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Dream system - but no aftermarket power cords

Hi,
after tweaking many other aspects of my system, I have had to deal with substantial noise from my Piega C10Ltd speakers recently.
This has led me to order a Synergistic Research Tesla PowerCell 10SE which should arrive later this week.

So, after getting into the "power" game and reading up on some PC reviews, I am still lost with regards to the baseline strategy to upgrade the stock cables on all components.
Here's my current setup for my 2 channel speaker system:
[Squeezebox Transporter] - [McIntosh MDA 1000] - [Piega P1 Mk ii active subwoofer (RCA loop-through and cut-off at 75Hz)] - [Marantz MA9-S2 mono amps (2x)] - [Piega C10Ltd]
All active components will be powered through the PowerCell.

So here are my preliminary thoughts, please feel free to comment:

1. Order of upgrades
1.1 Frequently, it's recommended to "upgrade the transport" first. In my case, would that be the Transporter (I guess? Or upgrade last because it's only feeding the DAC?) or the MDA-1000 (which is serving double duty as DAC and preamp, so could I double the impact from a better PC??)
1.2 The Marantz amps with their massive capacitors ought to be the least power sensitive piece of gear (??? not sure about that), so it would make sense to upgrade them last?

Of course the whole question about order of upgrades is related to
2. good-better-best strategy
2.1 what's considered a solid baseline for a highend system like mine, I don't have the money for (new) Valhalla everywhere (I need 5 PCs total)?
2.2 back to order of upgrades: looking at the individual pieces of equipment specifically, where do I get to the 95% point of diminishing returns? e.g. Synergistic apparently recommend Tesla T2 on sources and T3 on (pre)amps, is there a reasonable "segmentation" strategy?
2.3 how high should I value system synergies, specifically considering the fact that I will use a PowerCell; in other words, are there unwanted side effects from other cords (e.g. LossLess) trying to filter out stuff that the PowerCell has already taken care off and leading to a "lifeless" sound?

3. Looking at the list of components above, any recommendation about what you have found to work well with any one of the components listed above would be appreciated (e.g. Jerry Seigel recommended PS Audio PW 10 for the Marantz amps, I am reluctant to go there based on my general preference to avoid too much shielding)

Any help/suggestions much appreciated (I promise to report back my findings after trying out some of your recommendations in return!)
Thanks!
Jofte
jofte

Showing 3 responses by dlcockrum

dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Lacee,

I think you mistook Macdadtexas' post as being a sincere attempt to contribute to the OP's issue. Unfortunately, he just trolls all posts on hi-end power cords (and cables in general) and insults everyone who has positive experiences with them. The post above is just another example of his unwelcome sarcasm.

Jofte,

The Powercell 10SE is an incredible power conditioner. Great choice as it does a wonderful job of cleansing your power without the usual current limiting issues of other conditioners. I run my entire system through mine (including a Plasma TV, two subwoofers, and a 1200 w/ch Krell FPB-600C amp).

I think you will find that continuing to add Tesla power cords, ICs, and speaker cables to your system will consistently improve your system's sound quality, lowering the noise floor and vastly improving soundstaging and transparency. The new SR Galileo MPCs are also recommended, especially for your Powercell and the included Precision AC power cord.

I have an excellent SR dealer that will let you experiment with different SR cables and other products if you wish to email me for his contact info.

Good luck.

dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Macdadtexas,

You can find my system here:

http://cgi.audioasylum.com/systems/9214.html

I believe you will find my equipment credentials to be in order.

In direct opposition to your view of continuing to trade/upgrade equipment (and therefore never optimizing any of it AS A SYSTEM), I feel that once you get a rig of equipment/speakers that pleases you, it is best to focus remaining funds on improving cabling/power/acoustic treatment/stands/tweaks etc to bring out its full potential AS A SYSTEM. Thus, as you have observed, my posts are focused on that pursuit.

You may not recall, but I also live in the Houston area and even once invited you over to hear my system but you were unable to make it. Offer still open.

In the meanwhile, give the sarcasm and unresponsive posts a rest, huh?
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Macdadtexas,

I have provided my system for your review (must have blown your mind based on your irrational assertions above).

I have invited you to my home TWICE to hear my system. You declined the first invite and totally ignored the second one. Yet, you have taken time to map the demographics of my post history. Very telling and troubling, to say the least.

Seek professional help and go away.
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