Question for Atma-sphere, will expensive power cables improve your amplifiers?

@devinplombier said: 03-25-2025 at 10:56pm

Cable warning: In recent years a number of cables have emerged on the marked that are manufactures with no or little consideration to the electronics that they are connecting, unfortunately there are no standards and some ”exotic” cables can create unstable working conditions, these cables are often coaxial speaker cables that may work fine with Tube amplifiers or other bandwidth limited constructions.

wtf does that even mean

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In reference to:

@mclinnguy post: on 03-25-2025 at 09:38pm

Cable warning: In recent years a number of cables have emerged on the marked that are manufactures with no or little consideration to the electronics that they are connecting, unfortunately there are no standards and some ”exotic” cables can create unstable working conditions, these cables are often coaxial speaker cables that may work fine with Tube amplifiers or other bandwidth limited constructions.

LOL

I think this should also be used in trying to understand what is being said.

@mclinnguy Said: 03-25-2025 at 09:38pm

OP suggested Gryphon, here is what one of their manual states:

AC Power Cords:

Use only a dedicated AC power cord. Do NOT use loudspeaker cable or other wire not expressly designed to carry high current. Improper cable or cables of insufficient gauge will generate heat and the insulation may melt with disastrous results. Do not run, thin, coiled, extension cords. AC cords DO have an audible effect on sound quality, but experiments should be carried out with due consideration to safety.

Several years ago, on Audio Asylum forum a guy built a DIY power cord using CAT5 twisted 4 pair data cable. WOW!. 120Vac. Available short circuit fault current at the wall outlet for a 20 amp circuit could easily be in the hundreds of amps before the breaker will trip.

I have read on audio forums where DIY power cables where built using Speaker cable.

I wouldn’t be surprised if some audiophile out there has built a DIY power cable using coaxial cable to build a power cord.

Years ago I used to post a photo of a power cord sold by an audiophile internet company showing 3 single insulated conductors twisted together with only a loosely protective covering of a cellophane plastic. WOW. Going from memory the wires were 16AWG.

FYI, unless the circuit breakers in your electrical panel are AFCI (Arc Faualt Circuit Interrupter) type breakers they will not trip in the event of an arcing fault. Therein Hot to neutral, or Hot to Ground or all the above. Burn baby burn until sparks fly causing a fire. Even then the breaker may not trip. Continuous current in the faulted circuit over the handle rating is required for the breaker to trip open.

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Several years ago, on Audio Asylum forum a guy built a DIY power cord using CAT5 twisted 4 pair data cable. WOW!. 120Vac. Available short circuit fault current at the wall outlet for a 20 amp circuit could easily be in the hundreds of amps before the breaker will trip.

I have read on audio forums where DIY power cables where built using Speaker cable.

@jea48 

This doesn't surprise me, but one may conclude those with the budget of a Gryphon would be a little more inclined to not "cheap out" and DIY? But it is the manual for a reason!

This being the case, may I assume then, that aside from the measurable quantities of voltage drop and bandwidth of the cable, nothing else will have an effect on sound quality from power delivered by a power cable, everything else unchanged? And, how difficult is it to build a power cable with the greatest possible bandwidth?

@kevn I previously described the two most important aspects that affect an amplifier, insofar as a power cord is concerned. There are other effects but there are so minimal they can be ignored. I don't think the 'greatest possible bandwidth' is all that important, since the charging time we're talking about is milliseconds rather than microseconds (so not particularly high frequencies). So the task is actually pretty easy once you understand that fact. The raw AC Voltage drop across the cord dominates the equation, so to speak.

@atmasphere +1 "I don't think the 'greatest possible bandwidth' is all that important, since the charging time we're talking about is milliseconds rather than microseconds"

power delivery capacitor charge speed is limited by: 1) power network, with all transformers, between power plant and outlet point, which is highly inductive, thus slow 2) some small effect of power cable. 3) amp internal circuitry, including transformer/s and series resistance in the charge current flow. 

@jea48 "Years ago I used to post a photo of a power cord sold by an audiophile internet company showing 3 single insulated conductors twisted together with only a loosely protective covering of a cellophane plastic. WOW. Going from memory the wires were 16AWG."

Mapleshade - they had a whole "loom" based around this construction.