Is stock power cord good enough?

[PMCH]

I never believed power cables would make any difference until I listened with my own ears. I now have upgraded all of my power cords.

[fgchong]

Originally Posted by PMCH

I never believed power cables would make any difference until I listened with my own ears. I now have upgraded all of my power cords.

I once worked for a cable company that represent & sell all sort of cables ranging from HT cables to comms & data cables. My colleagues like myself were electrical engineers, used to ask me why do I spend so much on cables for my Hi-Fi. I then invited them to my place to listen to my set-up to prove my point. I played the same song with the same system using different type of cables (power & interconnect) and they all went home puzzling

[GaryProtein]

Originally Posted by JSCC

I always have this feeling that IF the cable can provide to the betterment of a product's performance, especially high end gears, they would have been provided as part of the deal in the first place. After all, why subject one's top end product to so many variations in performance? Maybe its the marketing strategy to have a "build-in intention" to start a controversy gear change mind-set from the very moment the gear is being used?

I have moved on from this mind-set although I must admit the build quality, parts used in the high-end, high cost cables are gorgeous to behold. BUT can the high price justify the huge difference in outlay to performance?

Say, a top speaker cable that costs UDS$25k a pair, hooking it up to the Alexia's would make it a Maxx3 or even an XLF? Or that when hooked to the Magico Q7 makes it a pair of Q9 (the next top line that is NOT even produced?).

Since this is a free market, one can pay and will pay to one's satisfaction but performance enhancing to the value, I guess not. Maybe perceived.

Now ... "flame on"

Jerry, I couldn't agree more.

[Rayooo]

Originally Posted by GaryProtein

Jerry, I couldn't agree more.

ME agree even more still... than you Gary!

[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.

Originally Posted by junker

Forget those big $ cords IMO. Better cords have improved conductors, dielectrics, build quality, and usually some sort of RFI filtering. High frequencies attenuate very quickly so you are mostly concerned about reducing interference from local area lighting, fans, cell phones, microwaves, etc.

I really like the basic Kimber PK10 for amps and PK14 for sources etc. Similar cord and Wattgate connectors as their more expensive cords but without the silver or gold plating - and cryo I believe. The regular ones are a great value IMO.

kimber.com/products/powerkords/






That's only half the equation, however... I'd also recommend upgrading your wall outlets (to at least hospital grade) that have better metallurgy and contact pressure. I use the gold version. Silver is the same price as the gold. Silver might be better if you don't mind reseating occasionally. The other option available at a surcharge is Rhodium. Sure it's hard, shiny, and will hold up for many, many cycles but it is actually a comparatively poor conductor so stick with Au or Ag IMO.

wattgate.com/products/381/



wattgate.com/products/381ag/



My amp is fused at 15A and it can draw quite a bit of current so I feel that there might be less losses with the heavier cord and a better connection to your house lines. And the filtering can only help. In fact, I think you could argue this could be more important than doing the amp, but I did my amp first anyway...

Maybe not for subs, but for any mission critical components that draw a reasonable amount of current, the last power related upgrade would have to be the Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme Gold/Silver fuse.

[junker]

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!

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.

[Mikado463]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Somewhere between stock and $3000 is the answer.

much closer to stock !

$3000 power cords are for big egos with little brains !

[BlueFox]

Originally Posted by Mikado463

much closer to stock !

$3000 power cords are for big egos with little brains !

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by Mikado463

much closer to stock !

$3000 power cords are for big egos with little brains !

[GaryProtein]

Originally Posted by Mikado463

much closer to stock !

$3000 power cords are for big egos with little brains !

I'm not saying anything.

I'm running out of flame-proof suits!