Wireworld Power Cords

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by jayvis

I appreciate everyone's comments, but this is part of the reason why I've resisted jumping onto the power cord wagon for so long. Many claim that they've found the Shunyata Venom HC to be the best bang for the buck while others claim that the similarly priced Wireworld Electra 7 outperforms it. Others put more emphasis in plug design when making their buying decision. Audio Art Cables claims that their different plug options are the determining factor in their cord's ultimate sound qualities. If you look at plug design alone, one would think the WW Electra 7 to be better because of its silver clad copper alloy contacts vs. the Venom HC's nickel plated brass. So, as with everything else in audio, it's obvious that power cord selection is very subjective and somewhat component brand restrictive. If I decide to dive in deeper, my only choice is to take the time to actually try multiple cords in my system, probably starting with my power amp. It's too bad that Shunyata and Wireworld don't offer a satisfaction guarantee like Audio Art does. It would make it a lot easier for people like me to make a decision.

in my personal opinion, Caelin Gabriel of Shunyata Research is a veritable genius (he was a signals intelligence data processing scientist at NSA for about 20 years); and any decisions he makes regarding materials science are well-informed and come from a deep understanding at the level of physics and electronics of what the right materials are for a given applicaiton. While the silver clad copper alloy contacts on the WW power cords are nice, as far as I am concerned, it's a minor detail.

A power cord is not delivering analog or digital signals like an interconnect or speaker cable would be, where the nature of the conductor material might have an influence on the quality of sound. The are simply delivering AC current. They have a completely different set of functional requirements than signal cables. The key attributes one is really looking for in a power cord are 1) the ability to deliver AC current and AC current transients as quickly as possible (this is why Shunyata developed a sophisticated measurement system to measure Dynamic Transient Current Delivery aka DTCD; they are the only company that measures this), and 2) the rejection of noise, i.e., keeping noise from getting IN to the power cord, and being able to draw large AC current almost instantaneously without emitting electromagnetic radiation. Having read all the science behind this (and some of Shunyata's patents), I personally am of the view that it explains why I've found Shunyata power cords to be the best performing, in my experience. I also think they provide the best value per dollar.

I don't want this to come across in any way that I don't admire, respect, or value Wireworld's products. I've met David Salz in person, and he is an excellent, and more importantly, thoughtful engineer and an absolutely terrific guy, to boot. You won't meet a nicer or classier guy in all of audio. I own, use and admire his products and his design philosophy highly. Of all the cable companies that I've tried out in various applications, my top three are Wireworld, Shunyata and Audioquest, in no particular order.

[Ricjor1]

I submit Wireworld Silver Electra with upgraded Platinum plugs offer a very, very good value. That being said, everyone's system is different and you must try them in your own system. In addition, you must decide your budget!

[thyname]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Also, for AA Subscribers I can send you WW cables to try in your own system first.

How does one become a "subscriber"?

[jayvis]

Originally Posted by Ricjor1

I submit Wireworld Silver Electra with upgraded Platinum plugs offer a very, very good value. That being said, everyone's system is different and you must try them in your own system. In addition, you must decide your budget!

I do plan on trying a few cords and my max price point is in the $300 range. I'm just searching for something that provides a sonic improvement over my stock cords at a minimal cost. I've always been open minded about cables, but based on my experiences with speaker wire and interconnects, there is no way I can justify paying more than that, even if someone can easily afford more. Beyond that price point on all cables, the amount of sound quality improvements per dollar is unjustified in my opinion.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by thyname

How does one become a "subscriber"?

thyname... Welcome to AA!

To become a Subscriber just follow this link:

http://www.audioaficionado.org/payments.php

[docmd2010]

jayvis

i honestly would start with a great power conditioner first. I've tried a couple of them (shunyata, Niagara 7000), and find that the Torus AVR 20 is by far and way the best, to my taste. The difference with an without the conditioner wasn't even subtle. I wasn't a believer of this "taking care of the power" business until i made the change. once i did, the rest is history.

Get a Torus AVR 20 (or a power conditioner that you like ) and get a good power cord for it. Then put in the stock power cords for your components and plug everything into the conditioner and see what you think. You can then change the stock power cords with high quality cords over time!

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by docmd2010

jayvis

i honestly would start with a great power conditioner first. I've tried a couple of them (shunyata, Niagara 7000), and find that the Torus AVR 20 is by far and way the best, to my taste. The difference with an without the conditioner wasn't even subtle. I wasn't a believer of this "taking care of the power" business until i made the change. once i did, the rest is history.

Get a Torus AVR 20 (or a power conditioner that you like ) and get a good power cord for it. Then put in the stock power cords for your components and plug everything into the conditioner and see what you think. You can then change the stock power cords with high quality cords over time!

Actually, this is really good advice and a great way to start. I don't know what the OPs budget is for getting into better power distribution products, but this is a very good way to start. Even an entry level Shunyata Venom PS 8 distributor would be a good, entry-level option. The key is to start "somewhere". Your advice to start with more, lower-priced cords for the same amt of money and then move up with higher quality cords as time and budget allow is excellent, too.

[jayvis]

Thanks for the advice guys. I've already been down the power conditioning road. Have used RGPC products for a long time. I think they're among the best for surge protection and I still have my Pioneer Elite plasma plugged into one. The display is much better with the RGPC than with any other line conditioner I've tried. I was close to buying a PS Audio P5 regenerator until I witnessed a demonstration at a dealer. The price of admission was way too high for the amount of sound quality improvements I heard. I ended up going the low cost route and am currently using a PS Audio Dectet conditioner for all of my other home theater and 2-channel system components. I run my power amp directly to the wall which is on a dedicated line. It depends on the day and what type of music I'm listening to, but sometimes I wonder if even the Dectet is somewhat choking some of the life out of my 2-channel system. I use all Tara Labs interconnects and speaker cables and have no desire to keep changing out power products, interconnects or speaker cables. I'm basically pretty happy with the performance of my system and was just curious if there are any lower price point power cords available that might provide a boost to my 2-channel system's sound stage with a more 3D effect.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by jayvis

Thanks for the advice guys. I've already been down the power conditioning road. Have used RGPC products for a long time. I think they're among the best for surge protection and I still have my Pioneer Elite plasma plugged into one. The display is much better with the RGPC than with any other line conditioner I've tried. I was close to buying a PS Audio P5 regenerator until I witnessed a demonstration at a dealer. The price of admission was way too high for the amount of sound quality improvements I heard. I ended up going the low cost route and am currently using a PS Audio Dectet conditioner for all of my other home theater and 2-channel system components. I run my power amp directly to the wall which is on a dedicated line. It depends on the day and what type of music I'm listening to, but sometimes I wonder if even the Dectet is somewhat choking some of the life out of my 2-channel system. I use all Tara Labs interconnects and speaker cables and have no desire to keep changing out power products, interconnects or speaker cables. I'm basically pretty happy with the performance of my system and was just curious if there are any lower price point power cords available that might provide a boost to my 2-channel system's sound stage with a more 3D effect.

Yes, Shunyata Venom 3 or equivalent, IMHO.

[jayvis]

Thanks Puma Cat. Have you compared Shunyata Venoms (Venom 3 or Venom HC) to the lower cost Wireworld power cords (Aurora 7 or Electra 7)?