Wrapping power cords and interconnects with copper foil.


Ok..not sure other people have done what I tried recently but I’ve found a night and day difference in sound quality after I wrapped my tube power amp power cord (rogue Zeus) and my cheap audio quest interconnect cables with copper foil. I even wrapped by phono cable coming out of my turntable to phono pre-amp. The detail retrieval and pin drop silence after doing this has made by jaw drop. Cost was $40 worth of foil wrap. What do you audiophiles think? Have I changed the sound signature in a negative way somehow? 

tubelvr1

Showing 3 responses by erik_squires

Here. Just build your own correctly out of the shielded power cables.  I'm a big fan of the DH Labs 14 gauge, shielded: https://partsconnexion.com/ac-power-bulk-wire-cable/

To clarify, with shielded power cables there are up to 3 ground conductors. A foil, a small drain wire, and a equipment grounding conductor which is the same gauge as the hot or neutral.

If the shield is braided there is no separate drain wire.

In case of a foil shield the foil is nestled against the drain wire. The drain wire is there specifically to make contact with the ground pin on the plug. You don’t actually connect a foil, when present, directly to that pin. It is this drain wire which you only connect at the wall side, and leave the equipment side unconnected.

The EGC, which is insulated and green gets connected at BOTH ENDS.

In the event of an equipment short from hot to chasis, the EGC alone carries that current.

Shields only get connected at the source end

  In the case of a power cord the source is the wall.  The ground WIRE gets connected both ends.

Same is true for ICs.  Fyi I only use shielded power cords and fully shielded ICs.