I have tried 3 different DIY PC compared to generic cord and noticed clear differences.
The cabling (old audio cables that were replaced by something better) was entirely different for each but the general differences were :
Solid core OFC copper (2x15AWG),
Very fine stranded OFC copper (10AWG)
And a mixutre of thin stranded UPOCC silver plated and plain copper wires (6X24AWG, roughly 16AWG).
Interestingly even with a headphone amp and its small power requirements the differences were audible.
They influenced the sound in a similar way as audio signal cables, and the thinner high purity silver plated cable proved thickness is not a substitute for quality even with power cables, giving a finer sound with a more delicate high-end.
However the thinner cable also seemed to be restricting dynamics and openess of the sound, possibly indicating the reverse... that quality is not a substitute for gauge, even with low power requirements of a headphone amp.
For the other thicker copper cables it was hard to say which was ’’best’’, better thought of as different ’’flavours’’.
That said I preferred the solid core the most, with a deep organic sound... but some of that smeared quality you get with some (or all?) solid core copper audio cables.
For the purposes of the comparisons to hear the differences in just the cabling as purely as possibly I bypassed the fuses and sockets at each end with only switches to select cables and turn power....
HIGHLY DANGEROUS if you are not trained in dealing with mains.
The cabling (old audio cables that were replaced by something better) was entirely different for each but the general differences were :
Solid core OFC copper (2x15AWG),
Very fine stranded OFC copper (10AWG)
And a mixutre of thin stranded UPOCC silver plated and plain copper wires (6X24AWG, roughly 16AWG).
Interestingly even with a headphone amp and its small power requirements the differences were audible.
They influenced the sound in a similar way as audio signal cables, and the thinner high purity silver plated cable proved thickness is not a substitute for quality even with power cables, giving a finer sound with a more delicate high-end.
However the thinner cable also seemed to be restricting dynamics and openess of the sound, possibly indicating the reverse... that quality is not a substitute for gauge, even with low power requirements of a headphone amp.
For the other thicker copper cables it was hard to say which was ’’best’’, better thought of as different ’’flavours’’.
That said I preferred the solid core the most, with a deep organic sound... but some of that smeared quality you get with some (or all?) solid core copper audio cables.
For the purposes of the comparisons to hear the differences in just the cabling as purely as possibly I bypassed the fuses and sockets at each end with only switches to select cables and turn power....
HIGHLY DANGEROUS if you are not trained in dealing with mains.