my reply to westcoastaudiophile...

ozzy

No disagreement with your statement music_is_life - I’ve had a $200 power cord that made a noticeable difference; and have gotten more benefits going beyond that . Too each his own on drawing the line on amount spent. My issue is with folks who just deny any possibility of improvement without having actually employed beyond stock cords

The great thig is that we are free to spend our money how we see fit, on what we desire. 

If a $1500.00 power cable makes your system sound better then that is great. My $600.00 cable work great too. 

If it floats your boat who cares?

You that is all. 

@westcoastaudiophile - Do your own homework; I've done mine and made the change.  Fell free to give it try and post your objective experience. If not just stop with your know it all pronouncements , your supposed background isn’t impressing anyone . Credibility to statements comes with actual experience trying things . Do you have a system;? You’ve ignored the question regarding what equipment you have now in 2 threads.

@facten please provide “blind test” results to backup your statements. clarification of word “quality” in your statement "quality aftermarket power cord” will be welcome too! 

@westcoastaudiophile - Sorry, but in another thread you asked for someone to provide blind testing results between a stock cord and a $1000 cord. This would suggest that you have never tried any quality aftermarket power cord to know whether or not it will actually have an impact on SQ; therefore your declarations that they don’t aren’t based upon actual experience employing one in your system. Checking if a cable is functionally working isn't the same as  determining if one provides more SQ benefit than another. What is the composition of equipment in your system?  May it be that it isn’t revealing enough for quality power cord  to make a difference in it?

@ozzy "people with no actual experience with better power cords"

Dear ozzy, please elaborate on “better” in your statement, it is not clear what do you mean. If would be good to know what cable you compared to, and what exact issue was fixed. If your “better” means look, feel, higher price, I would agree with you! 

All respectful equipment manufacturers have nice power cords incl in the package, and they do design power module in the amp/pre/etc for best performance, assuming incoming power noise etc. Plenty of designs have main power module separated from sensitive audio processing unit, others have power cable attached permanently to reduce resistance. Most of resistance in AC path is not the power cable, rather fuse, power switch, power transformer winding etc. Typical power transformer used for pre has about x10 Ohms resistance, while power amp has much lower resistance in the range of Ohms. Power amp cable resistance is couple of milli-Ohms, which is 1 / 1000 or less comparing to the rest of AC path. 

@facten +1 

In my 40+ years professional experience, incl big shows and recording studios, I found as “hearable" power issues can’t be fixed by power cord replacement, unless power cord/connectors are broken or are not meeting spec. To identify bad cables, I use special tester with two plugs. 

And here we go again, the same old statements from people with no actual experience with better power cords.

I guess if your system is just for making amplified noise then none of this matter's.

ozzy

@facten 

+1

I draw the line at 6 feet of passive mains cable at the end of the 10 miles or whatever of cable joining your system to the power station.  If the 6 foot of cable makes a difference, why not the 10 miles?

Because it is not directly connected to the power station. That is unless you have 345,000 volts going into your home. It has been stepped down multiple times and for the last time right at your home. I am not saying that power cables make a difference, but I am saying that your logic is sorely lacking.

Making statements that ungraded power cables don't matter when you actually haven't tried them isn't really providing anyone valuable insights

@ursm 

1): signal path cables - yes, better EM shielding, better match to audio analog/digital path impedance, better connectors always helping me to reduce noise, and to flatten freq response. 

2): power cables - nope, clean, not oxidized over time, looking fresh, power cable' provided by manufacturer is fine, technically nothing can be improved. If cable is tool long, I cut cable and use professional grade plug. As for phono-pre or other separate's cable, you may use ferritic EM filter clamp to put on cable, which will reduce significantly AC power line. Good filter clamp reduces noise in original cable by 60dB or more (x1000 less noise), and it cost nut much, In many cases replacing aged wall outlet, and resistive fuses in the house AC power distribution is helping to reduce power drops. Try to avoid ground loop in hifi setup, if hum noise can be heard from speaker.

@ghdprentice 

@ursm 

I don't doubt cables in the signal path can and to make differences to what we hear.

I draw the line at 6 feet of passive mains cable at the end of the 10 miles or whatever of cable joining your system to the power station.  If the 6 foot of cable makes a difference, why not the 10 miles?

I think this is imagined rather than heard.  But each to his own.

If to you, you can be transported to 'another world' for a mere $6000, surely you would just spend out and be thankful.

Cables do make a difference. Interconnect and loudspeaker and power cables. What you HEAR depends on the components in your audio system and the overall synergy. And of your individual hearing capacity, of course. In my experience, „even“ power cords may drastically change the overall sound quality - if you like it is up to you. From time to time I get bitten by the urge for experimenting a bit, and my last „listening revelation“ happened when I tried different brands of power cables for my phono stage (MF Nu-Vista Vinyl). What I heard was from „no difference“ to the bypack cable (which is quite decent) up to „another world“. Unfortunately, the „best“ power cable was … the one with the highest price tag (1.5 m = 6‘000 USD). Insane but the bitter truth. So my quest continues.
N.B. If you test any components or cables be sure to do it on various days and take your time, because physical and mental state might play tricks on your listening condition. But you know that already.

Oh yes the cables  makes a difference . 

@clearthinker

While that may sound very intellectual and perhaps makes you feel superior to the rest of us… what you say is total nonsense. Many tens of thousands of audiophiles, with their feet… well, ears well grounds in reality can hear these obvious differences and improvements and own systems that demonstrate their knowledge.

I know, and the earth is flat too!

ozzy

Try not to worry about 'having' to spend $$$$ on six feet of power cable.

It just conducts electricity and can make no difference to the sound.

Obviously the guys selling it will say it does

Once they say it, then the 'emperor's new clothes' syndrome invades right-thinking people's minds.

If you listen to them and think the sound is better, that is just expectation bias and the wish not to fail to hear what everyone else says they can.  FOBLO shall we say - fear of being left out.

Ghdprentice yes they are tight, but the HF  q45 put the tornado and hurricane on onother level.

One thing I noticed on my Hurricanes is they have the tightest connectors on both sides I have ever experienced. This is likely a parameter they realized was important. Plugging in or unplugging is an ordeal. 

Since I bought my storm series tornado and hurricane used they are now settled.i applied High Fidelity q45 , I was shocked how much improvement it did, vocal, bass, smoother, much more livelier and musical.

I added Dragon power cords to my VAC 200iq’s and the difference was instantly startling! Sonic detritus that I wasn’t aware of was removed which afforded a quieter background and more natural/realistic sound, more space between instruments allowing me to hear deeper into the performance, bass is cleaner and more musical. I have become a Garth Powell fanboy!

Ozzy after 20 hrs of burn in, I can say the congestion is gone, It opens up , much quicker. It’s fleshing out music, bass and vocal are coming out nicely, So it works. 

Reason why I plug on heater, Because my Marantz Ruby will not be able to burn this pc .I just happen to like it on Ruby.

Will see what happen.I will update you Ozzy.

jayctoy,

I'm not sure if plugging the power cord into a heater is much better than your audio system based on break in time. 

ozzy

Ozzy I decided to connect my hurricane to my eden pure space heater with the dedicate audio burn in adapter, 72 hours is required but maybe I will do only 48 hrs.