Does your McIntosh benefit from fancy power cables?

[MisterBritt]

Originally Posted by alkizz

I'm running everything off a 20a dedicated, but only one. Maybe I don't have great power in Florida but my house is 99% solar powered which means I'm still on the grid. Whenever Elon gets around to shipping my powerwalls I wonder if there could be even more interesting improvements since I will be completely off the grid.

That will be most interesting to me. I had never considered the possible effect of solar power. Keep us posted, please.

[modlin]

Originally Posted by eljr

1 i have never seen science to support this.

2 i am keenly aware of human bias which makes clear we hear and see what we want or what we assume. We then construct a logical case to support what we believe. We don't truly look objectively at about anything in our life.

3 then there is what i consider common sense.

A if i am paying more than $6k for each monoblock and the manufacturer is not maximizing his product by giving me inferior cords, i need look to a different manufacture, don't you think?

B we have no control over the power from the power plant until our house. At that point a 3 foot wire will transform it? Hello. (mcintosh suggests we plug amps directly into wall, not after conditioners)



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and then you have the old, does it sound better or different? Tube amps introduce distortion that is loved by many.... Yet, it's distortion that is making the music "warm." so is it "better?"
see?

amen

[joey_corleoni]

I don’t have any fancy power cables or conditioners. I wonder though, how does McIntosh recommend their amps be plugged directly into the wall, and at the same time, sell the MPC1500?

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/product...oducts/MPC1500

[PeterMusic]

Originally Posted by BlueSky

But seriously, my wife talks to me all the time about confirmation bias and how it can contribute to whatever argument a person wants to make and believe in. Taking her point to heart I can now understand why my liking the looks of big, fat hawser-sized power cables and interconnects contribute much to the increase in perceived audio quality.

This is a great point. But of course it does not mean that those big fay cables don't help. A related issue is that at the high end, there is typically no free lunch. When you swap one high end component for another, you might improve sound stage, just for example, but is there a cost to the bass?

With both of these problems in mind, I've tended to move away from strict focused A/B testing to extended listening where I have a chance to forget the components. Then if I find myself wondering why the sound is better or worse, I know I'm onto something.

[cleeds]

Originally Posted by joey_corleone

I don’t have any fancy power cables or conditioners. I wonder though, how does McIntosh recommend their amps be plugged directly into the wall, and at the same time, sell the MPC1500?

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/product...oducts/MPC1500

I think the MPC1500 is a great unit - one of the hidden gems in the Mac lineup. But I use it only for line-level sources, not for amplifiers.

[Bones13]

I did invest in a dedicated circuit for my amps. My MC60 monoblocks have attached power cords, so no upgrading there.

I use a Bryston BIT 15 unit in the preamp /source stack. I typically use medical grade Quail, or similar.

[btn2803]

Originally Posted by Bones13

I did invest in a dedicated circuit for my amps. My MC60 monoblocks have attached power cords, so no upgrading there.

I use a Bryston BIT 15 unit in the preamp /source stack. I typically use medical grade Quail, or similar.

Hi Michael,

I am also interested in the BIT 15. Did you notice any benefit from using the BIT 15 in the preamp/source components?

For my amps (MC611s), I have just installed a dedicated 20amp service outlet and plan to plug the amps directly into the outlet without any power conditioner. I also plan to use the standard power cords that come with the mc611, but wonder if it's worth to upgrade the power cords for the amps.

[thughes]

wonder though, how does McIntosh recommend their amps be plugged directly into the wall, and at the same time, sell the MPC1500?

I believe that, when the MPC1500 came out, Mc didn't recommend it for amplifiers, only source and preamp pieces.

[joey_corleoni]

Originally Posted by cleeds

I think the MPC1500 is a great unit - one of the hidden gems in the Mac lineup. But I use it only for line-level sources, not for amplifiers.

All my stuff is on power strips going directly into the wall. I’ve often thought about trying power conditioners to clean up the power as well as for protection of my gear. What do you like about the MPC1500?

[Lockheed Martin]

Originally Posted by joey_corleone

All my stuff is on power strips going directly into the wall. I’ve often thought about trying power conditioners to clean up the power as well as for protection of my gear. What do you like about the MPC1500?

My system is using Torus AVR which is similar to MPC1500, it’s very good, you should try [emoji106]