Power Cables on Subwoofers do Matter

Maybe it's my 10 years as a bass player and the trained ear that comes with that, but the difference was profound, not subtle, and very worth the upgrade.

@steakster Totally agree that precise phase adjustment is crucial to integration, along with crossover and volume.  I think it's a baseline thing for the total system's sound.  If it's not properly integrated, especially with phase (in my experience), then power cable upgrades won't have the potential to be anywhere near as advantageous.  

Worth noting again that I found isolating the sub by turning off power to the loudspeakers to be very important for the conditions needed to be able to choose the best power cable.

Yes, I agree @lak that mileage WILL vary based on multiple conditions, one of which being the exact power cable used. I can only provide testimony about my sealed, 500w rms, class D powered sub which is plugged into a power conditioner outlet that provides up to 55 amps of current when needed. The sound quality of the sub was audibly affected in different ways by each power cable I tested, which ranged in price from a few dollars to about $800 (most of which were in the middle of that range).

As far as the response from REL, I’m really not interested in what most manufacturers would tell their retail customers regarding sonic changes due to power cable upgrades. It’s usually not in their financial interest to suggest that may sound significantly better when the power cable is upgraded, potentially implying to certain customers that’s it inadequate as sold.

I have a high level of confidence in my own subjective discrimination of sonic attributes, so what the REL guy said makes no difference to me, personally.

@beatlebum That's awesome to hear that you benefited from my posts here!  I tested cables from Audio Art, Synergistic Research, Audio Envy, Furutech, Acoustic Zen, and a few cheapo cables with different gauges, and none of them gave me the speed, dynamic range, and sub-bass extension that I get with the Zavfino cable on my sub.  It wasn't even close, honestly.  

I'm not saying those are bad cables, but they just don't have an affinity for my sub. I still use three of those brands' power cables on other components in my system with wonderfully pleasing presentation after careful tuning.  The newfound sub performance (with vibration isolation) is the cherry on top!

Yo!  Let the testimonials flow!  Who cares what a REL rep tells you.  Your own subjective aural experience is all that matters.

And to be really real, pure subjectivity itself is the primordial, underlying and requisite reality of all ostensibly objective conclusions.

As a side note to the discussion for anyone doing their own subwoofer cable swapping, I've found the synthesized bass line in the song "In Too Deep" by Jacob Collier to be particularly useful in evaluating sub-bass qualities.

To the dedicated skeptics and the sincerely questioning, the audible difference is as clear, obvious, and irrefutable as the contrast in pitch between two different keys played on a keyboard. I tried to convey this point previously in this discussion. Therefore, I need not respond to any conceptual argumentation, especially those inchoately formed. Subjectivity itself is the ultimate substrate of any sense of authority, whether or not one is playing with thoughts/concepts/ideas, or simply observing a thing without commentary. One can feel and appreciate the sun's heat without the extraneous requirement to achieve a post-doctoral researcher's understanding of its most subtle physical properties, nor expecting all other sunbathers to be at that level of scientific sophistication. 

@coralkong  has a gracious attitude about it, which I appreciate. I would simply add to his comments that some people who are musicians or have been practicing critical listening for a long time have a markedly different listening experience due to the acquired capacity for acute auditory discrimination, which develops as a result of the neuroplastic proliferation of signaling pathways in the brain. These neuronal configurations can also begin to develop as a consequence of routine exposure to classical music when very young, and, I personally believe, even while in the womb.

@lemonhaze  Different connectors aren't available via the website, but you could ask Raymond about a custom cable with your connector. As for the slightly smaller gauge Fina vs The Magestic, it's not worth the price of the upgrade for me.  I have the Magestic on a different part of my system and the larger gauge does have a noticeable effect there.  My sub does fine with the Fina, lol. Another way of looking at it is that the enormous value I already extracted from the Fina purchase vs other, sometimes much more expensive power cords, is seen as an sonic advancement that is far beyond the additional cost of upgrading to the Majestic (same design, just bigger gauge) or an even more expensive Zavfino cable.

@rodman99999 I don't think I can answer your question as it was phrased.  What qualifies as "right"? And you want a percentage of knowing when it is right? Perhaps if you rephrased the question, I could try to respond with substance. 

In general, I can say that I consider a large part of the rhythm section's ability to coherently express a precise swing is typically what I find to be satisfying and reflective of rhythmic virtuosity. Maybe the term "swing" encompasses the "feel" you mentioned.  I don't see any distinction between performing vs listening on this topic.