How do you think this AC power will be?


DH Labs Silver Sonic-Red Wave Premium A/C Power Cable (10 gauge)

SonarQuest CRYO AG Silver Plated Series US NEMA Power Plug Connector ST-AgP(B) & ST-AgC(B)




I'm not doing anything fancy at least for now. I'm just connecting the wires to the plugs and that's it. 
todd1010

Showing 8 responses by williewonka

I have tried the DH Labs Power Plus with the Sonar Quest.Connectors

It is better than a stock power cable and about s good as Furutech 10 gauge bulk cables, but without the expense.

The Connectors are one of the best out there -  I use them on all of my cables

If you want to improve the  sound considerably but with minimal work I would make the cable itself by simply braiding three  12 gauge conductors. Cover with expandable nylon sleeve for e professional finish 

Take a look at thisTake Five Audio wire - it is perfect for power cables
https://www.takefiveaudio.com/products/332-mil-spec-12-awg-silver-plated-copper-cryo-treated-black/

It does come in 10 gauge, but only in black

For the ultimate power cable take a look at the Power Helix
http://image99.net/blog/files/category-002ahelix-power-cable.html

I am yet to try a better power cable - I've tried cables between $1000 and $1500 and it beats them hands down.

People that have built the Helix have said they outperform their considerably more expensive power cables from established brands

Improvements include
- more expansive image
- faster dynamics
- more clarity and detail

Hope That helps - Steve

Guys - If you have any questions - just ask - happy to help

In terms of inprovements that can be acjieved....
- the Helix Speaker cables offered the most noticeable improvements
- the IC's were perhaps the next best
- the power cords are a little more complicated

The power cords improvements were most noticeable on components that have a less capable power supply - like source components.
- e.g. my Bluesound Node 2 streamer/DAC improved significantly, whereas my amp, although improvements can be heard - I found I had to listen more intently for subtle improvements in the music - such as the reverberations in venue acoustics. Live perofrmances excell in this area

The sound once all cables are of the helix design is very aluring and based on feedback from others that have tried them, confirms an almost holographic like 3d image that appears to make the speakers invisible and a level of clarity that allows music to be played at louder volumes without listner fatigue.

Of course, much of this has to do with room acoustics as well - so you job is not done quite yet

Just remember to allow the requisite time for burn-in - it is very important to achieve the best possible results

BTW - I changed the web site a little yesterday - for the power cables due to some recent findings...
- I now also recommend the Silver Plated Mil Spec for both the live and neutral conductors.
- it perfroms as well as the DH Labs and Furutech wire
- it is more affordable
- and you don't have to strip out the conductors

But if you already have the Bulk cables from either DH Labs or Furutech then you might as well use that.

Regrds - Steve 
@todd1010 - that is correct - the braided mil-spec wire will provide better sound than both the DH Labs and Furutech bulk cable.

If you have already purchased the DH Labs wire you can remove the outer sleeve and braid the three conductors for great results. apply some expandable sleeve for a more professional finish.

However - the Helix will provide better results than the braided PC,

If you are braiding the Mil-spec wire I would use the 12 gauge, because 3 x10 gauge mil-spec wires would be a really heft cable.

The Helix geometry allows you to build a thiner Power Cable...
- the live wire is 10 gauge
- the neutral is 2 x 12 gauge wires - combined makes a 9 gauge wire
- the ground can still be a single12 gauge wire
- the neutral and the ground also provides sheilding for the live wire

The ground is only there in the event of a catostrophic component failure, in which case, a breaker (or fuse) will trip. A 12 gauge wire is more than capable of handling this type of event in a home audio system.

The biggest advantage with the Helix is that it eliminates line noise and allows a connected component to work as designed.
- Whereas power cables that adopt a more standard geometry like the DH Labs and Furutech bulk cable  actually introduce noise into the PC.

Cleaner power = Better Sound Quality 

Hope that makes sense - Steve
@tjbhuler  - There is a growing consensus within the "cables community" that having a thicker neutral  than the live/signal provides improvements in sound quality. 

Perhaps the lower resistance of the neutral plays a larger role in the performance of the connected components?

I wanted to test this theory out, so I simply doubled up on the neutral and it worked.

I initially used 12 gauge  for the live/signal and 2 x 12 for the neutral. It outperformed the 1 x 12 neutral  version of the cable.

For the Ground Wire I generally use 12 gauge regardless of size of live/signal (provided the live/signal is not over 10 gauge) because it is required in the event of a catostrophic component failure. There is no need to go to a smaller gauge (thicker) wire for the neutral - it provides no benefit

RE: 
 I have tried using same gauge for L & N with doubling up the ground wire by twisting each ground cable to L and N side. It was a very nice improvemnt when i compared to another cable i had that was much more expensive than this diy version.
I am assuming you twisted one ground around the neutral and another ground around the signal?

It would perform better than store bought cables because it is a Helxi design (variant).

It must have been a pretty thick cable?
- but I do not know if it would provide and benefits over a standard single spiral helix geometry.

Perhaps if you opt for a PC using the standard helix design you could compare them and report back?

The helix design provides the following physical attriibutes
- it is extremly flexible
- it is no thincker than a comparable bulk mains cable of a similar gauge

I have made cables with 18 and 16 gauge wire and they also work very well with the components.

Hope that helps

Glad you are trying the Helix cables - I think you will like the improvements

Regards - Steve




@todd1010 - for your mono blocks...
- I would use a single 10 gauge Mil-Spec for the live
-  2 x 12 gauge Mil-Spec for the neutral (i.e. 9 Gauge combined total )
- 1 12 gauge Home depot wire for the ground

WRT the DH Labs cables you have made - they require about 60 hours burn-in before they even staret to sound better than theri initial perofrmance, but it does not get too much better - better dynamics.

If you used Sonar Quest plugs you should have heard better imaging from the start.

Hope That Helps
@todd1010 -  My experience has been that 12 gauge is large enough for lower power components - DAC's Streamers.

I tried a 10 gauge on my DAC and it proved to be no more effective than the 12/13 gauge cables I had.

I have a 12/13 gauge cable on my Node 2 at the moment

Regards - Steve
@elizabeth - I have to agree with you WRT it being difficult to maintain uniformity for the length of the cable

However I have adapted my braid as follows...

  1. attach the three conductors to the IEC connector
  2. Plug the connector into an unused component
  3. cross the neutral and ground wire behind the live wire
  4. ensure the ground wire is touching the live wire where they cross
  5. bring the ground and neutral wires to the front
  6. Cross the wires over the live conductor
  7. now ensure that the neutral wire touches the live wire where they cross
  8. complete this process for the length of the cable
It’s not so much a braid, but a modified helix where the neutral and ground wires are wound around the live wire in counter rotating directions

I keep the distance between crossing points to around 1-1.5 inches 

Using this technique you can better control the tightness of the braid and the spacing of the cross-over points.

Hope tat helps - Regards Steve