Power Cables

One of my "fans" from Reddit I see.

 

I use Reddit about as much as you get laid, and it doesn't take much to see you need to be laughed out of this joint, just like all the others.

 

The only power cable I've ever considered getting are the ones from Emotiva cause they're priced right and I'm sure you can hang heavy individuals with them, so they won't break. The only cables that I think might matter (and I have no actual science behind this claim) are the ones moving analog information, like interconnects and speaker cables.

 

The science behind AC cables in audio applications is interesting. The last 6 feet is the wrong way to look at it -- the last 6 feet are the most important 6 feet, because it is at the end of a long chain of transmission that is conducting noise from electrical repeaters and EMI from the power station to your plug. Electronics do not filter / reject most of this noise (although notable exceptions exist), and gets into sensitive components of the audio signal circuit. These cables actually filter out much of the noise, and block EMI from other equipment they are typically in close proximity with. The conductive material is actually the least important aspect of a power cable -- what's more important is the technology around noise filtering and rejection: sheathing, geometry, insulating materials, etc. Interconnects care more about purity of the conducting material, and speaker cables are another topic.

So power cables are primarily about filtering the noise from the AC feeding your gear. Everyone who is into this hobby should try it out. Interconnects DO matter as well. In fact, just recently, I found out some old RCA cables I had lying around the basement sounded much better than my new Kimber Pros -- which were, admittedly, pretty cheap...but it just goes to show that interconnects, even modest ones, can make a difference.

 

So the Emotiva cables for $50 should be a good fit, or even DIYing some computer cable with shielding for $5.

Looks like we're set!

 

If I've got literal dirt in my pipes, twisting the hose a certain way and wrapping it in extra materials is not going to filter out that dirt.

 

unless you replace "dirt" and "pipes" with other things, and then twisting it might filter out something... ok end of digression

 

You're talking about science. Mind giving some reference for that ?

 

I'm reluctant to give people a hard time about stuff that makes them happy, but conducting your *own* test switching from cheap power cable A to expensive power cable B is pointless. Your brain will justify the price of the expensive one by thinking it sounds better. Have a friend help you do a double blind test if you REALLY want to know if you can hear the difference. Some audiophile folk won't do because it's quite frankly a bummer to find your $300 cable sounds the same as something that cost $10. Just my opinion.

 

I don't know about the Emotiva cables, they might be good. Check reviews. Lots of people are into DIY cables and they can get good results if you can source high quality materials. So what are you waiting for -- get hooked up!

 

I've already got printer cables for power to my system. I also realised that the Emotiva cables are black, and that's something I demand when it comes to my components.

 

Haha. My life would be so much more affordable if I could cure myself appreciating high end audio. I could be happy with my $40 HD668Bs plugged into a $60 SMSL amp. But damnit, it's so hard when I try something more expensive and the quality of the audio is so much better. I wish my $280 power cable didn't make a difference, that way I could just send it back for a refund. If it was just slightly better I would have sent it back -- but no, it has to basically transform my amp into a much better unit, so it has to stay. How much better is the sound?

I challenged the 16/44.1 vs 24/96 ABX test posted at AVS forum. The differences, to my ear, were very slight, and were easily smeared by the stress and audio memory limitations of a test format (which is also why ABX testing is worthless except for very large differences). The difference between the free AC cable and the Audio Sensibility Testament was NOT slight. If it were possible to ABX test it (ie, to prove the results) I am absolutely confident that I would ace it. After spending time breaking it in and listening to it, switching back to the old cable really put the improvement into stark contrast.

Blaming the improvement on psychological effect is just a way to not approach the subject. Get off the class warfare, let's be audiophiles.

 

Actually some of my friends including myself have done some blind testing without knowing what kind of cables we have on the table and honestly, all of us heard the difference, and improvement. However, all that depends on your specific setup, and your hearing experiences. One will be convinced that a power cable is useless if you have a hi-end power center, such as PS P10/5/3, or with a system that is not that revealing, for example, your headphone is sorta Hu-fi or a bad headphone cable. But everyone could be convinced if they had a Nordost Odon/Vahalla in their system because the improvement will be huge, assuming you have a set-up that's worth matching up with the cable.

So what I'm addressing here is, don't be confused or care about what the "scientists" tell you, try it yourself. If you head would adjust the sound according to the price, ask your girlfriend/wife who doesn't have a clue about the money for an audition. If you can hear the improvements, that means your current cable is not well paired with your system at the same level, and just invest it according to your budget. If you cannot hear a thing, then spend the money for your dac, amp, headphones or power center. It's always important to determine where the weak side is in your system and it's always a good way to upgrade from there. There is no need to spend too much money on things that's with lower priority.

And people have claimed that according to some blind tests, dCS is just a mac mini with higher output voltage. Well I'd laugh about it and be willing to trade my mini for any dCS.

 

All sorts of EMI and high frequency noise. The most damaging noise (ie, that which would could cause harm to the circuit) gets filtered / smoothed out at the input stage. Some products additionally have very good noise rejection. But most products will pass the noise right into the operational components. For example, did you know that the CPU in your computer is constantly throwing away bad data? You don't notice it, because the CPU is designed to process in that manner -- expecting that a certain amount of data is going to be bad. That's because there is noise in the power supply that will lead to calculation errors. But audio processing isn't nearly that advanced.

I don't know all the methods the different cable manufacturers use to deal with noise, as that is obviously their secret sauce on how their cables work. You can get some information, though; for example, LessLoss cables work by using a sheathing material that "conducts" high-frequency noise off the conductor, exploiting the skin effect which is a known phenomena in which high-frequency signals tend to travel in a very thin layer of the outer edge of a conducting material.

 

Hitman - you're looking at it from the wrong angle. Can't you feel the entropy rising? Its almost here......full on dick mode. That's when we get busy.

 

Dismissing the fact that it may be placebo effect is a way to not approach the subject also. If you think you can hear an improvement and it makes you happy, that's awesome and is indeed money well spent. I'm not trying to convince you otherwise, but it's hard to argue with science seeing as it's been proven over and over in blind tests that power cables don't really make a difference. There's zero stopping you from doing a blind cable test with the help of a 2nd person, but you're clearly digging what you have and you've nothing to prove to us.

 

I would however recommend external linear power supplies to people looking to possibly improve sound, they do a hell of a lot more compared to a simple cable swap, IMO.

 

Um I disagree in multiple ways and for multiple reasons, all having to do with my direct experiences.

Case #1
I rented a $5K ac power cable expecting the heavens to open up and sonic nirvana to smack me upside my head.
Didn't happen, at all, in fact it got WAY worse as the bass from 100Hz down just dried up and disappeared.

And case #2
I auditioned again some very expensive cables.
They didn't match let alone exceed my home made cables until I 'treated' them.
Then and only then, did they exceed the SQ of my $45 home made hand built cables that I still retain as a reference cable.

IOW there is more involved than JUST preconceived expectations.

And I have further investigated this arena of power cables and the circuits they are plugged into, and have found some interesting and supportive data.
Have you ever heard of an ASCC test?

Perhaps after I write up my findings I'll post them here.

JJ

 

Interesting point JJ, I've not heard many express that expensive power cables sound *bad* - just that they sound the same as cheapies. Expensive cables often have an excellent build quality and are aesthetically pleasing, that much is true.