Power cords: Anticable vs Mad Scientist

no-value-add posts ignored

ebm just spouts off totally useless comments that rarely contain more than five words. I’m pretty sure he’s never even heard of much less heard Mad Scientist cables, so take it for what it’s worth. Nothing. He’s not worth your time.

I'm surprised your comment is still standing. Dude is quite easily triggered.

You got me there.  I’ve absolutely no idea what makes people like him tick.  I enjoy and learn a lot from your posts though, so thank you for being the opposite of ebm.  You are the thoughtful and experienced kind of person that makes this site truly worthwhile.  ebm, not so much. 

@soix  Agreed. I just asked ebm to clarify a post on another thread and he got my comment deleted. All I said was that his two word post wasn't helpful. On another topic, it's winter and there are lots of snowflakes.

I own the LTA preamp (upgraded to L2). When I asked the same question of Nicholas of LTA, he said their power suppliers are very good at filtering (David Berning is an excellent designer of power supplies as well as the ZOTL circuitry) and that the stock power cord should be fine. I am using a Puritan Audio Labs standard cord as I prefer a shielded cable, and it works great. In the past, I’ve also used an Oyaide Black Mamba Sigma II with similar positive results. With these cords, I can easily tell the difference between L1 and L2 preamp and also the benefits of upgrading the 12AT7 tubes to NOS Siemens 12AU7.

@soix 

Thank you. I enjoy sharing, but also I learn from other thoughtful folks, like yourself and by thinking about the questions posed. 

I have Mad Scientist power cables.

2 x Nitro, 2 x Nitro Nano, as well as a First+ and a Basic.

2 more Nitro Nanos to be bought next year.

Also have his Black Magic Ultra USB cable.

All recommended.

@ghdprentice You got me there.  I’ve absolutely no idea what makes people like him tick.  I enjoy and learn a lot from your posts though, so thank you for being the opposite of ebm.  You are the thoughtful and experienced kind of person that makes this site truly worthwhile.  ebm, not so much. 

@soix 

Thx, 👍.
 

There are a number of folks doing that, I don’t get it. What is in it for them?

@ghdprentice ebm just spouts off totally useless comments that rarely contain more than five words. I’m pretty sure he’s never even heard of much less heard Mad Scientist cables, so take it for what it’s worth. Nothing. He’s not worth your time.

@ebm, @tsushima1

Could you elaborate?

I choose wires from heavily reviewed companies which I have experience with. So, over the decades: Harmonics, Staightwire, Transparent, WireWorld, AudioQuest, Cardas, DHLabs, … etc. I have tried some “new”… “unbelievable” wires and been very disappointed. Although I did buy a couple sets of fake Nordost interconnects just to try them. I have better things to do than buy off-brand stuff just to satisfy my desire to justify my choices, but am interested in hearing what your experience was.

I found many companies are able to cobble something together that has a couple of really great characteristics, but that really doesn’t have the whole spectrum of positive attributes required for great wires like companies like Transparent or Cardas that have put decades of research into their products.

I’d be interested in learning what the sound characteristics are of these off brands that causes them to fall short.

@ebm , Yes I concur , of the several alternative recommendations thus far at similar price point I would recommend Zavfino 

Both are mediocre.

I had AQ Monsoons and upgraded to the Anti-Cables. Much lower sound floor. 

After burning everything in through the Anti-Cable power cords and a AQ Niagara 1200, I had buyers remorse. I briefly unplugged everything and substituted decent shielded power cords. And then I listened. The difference was immediate and blatant. All of the noise was back. The difference is sort of like listening to a car while it is sitting in your driveway and then listening to the same music while driving. 

Anyway, I immediately replugged in all of the Anti-Cables and the AQ 1200.

Anti-Cables are good stuff, I also run some of their interconnects and would say that they are at least equal to or superior to the AQ Earths that I was running. 

@mdrone - at that price I would look at Zafino cables, because they use OCC copper and employ more effective cable geometries and improved insulations.

They should provide

1. lower noise floor (due to the cable geometry)
2. faster dynamic performance (due to the OCC copper/silver)
3. improved clarity and details (due to the improved insulation)
   • which also results is a more spacious image
4. neutral colouration (due to the improved insulation)

Some believe that power cables should not impact overall sound quality mainly due to the fact the voltage is at a constant 50 Hz - but I have observed all of the factors mentioned above over several year of building my own cables that perform to a very high level

For details see  THE HELIX IMAGE" Power Cable | My Audio Alchemy (image99.net)

Hope that helps - Steve

So when researching PCs, is it all based on faith from reviews? I never hear anyone talking about the design principles of the cables.

@boostedis Well, actually, yeah. To me, if two or three reviewers you feel are reputable converge on the sonic characteristics you’re looking for, then yes it’s worth basing a trial or used purchase decision on that. You can’t tell much about the ultimate sound qualities of a PC purely based on construction or design principles. You can get an “indication” from construction/design principles but you can’t reliably extrapolate the ultimate sound qualities. PCs are too variable for that to be a consistent prognosticator. The question you need to ask yourself is do you care more about how the cable was constructed to explain how it sounds or more about how it actually sounds? If it gives you what you’re looking for, do you really care how it was constructed? Go by reviews of people/reviewers you trust and go from there. My advice — find what sounds interesting to you sonically and buy from a direct seller that offers a generous in-home demo or buy used and just turn around and sell them at little/no loss if they don’t work out. The great thing about cables is that in this day and age it’s extremely easy to try cables with no or almost no risk. Take full advantage of that because cables are not only personal but very system dependent as well, and there’s no substitute for trying in your own system. Some to look at with generous trial periods are TWL, Cullen, Morrow, Zavfino, and Audio Envy among many others. The world is your oyster in this area, so take full advantage of reviews and free trial periods and a fluent used market to figure out what works best for you and in the context of your tastes and your system. Just my $0.02 FWIW, and best of luck.

So when researching PCs, is it all based on faith from reviews? I never hear anyone talking about the design principles of the cables. How did the manufacturer go about designing the cables? What basic hypothesis did they use? Companies like Cardas use exotic manufacturing techniques for their cables that are quite expensive and tedious which somewhat justifies why they cost so much and might explain why they might sound better than a welding cable! What are these small boutique (step above DIY) companies do that makes their cables so superior?….

The anticables power cords have always amazed me with every one I have added to my system. I am slowly replacing my Synergistic Research and Shunyata venom cables.

Over 5 decades I have tried many different known mfgs cables (both coax, IC, PC, and speaker) Recently I read a AG Forum thread titled Counterfeit Chinese Cables, and tried a knockoff Nordost Odin 2 Coax to compare to my $169 Pangea. They are so cheap I bought a 1.0m and a 1.5m, combined price (free shipping) about half that of the Pangea! And OMG, so much better, that I immediately ordered  XLRs, then a couple PCs (which I later upgraded to the Odin GOLD) and finally Odin 2 speaker cables (will upgrade to Odin 2 GOLD also). The only downside is it takes about 3 weeks to S Florida, but well worth it

Tripp Lite power cords sell on Amazon. They  come in various lengths and plug configurations. 15A, 14AWG (NEMA 5-15P to IEC-320-C13), 6-ft Black currently sells for $13.60. This style also comes in 2'/3'/10'/12' lengths.  UL listed, lifetime warranty.  Free returns, free Amazon Prime delivery.

Power cords do not affect audio quality. Save your money.

Higher end Audioquest Cables can be semi-reasonable if you can use one meter lengths.

Hurricane for example.

If you like copper Cullen Cables make some very nice PCs.

I’m not using either, but the Pangea AC-9SE MKll and it’s heavy, really thick and it doesn’t stay in either my Hegel, the wall socket or the Audience power conditioner. They claim to be using Cardas copper, but if I hear a difference, between it and any other PC I have, it’s slight. (And of course it’s on sale now for 1/3 less than I paid for it ☹️)
So I’m definitely interested in this conversation.

Reasonable priced quality power cables = Ice Age Audio.

I have never owned any power cords from Mad Scientist or Anti Cables, but I do own digital cables from Mad Scientist (USB cable and Ethernet cables), and they are fantastic. Without breaking the bank. They outperformed way more expensive digital cables I used to own.

I would also recommend Zavfino. The Prima MKII is at your price range. Fina is also great (first level Zavfino with 6N OCC copper, tight pitch strand). 14 gauge. There is a FiNA available right now at US Audio Mart for about $300

Have some fun and build your own.  VH Audio is one of many places to find high quality supplies.  OCC Copper etc.....   Just a thought. 

These LavriCables PCs are pure silver and have gotten very good reviews from some members here who’ve compared them to much pricier cables from Synergistic and others.  And at $543 for a 2m cable it’s well below your max budget.  Not familiar with the two you’re looking at.  Just another option to consider FWIW.
https://www.lavricables.com/cables/grand-30-core-silver-mains-eu-us-power-cable/

Have anticables level 3, it’s very apparent when you add to your pre/integrated. Source was also positive. Really rids noise. Have Mad Scientist speaker cables. They’re excellent, definitely above copper anticables. I think you honestly can’t go wrong with either.