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Ideal power cord lengths?

A quick Google search suggests there is consensus that the ideal power cord length is 2m.  1m cords sound “harsher” and 3m cords sound “smoother”, with 2m being the sweet spot.  The PS Audio dude suggests that the reason is that the reason is that all cords have an impact on the power, and the greater the length, the greater the impact, good or bad.

I know many will say there is no difference between a 1m cord and a 3m cord.  But my question is, who here has tried like model power cords of different lengths, and what were the differences?  
 

Second question:  How does length factor into the equation when you have a cord feeding a conditioner, then other cords feeding components?  If 2m cords are in fact the ideal, would 1m cords be ideal when using conditioners?

I tend to believe those that say that power cord lengths matter.  While I’ve not been able to do this test myself, I’ve had these two experiences:

  • Testing Audioquest Diamond and Nordost Valhalla 2 USB cables, the cables shorter than 1.5m sounded TERRIBLE by comparison.  Especially the .75m Audioquest Diamond vs the 1.5m version.  But the 1m Valhalla 2 also sounded awful in comparison to the 2m version.  In general this opened my eyes to how much cable length matters, and counterintuitively in the case of digital cables. 
  • I have a 2019 2m AudioQuest Hurricane Source cable from back when AQ braided their cables, and I also have the newer non-braided Hurricane Source, but 3m in length.  The new Hurricane sounds vastly superior to my old 2m Hurricane.  In comparison the older cord compresses the soundstage depth.  I don’t know if the differences are due to the differences in length, or if it’s due to a design change by Audioquest.

Very interested in learning of others experiences with power cord lengths.

 

 

nyev

Showing 3 responses by lalitk

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,104 posts
 

“TBH I’m not noticing any issues with my room, but I know it can be improved.” 

@nyev 

Honestly, you would not know how vastly your system sound improves until you start to treat your room. No matter how complicated your room is, GIK Acoustics can help you tame the room with a modest investment. You can thank me later :-)

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,104 posts
 

"the cables shorter than 1.5m sounded TERRIBLE by comparison."

I realize the subjective nature of our hobby but this is the kind of BS that gives bad wrap to audiophiles. Just think about it, why would a cable manufacturer supply a 1M length if it sounds terrible compared to 1.5M, 2.0M and so on? 

@glennewdick ...LMAO!

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,104 posts
 

“Next up for another highly controversial subject: isolation and/or vibration control!”

@nyev

I just looked at your system pics and don’t see any room treatments. If you haven’t already, I would focus on room acoustics before you spend a dime on isolation/vibration control devices. Room acoustic treatments should be the first and foremost part of any serious listening space and fundamental to getting the most out of your audio system. I recommend consulting with GIK Acoustics, they were very helpful when I treated my room few years back. 

I am assuming you will be starting new threads on room acoustics and vibration control :-)

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