Power cable

@luvrockin I also suggest looking into Furutech bulk cables with your choice of Furu Gold or Rhodium AC and IEC plugs, the price to performance offering is pretty hard to beat. Furutech products are made extremely well, good luck and have fun.

Thanks for your input. May be a thought for down the line purchases

I know this is an older thread but I want to throw in more support for BLE Design power cables (available on EBAY - somebody already posted a link in this thread).  Great guy making great, very affordable power cables.  I currently use three of his design along with three Zu Audio (2 - Birth and 1 - Mission).  I have mixed and matched gear and done A/B testing and can tell no difference between them and the Zu Birth cables (the Mission is new and I don't have any opinions yet).  Versus stock cables they opened my system up, added air and most significantly gave me a punchier more defined bass in both of my systems: Tekton Uruz in the main system and Elac B6's in the bedroom.  Highly recommended.

Interesting stuff, been reading a thin and learning a lot. Thanks to all.

 I recently posted a question about splitting or selection of Toslink signal in the Audiogon Digital section. Can't seem to get any takers. You guys know anything about this. Check out my thread and hit it if you can, maybe this will spark the lacking fire.

I myself use Audioquesr power cords.  I have found them far superior to Shunyata's offerings.  The better ones are not cheap, but far less from much of the competing products.  I have also over the last few years been ble to get perfect demo Audioquest power cords from a local dealer when he had himself have to replace his own demo power cords whenever Audioquest came out with newer models.  

Go to Audio Advisor and check out Pangea power cables. There are three different kinds...

AC-9 - For components that have high current demands (Pawer amps, integrated amps, and receivers)

AC-14 - For your source components (Turntable, CD player, network audio player)

AC-14 C7 Version - For cable boxes and other components that have C7 connection.

The AC-9 and AC-14 have updated versions to choose from. I purchased the regular ones for my system, and so far I am enjoying what I'm hearing or not hearing, whatever the case may be.

Luvrockin,
Preference for power cords varies as much as opinions themselves. One thing that is forgotten in deciding a good one, is the ends of it. The connectors... Find yourself one with Furutech connectors that are inexpensive, such as Audio Art. Then compare them to anything else out there under a couple of grand. I did. Right now I own Shunyata Alpha series, Anti cables, and Audio Art w/ Furutech FI-28 Rhodium connectors. Shunyata is great, though a little pricey. The Audio Art at half the price is a killer. I read recently of an online power cord manufacturer talking about how much Furutech has their act together and how good their stuff sounds.

Oh, and the Furman conditioner, junk it ( I did ) and get an Audioquest Niagara.  This thing is a miracle. Word of mouth is going to make it a star in the audiophile world. Don't believe me? Hide and watch.

Since you are looking for a value cable, I'll suggest The Super Stroke @$129 for a 2 Meter length, nice connectors and in my system compares easily with other $200 to $800 cables, comes with a money back offer,  https://www.corepowertechnologies.com/home

**dealer disclaimer**
Purist Audio Design AC cables are incredible. Check out the Musaeus AC cable. Amazing improvement and affordable. Happy listening. :-)

Cullen cables he makes them by hand at great price points they are well made and make a difference and he can make them any length you want you should google him and read it might be what you are looking for

@lowrider57 I've had a few of my posts removed recently and I can't for the life of me figure out why.. 

Drunken moderators? :-P

I found the BLE power cable on ebay.
Anyone usong it?

I wonder why that post was removed.

@jkbtn, have you tried this BLE cable? Always looking for well designed affordable products.

If you do every want to try DIY, williewonka's recipe works extremely well and costs very little. The geometry is solid and you can go as expensive as you like with your choice of wires.. I've built three and am very pleased.

Thanks Nutty and maybe I'll  check in to those jkbtn.

Try their 16mm (10 gauge) power cable.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLE-Design-10mm-16mm-Hi-End-Platinum-Plated-Audiophile-Audio-Mains-Power-Cab...

luvrockin,
I’ve not seen the Bluesound products, however the power cord you are describing sounds like a C7 termination. Nordost carries a few for smaller power supplies. For example: a small DAC or LCD display. They are nice cables for these applications. I’ve seen the Blue Heaven and Purple Flare but am not sure how far up the Nordost ladder the C7 is utilized. Hope that answered your question.

N

Thanks again guys. This panel is so informative. I'm going to play a bit, have some fun and see how it goes. My system has all Transparent cables, so I will probably start with their power cords. I'm a fan of TC as well.

Sfall, that's great to know about the Ayre piece, thanks. Anyone know what on the hell kind of cord is needed for the Bluesound Vault. It looks like a figure 8 looking at it or 2 round circles attached in the center. I think I'd like to change that at some point as well.

luvrockin-

there are some very good info/suggestions from the panel.
You are wise to start w/ replacing power cord(s) (PC) first.
This is the 1st step and the proper way to elevate your system's performance.

I am a "cable" guy first and foremost. Cabling is most certainly the over-looked/forgotten component.  Very important to get it right.

For your gear w/ a stock PC and you wish to replace it, an IEC connector is required in doing so.  I am a big fan of Transparent Audio cables/cords.
I would place them on the amp and pre-amp.  Then, listen for several weeks minimum prior to any more additions.  Follow the advice on the Ayre piece. Also, consult other Furman owners prior to replacing that PC as well.

You are off to an excellent start! Have fun and enjoy the music.

" Sfall, just curious what your thoughts are to keep the stock cord on the Ayre and change the Bluesound rather then changing them both?"

With Ayre you don't really need one. They design they're components with line conditioning in mind, and do so using the stock cord. They recommend you don't use one. As for myself, I've never been able to get any of my Ayre components to sound better with an aftermarket cord. It always degrades SQ. The best I can do is with ESP Essence PC's. They sound exactly the same as the stock Ayre cords. Your money is better spent better elsewhere.

I saw your question on how to upgrade the PC on it. You would remove the old cable and install an iec connector on it. Then you can use whatever PC you want.

Thank all you for your replies. They are all extremely helpful. Although I may not reply back individually, I'm reading them all and taking it in to account.
lowrider57, I have as dedicated circuit to my equipment, I built the room myself and ran that per separate. I'm only about 10' from the panel. I have ordered high grade receptacles that I'm going to be changing as well. I didn't realize I would go this route when I built the listening room in 2002.

Speaking of upgrading power cables, a dedicated AC line to the circuit box is very beneficial. Are you able to do this in your house or apartment?

I guess it's all system dependent, and also not all power cords are good for Codex.  I tried the $4,000 MasterBuilt Power cord on Codex, and it didn't sound better than the Voodoo Platinum Dragon ($800).  The Voodoo Platinum Dragon was designed specifically for source component, so that may have been the reason.  The MasterBuilt PC sounds best on my Plinius integrated amp.  It took my system sound to the next level.

Hmm, interesting points both @respected_ent and @nycjlee 

I've played around changing the power cables on the Codex with both cheap and expensive cables.  All changed the sound, not in a good way.  I'm back to using the stock cable, it sounds the best in my opinion. I spoke with Alex at Ayre a while back about this topic, he said that the Codex was specifically voiced with the stock cable and did not recommend changing it. I agree.  Good luck!

I don't think plugging the Furman into another PC (even if higher quality) would reap much benefit. The best way to upgrade the power delivery is to convert the Elite 15 to an IEC input so it could use a detachable power cord. There is a member here who's done this.

My advice is to upgrade all component PC's and use the Furman as is. As your system grows, you may want to upgrade your conditioner, or use separate conditioners for analogue and digital.

I've tried a number of power cords on Codex, and the one that sounds the best to me is the Voodoo Platinum Dragon.

@respected_ent Mind sharing which power cord you used?  I have a CODEX too and would be willing to experiment...  Thanks!

I replaced the stock power cord on my Ayre Codex, and the difference is huge.

Luvrockin...RE:

The other question is if I replaced the Furman power cable, is it necessary to replace and cords coming out of the Furman? Thoughts???

The answer is - replace all of your power cords, but the cable into the Furman can be the last one to replace.

Quality power cables between the conditioner and the various components tend to provide the most noticeable improvements.

So, what makes a good power cable?...

I have experimented over the last 4-5 years and found that companies that invest in a different cable geometry/architecture often provide the most noticeable improvements over those power cables that simply opt for implementing higher quality conductors.

What is geometry/architecture? - it is how the live, neutral and ground conductors are positioned in relation to each other within the outer sleeve.

Most commercial products simply use high grade conductors and insulation, but still employ a conventional geometry of placing the conductors side by side inside the sleeve with a slight twist.

Others employ a braided geometry/architecture such as that used by Anticables and Less Loss DFPC. I found this geometry to be superior to the conventional geometry above

Less Loss C-Marc series now employs a very complicated geometry of woven conductors, but I have not tried these - yet :-)

KLE Innovations takes a little different approach with their power products, which I believe uses different gauge conductors and their own proprietary geometry (not known), and based on their other products, which I have extensive hands on experience with, I believe their cables would be competitive with the very best cables on the market from companies such as Nordost

And there are a host of other complicated geometries from many other companies, some of which are no more effective than the conventional bulk products from DH Labs, which is very good and reasonable priced, compared to similar products from Furutech.

My own DIY power cables (see link) employ a helix geometry, which I found to be superior to anything else I have tried to date in either DIY or commercially available power cables.

http://image99.net/blog/files/be8de0c383c5434907610d6b55049e69-75.html

So when looking into which power cable to buy - look for the more advanced geometry/architecture.

Is a Screen layer required?
- only if you are criss-crossing power cables, e.g. in a recording studio - for home audio it is not as important
- I believe that companies that promote screens in home audio applications are simply playing on peoples paranoia.
- A little known fact: Braided and Helix geometries actually reject RFI and EMI so a screen is not necessary.

My own personal power related preferences...

I have a standard Romex dedicated line with MRI grade outlets

I connect my power amp directly to the outlet and plug the sources into my distribution panel.

I have the Blusound Node 2 and replacing the power cord provided very noticeable improvements.

By comparison, replacing the power cables on my NAIM amp did not result in the same jaw dropping improvements, but did result in some very subtle improvements in the reproduction of venue acoustics and imaging.

Replacing the power cable to the distribution panel provided the least noticeable improvements - but it’s there now - so I keep it more for "comfort" :-)

Hope that answers some of your question

Regards, Steve

In my opinion, I would upgrade the Furman power cord first. . If you should decide to upgrade that power cord, I would suggest purchasing some Furutech Nano-Ag-Au power cord, either 10 or 12 gauge and then attach the male and female ends you desire. Or you could purchase an already built power cord.
Yes, I believe upgrading your other power cords when you can afford to do so will improve those components. I'd start with the Dac and then move onto the preamp and amp. Somewhere in there try the Bluesound Vault with an upgrade power cord to see how much improvement you will hear.
Feel free to PM me and I could make some specific recommendations to you regarding power cords to purchase and/or make.
Best luck with your upgrads.

Sfall, just curious what your thoughts are to keep the stock cord on the Ayre and change the Bluesound rather then changing them both?

Bob, how would I go about upgrading the Furman power cord? I am extremely mechanical and electrical so I guess the question is not so much how to physically the work. It's more of where would I get a high quality cable if such to cut in or, does anyone know if they make a high quality cord with a female end that I could just plug the Furman into then go to the wall outlet? The other question is if I replaced the Furman power cable, is it necessary to replace and cords coming out of the Furman? Thoughts???

So much of what you will discover will be system dependent.
Though I know that cables can make a difference, I am loathe to spend inordinate amounts of money on them.
Some of my favorites are:
Zu Audio, AQ, and PS audio. 
Yes, upgrading the Furman power cord will make a difference- As upgrading the other power cords, as well.
Only you can determine whether it is worth the money.
Sorry if I can't be more specific...
Bob

Use the stock cord on the Ayre and a JPS Labs digital AC on the Bluesound. ESP Essence for everything else. If you live in the US, Cable Company can send you some demo cables to try first.

Unity Audio as in Cerious?