I have purchased a set of Volex cables for a DIY project, but found that the cable itself is no longer Belden as it used to be, now it is named BAOHING (obviously chinese), but nonetheless, looks just the same as the Belden 19634, the specs are the same and the construction seems to be identical to the Belden (for what I´ve seen in pictures).
Does anyone have any experience with this cable? For the cost, I´d rather buy something else if these are not good. I just dont want to invest my DIY time on them if they are not worth it, although I think all cables are mostly the same. (I am not cable believer....)
I bought a couple of Volex cords about 6 months ago. They're on my Mackie HR824's. I don't know how they compare to the older Volex cords, but they definitely made a small but noticeable improvement in sound over the stock cords.
This was my first small experiment with power cords, and I was skeptical, but it seemed to do something. After that I did end up swapping the IEC end with cheap Wattgates.
Big belly laugh on that one. You should go into advertising. Maybe Don Draper has something for you at his new company. If you don't know Don, I can put in a good word.
Is that the kind of cable Elizabeth was talking about?
Yes. These cables came to be as a direct result of the legendary "Pangea orgy" Elizabeth refers to in her second post. Very astute observation. Glad to see at least someone is paying attention here!
Jax2, Thanks, I understand now. You have been a great help. More than I can say for some people here. At least you provide photos. Is that the kind of cable Elizabeth was talking about?
In this photo, you will see the young audiophile (W3038), holding the audiophile cord in his (her?) lap. Note the relative thickness of the cord, as well as the braiding.
Wow, I did not mean to open such a debate on cables, although something deep in my mind tells me the phrase "I am not a cable believer" was a bit on purpose!
What I really meant by cable believer is that as long as you cover some obvious basic aspects (good cooper, good thickness, good shielding, some kind of braiding and most important good contacts/connectors) there is nothing more to win over that, or at least I wont be able to notice it. That is just my point of view and is the typical debate on here, which I did not intend to develop. My main concern is the quality of the cooper itself in this case, so I´d rather buy any other cable to use as raw material (since I already have sourced some good connectors). So if anyone can suggest other raw cables please let me know!
I am kinda learning everyday on the new "cheaper alternatives", the pangea options which elizabeth mentions seems attractive! I think I might go that way.
Saying cords made in one country are inferior is some fantasy. Maybe twenty years ago, China cords were junk. not any more. Pange is great, cheap as dirt, AND great. fantastic. (I own about twenty Pangea cords. pangea orgy.) Elizabeth
Were audiophile power cords made anywhere 20 years ago?
Tvad, I agree with Bnrlaw. When Demianm said he is not a cable believer I believe he is referring to mega buck cables. However, he is concerned about the quality of the OEM type cables he has purchased.
It was recently posted here, Mike Sanders of Quicksilver Audio will not use or sell power cords made in China. He recommends power cords made in U.S.A. because they sound better.
Considering the end use is to help facilitate a high quality improvement in the sound of your system, and considering the value of your time it will take for DIY, why even mess with a standard copper cable when you can buy this very reasonably priced alternative;
Power Plus Reference Series Power Cable - Three 12 awg conductors, price per foot $6.08 pcX USD Price
DH Labs is proud to introduce the Power Plus Reference Series Power Cord. The Power Plus is constructed with the finest High Purity Copper in the world. The design of this cable combines very low series resistance, inductance, and DH Labs noise canceling geometries for immunity to outside noise.
The Power Plus features two twelve gauge conductors and a twelve gauge ground. The very low resistance of the 12 gauge conductors, combined with the cables low inductance, allows for unrestricted dynamic current delivery, while keeping noise out of your system. The cables design and custom insulation also reduces coloration and improves overall transparency.
or, if you want even higher quality, here are two using PCOCC copper;
NEOTECH - 3 Conductors 11 awg with shield AC Power Cable UP-OCC Copper NEP-3002, price per foot $19.95 pcX USD Price
and
FURUTECH FP-3TS20 Power cable 3x14 AWG PCOCC 2 Type Stranding, price per meter-$78.76 pcX USD Price
BTW - they are currently having a 15 percent off sale.
I bought a batch of them a couple of years ago, and can't really tell the origin of the cable; however they are different in appearance from some I had bought previously that were obviously Belden. In use I don't notice any difference, except that the outer insulation is a little bit stiffer. Sonically, no difference.
IMO they are still a great deal and worth using for DIY, especially for the price ($12 for a 14/3, 6'7" shielded cord).
Belden cable still seems to believe in good quality control.Buying some strange imported cable might leave you using something of lessor quality.If the copper isn't as good or has contamination in it,down the road it may corrode into useless wire for any purpose.
I believe he means that he is not a believer in cables that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars making huge differences. The cable he is referring to is probably all of $25 and worth every penny, so let's not get hung up on literalism and answer his question if we can. No need to be smug.
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