Power Cords - Source Components - Do they make a differance ??

Someone mentioned something about power cords not affecting Class A amps. Please shed some more light on this. Thanks!

Stevie. You talkin' about me posting once in a way? Come on ~ you know I don't give a $*** about flame wars. :)
 
Someone mentioned something about power cords not affecting Class A amps. Please shed some more light on this. Thanks!

Stevie. You talkin' about me posting once in a way? Come on ~ you know I don't give a $*** about flame wars. :)

err um no shahrukh, was aimed at 'shanti' :) dont recall you ever double posting under two avataars, or catching you at it :D

edit: why did you think it was you?
 
err um no shahrukh, was aimed at 'shanti' :)

I have only written as 'shanti' on this forum.
no other moniker has ever been used by me.
You are mistaken....get your facts in place.
Look up the IP & you shall know.....

What are you so 'insecure' about ?
This is a thread that I started & it happens to be about Power Cords.
You are not obligated to read it or comment on it - if you find it 'offensive' !

Add to the conversation - in a +ve manner - rather than go on an on about some thing that has never happened on this forum.....

:sad:
 
Shahrukh, a Class A amplifier draws a constant amount of juice from the mains, irrespective of if its playing music loud, soft or not at all. The mains power is partly converted to an output signal, and the rest dumped as heat via the heat sinks ( usually metal fins on the side of the amplifier)

Hence the theory goes that there are no power surges and therefore no power transients thru the Power cord.

The power Cord therefore has an easier role to play, as its behaviour is not tested under dynamic conditions... so goes the theory... :)

Some also believe that Valve Amps are less suseptible to Power Cord induced performance changes, due to the series inductor used in the Power Supply of Valve amps, compared to a heavy dependence on Capacitors, in most solid state amps.
 
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How does this cable sound ? .... So what are the differences ??

In every case, the improvement over the original manufacturer cable was huge. Not a small difference, but a big one !

And what about the connectors ?

But when it comes to the sound, honestly the difference is so small, that we do not know if is better with or without them !

I am little confused here, Murali. Are you saying power cables/cords make a big difference and connectors do not?

Cheers
 
Dear Murali,

Thank you for a long and detailed post. It made interesting reading.

Do you sell this power cord ? Possible to audition it ?

Surprisingly, my personal experience has been that the Power Cord makes the most dramatic change when connected to the CD player.

Would love to try your cable, with 15 Amp ( not 20 Amp ) IEC termination for my equipment.

Also looking forward to your further postings on this.

Sorry, I am not in the business of audio equipment. I love listening to good sound (have several genetically hearing-impaired people in my family, but thanks to God, I still survive) and with what I can afford, I buy stuffs. I listen, read, discuss and exchange ideas in audio forums and make my own evaluations and decisions. After all, I am the person who primarily listens to my system which is not meant for a show-case or show-piece to others. I have been only sharing my experiences and views in this forum.

Thanks, regards and happy listening.
murali (from there)
 
Murali,

I appreciate your feedback and clarifications on being non commercial, and that you prefer your privacy.

Happy Listening !
 
So what are the differences ??

In everycase, the improvement over the original manufacturer cable was huge. Not a small difference, but a big one !

How can a 1-2 meter of AC cable make a so big improvement whereas there are dozens of kilometers of energy provider's cable before the AC outlet ??? I simply do not know ! but the difference is so big, that even your wife will ear the difference ! ...(sorry for our female members !)

More dynamic, less noise, more air, more definition, etc.... It is much better in every domain.


Perfect;

This is exactly what I have 'ovserved'

The differerence is so much that it cannot be missed or ignored.

I am just a little 'fluxed' about the connector part.

OYAIDE ELEC,co,.ltd.

This connector is really very very nice & I have purchased a few & made power cords - diy - myself with DC Design Cables from Taiwan & just playing with the EIC & plugs from Schnider / Bals / Oyaide / Marinco / Wattgate etc. the sound has changed.
I have so many of those DIY things around, I am sure we can do some listening test & see what the differance is....

Thanks for your post - it was nice to read it.

There is so much to do & a lot to learn, we just need to keep an open mind and look around...
Have you tried to make power cords with Ribbon [copper or silver - in teflon or air dialectic] ?
 
I am little confused here, Murali. Are you saying power cables/cords make a big difference and connectors do not?

Cheers

Venkat,
In the beginning of that post, I have mentioned that it is a different person's experience shared in one of my audio forums, and not mine. I believe the gentleman runs a high-end hifi shop in Malaysia and never bullshits. I have so far found him very honest, open and opinionated and have no reason to disbelieve his experience.
Another good friend of mine is Chris ven Haus of VH Audio who started as a DIY person and later ended up making cables like Jon Risch, Russell Andrews etc. Chris is a very knowledgeable person and not only sells his own made cables but also excellent value-for-money cables from Acrolink etc. He only introduced me to the merits of wonderfully made connectors of Furutech and Oyaide (please note they are Japanese) which are way above Wattgate and similar. I use simple Furutech (< $50) copper plugs in source components and slightly more expensive gold and rhodium ones in amps. I moved to Oyaide plugs in my power amp which is even better than Furutech.
My experience is that both the wires and connectors matter. You don't have to believe this unless you try these out yourself. That is why I like doing business with Chris who suggests the right combination for the equipment with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If I don't find any improvement, I just return it. So far I have used only his Flavor series cables and yet to venture out into the top-of-the-line Airsine which my good knowledgeable friends in audioasylum believe as the best. Too expensive, at least for now. I also moved to Tel Wire power cord (discarding VH Audio's Flavor-4) with Oyaide plugs for my CD player which I find better.
These are personal experiences being shared and not to prove or disprove anything to anyone. In fact, I came across some recent postings like someone advising a simple experiment of simply changing one's computer power cord to a better one and listen to the audio (he claims you will notice the difference), another suggesting to walk around the house with a radio tuned between any two AM stations (with only static sound) and claiming that when you are close to equipment like fridge, TV, even your mains, etc, you will notice dramatic changes in the static which is an indication of the RF nonsense and noise such gadgets throw into the household wiring and can affect the audio components. Not only a mains conditioner, better quality cables and connectors also help to keep such things out of the audio circuits. Please..., not my claims but others'.
I also recently started reading about dedicated mains supply to audio room from the famous Ben Duncan notes available for small money from Hifi World of UK.
The quest continues. At least until the hearing faculty lasts.

Good luck, venkat and happy listening.
regards.
murali (from the land of dates and camels)
 
I moved to Oyaide plugs in my power amp which is even better than Furutech.
My experience is that both the wires and connectors matter.

You don't have to believe this unless you try these out yourself.

Sir,

:clapping:

Super !

All what you have written is just as I have observed.

I prefer Oyaide to Furutech.

Wire
Geometary
Sheilding
Braid
Skin Effect
Exposed end 'treatment'
Termination - Twist / Solder
Nylon / Teflon / Air Dialectic

There is so much that changes the sound.

At every change a difference in the presentation is evident.

Make - Listen - Write Notes - Call friends / audiophiles - make them listen & take the cables to other audiophile house. That is the fun of this hobby.
Music it to be enjoyed - more often than not, but I always prefer it live @ ncpa [when ever I get the chance]. Audio is a great hobby & so much to do & so much to learn...
 
a few pics of some cables I made - over the years....

so many I cannot find now - but, I will look for them & post....
 

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In the beginning of that post, I have mentioned that it is a different person's experience shared in one of my audio forums, and not mine.

I somehow missed that completely. Thanks.

BTW I was in your area some ten days ago.

Cheers
 
Sir,

:clapping:

Super !

All what you have written is just as I have observed.

I prefer Oyaide to Furutech.

Wire
Geometary
Sheilding
Braid
Skin Effect
Exposed end 'treatment'
Termination - Twist / Solder
Nylon / Teflon / Air Dialectic

There is so much that changes the sound.

At every change a difference in the presentation is evident.

Make - Listen - Write Notes - Call friends / audiophiles - make them listen & take the cables to other audiophile house. That is the fun of this hobby.
Music it to be enjoyed - more often than not, but I always prefer it live @ ncpa [when ever I get the chance]. Audio is a great hobby & so much to do & so much to learn...

Not fully right. If you look at the latest Furutech plugs, they have come out with the FI-50 piezo ceramic carbon fiber series which Chris (VH Audio) believes are the best in this planet! Their base metal is copper rhodium plated with nylon/fiberglass body and stainless steel carbon fiber housing. Those who have tried them agree that they are the best, especially evident from total absence of background noise, making your system reach the "deepest black levels like in TV". Price? I believe $200-300 for a connector (male and IEC).
I may try one (especially in power amp) whenever I decide to go for a Airsine power cord and something similar. At the moment, I am looking at a Japanese made Acrolink power cord (which you can buy for DIY) which is well priced and considered a great one for use from wall outlet to power conditioner (I use a Richard Gray 400).

Happy listening (till the ears last)...
murali
 
I somehow missed that completely. Thanks.

BTW I was in your area some ten days ago.

Cheers

Thanks.
By the way, have you ever tried Eichmann Bayonet banana plugs in your speakers? They cost around $80 per set of 4 plugs. They are considered one of the best even compared to WBT and others, and all reviewers are unanimous about it. Those who use them find them really make a "hearable" (forgive my English) difference. A technical reason being talked about --- Eichmann plugs grip very tightly inside the speaker binding post.

Do connectors make a difference? I believe they do.

(I use only spade lugs and no banana plugs. Both Vandersteen speakers and Ayre amps are designed only for spades and Vandy goes one step further by providing only simple terminal barrier strips and no exotic binding posts. Richard Vandersteen believes they are the most transparent. The Ayre has a special Cardas binding post for spades.)

cheers.
murali
 
ah my sympathies. not a very nice feeling indeed. yup that's what i meant, two avaatars acting in collusion.

regards

Still waiting for that report;
The IP Address - same for 'shanti' & 'who evey else' you think I write as - kindly post it here - so that the 'moderator' can varify & the 'insecurities' can 'surface' !!
Please....

Appreciate it !!

p.s. I only write as 'shanti' & nothing else; [on this forum that is my moniker]
:p
 
I have only written as 'shanti' on this forum.
no other moniker has ever been used by me.
You are mistaken....get your facts in place.
Look up the IP & you shall know.....

Just to clear things up after checking into the database - I would like to state that Shanti has only one username in this forum.
 
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