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The Truth About Power Cords and there "Real" Price to Performance

This is a journey through real life experiences from you to everyone that cares to educate themselves. I must admit that I was not a believer in power cords and how they affect sound in your system. I from the camp that believed that the speaker provided 75% of the sound signature then your source then components but never the power cord. Until that magic day I along with another highly acclaimed AudioGoner who I will keep anatomist ran through a few cables in quite a few different systems and was "WOWED" at what I heard. That being said cable I know that I am not the only believer and that is why there are so many power cord/cable companies out there that range from $50 to 20-30 thousand dollars and above. So I like most of you have to scratch my head and ask where do I begin what brand and product and what should i really pay for it?

The purpose of this discussion to get some honest feed back on Price to Performance from you the end user to us here in the community.

Please fire away!


 


128x128blumartini

Showing 4 responses by tyray

tyray's avatar
tyray
562 posts
 
+ 1 @anotherbob,

I completely missed your post!
tyray's avatar
tyray
562 posts
 
@blumartini,

To me, a good power cable/cord is what you can afford and what sounds good to you - in your system. That’s why my first foray into the power cord fray I bought an inexpensive power cord from Mr. Patrick Cullen of CULLEN CABLE for just about the same price points of The Master Coupler - that I never heard of until this evening. Thanks again millercarbon. And speaking of wine - what’s wrong with 2 buck chuck?
The Master Coupler is in effect the Gold Standard of power cords and at about $150-300 is hard to beat especially for someone with upgrades in mind.

tyray's avatar
tyray
562 posts
 
@mwoh419

I saw the same at usedcable.com and used TO ME - is affordable. Also on the Synergistic Research website there are different levels of power cords and as audiophiles upgrade there are bound to be ones available for resale on sites such as hifi shark. This maybe good news to some looking to try Synergistic Research power cords.

@fastfreight

If your Synergistic Research Atmosphere level 2 (20 amp) power cord performed as well as you say it did ’new’, would you please report back after the burn/run in period. I think we here would really be interested in your responses then too!
tyray's avatar
tyray
562 posts
 
@limbc

When I started to get back in the hi fi audiophile game one of the first things I noticed that even very expensive gear had stock ’lamp (shade) grade’ power cords and I read somewhere that ’oxygen free’ cable were better and I’ve been upgrading ever since. Sometimes without any need for A/B testing if something looked, well cheap.

I also think that anyone can be an ’experienced audiophile’ when you start spending your hard earned money on hi fi gear and somehow you think it’s ’disposable income’.:)
In my humble opinion of course.
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