I think this conversation is about a claim that there have been quantum leaps in power cord technology in the last 5 years, not if there is a difference in power cords in general.
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I’m using balanced on the Ml 23.5. The Line Magnetic uses only single ended.
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It is not exactly “high end”. It’s a $40 Pangea cord.
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I don’t think it was due to the caps needing to power up. I had run the amp the previous day for about an hour, but at lower volume as background music while we cleaned and decorated the room for a party my wife was having. The caps should have been charged sufficiently. Also, if they were not charged, for them to suddenly become charged at the exact moment I substituted the power cord, would be an unbelievable coincidence.
In thinking about my experience with this cord, I may have discovered another instance of something odd occurring. I purchased a Line Magnetic LM150 integrated tube amp. It was borderline powerful enough to drive my speakers based on the specs. When I put it in the system, it performed very well. I kept a close eye on the meters to be sure the amp was not getting too stressed. The peaks never went higher than 50%-75% on the meters. I ran the amp for about three weeks and added some new ribbon speaker cables. Much to my dismay, at similar or lower volume levels I noticed the meters were pegging out. I attributed it to the unusual impedance of the speaker cables. I pulled the amp temporarily and ran a beefier solid state amp for a bit. Fast forward a month later and I tried the LM 150 again. This time the meters behaved as they did at first. I was both relieved and puzzled. I have had the amp in and out of the system numerous times over the past couple months and sometimes the meters are fine and other times they max out. I honestly do not remember what power cords I was using each time, but I’m going to guess there is a correlation between the meters maxing out and the “bad” power cord. This will be an easy thing to check.
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Thanks! Really? Too small? I didn’t even know that was a thing with power cords. 😂
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The cord I’m using is 3x16 AWG. I have another that is 3x14 AWG that I will try tomorrow.
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I have no idea what the Levinson originally shipped with. I bought it used and it is probably close to 30 years old.
As far as spending $2k on a power cord, that probably won’t happen. I’m getting really great sound out of the cord I’m using now (plain heavy duty black cord).
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I’m careful to make sure my amp is lower than the wall socket so the electrons can flow downhill via gravity.
I can tell this thread is devolving quickly….
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Right now it is only about 3’ going to a power strip. I want to upgrade the wall receptacle and run the power amp direct to its own 15 amp circuit, but for that I will need a 9’ cord.
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Thanks for the feedback. I’ll check it out. Since I ditched the Pangea cord, I haven’t had any issues. Even with a power strip and a cheap 16 gauge cord, the issues I mentioned in the original post have vanished. Everything sounds and performs wonderfully.
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This is what I don’t understand. It wasn’t a subjective difference in sound clarity I experienced. It was a volume difference and a temperature difference on the amp. These are both easily quantifiable. It honestly doesn’t make any sense.
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I appreciate all the feedback and trouble shooting. The good news is that the problem is solved and it isn’t a major power issue. Perhaps I’ve learned a bit in the process too. 👍🏻
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What does mentioning which cord it is have to do with anything? If you read the thread you will see it mentioned about a half dozen times. Are you telling me that power cords from today are vastly (quantum leaps) superior to power cords from 5 years ago? Because if you are, I would love to see evidence of that!
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Again, where is the data that shows power cord technology has taken a quantum leap in the last 5 years? I’m anxious to read up on these advancements because, surprisingly enough, I was not aware of it.
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Right. But where is the evidence that technology, and thus, performance, has advanced in the last 5 years? I’m not talking about price. I’ve been at this for 40 years, so I’m no novice. I’m also a rational thinking person that needs to see some concrete evidence to substantiate such absurd claims. No need to be delicate. Just show me the empirical evidence. Simple.
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Someone previously claimed that power cord technology has taken a quantum leap forward in the past 5 years. All I asked for was some evidence that shows current power cords are far superior to cords from 5 years ago (or 50 years ago, for that matter). I would preferably like some empirical evidence from someone other than a manufacturer or reviewer that can substantiate this claim. I’m not sure what you think I’m asking for. I’m not looking for it because I’m willing to bet it doesn’t exist. If someone is going to use hyperbolic terms to describe differences such as “quantum leap”, they should have no problem substantiating those claims. Right?
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This is why I asked for a source other than the manufacturer or a reviewer. A reviewer is only echoing what the manufacturer is telling them.
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I haven’t even messed with that cord. It is out of the rotation. I purchased a 12 gauge cord long enough to plug directly into the wall and that seems to be the way to go. Both my Levinson and Rowland amps seem to have better bass as a result. Especially the Rowland. It really woke things up.
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soix, I’m going to guess you either did not read the whole thread or you just migrate around the site looking to play the ASR card. Someone made a claim that power cord technology has made “quantum leaps” in the last 5 years. I asked for proof. I made no broad statement about cables. If you can get off your high horse and find me some data to substantiate that claim I would be very appreciative. Until then, stop lecturing me about what constitutes an audiophile and telling me I don’t belong here. Your post perfectly exemplifies the stereotype of the pompous, condescending audiophile that rational people incessantly mock.
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I don’t think anyone is reading my posts because everyone is arguing about something I’m not even claiming! ALL I ASKED WAS EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE THAT POWER CORD TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE A QUANTUM LEAP IN THE LAST 5 YEARS. That’s it. I’m not debating whether power cords make a difference. I’m not asking for blind tests. I’m simply wanting to know why no one is calling out someone who is making that absurd claim, yet lecturing me on something I’m not even arguing. People, please read my posts.
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Ahhhh yes! Yet more insults. This time insulting my “audiophile creed”. I wasn’t aware that I needed an audiophile pedigree to ask a question. (Which you didn’t answer, by the way. I asked for 5 years, not 32 years, but nice try). Perhaps we need to define “quantum leap”? Or maybe define hyperbole?
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soix…so you would agree that power cable technology has made “quantum leaps” in the last 5 years? That’s all I want substantiated. I don’t care about any other cables. I don’t care about sound comparisons. All of you fragile audio elites get way too defensive over all this cable stuff. I just want someone to publicly agree with this absurd claim so I and all rational audiophiles can have a good laugh. I don’t need “big boy audio ears”. I just need a good nose to sniff out this utter BS.
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