@mdrone - It has been awhile since I installed the Transparent PC and don't recall there was a big difference in sound other than more punch in the low end.
Power Cable Suggestions
Will be receiving used Mark Levinson No 436 monoblock amps and would appreciate power cord recommendations, preferabley under $500, or stick with the stock power cords.
Thanks!
Thanks!
62 responses Add your response
@dnb4, Try Zavfino Majestic PC. I have recommended this PC to @dalims4 recently and he was quite pleased with its performance on his server. https://zavfinousa.com/collections/power-cables/products/the-majestic-occ-power-cable-12awg |
Having seen both the WW Electra 7 and AQ Thunder mentioned here, if you can find a Thunder used close to your budget, go for it. I just obtained a Thunder a week ago and installed it on my preamp replacing a WW Electra 7. Major difference and improvement over what is a very good Electra. For an amp, you may also want to consider either a PS-Audio AC-10 or AC-12. Those are available on the used market at pretty good prices. I use the lower level AC-5 on my Parasound amp and it does an admirable job. I tried the Electra on my amp, but thinner and less bass. My AC-5 is clearly the better match there. Hope that helps. |
Would my Tesla get from 0 to 60 faster if I use an SRX power cord? Is the stock cord good enough or will performance improve with a $10,000 aftermarket power cord? Would my heater get warm faster and air conditioner cool like a breeze off a lake? Will my audio system have a huge jump in music reproduction, like I'm sitting in a theater with the musicians surrounding me?That's the craziest things I've heard. I am laughing out loud. Thanks for the humor. |
Build an inexpensive but effective DH Labs pc. If you can't hear a difference after about 100 hours break, stick to the stock cords. Only connect the shield at the wall socket end. Try both ways, shield connected or shield floating. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32836702517.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.1f604c4dLmxvXK https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649740795-dh-labs-bulk-encore-ac-power-cable/ |
Power cord is one of the more incomprehensible things I’ve experienced in audio. How can a cable that is not a part of the audio signal chain make a difference in sound...but it does An amplifier does not enlarge the input signal, rather it makes a large copy of the input signal using the electricity from the mains to create the copy. An amplifier is actually a copying machine of sorts. The input signal never gets to your speaker but dies in the amplifier. What goes down your speaker cable consists 100% of what comes into the amp via the power cable. In a sense, the AC is part of the signal path and we get tangible benefits when we optimize it. |
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Oh how I wish it were only a couple thousand. To buy a Tesla- first you have to be so blind you can't see how none of the parts even fit together properly. Then you have to be so gullible you think they're charged by fairy dust instead of coal. It helps if you don't know the company never has turned a profit and builds their cars in a tent. Yes a tent. In a parking lot. You can't make this stuff up. The answer of course is your Tesla will go 0-60 faster without the 50 lbs of dirt the incompetently designed body catches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj78E1dArdI Wonderful car. |
djones511,867 posts 05-07-2020 6:48pmWould my Tesla get from 0 to 60 faster if I use an SRX power cord? Is the stock cord good enough or will performance improve with a $10,000 aftermarket power cord?Depends. You paying for all of it, or are the taxpayers getting drilled for a couple thousand of it, again? |
@gosta ~ Don't know if it is weird to invest in power cables
without including power conditioning or stabilization, but one needs to start
somewhere and the next step for me will be power conditioning. |
OP yes take those first steps to go somewhere!!!!! I would advise since you have some Audioquest in your system calling John Rutan at Audio Connection in NJ - he should be able to help you hit your target budget and have a good discussion about what you are seeking to improve:-) also at bare minimum put some $$$ in the plan for Hospital grade Hubble and cryogenic if possible. For budget it is hard to beat the PS Audio Powerports :-) have fun, enjoy the music and the journey best to you jim |
Power cord is one of the more incomprehensible things I've experienced in audio. How can a cable that is not a part of the audio signal chain make a difference in sound...but it does. I've tested a good number of different designs and I do find power cables to make a more noticeable difference in the source components such as CD players than it does in a SS amplifier though. |
I find DIY interconnects harder to duplicate great sonics, DIY power cables are pretty easy to hear an improvement in sound. Even 6 or 8 gauge Home Depot wire with some clamps on it will sound better than stock cord. Sonic craft has some nice premade power cord wire. You can also check Parts Connextion they may still have a sale going on. One thing I found the power cable connections quality make a big difference. Also the cheap 80 cent contractor wall outlet can be improved with a $10 pass Seymour or Hubble outlet. |
@piaaudio, @mammothguy54 , @68pete, @3090, @kevinkroc ~ Thank-you all for your suggestions/recommendations. I need to look used, but so far finding 2 matching power cables (I can afford) has been difficult. @3090 ~ Appreciate the info on the handles affecting what iec connector will fit. Never would have thought of that. @mammothguy54 ~ As all my interconnects are Audioquest (except for one Darwin Cable Company interconnect) I will look at their power cables. A power conditioner is next on search list. |
dnb4, Sorry your thread got jacked by a bunch of idiots. I actually have your amps and one thing you need to be mindful of is one of the handles on the back is too close to the iec connector and this will limit your choices. My cable of choice for my other components is the Dynamic Design Titania AE’s but the Furutech connectors are too fat and the handle blocks it. Right now I use a cheaper Nordost Red Dawn on the amps and they’re a ton better than the stock cords. I plan on upgrading these soon because the biggest improvement I’ve ever heard from a cable was from a power cable upgrade (the DD’s). So if you want know what fits, look at the size of the connectors that Nordost uses and go from there. Good luck. |
Some very shameful comments in this thread. Nevertheless, most high quality components typically state how their included power cables will be replaced with a high quality aftermarket power cable by the user. There is a reason for that . That said, I am an enthusiast of the Audioquest brand, though there are plenty of other very high quality products available. Go to the Audioquest website and read up on what they have to say. There is some very good information there that will help to educate you. First and foremost, get a quality power conditioner. Power re-generators are the very best way to go, but are much more expensive. A good power conditioner is the beginning. Then add a quality AC power cable and you will certainly have an improvement. There is plenty testimonial to that from those who have done this. I can testify this made a very significant difference for my system. Every small and incremental upgrade adds up to make the entire system a better experience. The more of such upgrades, the better the total experience. Have fun, that's what it's all about. Enjoy the music. |
Pay no attention to the flat earthers. Triode Wire Labs cables offer great bang for the buck: www.triodewirelabs.com Reviews for these cables are telling as are the many best of show awards that go along with them. Look at the 7+ ... |
@scooter0005, @indyguru, @paulcreed , @ferrtguy, @paopawdecarabao6, @adg101, @limbc, @hilde45 ~ thank-you all for your suggestions. @millercarbon, @djones51, @gpullman, @amg56, @tomic601, @rixthetrick ~ thank-you for your input. Point taken from @tomic601 in that I may not know where I am going but I am going somewhere.... |
I have to wonder what the hearing capacity or how resolving a playback system is to NOT be able to hear a difference in one's system with superior quality power cords, interconnects and speaker cables??? If we can use fuel hose analogies in here, is there such a thing as color blindness for an audiophile? [Been indoors too long, wow, did I really type that out loud?] |
Hi, Debate abt cables will never END. And there will always be naysayers in such thread. Suggest u blind test stock power cords vs some brands (say $100, $500 n $1000) suggested in the thread, n hopefully arrange FOC auditions. I personally use Transparent cables n power cable n synergistic power cable. Enjoy yr music. |
At first I used a standard WyWires Silver Juice II on my Pass amp then added the HC (high current) heavier version and noticed an improvement across the board. Nelson Pass is known for saying PC don’t make a difference on his amps but I disagree. I will admit I really couldn’t hear a huge difference until I added dedicated power lines which after doing so I realized my amp really opened up and that before it did sound a little lean. Still using WyWires and really like their cables. I’ve recently added a Platinum HC series to my Pass and again a noticeable improvement, more air and lower noise floor. If you don’t have dedicated lines then you might not hear much of a difference as some suggest. I will add if you stick with the stock cords, in my opinion the receptacle outlet is maybe the place to start. If you’re a little handy keep the cable and cut the plugs off and buy some Furutech plugs from VH Audio. I feel the plugs are as important if not more than the actual cable. If you don’t feel confident doing this yourself, I’m sure you know of someone that can assist... it’s very easy. If you’re never done this before, just do one end at a time and pay attention to what wire went to which prong/set screw. |
Would my Tesla get from 0 to 60 faster if I use an SRX power cord? Is the stock cord good enough or will performance improve with a $10,000 aftermarket power cord? Would my heater get warm faster and air conditioner cool like a breeze off a lake? Will my audio system have a huge jump in music reproduction, like I'm sitting in a theater with the musicians surrounding me? |
I was using an analogy in my post: power cord is to amplifier as gas pump hose is to car! The most absurd and meaningless analogy I’ve read....power cord is to amplifier as gas pump hose is to car! In fairness I did give him the chance to remove or edit. He chose to double down. Oh well. Also in fairness, nobody really knows how or why these things work. Because if we did know how they work, then everyone would be focused on perfecting that one thing. Instead we have one story after another, one theory, design, material, construction after another, each one different than the last. About the only thing we really do know for sure is when we find a good one it really does make a difference. A huge, unmistakable, well worth the money difference. Which it turns out is the case for not just power cords but everything. Nobody really understands any of it very well, which is why we have so many different players trying so many different approaches. Except, turns out most people don’t like to pay big money for that kind of ambiguity. So they make up stories to feed us, and we buy into it, and lose track of the fact those stories make about as much sense as the gas pump "analogy". The one thing that would really make sense is to talk about the one thing we do know for certain is happening and can in fact describe and that is how these things sound. But that requires developing a whole skill set in terms of both what to listen for and how to describe it. Sorry if that’s not brief or witty. It is however true. |
I had a Mark Levinson long ago with a Tara Labs The One power cable hooked to it. It made a huge improvement over the JPS cable I was using with it. I wish I would have never sold that cable. I believe JPS is solid core and still love JPS with some gear. I found solid core has bigger bass and brighter highs which can be a good thing or not. Stranded power cables sound smoother and relaxed to me. Stock power cords belong in a box in the closet. My brother sent me a Pangea power cord those really are bad don't waste your money on that. |
