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Help selecting a power cord.
All my gear has the factory supplied power cords I’m ready to try 1 aftermarket power cable as a test. So what brand power cable should it be and what device gets it first? Tube pre? Tube main? D/A? CD transport? Roon Nucleus? Subs? GE Trefs?? Turntable? Oppo 103? Which piece of my gear should be most affected by the improved power cord?? I look forward to the responses and will likely choose the cord that has the most recommendations.
97 responses Add your response
What is your budget? Also, many powercords are stiff and bulky and you may not have room for them behind your equipment. If you are looking in the lower price ranges, say $300 and down and need something flexible, I think Cullen Cables make some very nice cords. Where should it go? Good question. I think most people would say the DAC, but many would say the power amplifier. Personally, I would look into a good power conditioner like the Audience AR6. They are very good buys on the used market and upgrade everything that you plug into them. Maybe not for massive power amps, but everything else IMO. |
Big difference. A good power conditioner costs a few thousand dollars. Decent power cords go from a few hundred up. If you have the dough, I would personally buy a good power conditioner. IMO the cheap ones do more harm than good. If you don't have the money, just buy a nice cord from a good manufacturer and try it out. |
You ask good questions. I have had some form of upgraded power cord for so long i forget which is most sensitive but I have recently been doing some upgrades. What is your equipment? You want to be investing in cords that raise the performance level enough that it would not have been better to invest in better components. Yes, power conditioner is probably the first step. Shunyata, PSAudio, and Hydra are some to check out. These are not products to go cheap on. You should either try a couple from a dealer or get with return privileges. It should make a significant improvement. If you get a really good one, it can outlast many component upgrades. . Then comes power cords, they are like interconnects, which cord sounds best is dependent on your equipment and tastes. It is imperative to try them. I would get at least 4 different brands... rent or borrow. Shunyata, WireWorld, DHLabs. Since you have tube equipment I am guessing you are not looking to warm up your system... that leaves out Cardas I think. Although the new Cardas Clear Beyond seems to through off the typical warm and lacking in details stereotype. I would get two pair of each and put on preamp and amp. Typically the low power digital components would have a different type (noise reduction... and they don’t have massive current). I have used DH Labs silver as inexpensive cords as standard until I have time to evaluate. I think they are among the most cost effective. But they need lots of breakin time. . The decision of if the power cord is worth it should be easy. The performance increase should make you say, “wow, this is a good deal!” I have said that about $1,500 power cords and $2,500 interconnects. If it doesn’t then keep looking or just wait until after your next system upgrade. |
What are you using to plug-in your gear? Power strip or Conditioner? I recommend Zavfino Majestic MKII ($324-1.5M) power cords in following order, https://zavfinousa.com/collections/power-cables/products/the-majestic-occ-power-cable-12awg Tube Main Tube pre D/A CD transport Turntable Subs (last) Roon Nucleus uses DC cable, I suggest you upgrade its stock power supply to a linear power supply. You asked, “So if you could only do 1 upgrade, would you do cords, or power conditioning??” Power Conditioner like Audience Forte, it comes with a very nice power cord, https://audience-av.com/conditioners/forte-power/ |
Take a serious look at the Puritan power conditioners, 136 and 156. Less expensive than the big boys and actually more effective. If I had to apportion money, I'd put it there before trying power cords. BTW, the Puritan PCs are also very good and don't break the bank. But the 156 is transformative: check out several threads about it here. |
Use Pangea Audio cables on everything for power cords. I did everything at once so I can’t comment on where to start. They have different cords depending on the component type. I wouldn’t beak the bank on power cords. For me, they didn’t make much of a difference. Power regeneration did make a big difference. I use PS Audio P20. They have smaller units to fit your budget and needs. They also have a 30 day return. |
@lalitk I chose Pangea based on a recommendation from a friend. They are very good cords for the money. Power cords don't make much difference in my system because of the components.Yes lower end gear will make the benefit of a QUALITY power cable less apparent. As you get into higher quality gear ie Pass, Simaudio, Boulder, AR, AH, BorderPatrol, Luxman even McIntosh (being funny) a high quality power cables benefits will be more apparent. |
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For the budget minded only…I tried these on a whim just to see if they were better than stock and at this price super low risk. I was shocked with the results…they are still in my amp and Dac. At some point i will upgrade them like i did buying Morrow interconnects but these are better than stock for sure…let the laughing and head shakin begin! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07525TZLS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 |
^^^ I used that on my power amp. I used these on line level equipment. Amazon.com: Viborg VP1501 C7 HiFi Power Cable, Figure 8 IEC320 Hi-End Audio Power Cord, US AC Mains Cord with Pure Red Copper Power Plug VM501+VF508 (5FT/1.5M, C7): Electronics |
In my system the power cords make as much difference as interconnects. In the last year I have tried many from budget to pricy. Here are my two cents: budget: Audio Envy, Anticable 3.0, Bav, and Cullen Crossover. Cullen is a step above and it is as good as some expensive ones. high priced: AQ Thunder HC, Stealth Dream V10, Silnote Orion, Zavfino Silver Dart. Everyone is better than the budget ones and they all have their strength. Silver Dart is great with amp and Dream V10 is great with DAC. But I’m happy with all of them. |
Pangea cords are VERY stiff, and the big ones require a fair amount of room behind your rack. Other cables are similar. Shunyata is always a good bet, they are well known for power cables. Furutech as well. Other good choices are Audio Art or Audio Sensibilities. You could go the DIY route and build some very high grade cables for less over all, but still not cheap. Then the reality of terminating can be tricky depending on the cable chosen. Some are very straight forward, others, not so much. VHAudio.com is a good place to check into if DIY is any possibility. Furman makes some of the best power blocks out there. They have been in the power game forever. They have many options, and any price point. Just keep in mind, power cables and such (all cables) are a bit of a rabbit hole... prepare your wallet. |
I did the following test. 1. Installed an isolation transformer (Plitron). The electrical inspector said that it was the cleanest power he had ever seen outside a generating station. 2. Change in sound was obvious: crisper, clearer, cleaner. 3. Borrowed two expensive power cords. Each made a slight improvement over factory cords when using wall power; but neither was as good as factory cord plus isolation transformer. 4. When plugged into the isolation transformer, the expensive cords made no improvement over the factory cords. 5. Conclusion: save up for an isolation transformer, IF you can locate it outside the listening room. That is important because they tend to growl when doing their job, which is cleaning up the power and protecting your equipment from DC. YMMV Good luck! |
I make my own using quality parts sourced from known and well-established manufacturers (e.g. Furutech). That way, I can source the materials, wire and if desired, covering material, cut to spec, assemble and deploy at a fraction of the cost of buying similar cables on the market. Likewise, without appropriate power filtering and conditioning at the main, cables can only contain so much electronics to reduce noise and other negative elements before they become unwieldy to acquire and/or implement. |
I just bought 3 power cords from Patrick Cullen, They are execllent quality and are very reasonably priced. He was helpful in picking different cords for different components. He custom makes them to order, starting at 3 feet. It will take a few weeks to get them as he was running about two weeks worth of orders ahead of mine. Give him a call - he is very helpful. I found about about him from an add he placed on Audiogon. |
I just bought 3 power cords from Patrick Cullen, They are execllent
quality and are very reasonably priced. He was helpful in picking
different cords for different components. He custom makes them to
order, starting at 3 feet. It will take a few weeks to get them as he
was running about two weeks worth of orders ahead of mine. Give him a
call - he is very helpful. I found about about him from an add he
placed on Audiogon.
|
Go and grab an audioquest thunder, a great little power cable, well not so little....AQ x3’s are great for source components. I use them throughout. However, this is just a start...you will need to add a dedicated line/circuit preferably 20 amp 12 gauge, a power conditioner such as the AQ Niagara 1200, and a good quality receptacle such as AQ nrg Edison. None of this is cheap and will set you back 4k or so....though, you could save money by doing the electrical work yourself. The reward will be a much quieter back ground, black so to speak...the music will come forward as the veil is lifted. I would consider what I own as upper mid-fi components, Sugden Signature a21se class A, Tannoy eaton legacy, music hall mmf-7.3 w/ 2m bronze, border patrol dac, marantz hd cd-1 used as transport. Alternate turntable, pro-ject the classic sb w/ Hana el and Jensen sut, tavish design classic (tubed/nos) phono preamp....alternate amp, Marantz pm14s1. Alternate phono preamp,, pro-ject tube box ds2. Doing as I described has improved the sound of what components I have listed. Then there are all the associated inter connect cables, another hefty investment.... |
I have a DCS Vivaldi stack, so in my view that allows me to hear differences of cables very clearly. It is apparent that Upsampler/clock/Dac need a VERY LIGHT TOUCH cable for best results .. so for source kit I would recommend such, but beyond that it is I am afraid an expensive matter of trail and error as to which gives best, according to the rest of your kit and ears. Probably a clock is most sensitive to cables of any type |
I purchased a Furman it 20 I and diy five cords TOTL furutech rhodium and Furutech wall outlet, grounding plate and cover. Both amps plugged into the Furutech outlet on a dedicated circuit. Front end is on another outlet in use with the it 20 I, I couldn't be more happy and my system sounds better every day, several months on the cords and on the Furman. I built a furutech speaker cable now too. I like furutech but now I'm broke. Diy your own cords, several benefits to this approach and very easy. |
1) I won't add to brands as many have already made suggestions. I have a midlevel quality cord connected to a Furman
ELITE-15 PF power conditioner but I cannot tell much difference. I've studied at the PS Audio power plant 12 (and talked with them on the phone at length) but am unsure and hesitant to spend $5K. 2) one of my go-to audiophile friends hired an electrician and ran a dedicated line from his house panel to his stereo room. He said for a few hundred dollars, the result was amazing. Even his wife noticed the difference. 3) I would love to hear what you end up with and if you can tell any improvements. Good luck! |
Start with a quality hospital grade or better wall outlet, followed by power distribution (Furutech eTP-66). No need in the beginning to purchase a power conditioner. Allow yourself the ability to evaluate the sound of the power cords you are considering. Work one variable at a time. I replaced the cord on a Nuforce STA-200 and the difference was huge! I replaced the cord on by Pass XA-25.. went back to the original factory cord! The Cable Company might be a good place to start. |
People suggest DIY. You can try for sure but I can almost guarantee that you will not succeed. It is incredibly difficult to build a cable that sounds like a 1k cable from reputable brand like Shunyata. Cables that are much better cost way over 5k and you will notice the difference immediately. Read this and pay special attention to the last post. http://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/extra-extra-millercarbon-proven-wrong-read-all-about-it-extra-e?highlight=millercarbon&page=6 You can spend arm and leg on the cable as well but it is not likely going to be better than the one made professionally. Check here http://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/nova-power-cord-model-m101-silver-review#2180479 |
“Cables that are much better cost way over 5k and you will notice the difference immediately” @begow, I respectfully disagree with above statement. There are plenty of professionally made high quality power cords to choose from that can sound incredibly good under $1K. As with any aftermarket cable, the degree of improvement one hears is system dependent. |
