Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
You can fool half the people all the time or......
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
You probably want to pick up one of these, too:
Unicorn tears and Angel hair
Get a few spares while you're there.
I nearly peed my pants reading the description.
Unicorn tears and Angel hair
Get a few spares while you're there.
I nearly peed my pants reading the description.
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
It is easy to arm chair poo poo these ideas but there is an audible difference in power cables. I decided to test for myself if there was anything to the claims about power cables. I built several different types and compared them to off the shelf ones from CES . I was astonished to hear differences in all of them.
The best sounding was the Bob Crump DIY design . I doubt it would be easy to hear on stage at high volumes with a band, but in the living room it was easy to discern the differences.
The explanations for difference in sound has nothing to do with voltage drops or current capability. It has to do with cable design . There is an excellent video demonstration by George Cardas on the effects of current flowing thru two adjacent cables, he shows the oscilloscope traces and high speed video of the cable vibrating.
I did not test the MM cable as it was too short for my taste. I use 10-12' for all the ones I tested as that is the length I prefer to use in my amps .
http://www.audiotweaks.com/diy/bobcrump_pc/page01.htm
The best sounding was the Bob Crump DIY design . I doubt it would be easy to hear on stage at high volumes with a band, but in the living room it was easy to discern the differences.
The explanations for difference in sound has nothing to do with voltage drops or current capability. It has to do with cable design . There is an excellent video demonstration by George Cardas on the effects of current flowing thru two adjacent cables, he shows the oscilloscope traces and high speed video of the cable vibrating.
I did not test the MM cable as it was too short for my taste. I use 10-12' for all the ones I tested as that is the length I prefer to use in my amps .
http://www.audiotweaks.com/diy/bobcrump_pc/page01.htm
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-NRG-WE ... B0055OM9WS
Only 10 left in stock. please don't hurt yourselves in the stampede!
Good hifi can be quite revealing and I can hear it too, but so what, you have to draw the line somewhere with this stuff and I draw it a power cables. After all you got miles of the utility's power lines, then possibly hundreds of feet of BX or Romex and then all the winds in the PT primary (none of it oxygen free or linar crystal etc
) so who cares about 6' of power cable as long as it's decent size.
What I do hear that costs very little is cleaning and Pro-Gold'ing all my connections including power plugs once a year. Should do it twice as often.
Only 10 left in stock. please don't hurt yourselves in the stampede!
Good hifi can be quite revealing and I can hear it too, but so what, you have to draw the line somewhere with this stuff and I draw it a power cables. After all you got miles of the utility's power lines, then possibly hundreds of feet of BX or Romex and then all the winds in the PT primary (none of it oxygen free or linar crystal etc
) so who cares about 6' of power cable as long as it's decent size. What I do hear that costs very little is cleaning and Pro-Gold'ing all my connections including power plugs once a year. Should do it twice as often.
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
Billy,billyz wrote:It is easy to arm chair poo poo these ideas but there is an audible difference in power cables. I decided to test for myself if there was anything to the claims about power cables. I built several different types and compared them to off the shelf ones from CES . I was astonished to hear differences in all of them.
The best sounding was the Bob Crump DIY design . I doubt it would be easy to hear on stage at high volumes with a band, but in the living room it was easy to discern the differences.
The explanations for difference in sound has nothing to do with voltage drops or current capability. It has to do with cable design . There is an excellent video demonstration by George Cardas on the effects of current flowing thru two adjacent cables, he shows the oscilloscope traces and high speed video of the cable vibrating.
Thank you for a thoughtful post. My own experience mirrors your observations. I appreciate the link to the Crump designed cable.
Best,
Dave
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
Hmm.... Just done some numbers....
I can believe there will be differences between (say) 14AWG and 18 AWG cables, particularly for those parts of the world on 115V, but this is easily explained by the cable resistance - For a 10' cable on a big (50W+??) amp, the difference would be roughly similar to adding a 20 ohm 'sag' resistor in the B+ (rough numbers).
I'd be amazed if anyone could tell the difference in 240V land (however I have no wish to veer into a religious discussion - If you say you can hear it, I'll believe you!).
Likewise, good, well made connectors matter too.
No voodoo needed.
YMMV
I can believe there will be differences between (say) 14AWG and 18 AWG cables, particularly for those parts of the world on 115V, but this is easily explained by the cable resistance - For a 10' cable on a big (50W+??) amp, the difference would be roughly similar to adding a 20 ohm 'sag' resistor in the B+ (rough numbers).
I'd be amazed if anyone could tell the difference in 240V land (however I have no wish to veer into a religious discussion - If you say you can hear it, I'll believe you!).
Likewise, good, well made connectors matter too.
No voodoo needed.
YMMV
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
Hey Mark, What surplus outfit did you find those at?
I actually have a big fat monster cable, it was given to me. and does make a difference but i'm not about to spend big money on one. Im much closer to lefty's comments as ive only been trying to play for a couple years and starting old is never good. I have much more problem with power noise. I'm sitting here typing this and every few seconds i hear what sounds like some form of morse code through the speakers. don't know the source. i would like to come up with a very cheap power line conditioner/ isolator.
Todd
I actually have a big fat monster cable, it was given to me. and does make a difference but i'm not about to spend big money on one. Im much closer to lefty's comments as ive only been trying to play for a couple years and starting old is never good. I have much more problem with power noise. I'm sitting here typing this and every few seconds i hear what sounds like some form of morse code through the speakers. don't know the source. i would like to come up with a very cheap power line conditioner/ isolator.
Todd
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Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
!!
Can someone call Eddie Van Halen and ask him what he used? Or Denny Diaz....or Skunk Baxter.....or Jeff Beck.....or Eric Clapton?
What amp power cords were used in Electricladyland or Criteria or Advision or SARM for the guitar amps...
C'mon...really? Aren't these and others the benchmarks we use for our own designs? Who plays in their bedroom by themselves w/ no other music? I always play along w/ something when I'm alone...and all that 'mojo $' is out the window when the music starts......all that is left is the circuit topologies and my own ability.
I'm probably disqualified for the arguement...I don't listen to particular guitar tones or amps....I listen to the whole piece and the artists application to context.....
Can someone call Eddie Van Halen and ask him what he used? Or Denny Diaz....or Skunk Baxter.....or Jeff Beck.....or Eric Clapton?
What amp power cords were used in Electricladyland or Criteria or Advision or SARM for the guitar amps...
C'mon...really? Aren't these and others the benchmarks we use for our own designs? Who plays in their bedroom by themselves w/ no other music? I always play along w/ something when I'm alone...and all that 'mojo $' is out the window when the music starts......all that is left is the circuit topologies and my own ability.
I'm probably disqualified for the arguement...I don't listen to particular guitar tones or amps....I listen to the whole piece and the artists application to context.....
Don't overthink it. Just drink it.
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
OMG, you're right. This is a laugh riot:Tillydog wrote:You probably want to pick up one of these, too:
Unicorn tears and Angel hair
Get a few spares while you're there.
I nearly peed my pants reading the description.
If you believe this, I've got some swampland to sell you…hell, just hand over your cash!There are significant, audible differences between USB cables. We're not sure how this is possible, since USB is purported to be a purely digital interface, however...
I build and repair tube amps. http://amps.monkeymatic.com
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
Did you read the reviews?rp wrote:http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-NRG-WE ... B0055OM9WS
Only 10 left in stock. please don't hurt yourselves in the stampede!
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
Apparently AudioQuest believes you can fool a sufficient number of people a sufficient amount of the time.
Seems to be working for them.
P T Barnum-CEO?
Seems to be working for them.
P T Barnum-CEO?
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
I make up my own power and signal cords.
More for appearence than anything else, but I do use good quality connectors.
John
More for appearence than anything else, but I do use good quality connectors.
John
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Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
Love it John! Very cool looking.
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
Quality connectors is probably the best point in this, but they don't cost 100s of dollars, neither does quality ready made cords.
The cheaper ones are often of dubious quality electrically, - too thin wires and crap connectors, - however the bad connector design is often not visible on the outside.
Just don't buy all the crap arguments from the snake oil HiFi pushers..... who's arguments are all the more often found in these fora......
On up for thaughts;- how about that 300$ 10ft power cord, on the end of the 100s of feet of wire in the wall and to the transformer station????
Still think that your last 300$/ 10ft makes the difference????
Psycho aacoustics is an extremely powerful, and also sometimes controversial topic..... makes for som good fights, verbally and otherwise...
The cheaper ones are often of dubious quality electrically, - too thin wires and crap connectors, - however the bad connector design is often not visible on the outside.
Just don't buy all the crap arguments from the snake oil HiFi pushers..... who's arguments are all the more often found in these fora......
On up for thaughts;- how about that 300$ 10ft power cord, on the end of the 100s of feet of wire in the wall and to the transformer station????
Still think that your last 300$/ 10ft makes the difference????
Psycho aacoustics is an extremely powerful, and also sometimes controversial topic..... makes for som good fights, verbally and otherwise...
Re: Audio Grade power cords - all hype?
Todd, I look for hospital grade IEC cords from a local surplus store that gets industrial equipment and hospital equipment on salvage jobs. But I have seen them online as well.
John that is what I need to start doing.
I don't get all crazy over my power cords but if I can find some cheap 14ga filtered cords I grab them, I'm a hoarder of electronic stuff.
The cord just helps control some of the AC line noise I get in my home thats all I'm after. Crap on a gig I'm usually screwed by the establisments crappy AC anyway.
Mark
John that is what I need to start doing.
I don't get all crazy over my power cords but if I can find some cheap 14ga filtered cords I grab them, I'm a hoarder of electronic stuff.
The cord just helps control some of the AC line noise I get in my home thats all I'm after. Crap on a gig I'm usually screwed by the establisments crappy AC anyway.
Mark