Power cable


Hello everyone, curious on thoughts for a power cable for my Pass Labs X250.8 ?  At the moment I’m leaning at the Furutech DPS 4.1 cable with the 48M NCF Rhodium AC connectors. The outlet will be the Furutech GTX-D NCF Rhodium as well. I have read a bit on this. Curious on everyone’s thoughts. I have chatted with a few members here already and owner of Vhaudio. Do you guys think the cost is worth it overall ? Thank you 

shtr74sims

It really depends on what sound characteristics you’re looking for in the context of your system and tastes.  What specific improvements are you looking for over the outlets and power cords you have now?

carlsbad2

2.  rhodium is trendy but has a conductivity only 38% of copper.  Steel is 7% so it is actually closer to steel than copper. So I avoid Rh.

+1.

The Rhodium coating in power plugs sounds very hard and brilliant which we don't want. The better power cord sounds closer to the original music. The original music sounds cleanest, smoothest and the most musical.   Alex/Wavetouch

I would put my surplus cash into room conditioning before I would waste my money on power cords.  You realize a good quality amp converts the AC to DC, filters and regulates, and could care less about the 6' from your wall outlet to your amp.

@ghdprentice AQ Hurricane is a very nice cable. I had it long enough to get verry familiar with its pros and cons.
Hurricane’s emphasis on bass had me impressed initially with its power and texture. However , it happens to also be this cable’s curse. Eventually I realized it was all the coloration and its tendency to sound bottom heavy, which in turn muddies up the mids and warms up the treble a bit too much. The air was missing. It sounded pinched in the highs.
The DPS-4.1 with FI-50 NCF plugs has a more open sound with tighter, more articulate bass, clearer mids and sweeter more extended highs. There’s more air around the instruments and vocals with the Furutech. The soundstage grows wider (depth is about the same).

As far as Rhodium plating goes, and this is based on my experience with Audience AU24SX speaker cables with Rhodium plated spades, the two GTX-D R NCF outlets, the FP-S55n power cable with FI-50 R NCF and the FP-S032n power cable with regular FI-50 R connectors. There’s absolutely zero hardness/harshness to the sound. The presentation is free flowing and relaxed.
If there’s a downside to the aforementioned Furutech components it would be the break in process where you get excellent sound right out of the gate but it degrades quickly, within the first 24 hours and the rollercoaster begins. At different points throughout the break in you will have dull highs, gray and veiled mids, weak bass, nasty brightness. This all goes away and the cables and plugs begin to settle after about 300hrs and continue to improve for another 200-300 hrs after that.
It’s extremely annoying and not easy to live thru but hang in there and you’ll be rewarded with great sound.

@shtr74sims Talk to Chris at VH Audio about the plugs for DPS. I wouldn’t go lower than FI-50 R for that cable. Not worth sitting and wondering what you may be missing.

Just for context…power cords I tried…

Audioquest Tornado

Audioquest Hurricane 

Audience AU24

Audience AU24se-i HP

Audience AU24se-i MP

Audience Forts F3

Acoustic Zen Tsunami

Acoustic Zen Krakatoa

Acoustics Zen Gargantua II

Cardas Clear Beyond

DCCA The Source

Furutech FP-S32n

Furutech FP-S55n

Furutech DPS-4.1

Nordost Red Dawn

Nordost Brahma

Nordost Heimdall 2

Purist Audio Design Museaus

Puritan Classic

Puritan Ultimate 

Shunyata Cobra

Shunyata Venom

Shunyata Taipan Helix Alpha

Shunyata Python Helix Alpha

Shunyata Alpha V2

TWL American Digital

TWL Seven Plus

VH Audio Flavor 4

WireWorld Platinum Electra 7