TT Power Cord

I think if your turntable has a mains regenerative power supply (the LP12 was possibly the first to use this principle) then it's likely that the power cord won't make a blind bit of difference.

Similarly any well designed power supply "should" be immune to the vagaries of the Mains but in practice the realities are somewhat different - and older classic gear can have more problems than recently manufactured stuff due to the fact that components have deteriorated over time.
This said, 110V supplies are a different story from 240V supplies such as we use here in the UK.

I remember, a while back, Rod Elliot of ESP Sound Systems doing an investigative study on this subject and seem to recall he found that braided "RFI suppressing" cables could have some benefit by reducing Mains noise but found no real evidence to support the claims of the others.
If you choose to access the following link, Rod is very passionate about de-bunking myths so you have been warned! :)

http://sound.westhost.com/cables-p4.htm#power

Mains cables with a ground sheath might well be worthwhile too for the above reason (important to note that won't have any effect on the embedded noise though) but I'm probably grasping at straws here. Exactly what form such interference might have on your listening pleasure is up for debate. With the advent of the possibility of transmitting RF data via the Mains the emphasis on well designed power supplies is increased.
Hope this helps.

Hi Lew,
Sincere apologies, I think I came across as more of a “hard-liner” than I actually am. On occasions I’ve heard differences when using the braided Kimber cables too.
The comments weren’t directed at anyone on the thread least of all your good self. Just a series of generalisations and past experiences. :)

As an aside, back in the 1970s popular methods of improving the mains took the form of e.g. zener diodes wired back-to-back. Later, the more fashionable “transorbs” emerged.
Folk tend to attribute audible differences to placebo but I can think of one amusing example where the results were incongruous.
In the late 1980s audio enthusiasts, including myself, started experimenting with VDRs for mains interference suppression. Commercial exploitation of the idea came a few years later with packaged products but at that time the bare components were purchased and shoehorned into mains plugs or onto the unit’s mains connector. The outcome wasn’t, “We can hear a positive difference and everyone should buy these” but rather Users felt the VDRs were negatively affecting the dynamic response of the system, so the general consensus was to STOP using them, not promote their use.
(The important thing to note here was that they/we heard a difference – even though the results were unacceptable)
Later, the commercial sellers rationalised it as VDRs having a genuinely beneficial effect, but that it “exposed weaknesses in the signal chain, highlighting the shortcomings of the equipment in use”.
Whether this was true or not (i.e. placebo or not) is again a matter for debate, so, tactfully, I won’t comment on this.

Al makes an excellent point about screened cables preventing EMI pickup. A similarly opposite benefit can come from the braided Kimber cables i.e if used on switch-mode power supplies they prevent their characteristic hash from getting back into your local mains supply, so not only suppressing incoming interference but the outgoing stuff as well.
Perhaps the primary focus should be shifted from the non-domestic Mains Network to domestic i.e. unplugging non-essential switch-mode PSUs, motors and anything likely to unbalance the Mains when listening, and generally shut down all non-essential appliances (apart from the fridge)? This gives the average system a flying start before they even look at interference suppression.

One of the main concerns for me is not so much the electrical implications of cables but their mechanical effects – especially if hooked up to something associated with the turntable. (Many cables have the aspect of a hosepipe and are much heavier). Resonances being channelled through cables as mechanical conduits can have very undesirable effects (and I’ve proved the mechanical effects in blind comparisons so I would echo Al’s suggestion about careful cable "dressing" and also resonance control. For a turntable, good cable dressing could be more significant than the electrical benefits of cable swaps.)
Best regards….

Yes...capacitance was their primary mechanism, Lew. BTW...quite a few years ago, did the Industry Standards folk in the U.S not ban the braided cables so they (Kimber) ended up re-jigging their entire mains cable product line?

It's a pity because I'm convinced they were a better product. (Don't tell anyone but I've got about 6 of them(!) 4 are of the high current variety.) Their effect can be pretty much matched by using good transient suppressors and mains cleaning devices except that the cable's lifespan is much greater ;^)

My defensive position is that I don't think you can possibly do any harm to your gear by reducing Mains interference using such a non-invasive method and may even prolong the equipment's life.
I also have extensive lightning strike protection although the chance of a near or direct strike is zero :o)

Revisiting the OP's original question, I actually spoke from experience : We're going back a lot of years but I tried a Reference Kimber Cable on the LP12 and heard no difference. In fact I felt the Linn's original cable was a better choice as it was light, thin and flexible and conveyed less vibration to the TT.
All the best,

Not sure Lew...nothing to do with the basic operation of the cable. I think it may have been a case of Health & Safety (or the Insurance industry) gone mad i.e. someone may have insisted on more generous clearances between the cores rather than allowing them to flirt with each other hundreds of times per metre. :o(

One thing I can tell you is that the current "Palladian" range are not braided - just regular parallel cores - although that might have changed since they were first released. Further info from the gallery is welcome(?)
All the best,