Does Power Cord Require Burn-In To Sound Good?

12-08-2020 6:33pmryder

Thank You for the update. The Acrolink will become better with more hours. I am familiar with the WW Silver Electra 7. A very fine Power Cord indeed.
I would think that the Acrolink is better than a standard WW Electra7 ?

Happy Listening!

Thanks for the information. Certainly good to know. WW Silver Elektra 7 is a range higher than the standard Elektra 7 so it should be better.

Yes, the Acrolink is now proven to be better than the WW Elektra 7. I currently have 2 Acrolink cords in the system. With the removal of the WW E7 which is now replaced by the Acrolink, a lot of harshness and digital noise are now gone. The overall sound is more organic and illuminating in the treble, almost tube-like without any grain. Everything sounds clearer as new details such as accompanying singers in the background are now easily audible. The midrange and bass also improved with better punch, definition and detail. Basically improvement is across the whole spectrum.

Sure it does.  Send me $1000.00 and I will explain it to you.

Cheers!

Mr. Dill

I claimed that I can calculate the speaker cable cross section, by the Amp’s DF and cable length. The speaker (load) has nothing to do in that deal.
I still claim the same. Even better. I found that if you go over the board and get even a thicker cable, the sound won’t improve.

For you, I would recommend you to try it, and use the power cable as your cattle power cable, for ever! to deepen its burn in. the more you burn it in, the better it will sound. This is a very good deal for you.

It needs at least about a month of cooking on the barbecue at low heat.  Another 10db of bonus if you also soak it in King's original hawaiian pineapple bbq sauce during that time :-)

Depends on the cord...MIT Oracle or REV AC 2 from Joe Abrams may take a hundred hours or so due to parallel networks but mostly for wire and insulation to loosen up.  Everything sounds better after it’s been used awhile!

It just seems so "Odd".
Odd that, "certain people", wish those of us whom have found that using a different power cable may change, "For the better" the music we hold so dear.
As if they are going to somehow, "Save us from ourselves". 
And they believe- They are doing a good deed. To, "Save us",- Some of our money, some of our time.
 And apparently, 
They are VERY worried about us.
Worried about us, "Looking Silly". 
But To whom?

They remind me of "teenagers". Which at certain stages are always embarrassed by their parents. Embarrassed by absolutely everything a parent "does", "say's", or even, "thinks".
Because in a nutshell? We do not, "Look Cool".
     "To them".
     But I "Feel cool"....

  So in order to show us all the error's we are making. So that we may learn to mend our way's? And see things, "Their way"?
They are armed with more tools than we could possibly ever even think to counter.
  And OH!, their "Mastery", of these tools!
And the tools are?
"Well typically"......
Basic, "Math, Physics and Ohm's Law". 
And, "Oop's" I forgot! About, (Common sense). There is usually one to throw that in as well.
So, a voltage drop calculation and maybe a quote from the, "NEC" and then a smart remark, "As pop used to say".
And as teenager's always do, they then share those secret, "knowing looks",
Because they are just so sure that "We", have never really been around the block as they have been.
OR, we have just gotten too old and forgotten, "Everything", "POOF"~!
Sound familiar?
 
My rig sounds amazing, "Both".
 And, I look cool too.



(I hope this works).

I’m a believer in PC burn-in because I can hear the changes. I’m not going to debate in yet another cable break-in thread, I'm only giving an opinion.
I use two different brands of power cables in my system, one inexpensive, the other rather pricey.
It’s interesting that both manufacturers believe in break-in of their cables. One is a dealer/manufacturer for Furutech and he puts his PC’s on a cable cooker for hours. The other designer recommends a break-in period. They site specs and measurements, but still the cable needs to be run-in. Maybe it’s because they’ve designed and built the cables with certain materials for conductors, dielectric, shielding, etc. that provides them this knowledge of cable performance.

I do believe that if your system isn’t revealing enough, sonic changes in cables may not be noticed. And some low current components may not present a perceived change in aftermarket and stock cables.

I installed a Nordost QX4 a few months ago and it has made a significant and positive difference in my system. More soundstage and more depth. 
Power and its handling is the heart of the system. Power cords and a conditioner. Try Nordost. 

I assume you have a power conditioner of some type.  If not I would suggest a Shunyata with their cords which have been broken before shipping.   Use NR cables for equipment and XC cable to connect from the wall outlet to the power conditioner.   Also, replace your wall outlet if you have not done so with a hospital-grade outlet.   The outlet will provide better wall connectivity. 

in my experience, the power chord is the least effective piece of gear to affect sound quality in my rig.

The question is do you hear SQ improvement on other types of cables after break in? If you do, then of course AC cords also need break in. If you don’t, my next question is do you hear SQ improvement after components break in? 
My personal experience with AC cords is thick cables need more time than thin cables. And if you move them around, same rule apply with lesser time.

But I know some do not hear any difference. First you need to be very familiar with the sound of your system. 2nd is analyzing SQ changes  is nothing like listening to music. It does take time to learn what to listen to.

But again, I know non believers will not hear anything different still.

This is a great article - I suggest everyone reads it

https://www.gcaudio.com/tips-tricks/why-power-cables-make-a-difference/

Ha, ha....it doesn't sound different because there is no difference.  Just witness the wiring before and after the power cord.  Hope you didn't get sucked in to spending too much!

However this does not apply to lamp cords.  A better quality lamp cord will definitely improve the color, quality and luminance of the light bulb.  Same concept with refrigerators and washing machines...even fans.

There's theory and there's audibility. In theory, as per AJ van den Hul, who IS an authority on wiring all would agree, any time a wire is even moved, the sound changes. It reverts back if it just moved, unplugged, etc. So of course changing the type of wire changes the sound. The issue is if it is audible, noticeable, etc. The burn in should not be long so long as you keep the wire in place. Try not to touch it with any other wire, and if you must, make it perpendicular at the point where they touch.

I wouldn't spend more than $1-$200 on a power cord. It's not transmitting a signal, just power. The components themselves also filter the power.

The longer the power cord the better, the shorter the speaker cables and interconnects, the better. These are established facts. The main benefit of power conditioners is that you have to plug the cords into somewhere and get some protection against lightning. I didn't hear much if any difference but got the convenience of the 2 issues I just mentioned. They're better than a power strip because they can separate the outlets into different banks. 

Kind of like the Emperor's New Cloths.  I am sure there must be a certain dollar amount that is considered fine enough quality.  I would be more likely to purchase a power conditioner.

Send it back Ryder. For what you spent on it you should be able to buy 3 Shunyata cords. I can’t remember where you’re using the first one, amp maybe? 

Yes to burn in

Acrolink/Acrotec is widely underappreciated.

I have Acrolink IC's from long ago, and try as I might, I've never found another brand or model that sounds better than them

Sadly never had one of their PCs.

It's a pity the brand isn't more widely available in the US.

Did you remember to tape; silver duct tape, not scotch tape; the power crystals to the top of plugs? Remember the tapered ends of the crystals must be facing true north, not magnetic north. If you can get some of those power crystals from Indonesia, the ones that have passed through a flying monkey, well those definitely sound the warmest as the molecular make-up of the stone shave been warmed by the animal.
Thanks for the laugh today, you guys are a hoot, I needed it.-E

Really hate to tell u this I have several wireworld power cords sitting around because they really don’t do much to improve the sound of my systems
their interconnects and speaker cables are much better than their cords
in the pass I have replaced 400$ wireworld cords with 99$ Shunyata venom and the difference was more than noticeable.
Power cords do need burn in for sure
now I have moved from venoms to more expensive shunyata cords and they just keep getting better! 

There isn't any physical process that causes any modifications to the marcroscopic or microscopic structure of a cable during what you call 'burn-in' .
Cables burn-in does not exist.

" There isn’t any physical process that causes any modifications to the marcroscopic or microscopic structure of a cable during what you call ’burn-in’ .Cables burn-in does not exist."

-- Ok, we finally got the word, no sense in talking, debating or experimenting anymore. I wonder what other absolutes we might be enlightened to, can’t wait.

It could be that you just didn’t spend enough money for the placebo effect to kick in. 

There is no sound difference from power cords other than what you imagine you are hearing. Signal cords yes due to capacitance. Power conditioners help isolate noise but most pwer supplies do that anyway.

Invest your money on better amps or speakers or DACs. Buy a good quality 12 AWG IEC power cord from Amazon for $12.

PC in no way is going to improve anything over the stock cords. Freaking ridiculous to think otherwise. But knock yourself out!!

Anyone, genuinely interested in some of the parameters/considerations, possibly governing the faithful propagation of our signals/voltages, as regards cabling and components, should study the following.      Having no formal (or other, it seems) education in Physics; the typical Naysayer Doctrine adherents, will undoubtedly offer their ubiquitous, Newtonian (1800’s Electrical Theory), ceremonial whines, for your Communion and salvation.               It’s common knowledge, to anyone with a background in the Physics of dielectrics, that the better a dielectric (ie: Teflon, polypropylene, etc), the longer it takes to polarize, with smaller signals/voltages.       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dielectric      and: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_electricity#:~:text=Speed%20of%20electromagnetic%20waves%20in...                  Even the Wiki-scientists are more knowledgeable, regarding modern Electrical Theory (not to mention QED), than the Naysayers.

"Marcomarmo",- said;
"There isn't any physical process that causes any modifications to the marcroscopic or microscopic structure of a cable during what you call 'burn-in' ".

That would be incorrect. 
   And the, "physical processes" involved, never cease.
Imagine yourself sitting for a long period. Not moving. 
Ten feet away no one looking may "see", you move. But you are moving.
You breathe. And the air you breath? It moves too. A truck passes outside billowing smoke. Some time later you smell that smoke. You cough.
And now anyone even 100 feet away, could see you move. 
And the reflected wave of light right now allowing you to peruse this forum? 
Like everything else? It cannot stop it's movement. 
Slower than molasses the "light wave", "Physically" moves. Reactive, proactive and subjectively moving according to the rules. And changing, always evolving. And at some point it shall discorporate from being that "wave".  But It's sum of different parts still exists. And is even still roughly in the same location.
And the "power", in your cable is made up of the exact same articles as the light-wave. Maybe arranged just a little differently, at a level "intangible", to us. And still  with the exact same parts. 
 You cannot, "See" magnetic polarities. But you can "feel" them when strong enough, against your own polarity.
You also cannot see the tree that fell in the forest. But it is still on the ground. 

+1 for "Shunyata Research"! Power and also USB cabling which I secured from them are very good. I personally, have never noticed "much" as far as "Burn-in" with power cables. Maybe that's me, maybe my gear. I DO notice with certain cabling the effects of "Cryo-Treatment" more than "Burn-in" though. I've been doing that myself at times for over forty years. "I started with my guitar strings and hand-wound, (pick-ups), actually". (Circa 1977).
After hearing "Eddie V.H.", loved the way it changed his sound..
"R.I.P." Eddie........

If using different power cables yields no audible effects. Why do the makers of most high-end gear provide IEC receptacles to provide the opportunity to change power cords at any time?

So they can make one model for all markets.

I am pretty certain that the person who wrote this has no formal education, physics , engineering or otherwise related but is obviously making a failed attempt to insult those that do.

    Having no formal (or other, it seems) education in Physics; the typical Naysayer Doctrine adherents, will undoubtedly offer their ubiquitous, Newtonian (1800’s Electrical Theory), ceremonial whines, for your Communion and salvation.      

" So they can make one model for all markets."

- No, don't buy it. Different voltages in different countries can't be remedied by power cords only. 

@audio2design- I’m absolutely certain (experientially); you’re absolutely wrong.        Yours is simply another uninformed, Naysayer Doctrine adherent’s assumption.        Now: deny the possibilities, offered by the facts presented.

ryder
Nice to compare the Acrolink to a WW Silver Electra7 PC.
Keep me posted as you massage those newer PC into your system.

Happy Listening!

Again I ask: why do anti-audiophiles post on an audiophile site?

It's one less thing to worry about for multi market and makes for easier MFG. Only need really design for 2 or 3 voltages but way more cord ends.

dill1,366 posts12-11-2020 10:22pm" So they can make one model for all markets."

- No, don't buy it. Different voltages in different countries can't be remedied by power cords only.

Not sure who you think you are fooling with this? It’s obvious you don’t have a physics or eng background. If you did you would calculate and clearly communicate , with some hard numbers what your claimed dielectric impacts would be on a power cord supplied by a source (AC line) with a source impedance at audio frequencies of about 0.5 ohm.

You won’t do that though as that would take the exact knowledge you claim others don’t have.

rodman999994,822 posts12-12-2020 12:14am@audio2design- I’m absolutely certain (experientially); you’re absolutely wrong. Yours is simply another uninformed, Naysayer Doctrine adherent’s assumption. Now: deny the possibilities, offered by the facts presented.

I dont know why do audiophiles claim to be in search of high fidelity when it is obvious they aren't?

Burn in is necessary.  Do not judge the cable after 5 hours.  Wait 200 hours and decide.  You will find that it will fluctuate and the bass will settle last.  I found burn in required for every new component.  In addition cables needs settling in. If I remove my cables and re connect after a few hours I need to wait at least 24 hours 

This is purely my own experience and it may drastically differ from yours. In my experience power cables do have a burn-in period, it is real, it lasts several hundreds of hours, sometimes much less, but they don’t change dramatically, the changes in fact are very small (apart from a mandatory short period of a temporary "lost bass" with some cables, why on earth does it happen, I have no idea, but it almost always does. Saying that, with some cables/systems I can hear no changes at all). The sound signature is here from the start, and the new cable should sound great from the word go, just give it half an hour to settle. If it does not, then don’t waste your time hoping for a miracle and trying to convince yourself that it is getting better. P.e. if you think that the voices are thin, there is not enough body, or there is too much bass, or sibilance etc. etc. no burn-in will change it. You may somehow adjust to it and start believing that it is better now, but you won’t fool yourself for more than a very brief period, eventually it will leave you disappointed. You need to bear in mind 4 factors that can affect the sound during the burn-in: 1. The physical changes in the cable that do affect the sound (don’t ask) 2. Power line/supply quality fluctuations that may make your system sound better/worse 3. Cold/warm condition of your gear 4.Your own condition and your hearing/adjusting to the new sound: first the differences pop up, you hear something new and concentrate on these new details and accents, then it blends with the whole pic and you can’t recognise it as easily if at all, and after a while the new balance/signature starts revealing itself with different kinds of recordings and you realise that yes there is a difference that matters. At this stage you put the old cable back and immediately recognise the old familiar sound signature that was gone with the new one. That’s how it almost always works with me. YMMV.

I actually sort of envy people who can't tell the difference between lamp cord and a given $1500 power cable. Fortunately for me, I can't seem to tell the difference between the $1500 and the $5000 cable (except the price) of the same brand and similar construction. I guess you can count me as a reluctant believer that cables (and yes, break-in) might make a difference for you. Just listen and decide for yourself.

I say might, because what struggling through this pathetic thread illustrates is that many people can't - or perhaps won't - hear the difference. And they're apparently pissed off about it.

(The Cable Company will let you borrow cables to try so that you don't get stuck with something you can't use and can't return. And I'm just a happy customer of theirs, no business interest.)

@audio2design-      "Not sure who you think you are fooling with this?"      "....with some hard numbers what your claimed dielectric impacts would be on a power cord....."       Are you actually that obtuse?       I’ve, "claimed" nothing (hence: nothing to prove).       I’ve only pointed out that POSSIBILITIES exist, regarding those scientifically established (measurable and repeatable) changes that dielectrics go through, when an electric field is introduced.      Obviously; you’ve a serious problem with comprehension.     Then again: it’s probably that fevered, religious fervor, that has has your uneducated brain in turmoil.

You know what happens when we were recording and we detected a faulty power cord? We replaced it then shut the studio down for 2 weeks.

Sorry bit of professional humor. We replaced it. No one noticed. Usually it was replaced due to damage/safety not actually failing and we replaced with new. Generally heavy duty as they took a lot of abuse. Then again could be just that the artist forgot the power cord to their amp, synth, etc. Never once do I remember them insisting they had to run/fly home and get their own cord (or let it sit for several days).


Now obviously recording and playback are not the same but the people who make your music don’t fret over this, don’t even give it a thought actually (except hum and noise). For live recordings the equipment including orders of magnitude more sensitive microphone cables were probably set up that day or if lucky the day before and no one gave any thought to the power cords on mic preamps, mixer boards, amps, etc.

Oh, contacts ... That's where problems existed most of the time. Contact cleaner/enhancer is your friend and sometimes tools to fix a bent pin.

Leave your DAC on 24/7. Any DAC will sound better this way.

except a tubed dac...

 Res Ipsa Loquitur is both a latin truism and a legal term describing certain accepted situations where negligence is implied without further proof. If the situation qualifies, it is a persuasive tool in proving a case.

On the other hand, the generic use of the term is less useful in mounting a persuasive argument. Res Ipsa Loquitur in a non-legal context is best thought of as the historic precursor to the modern day truism "it is what it is," the use of which is often accompanied by a smug smile or mike drop (after all, who can argue with that?)

While a latin phrase is perceived to add gravitas to an argument, the use of the phrase adds nothing substantive to the argument. It certainly doesn't end it.

Perhaps the parties should just "agree to disagree"...........

 Res Ipsa Loquitur is both a latin truism and a legal term describing certain accepted situations where negligence is implied without further proof. If the situation qualifies, it is a persuasive tool in proving a case.

On the other hand, the generic use of the term is less useful in mounting a persuasive argument. Res Ipsa Loquitur in a non-legal context is best thought of as the historic precursor to the modern day truism "it is what it is," the use of which is often accompanied by a smug smile or mike drop (after all, who can argue with that?)

While a latin phrase is perceived to add gravitas to an argument, the use of the phrase adds nothing substantive to the argument. It certainly doesn't end it.

Perhaps the parties should just "agree to disagree"...........

Again I ask: why do anti-audiophiles post on an audiophile site?

Because the definition of an "audiophile" is subjective.  Often, an audiophile is one who says: "...and if I spend that much money I KNOW it will sound better!"

“It is easier to fool someone than to convince them that they have been fooled.” -Mark Twain