Power Cord Discussion

ajuvignesh

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Even I am not convinced with 2000$ cost for USB cable.
I do see Ethernet cables also in the same way, very expensive. May be less number of people buying hence the premium price.
And another thing is power cord it can go up to 40,000$. I do understand power cable make difference but still not convinced with
this high cost for a meter of power cord. May it is worth for people having a system worth 50,000$.
I don't understand one thing with the power cord. when people spend $1000 for a meter or two of the power cord, what sort of wiring they use in their house which travels meters and meters and brings power to that socket where this power cord is connected?
 
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I don't understand one thing with the power cord. when people spend $1000 for a meter or two of the power cord, what sort of wiring they use in their house which travels meters and meters and brings power to that socket where this power cord is connected?

Very relevant point..
 
Also will the GT2 Pro USB be able to make any more difference?
In my opinion, no. For a noticable upgrade - the Lush or Curious Cable. But in your particular setup, maybe even those will not make a BIG difference.
I don't understand one thing with the power cord. when people spend $1000 for a meter or two of the power cord, what sort of wiring they use in their house which travels meters and meters and brings power to that socket where this power cord is connected?
What does a home water filter do?
 
The above "water filter" analogy is incomplete.
Power cord is not the water filter. Water filter is akin to power input stage of any audio/video equipment.
Once clean water is ingested by the body, each body type does different.
My 15 year old boy can go around the block 4 times.
I will just wait to pee it out.

All equipment have circuits to clean up and regulate power to some extant.
The fundamental questions are:
1. Do I have dirty power?
If the answer is yes, invest in an active device like a power conditioner.
Maybe get a thicker cord, if within budget.
2. Do I have poorly designed equipment?
If the answer is yes, well ... you know what to do.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
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But the power cord (atleast the manufacturers claim) does attempt to provide the equipment cleaner power than what is fed directly.. How the equipment handles the cleaner power may be different from product to product just like a human body.. The job of a power cord is to clean the extra noise/EMI/RFI interference and provide it to the equipment for it to do it's job the best...
 
It does that after the water runs through miles of not so good pipes right? And is still effective in filtering. So, same difference for a power cord too.

BTW, the above is not my explanation - I heard it on the internet. ;)
But, wires are conductors not filters, are they? As Raghu said, if power is a problem, power conditioner is the solution. In my opinion, going for the cables with required spec and putting the remaining money in to something else like acoustics, better components or even on some bluray discs (instead of Netflix) can give more quality that what we get (if at all) from super expensive power cables.

But the power cord (atleast the manufacturers claim) does attempt to provide the equipment cleaner power than what is fed directly.. How the equipment handles the cleaner power may be different from product to product just like a human body.. The job of a power cord is to clean the extra noise/EMI/RFI interference and provide it to the equipment for it to do it's job the best...
But panditji, can a power cord clean such noises?
From my understanding, it can prevent the interference that could happen across the span of the power cord. But I'm not sure it can actually clean the noise that happened elsewhere in the chain.
 
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But, wires are conductors not filters, are they? As Raghu said, if power is a problem, power conditioner is the solution. In my opinion, going for the cables with required spec and putting the remaining money in to something else like acoustics, better components or even on some bluray discs (instead of Netflix) can give more quality that what we get (if at all) from super expensive power cables.


But panditji, can a power cord clean such noises?
From my understanding, it can prevent the interference that could happen across the span of the power cord. But I'm not sure it can actually clean the noise that happened elsewhere in the chain.
You're right. A power cable cannot "clean" the power. What I gave you was just an analogy.
 
Cables have been a myth. Most of us in this hobby have experienced it but probably not significant enough to call it.
Although I have experienced them for a short time, noting a few observations if it could benefit the forum.
In my experience power cables make a significant difference. Sharing from my experiences
1. Cleaner sound, mid range stands out and not distorted by bass creeping into it. Benefits with a cleaner and controlled bass reproduction.
Has initial sense of thinness but give it some time and one would realise it.
2. Open sound, highs are handled with delicate and control. No etchiness.
Importantly has a significant impact on midrange. Allows me to listen to high pitched singers/instruments without strain.
3. Coherence at higher volumes- this aspect has been a revelation to me. With the manufacturer supplied or a regular PC do a comparo at diff levels. Turn up the volume greater than normal listening levels on your fav tracks. Ofcourse higher volumes within limits of you and the systems acceptance boundary.
Sound was distorted and presentation lacked integrity at higher volumes. Introduced a dedicated PC and sound was now music.
The downside to a good PC is revealing weakness in the system. From ICs to system mismatch and the crucial aspect, quality of source.
Note: These are my views. The corresponding ICs and speaker cables were also part of the setup.

Back to topic - Upgraded usb module on my dac to gen 5 from as per manufacturer's updated offering. With current printer cable I hear positive difference.
Although I have not experienced dedicated usb cables, reading reviews of multiple forums I would pick between Curious cables or Phasure Lush. Depends on what works in synergy.
My go to usb would be Sablon Panatela.
 
Yes, a reasonably priced cable should be able to take care of the few issues that they talk about. I keep hearing from people in the industry that beyond a price point, in the cable world it is also about modifying the sound in certain ways. Depending upon the current tonality and goals for a certain system, someone can " prefer " a certain sound and attribute it to " capability "of the cable. And of course buy it.

I agree with you. I too hear the same from experts but I would not prefer a tone control using a power cord rather a neutral presentation or one which doesn't color the original presentation.A decent cable should be fine and rest to spent on room acoustics that could be a better option or will give more value to your investment.
 
Cables have been a myth. Most of us in this hobby have experienced it but probably not significant enough to call it.
Although I have experienced them for a short time, noting a few observations if it could benefit the forum.
In my experience power cables make a significant difference. Sharing from my experiences

Hello AVM.

Can you please let us know which power cord you tried and which one significantly improved the performance.
Also please let us know adding it on source/dac or amp side which one had a significant effect.
I know it is system dependent but just curious.

Thanks
 
Hello AVM.

Can you please let us know which power cord you tried and which one significantly improved the performance.
Also please let us know adding it on source/dac or amp side which one had a significant effect.
I know it is system dependent but just curious.

Thanks
Hello, the PC and IC were from ASI Liveline. They also had a reference series.
The reference PC was on source and regular version on the amp.
It all comes down to trying where it works best. Easier if you understand each component in the chain.
Even better if you get the entire loom from same brand. Helps maintain a house sound.
Moved most of my gear now with Dac and preamp to go. 1Reference line PC and s couple of ICs. My sound system is now a soundbase from company called Igo fed by Yggdrasil dac.
The Reference line PC powers both dac and soundbase. It still manages to wiggle out better performance on this medicore setup over any other PC.
Btw, I did not notice any change in tone with PC. However tone did change when I moved from Acoustic Portait Thiyaga dac to Yggy.
 
Thanks AVM for all the details.
You are using reference PC on source than on Amp?
I was under the impression that best PC should be used with amp. You might have experimented and arrived at this I guess .
There is another school of thought which says source is the most important link in the chain. In my case I need only one as I am using Devialet but
been struggling to identify which one to go with.
 
Thanks AVM for all the details.
You are using reference PC on source than on Amp?
I was under the impression that best PC should be used with amp. You might have experimented and arrived at this I guess .
There is another school of thought which says source is the most important link in the chain. In my case I need only one as I am using Devialet but
been struggling to identify which one to go with.
I had 1 PC for each component then.
Yes, it all starts with source and the flow from there on via USB/ICs.
In current setup PC -> Distribution box-> Aries Mini, Dac and active Sound base.
Since you are in US, I would suggest short list probables and experiment with the trial period offered by most dealers /manufacturers.
 
Thanks AVM.
You are using a distribution box? Any specific model? In my case I use a Furman entry level for my blue ray player.
I use blueray player sometimes to play CDs. I have only few CDs.
I use my laptop and ethernet to Devialet.
I have shortlisted few but never got a chance to order all and compare. I will do that.
 
But the power cord (atleast the manufacturers claim) does attempt to provide the equipment cleaner power than what is fed directly.. How the equipment handles the cleaner power may be different from product to product just like a human body.. The job of a power cord is to clean the extra noise/EMI/RFI interference and provide it to the equipment for it to do it's job the best...

If your power line already has added parasitic feeds (called parasitic current or voltage) , then a power cable cannot remove them however expensive it might be.
In the water filter analogy as mentioned by @keith_correa the water filter had a filtration circuit to remove the impurities, but I am not aware of any cable that has such circuitry built in it except an added in ferrite ring in some cables. Nor am I aware of any cable company including any kind of filtration circuit in the cable.
The only feature mentioned by these high cable offerings are usually about thickness, extrusion methodology, cryogenic treatment etc. plus some added insulation features to reject external interference.

MY suggestion with power line is to use a combination of a spike buster and a conditioner (the spike before the conditioner) to clean out the power line. If budget does nit afford a conditioner, then use an isolation transformer. This will clean out the DC.

Regarding USB cable, I have observed that some cheaper cables are not able to establish the handshake between the source and the DAC. though they might work as a printer USB cable
With USB one factor I have noticed is that keeping the cable length short helps a lot.
Since my upper most budget on USB cable was 1000 bucks, I purchased one well reviewed 6 inch cable from Aliexpress and it is working quite well with my DAC.
 
If your power line already has added parasitic feeds (called parasitic current or voltage) , then a power cable cannot remove them however expensive it might be.
In the water filter analogy as mentioned by @keith_correa the water filter had a filtration circuit to remove the impurities, but I am not aware of any cable that has such circuitry built in it except an added in ferrite ring in some cables. Nor am I aware of any cable company including any kind of filtration circuit in the cable.
The only feature mentioned by these high cable offerings are usually about thickness, extrusion methodology, cryogenic treatment etc. plus some added insulation features to reject external interference.

MY suggestion with power line is to use a combination of a spike buster and a conditioner (the spike before the conditioner) to clean out the power line. If budget does nit afford a conditioner, then use an isolation transformer. This will clean out the DC.

Regarding USB cable, I have observed that some cheaper cables are not able to establish the handshake between the source and the DAC. though they might work as a printer USB cable
With USB one factor I have noticed is that keeping the cable length short helps a lot.
Since my upper most budget on USB cable was 1000 bucks, I purchased one well reviewed 6 inch cable from Aliexpress and it is working quite well with my DAC.

Twisted power cable will cancels the stray magnetic field due to the angle they are twisted and I do hear power conditioner may restrict the peak
current drawing capacity and people suggest re generators ( something which converts AC to DC and then back to AC) over power conditioners.
 
Thanks AVM.
You are using a distribution box? Any specific model? In my case I use a Furman entry level for my blue ray player.
I use blueray player sometimes to play CDs. I have only few CDs.
I use my laptop and ethernet to Devialet.
I have shortlisted few but never got a chance to order all and compare. I will do that.
I use one made by Mr. Murthy from Bangalore. 6 outlets from Crabtree receptacles. Universal sockets, takes any plug.
All my cables went through this box. I used a APC sinewave 2kva ups given the frequent powercuts.
Experimented with power cord on each unit and the observations were captured in the post earlier.
 
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