Power cord upgrade

Rather Presumptuous Slightly insulting that aside for one I’m not impressed at all with your Status.  Bragging rights can be commendable I for one comparably don’t see you there. Bells and whistles empty cases and cable risers… It is what it is.

Cheers 

I believe the naysayers systems just are not resolving enough to hear the differences. I know I started out that way. Proof was in the pudding once I made a major jump in equipment.

@1971gto455ho 

@jasonbourne71 

@classicrockfan 

You guys read that above? 

Again appreciate everyone's input, and am surprised at how long this thread stayed alive.

You can thank the guys above for keeping the cables threads alive. I think they must all be cable bi-curious. 

@pindac Well said.

I believe the naysayers systems just are not resolving enough to hear the differences. I know I started out that way. Proof was in the pudding once I made a major jump in equipment.

Again appreciate everyone's input, and am surprised at how long this thread stayed alive.

How many who swap out a Cable and report back immediately about noticeable change, actually revisit the comparisons between the Older in use > Newer in use cable to learn where the real differences are to be found. The more a Cable Signal, Solder and the selected Connector 'Burn In', is the only time the final analysis of the differences are going to be found.

Under the guidance of @slaw  statement " Personal experience is everything ".

My own experiences of exchanging a Cable/Signal Path Wire, is that depending on the Audio System in use. The very noticeable changes that may have been detected are diminished following comparisons where a period of 'Burn In' has been able to occur. The outcome during the comparison, is where personal preference for a particular trait the cable is able to produce will be the attraction. A Bass Note might be a little bit tidier and decay with more realism, a Vocal might push out with a little more forwardness in the Mid Range, either of these will/will not be an attractor to all, each are unique in the end sound and structure of the sound they like. 

Different Cables, when becoming a 'Burnt In' Cable, that is used for a comparison.  Do become much closer in their end sound when heard side by side using the same devices being coupled with the Cables and same Tracks replayed.

I am having access to devices with different resolving capabilities and can say with certainty, relying on the use of my ears only, the less the detail resolving capability of a device or system, will put in place difficulties for detecting a difference between differing cables end sound. The detection of end sound differences remains difficult, even when a single device which is poor at resolving detail, is in use in a system that has supporting devices that are extremely good at resolving detail.

For somebody on a tight budget and using a Audio System that does not resolve the intricate detail from a recording, the idea of making a Cable change will in my view  be premature and not too rewarding/not rewarding at all. The monies considered being used, might be better put aside towards devices that can resolve intricate details better. 

The good thing is that there are very cheap methods out there to experience Cables in use, to learn if monies are worth parting with. Loaners,  30 Day Money Back Guarantees, Used sale Items, especially a good option if a vendor agrees to a trial period as part of the sale, don't ask, don't get. Any of these options will get Cables in ones possession with little risk to their monies, enabling one to gather experiences and underpin the idea of whether a purchase is worthwhile being  made.     

Personal experience is everything 

@1971gto455ho the sole responsibility of science is to produce theories and in best case scenarios the results that the scientists themselves will need to challenge to prove beyond reasonable doubt.
Until we have the means to measure what we hear with an oscilloscope and have it rendered on the screen as measurements, you have an argument but it isn’t a very valid one. I’m totally cool with it though, as I said before, if you osciloscopians, “measurements only” crowd, want claim you have a scientific proof and stick to your guns. Just know there’s more to it.

Recently replaced my Zavfino Fina -OCC with a AQ Tornado Constant Current source PC on my Herron 360 Ref. Instant improvement....more detail along with a sense of refinement.

I’ve posted on this forum based solely on my personally purchased products that intrigued me.

@audphile1   +1       Not everyone is blessed with a sense of refinement.

Grover Huffman Pharoah power cable.  You will thank me later 

I have worked with for many many years different Cables and today it is wire types that are the point of interest for the Signal Path. 

I am yet to invest like the Guy in the Video Link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDVoRBjqdek&t=3s 

+1

Science cannot explain how old the universe is. That number changes every 20-25 years. Oscilloscopes can’t tell me what my system sounds like. Nobody knows 💩. So that’s that for science. 

So there it is without any of the Animosity, Science cannot yet explain it ! Get better ears because one doesn’t hear what an another does? Get a better system because they’ve been able to ‘substantiate’ sight unseen the quality of others. Wow ‘Heap’ 💩 of faith to be sure. 

Thanks @audphile1 , you just saved me the time. If you can't hear the difference, you need a better system, or better ears. The only point I can agree on with the naysayers is that science cannot yet explain it.

That in-itself is a whole lot of opinion with a little sour to boot. You know the old Christmas Carol ‘Do you hear what I hear’ lol 

There’s no 40 year debate here. This is thousands year old debate of random gimps entering conversations they should be no part of to share opinions they can’t substantiate.
 

The OP had asked for a power cord recommendation for a specific component within context of a specific system. And the opinions of those who never even stood within a distance to be able to read the make and model of these components and cables are pouring in. Hoarders of vintage low-fi stereos that retailed for $50 brand new 50 years ago that have captive power cords telling you there’s no difference in cables. Others with DIY garbage kits and low resolution speakers that have been listening to their systems at 115db levels for 30 years share their thoughts on how it’s impossible to hear differences between cables.
 

Gotta love the forums on the internet where you can obtain a legit qualified opinions on everything from cables to marriage counseling from people who have no experience in either. 
Keep it coming! Entertainment is awesome here!

NONBELIEVERS:  Hear me.

I'm an EE since 1980. I would never fall for this noise people emit about cables making any difference -- audible or measurable. In the 80s and 90s I worked designing custom integrated circuits at a couple of the big-name manufacturers here in the US.

BUT THEN IN 1989, working through a pair of Mc60s, after recap, metal film, tube rolling, etc, I heard a *definite* difference in current-adequate power cables. Imagine my hard head being forced to believe. But there it was. A clear difference in clarity of bass, mids, and highs.

So now I am converted. I know less, but I have heard more, and I now believe. You should too.

Crap !!!! Daaa no mentioning of the cable size no mentioning of how it can affect sound just another BS story. Absolutely amazing how a 40 year debate can be explained with $100 analyzer what a joke.

@jasonbourne71 

@1971gto455ho 

Just watch this and learn something

instantaneous current draw

Here is an example of utter sales rubbish, MSRP $9000+

“ REFERENCE Speaker Cable is an essential building block for a Connoisseur Level music or film system. It delivers extended and well-defined bass energy while creating a quiet interface between some of the most challenging speaker and amplifier combinations. Custom machined, highly polished gold-plated, tellurium copper spade lugs transfer power effortlessly through heavy, precision wound OFHC stranding “

The whole of the Wire Business has all the Scientific Backing that is needed.

Attempt to run a Audio System with out Wire of some type in use?

Science or any other level of knowledge will supply a very good explanation for the need of wire. 

I will not suggest a Cable, but will suggest a Wire Type, being a PC Triple C Wire.

This wire is the Wire Manufacturers Furukawa replacement for the OCC Wire.

It is a the Wire Type that has superseded my usage of OCC wire as the Signal Path wire in my own system. I also own this as a wire used in Power Cable.

As a pun, if the PC Triple C wire is experienced in use, the response might be one that encourages one to exclaim " Oh No Dr "     

@squared80 +1! The whole wire business is without scientific backing. It functions as a religion. 

I use all Shunyata. Alpha NR V.2 on my Mimas, and Dave. The new Shunyata Theta NR on Auralic G2.2 streamer. Alpha XC V.2 on Denali 6000 V.2

+1 @mclinnguy - I primarily use Audio Sensibility Statement SE power cables.  Steven will make cables with connectors not listed on his pricing tool.  My preference are the Furutech FI-50 NCF(R) connectors.  Steven Huang is great to work with.

+1 @kennyc input with the Audio Bacon review reference.

I have one QSA Lanedri Gamma Infinity power cable on my pre-amp, which is fantastic.

Sablon Audio is on my list, but I have not yet tried one of Mark's power cables.  Sablon also has the QSA treatment option via QSA Landeri.

If you want body and soul without losing transparency and soundstage try Clarus Crimson, exceptional, not just for the price.

I used to think components were more important cables.

I now have done a 180 and am sure that cables are more important than components.

 Have a modest system compared with most of my friends in our audio club.  Many of them have spent well north of $500k on their rigs.

 Have now rotated many sets of high end power cables, interconnects and speaker cables through my sub $50k system and I can tell you without reservation that a set of $100k cables makes my system sound better than the best $750k rig I have heard.

To classicrockfan:

You are 100% correct.

As long as a power cord is thick enough to handle high current, any such a cord is good. The cheaper, the better. Power code can not affect audio sound quality (maybe 1 - 2%?).

I have Vienna Mahler speakers. My pre, power amp is very old and relatively cheap. Onkyo pre, Yamaha 200W power. Cheap but thick power cords, $20 interconnect everywhere. The sound? Awesome!!!

Please, do not waste your money, just get higher end speakers as you can afford.

@skids - so many cable options, no easy answers.  My personal list of PC based upon others positive reviews (prices not current):

• 0.4 Black Cat Silverline
• 0.4 LAVRiCABLES Grand 30 CORE Silver Mains
• 0.6 Morrow Map4
• 1.4 Transparent Reference
• 1.7-1.9 PowerKord Kimber PK10/PK14
• 1.0 Zavfino OCC Silver Dart Graphene
• 2.0 Siltech Classic Legend 880P
• 2.5 ZenWave PSR-14,11.   
• 2.5 RSX Beyond 
• 3.0 Synergistic Research Atmosphere UEF Level 3
• 3.2 VooDoo Phoenix, Dragon, Tesla 
• 3.5 Synergistic Research Atmosphere SX Euphoria
• 3.5 Audioquest FireBird
• 4.0 QSA Lanedri Gamma Infinity 
• 4.0 NanoFlo Superconductor Holographic 3D6
• 4.8 Hemingway Audio Z-core Beta
• 5.5 Audioquest Dragon

Audio Bacon 2019 PC shootout here

@vetsc5 I like the article you referenced and have three comments.

1.  Just about everybody assumes that exotic power cables fix up the power coming from the wall.  Why that last six feet has that effect is beyond me.  Instead, I would suggest that power cables may reduce noise coming from your own components!

2.  The article was written some time ago, when transformers were near ubiquitous. Now we have switch-mode or switching power supplies in many components. Switch mode works from the high voltage spike produced when you suddenly switch off current.  Class D amplifiers use this principle.  A high frequency chopped square-wave contains lots of very high frequency harmonics!

3.  I have personal, objective, repeatable evidence of the dramatic effect changing a power cord can have on a digital source.  I live in a marginal reception area for digital TV and have a small motorhome with a domestic AV stack.  The TV aerial is on the roof above the stack, and a powered KEF Class D subwoofer is at the bottom.  TV reception is perfect until the subwoofer is switched on, which totally annihilates the picture.  The solution, as mentioned in your article, is a couple of cheap ferrites clamped around the subwoofer's power cord.  What is happening is that the Class D amplifier in the KEF in injecting high frequency electrical noise into the power cable.  The obvious effect is interference with low-level broadcast digital signals, but equally this noise is injected into other components on the same circuit.

I originally had Nordost Red Dawn on my streamer then upgraded to the Tornado source cable. I just upgraded from that to a Snake River Audio cables. I bought 2 different ones. One is the Signature which is a hybrid of 24K gold and silver. The other is the Cottonmouth which is 24k gold. In my setup, the cottonmouth sounded better on the streamer and the hybrid on my phono. Couldn’t be happier with the results. Highly recommend giving them a look. (SRA runs some pretty good deals now and then).

@squared80 You do have a valid point on the room acoustics but not on power cables. Guessing you have a lo to mid-fi system and should head on back to ASR. 

The only thing you'll achieve by buying a new expensive power cord is having something that might look pretty compared to a standard cable. But besides that, you won't hear a single difference. You might actually be introducing noise. That's snake oil for ya. If you're not happy with the sound of something, check your room acoustics, make sure you have a capable amp, and/or replace your speakers. That's it.  Everything else is a waste of your money.

DH Labs Red Wave or Furutech NCF.

That depends on the Tornado model,  if you used the HC I can see that just too big for the application , I spoke with AQ engineers the geometries are different for the far less demanding Source products like Dac Streamers ,DDC Reclockers ,preamps , this is why they developed the Source Tornado. The Engineers offered this information without me asking them .they took the time to explain ,myself a technical person appreciated this. Perrotta Consultants has a Special pricing on these . 

The debate as to whether power cords have an audible impact on the audio output of sound systems has been going on for years.  There is an excellent article written by Kurt Denke (Blue Jeans Cables)

https://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/power-cables 

on this subject in Audioholics dated April 29, 2011.  As far as the power cables that are in the middle to high end audio that equipment manufacturers use, I tend to trust their engineering.  By that I mean would they risk degrading the performance of their brand by opting to install a poor-quality cable to supply power to their equipment?  I know that my response does not answer your query, but as with many aspects of our hobby/passion power cord "upgrades" is a subjective one.  In the end purchase whatever satisfies your desires because life is short.

I will admit it . . . I am a Shunyata fanboy.  I have all Shunyata Alpha v2 power cords, and they are fantastic.  I also use Shunyata Sigma v1 speaker cables, a Sigma power cord for my Shunyata Everest.  The Venom, while a decent power cable, is on the low end of the Shunyata line, and by moving up the ladder, you get more of the good things that the cable can do.  Although most of my power cable upgrades (from other cables, not stock) were subtle but noticeable improvements, the improvement over stock on my ARC REF 6 was not subtle at all.  And the most surprising improvement was putting in the Everest with the Sigma cable.  It is odd to say it, but everything that I wanted in my system snapped into place, especially the depth of soundstage.  It was a startling improvement and I recommend trying one, and moving up the Shunyata line.

OP: +1 System synergy. I have Transparent Audio cabling from the wall to the TA power conditioners. Then Synergistic Research cabling to the components. Adding an upper-tier digital SR power cord to the streamer was a ’wow’ moment.  Ask if your local SR dealer has a trial period.

@mclinnguy Thanks, Audio Sensibility is on my list.Very fair prices and it looks like decent gear. 

@megabyte No problem, there are so many choices it is easy to mix up the specs. 
 

I have never noticed much difference with power cables until I tried this Shunyata on my Furman PFi 20, and the Puritan that replaced it. A profound difference, not all better, in sound. Just for fun I might build a new one using Neotech OCC gear. 

@zlone

I apologize. I was confusing its copper with another cable. Voodoo states it’s 8 AWG, and uses silver plated high purity copper, each strand individually insulated, Teflon dialectric (the best save for air), gold plated tellurium copper hardware, copper braid shielding and cryo. Maybe I was thinking of their next level up. Still, I doubt you’re getting any better performance by spending thousands. Just my opinion though.

Frankly I’d still say it’s more than you need to spend on a power cord. But at 460 I feel like you can safely eliminate any chance you don’t have a top notch PC. Not necessary. But I don’t mind spending some more to get something very well made whether it’s audible or not. Plus, it looks cool. :) 😎

@zlone If one simply wants the cheapest OCC cable, look no further than Audio Sensibility. You can get an OCC power cable for half that amount. This is in CDN dollars. 

Steven Huang owner of AS was a family friend of Dr. Ohno. 

@megabyte Voodoo cables Vision. 8 gauge OCC copper

This caught my eye, as I have had good luck with OCC copper cables. I could not find any reference to OCC for the Vision cables. That would be a good price if they were OCC, did I miss something?

If you just must have a high end PC, you can get one for $460 shipped new.

Voodoo cables Vision. 8 gauge OCC copper, multiple gauges, teflon dialectric. Very high end connectors. Tough outer jacket. And perhaps it’s biggest draw. It’s thick and looks cool. :). But seriously. The best copper there is with teflon dialectric. There’s really nothing better out there from a standpoint of materials and performance. And under 500 bucks. If you spend 5000 you’re wasting $4500.

@skids 

Certain brands come up more frequently, such as AQ and Transparent, and I like that for a good starting platform.  

After trying a few others I wouldn't be surprised if you prefer the Shunyata V14 NR cord you have on the Aurender now, as that was specifically designed to be used with streamers. But sounds like you want to go with AQ or Transparent. Let us know! 

I appreciate everyone’s input, and at the end of the day I know it’s all about what sounds best in my system.

And yeah, trying every cord that’s out there would be nice.

Certain brands come up more frequently, such as AQ and Transparent, and I like that for a good starting platform.