Has anyone heard any improvement using audiophile power cords for their turntables? I'm wondering if the upgrade is parallel with other components. I have a Kuzma Stabi Ref, thanks.
My very first turntable mod was to hard wire a better power cord onto the Basis motor. There was no IEC so it had to be soldered. It was a very inexpensive power cord. Well, I wasn't about to go cutting up an expensive one for an experiment now was I? Yet in spite of that it was a very noticeable improvement.
If a power cord is good it will be good on whatever you use it with. If not then guess what? Not a good power cord after all. It really is that simple.
The sound of a component starts with the power supply - not what comes before it! Physics 101! If you believe that there is something wrong with your AC power I suggest calling a licensed electrician.
The only "bad" power cord is one that doesn't have continuity - won't pass voltage. The belief that a power cord has a "sound" is a clever marketing ploy to extract money from the gullible and easily deluded!
I put a $500.00 Shunyata power cord on my VPI Prime turntable and heard no difference. I have that same cord on my Technics SL1200G turntable and still don’t hear a difference although it does look nice. I talked to Matt Weisfield @VPI about an aftermarket cord for the Prime and he laughed and told me the motor won’t know the difference. He was right.
The sound of a component starts with the power supply - not what comes before it! Physics 101!
False. Only if the power supply is perfect. No power supply is perfect. Whatever noise or fluctuations are on the incoming AC, some of that will always make it through the imperfect power supply. Because: no power supply is perfect. Therefore, the quality of the incoming AC does matter.
I should have pointed out that the Kuzma motor is dc, that being the case I would assume that any difference would be minor. I am using a Cardas Beyond Clear right now and will try others I have on hand to listen for changes. Just wanted to pick some brains, thanks.
The same applies AC or DC. The main exception being if the DC involves a battery, and if the AC charging the battery is disconnected during play. Because essentially, as I just showed, as long as there is any connection to AC then some of the noise on the AC line is going to get to the DC. The one exception is when a battery is used, and even then only when the battery charger is disconnected from the line during play.
This isn't guesswork or rumor. This is actual experience running all these different ways.
Why not put the power cord (minus the ends) inside the chassis between the power supply capacitors and the circuit boards? That should improve the "imperfect" power supply according to millercarbon's logic!
Got rid of the wall wart and bought a linear power supply for my previous TT. And I did upgrade the power cord for it, albeit with a modest one.
Funny enough, I never bothered to A/B them. Perhaps I didn't want to know if I had wasted money...
However, it would seem reasonable to think that a more stable power supply would at a minimum provide better consistency with motor speed. And, when I sold it, it went with the manufacturers wall wart, which means I now have a very clean 12V power supply to play with:)
About to finish a heavy plinth Lenco L70 and will be using "better" wires throughout once the build is completed and its running properly.
Every little bit matters, and a big thing is just a whole lot of little things put together.
In the same vien, does upgrading the Inter connects yeild noticable results? Would this be a better "bang for your buck" upgrade if you had to choose one or the other?
Hi Diamond, whichever model is suitable to your budget. Considering you have a Cardas pc, you could try replacing it with a 'come in the box' one to see if you notice a loss in sound quality. I would say a decent power cord into a power supplier should make for a good improvement.
Scopes don't tell the whole story but are nice to have when you want to check the outer foil of a capacitor amongst others. TT speed would not be altered by stock or upmarket cable, but sonically attack and stability would. If you consider that a power supply is not an amplifier you are wrong.
Hello, One reason for an upgraded power cord is RFI filtration. Most of us have our cords coming close or crossing other cords including speaker and other interconnects. Also, Even though I have not tested it there might be something to the consistency of the speed. If you have a TT that governs the speed perfectly then it’s good to go. Last but not least is that most of us have an extra less expensive but good cable lying around. Those basic cables are very cheep. What if you move your power strip or conditioner and the power cable ends break off or short. It’s like owning a nice car and putting really bad lawn mower can gas it it. Not recommended.
My first turntable mod years ago was to separate the power cord from the RCA outputs on a Technics belt drive table from the 70’s- cost little, sounded quieter, cost 30- 45 min & some solder. On that table they ran really close together- design less than optimal.
I fitted a Furutech IEC to my Technics CH10E (PS for Technics SP-10 Mk2a) for the sole purpose to find out for myself if an upgraded PC would have any sonic improvements to the sound. Nordost V1 PC vs. $10.00 PC were used for comparison and I didn't heard any difference. This is NOT to say other TT manufacture's PS will yield the same results. Just not with the SP-10 Mk2a.
A few years ago I had to swap out the original lamp wire power cord on my Thorens TD160 because it had a small cut. Bought a fancy power cable, cut one end off and soldered the wire to the TT. Sounded ditto to the original. Unless its a hazard I prefer to retain the original cable. Helps the pocket.
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