Power cables

[72doug2,2S]

Ok audiophiles what's the consensus? Do they really make a difference?

Is it worth $100, or $6,000 to get your power to the stereo?

[Gogar]

I ran a separate service from the street. It was less expensive that way.

[rwest]

The more you spend, the more you convince yourself you can hear a difference!

[RKDinOKC]

I have a Sony Receiver that runs my surround audio. No cable noise that I can hear.

My speaker cables are that clear 2 wire power cord stuff. That way I can make them exactly the length I need. Sounds great to me. My rear speaker cables run up inside the wall (along with power and network wires) and then across the attic.

As for components. They are all media servers, or cable box, etc. so HDMI connects all that.
My DVD, Tape Decks, and Turntable are all boxed up and in the attic. Went to convenience over hifi, and yes there is a difference in all this digital stuff. But then again my ears aren't as good as they used to be either. Besides most content is being created digitally now days so just don't need the hi end hifi to reproduce content as good as it is made or distributed in the first place.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

Ok audiophiles what's the consensus? Do they really make a difference?

Is it worth $100, or $6,000 to get your power to the stereo?

No.

Your money would be better spent on upgrading the actual power supplies inside your gear. Maybe add a decent UPS with good surge protection if you are so inclined.
Do try and keep the signal cables away from the power cables. Just my $.02...YMMV.

[Chocaholic]

The single most important component in your system is the room acoustics. Your house is wired with cheap Nomex wire. Why would the last 6 feet from the wall to the amp make a difference?

[72doug2,2S]

All logic indicates that this makes perfect sense yet many insist power cables are a weak link that should be addressed.

[MBAtarga]

Definitely go spend $6k on some Monster Brand cables!
I own stock!

[908/930]

It really depends on how high end a system, it is more of a tweak, and I have heard different cords somehow sounding different, I didn't rush out and pick up all new power cords but it did surprise me.

I have a friend that runs a fairly large isolation transformer in front of the power to his equipment, to me this makes more sense then spending money on power cords, and at least a bunch of 20A dedicated outlets. I am considering the iso transformer later on.

[stomachmonkey]

No, power cables don't create noise although some may be better shielded from nearby sources that emit noise. Solution for that, move the noise source.

More commonly the noise will be carried through the circuit which shielding won't address.

If you want to ensure no noise to your system the money would be better spent running isolated / dedicated clean circuits.

Meaning nothing that induces noise, space heaters, stuff with motors, etc... touches the circuit.

[arcsine]

I believe you would be far better served with a good power supply/power line conditioner. But that is just my opinion.

[rusnak]

If you are running a mixer and amplified K-Series QSC active speakers, then maybe. Even then, just use Live Wire XLR cord for the lifetime warranty. Otherwise, meh.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

Ok audiophiles what's the consensus? Do they really make a difference?

Is it worth $100, or $6,000 to get your power to the stereo?

Not to me.



Since I'm over >50.... I'm upgrading my equipment to go to 11.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

Ok audiophiles what's the consensus? Do they really make a difference?

Is it worth $100, or $6,000 to get your power to the stereo?

Your question could be answered at a high end stereo store.

Some of them have evening events with demonstrations, get on their customer mailing list.

The local shop near me featured Transparent audio and did a demonstration.

Yes I head the difference between the $2,000 and $4,000 power cables.

Was it worth the money?

Completely depends if you could hear the difference and had the money to burn on it.

The how or why of the last six feet making a difference is the subject of much debate. Somehow it is the most important part of the total length and path.

If I were spending $45,000 for a single ended tube Russian amp using a broadcast tube, and I need two of them for stereo...................another 8k in power cables would not be a big deal.

I just don't have that kind of cash.

[myamoto1]

Originally Posted by arcsine

I believe you would be far better served with a good power supply/power line conditioner. But that is just my opinion.

+1 I actually didn't notice a difference in sound, but in picture quality (home theater setup). That was introduced into my system back in the days of plasma TVs and SuperBit DVDs (pre bluray). Have upgraded TV and DVD since then, but haven't run it w/out the power conditioner, so no A/B compare to comment on the impact on a more modern setup.

[aschen]

lots of audiophile types assert that they can hear a difference, but not a single one can prove it in a blind test

even with actual signal carrying cables, nobody has been able to prove objectively there is a difference.

[70SATMan]

People are going to believe what they want.

If there is a detectable difference in hearing then there's a measurable difference in signal quality. At best, the oooohh aaaaaaahh cables are introducing a method of filtering between the wall and the electronics and that is exactly what line conditioners are designed to do. I would expect that my pricey audio electronics already incorporates more than just adequate signal conditioning in their power supplies.

With a little research, one could build their own line filters with shielded power cords for less than a bill.

[Ayles]

Power cords are bunk. But, some of them certainly look cool. If you have a beautiful high end system you might as well go for some nice looking cables/cords.

[rwest]

Originally Posted by aschen

lots of audiophile types assert that they can hear a difference, but not a single one can prove it in a blind test

even with actual signal carrying cables, nobody has been able to prove objectively there is a difference.

Totally agree.

There was another thread awhile back on here about expensive cables so I did a bit of googling and every blind test I found showed that people couldn't tell the difference.

[red-beard]

For $6K I can sell you a power inverter system which will give you 60HZ "Pure Sine Wave" AND provide power for your Stereo for probably 20 hours if the power goes out.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Sounds like a product opportunity!