Why Power Cables Affect Sound

A couple of previous posts have mentioned geometry - i.e. how the actual cable is made.

Adapting conductor geometry has been around for a long time - think Kimber Kable - they use a complex braided geometry.

Cardas has been using a complex geometry on their TOTL speaker cables for a few years

AntiCables use braided geometry on their power cables and a Helix Geometry on their IC’s

Why does changing the geometry of the conductors make a difference?
- It reduces the noise induced between the conductors within the cable itself.

See http://www.siemon.com/uk/white_papers/02-03-22-emi.asp

This is not new science, but it’s effect has been ignored by most cable companies 
- probably due to the expense of manufacture 
- it’s so much easier to produce a cable where all the conductors are of the same length and
- simply use higher quality copper or silver to improve on performance.

I have spent the last 5 years trying to create an improved power cable...
- started with Furutech and DH Labs bulk cable + good connectors
- then tried a Braided geometry
- Finally settling on a Helix (i.e. spiral) geometry

For details on how to build a helix cable see
: http://image99.net/blog/files/category-002ahelix-power-cable.html

Another technique I learned along the way is that the performance of a cable improves when a larger gauge conductor is used for the neutral conductor. This applies to both Braided and Helix geometries AND all other cables in an audio system

I have tried building the Helix geometry from...
- household Romex
- Home depot extension cords
- high quality silver plated copper wire

All three resulted in significantly better sound quality than simply using quality connectors and pricey bulk cable from Furutech and DH Labs.

So based on my tinkering I believe that GEOMETRY is the most important feature of any cable - Power, Speaker or IC’s.

Another "geometry" that also can be very effective is ensuring there is a space between the conductors
- it also reduces induced noise.
- it can be very effective for IC’s and even speaker cables
- However, power cables can present some challenges that are more difficult to overcome.

I have demonstrated my Helix cables on many systems - from
- A $300 Yamaha mini system
- to systems over $50,000

Each time the owners were very surprised with the levels of clarity and the new depth and breadth of the image produced, but most of all the noise free background.

They even improved both the picture and the sound on a $50 DVD player

I use them on my TV’s, where both picture quality and sound are noticeably enhanced.

So, if you are shopping around for a great sounding power cable - look at the geometry of the cable and see if it has a less "convetional" geometry before parting with your hard earned cash

Regards - Steve

@elizabeth …

Also I may try to make a cord like williewonka suggests.. a spiral.. For a source to start.

Agreed, my sources benefitted the most from good power cords

FYI - I have a Node 2 streamer and a Moon LP5.3 phono stage.
- of the two, I originally believed the Node 2 would achieve more noticeable improvements by using a good power cable e.g. improvements in image, clarity and dynamics
- however, those improvements in sound quality achieved by using the same power cable on the phono stage were more noticeable.
- by comparison, my Naim amp displayed some very subtle improvements in clarity, image size and performer focus, but it took a while and several albums to notice them. I take this as an indication that the NAIM has a more capable power supply.

FYI: depending on the wire/connectors used they can take upwards of 60 hours burn-in to sound their best.

One improvement that was reported by a fellow DIYer is their "black background" - while I tend to listen to improvements in sound I had never realized just how quiet the cables are :-)

While the Helix geometry does improve the performance of the actual cable it does not act as a filter, so noise from the household supply will not be removed - it can actually become more noticeable. I fortunately have a very quiet household supply.

I use a 12 gauge cable for sources and a 10 gauge cable for the amp. But I recently built a 14 gauge version for my TV and it too was very good when used on a source.

The benefits when used on my Samsung QLED TV were - improved sound, brighter, more vibrant colours, better contrast i.e. more details in dark areas. My Sony TV also demonstrated much better colour.

You have contributed your findings on power cables in many postings, so it will be very interesting to hear your observations of the Helix

Keep us updated - thanks - Steve