Awesome! Thank you so much for the datapoint!
It doesn't surprise me that the power cord made a different impact on two different components. The Mc Amps usually have very good transformers and power supplies. Depending on the amount of noise you have and the length of the cord I could see it still lowering the noise floor a bit.
On a DAC your results don't surprise me at all. They can have smaller, less regulated PS's and maybe even use only a single transformer for the digital, analog, display, and power trigger lines. I don't know how yours is but a power cord could help with noise filtering and stabilize your power supply. I'm always amazed at how shielding, isolation, clocking, and power supplies can affect digital.
I can't comment on the other cords since I haven't use them. As far as price goes, the best value is for the "econo" PK10 and PK14. Mostly just giving up gold plating, but it does save money that can be used for other cords as well.
BTW since you had such great results on your DAC and have realized improvements due to your power supply I cannot recommend the Wattgate receptacles enough. They are out of production until 2014 but Audio Advisor still has some. Definitely worth it and it's something I would even do before hitting the cords. You won't believe how much better the triple-swipe contacts are. And the gold plating should help keep your outlet connections as good as possible for many years.
I don't think many people realize how much of a bottleneck to current flow this can be! I realized this again recently when vacuuming with a 12A Bosch 12A. That cord was getting so hot with it running at about 1/2 power for shag carpet. The MC452 is fused at
15A. That is a LOT of current - and there is definitely the potential for current losses resulting in heat. Think toaster oven filament here...
Did you notice any break-in with the cord at all?
Kimber is a humble company. You don't usually see a lot of hype from them. The Econo PK10 cord has these benefits:
- Excellent conductors
- Chroma free dielectric
- Handmade
- Made in the USA
- Robust construction
- Wattgate termination
Hard to go wrong and the music improvement can be dramatic...but don't neglect the outlets!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasshopper
Junker,
I stumbled across your post as I am demoing a Kimber PK10 Gold power cable. I used it on my MC402, and heard no discernible difference. I returned it to the owner who sent me home with it again, stressing I should try it on my DAC (W42 DAC2, which is my DAC and Preamp). I was shocked at what a difference it made. Im a skepic (and my wallet is even more skeptical). I'd say it made at least a 10% if not a 15% improvement in the sound. Soundstage was bigger, separation was much better (the test track "Bass & Drum Intro" live by the Nils Lofgren Band was an excellent test track). On my test, without the upgraded cable, fast bass strums were muddy and the big drums smeared together. After plugging the cable in, the smearing went away and details were very present.
I've no idea how this works (and don't really care to know how it works). It did nothing for my amp, but the DAC was another story.
Do you or anybody else have recommendations in the same price range of the PK10, or have results from one of these "PC shootouts" you'd referenced.
In the $150-$300 range, I'm curious how the Shunyata's vs. Kimbers fare. (the Venom 3 at $150 seems to get a lot of praise).
Since I am leaning towards getting shunata interconnects, I'm not sure if i should wait and try and match PC's with interconnects.
|