What was the first power cable that you noticed a difference in the sound?


I have bought six or seven different power cords, none over $500 and have noticed little or no change in the sound of my system. All the cables are 12 gauge or bigger.  Without talking about cables made with unobtainium, where did you start hear a difference.
 

Thanks.

128x128curiousjim

ZU Event Power Cables. Not an improvement of sound character so to speak (low, mids, highs, etc). The improvement came with much lower noise. The music seemed to come out of more darkness. Very subtle but worth it. 

Audio Envy Ocean Elite Expanded With OCC ground upgrade.  Music just took several very quiet steps out into the room.  Extremely nice cables at such reasonable prices.  OCC wire , quality insulation, gold plated solid copper tight fitting connectors and very light and flexible cable.

For the DIYers out there...

  1. Furutech bulk cables - better than stock cables, but that’s about it
  2. DH Labs Bulk cable - just as good as furutech, but much more affordable
  3. My own Helix IMAGE DIY AIR geometry cables
    • Helix IMAGE DIY power cable
    • these took my system into a whole new performance level
      • spacious - a true 3D image
      • dynamic
      • detailed
      • low noise floor
      • deep articulate bass

They get a little on the expensive side when you get into the OCC copper, but you can try them using plain old romex house wire first for a more affordable approach just to "prove the theory"

Read what other Audiogon members think about the Helix DIY cables here...

Enjoy the read :-)

Regards - Steve

Hi Steve,

What ends did you put on your cables and did you solder the connections?

Thanks.

@williewonka Steve, I just read through the entire THE HELIX IMAGE" Power Cable guide and will likely make a few power cables to try out.  I too love a good DIY challenge (and saving money).  Any meaningful updates since the article was written in 2015?