Time to think about upgrading your AC power cords?
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- čas přidán 9. 03. 2021
- The Audiophiliac checked out three AC power cords from Wireworld: Aurora 7, Electra 7, and Silver Electra 7. More info here, www.wireworldcable.com/power-...
I may cover other brands power cords in the future.
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Hi everybody, lots of opinions here, as it should be. I don’t blame anybody for being skeptical about power cords. That’s fine. Apparently lots of people who have actually bought power cords seem to think they work. I understand the logic of course about what’s behind the wall receptacle, got it. But you can’t beat direct experience. As pointed out in the video no one needs to upgrade cables for great sound. As always thanks for watching.
Lots of comments suggest doing a blind test.......why not?
@@wordwell That’s easy... TIME
I think the non believers may not have the same interest in getting every last bit of performance out of their systems or they just don;t think they will hear a difference because they don't know what to listen for.
People who have bought and paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for a product should not be the test for whether or not something works. They are literally invested in believing that it works, they’ve sunk large amounts of money into it, it would be very difficult for them to step back and look at it critically.
There’s no doubt that cables can have an effect on sound and act as a tone control... but to do that they need to have been made specifically to restrict or distort the flow of electricity. High resistance or capacitance, thin flat wires stacked on top of eachother, things like that.
Then there’s the word that no audio reviewer wants to utter ‘Placebo’, it’s a real thing and no human in immune to it. Even changing the colour of a food or wine will make the taste different to a person, because of our expectations and biases. Nothing has actually changed about the food, wine or music except in the way we think about it.
So yeah, in some ways adding expensive cables to an audio system does change the way we hear the music... it’s a placebo, but that does truly change our perception, despite there being nothing really there.
When you start praising expensive products that work on placebo or through distortion, don’t be surprised when people also take a second look at the things you say about normal products like speakers, and wondering whether or not your opinions are based largely on suggestion.
I love your videos btw and love listening to your enthusiasm and opinions.
Come on Guys, We are going to be an interplanetary species in few years and we can land and take off the same rockets but can't measure the physical properties of a piece of cable? , send it to the audio science review. And that will be it.
I had the same experience. I’d like to see more cable reviews. Great content thanks to you and stay safe.
Thanks Steve! Love your delicate and unobtrusive way of speaking about the cables.
Long ago I experimented with interconnects, not because I really expected to hear improvement, but to check why people talk about it and if it’s legit. Even with modest equipment the difference was quite obvious, so I changed couple of cables up to ~$150 for used pair. Then bought decent speaker cables.
I was totally septic about power cables up until half a year ago. I already had hand made Belden on DAC and Cullen on integrated for another half a year, but after switching for a first time with warm sounding speakers, I thought that difference was negligible. But just out of interest I switched cables to stock (with more resolving speakers) and was surprised how much influence they had on the sound. And in my case, I heard more difference on a DAC. I guess, it may be equipment dependent.
Edit: right as Steve said, the difference is pretty small, but was well worth it for me to spend couple hundred bucks.
For me I absolutely love the subject about Power mains cables, interconnects, mains surge conditioning ect that makes being an Audiophile even more fun and interesting. I feel and regard mains cables, interconnects as a "component" and should be treated and regarded with the same leval of focus and respect as anything else in your system.
I live in London, UK and have power cables from a company/manufacturer called Merlin Cables. I have Merlin Scorpion for both my Marantz SACD SA-15S1 Player & Denon AV-4803. I also use Merlin figure-8 cable for my LG 2019 55SM8600 TV. I also use a Isotek Sirus Evo-3 Mains Surge power conditioner as well. Iv used merlin cables for years and they are regarded as one of the very best in the UK. What you have described Steve with regards of the Wireworld cables is pretty much what I get with the Merlin cables. I have in fact a little while ago switched back to stock cable as an experiment and kept to the stock cables for 1 week to get my ears used to the change in sound then after 7 days I changed back to the Merlin Cables and it very much and impressive stark different realy is. I'm never going back. That's absolutely nothing to do with so called "snake oil" that folks bang on about. Its about me and me only acutally taking the time out and making my own mind up with my own ears and no one else no reviewers no one!. And giving it a try for 1 week then make your comments. So to all these folks out their stating its all bullshit and crap it's plasibo and all that.. I wonder just how many acutally truly tried some cable out. It is very much subjective obviously. Each to thier own at the end of the day. Peace out from London UK 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧✌️
Would love to meet you at a party....
Hi there I also live in London UK, I’ve just recently bought a set of speaker cables and was surprisingly impressed with the quality improvement of the bass etc, and as my budget increases I will start changing other cables like interconnects.
Definitively bringing out a bucket of popcorn before watching this one and reading the comments.
Too true! 😆
Whar percentage milk solids is the butter that goes on the pop corn. It affects the crunch of the pop corn
@@jaytorr6701
Your snob card has been revoked.
before cabling try an Air Atomiser between your speakers and you. Oh my God! the difference is there. you may have to toe it in etc but wow!
My local hifi shop gave me the Audioquest z3 to try it out. I used it on my Moon 250i and the improvement was instantly noticible. I didn't have to swap the cables around to hear the difference. Now I am looking into the iFi Audio AC iPurifier. Not really convinced yet.
How do you know you're an audiophile, Reason No.11...you get more excited about cables than active speakers!! 😂 Love your work!
Like many people, when I got my first decent system in the late’70s I just used the cables that came in the box. It was many years later before I tried anything more expensive. The first time I really heard a big difference was when I had an Ayre ax7e amp and cx7e cdp. For some reason those two components responded very strongly to changing the power cable. Those two pieces are now gone but I still use good cables throughout the system.
I bought a audioquest Thunder powercord. It took a few days to understand the new sound. The music became much easier for the ears and open up. But it reveals also where the weak spot is in your system
Steve, please do a live blind test with these cables. It will be your most-watched CZcams video. It will also be a great service to your subscribers. If you can guess the Electra 7 ten out of ten times many people will likely want to buy them. That should be easy given what you said in your review. That's good for your street cred, Wire World, and all of us subscribers.
Agree. I was at a local high end home audio shop out of the owners home. He hooked up some new paradigms and I couldn’t believe the soundstage. Just couldn’t wrap my head around it. What did I do? I unplugged the speakers mid song without asking. Guess what?! There were some 20k Martin Logans playing as well off to the side. He was shocked that I did this. The paradigms were hooked up with 5k wires..I couldn’t tell a dif between them and some “cheap” $100 wires. And I ended up buying some $10m wire and my system rocks. When people use feelings and excitement to find differences tend to hear differences.
You know this will never happen, and everyone already knows what the outcome would be. In all of history no-one has proved cables sound different in a double blind test, ever! Let alone power cables. I enjoy Steve’s videos, but at time his powers of placebo are really strong..
@@Earlysport yet many still public ally claim it. If you are a man of your word do a test. Until then anyone that makes this silly claim looses my respect until they’ll put their money where there mouths are. This is almost as bad as a religious claim. Well it’s worse cause it can be proven wrong. Most Religious claims can’t be cause they’re impossible
Guessing if it's the Electra 7 or not wouldn't really prove anything.
There are some on YT
So I have a Furman surge protector with an attached cord going into the wall outlet. Would a upgraded power cable make a noticeable difference ?
I have an amp, dac, and streamer, which components benefit the most from power cables? I'm thinking of getting a shanti for my Allo Digione streamer.
I hate to add another variable, but I recently added a surge protector/power filter before the stock amp power cable and noticed an improvement like Steve had mentioned.
So today I heard the difference more than ever, I recent;y upgraded my preamp and I run 300B single ended monoblocks into Autotech Horn speakers, my scourge is either a Lampizator DAC or PTP6 Lenco TT, I got my amp designer to switch out the silver internal wire as it was making the system too bright, I got myself a Chinese mains cable to try with the -re after this change and I have been struggling since Saturday to balance the sound and really gel with it. I thought maybe tube rolling was the way to go but first I thought I’d try switching out the Chinese cable for the standard mains cable. I instantly heard the brightness and edginess vanish and more body came back into the sound, I’ve actually switched it again for a better cable and now I’m happy. What a difference I heard and it really is eye or eye opening as to what the mains cables can do. My system is extremely revealing and doesn’t pit up with sub standard components or cables, this is my experience anyway ;-). Craig typing this on my fiancé’s account 🙂
No component in your system should be a scourge to you, for Heaven's sake!
Really hope you will find something more pleasing to you than that DAC or TT.
@@HareDeLune i meant source 😅
@Douglas Blake better doing something I enjoy that isn’t hurting anyone
@Douglas Blake i have messed with room treatment a lot, anyway to get things up to date, I’m truly happy with it right now and in my experience cables for make a significant difference, too much silver and the horns sound thin, more copper and they have more body
Thank you for all the great videoes Steve 👍
Thank you for watching!
Completely agree Steve. Similar experience with upgraded AQ cables in my high end digital system. No going back. Too bad some people cannot hear the difference in their system. Cheap upgrade compared to other components. Best return on investment however was room treatment for me. Thanks for another great review.
It's all about Synergy. Someone with a cheap system won't hear any difference whatsoever. Someone with an expensive system that puts out a lot of detailing will notice the difference. Them low-end best buy systems that the majority own, don't display a lot of detailing to notice anything.
I think cables are very system dependent, I have tried different cables on my friend's $80,000 system that made little to no difference, but the same cables on another friend entry level system made a huge difference, so don't just assume because your system is an entry level one that you're not going to hear much of a difference between cables.
I added the cheapest Isotek Evo 3 cable to my amp. It made a big improvement to the scale of the bass end, and tightened up the microdynamics. I can't go back to basic cables now.
Idiot
Hi there!
Haven't seen you around for a while. Hope you're doing well. : )
Audio Science Review: 1000 dollar battery powered RF noise cancelling Audio Quest cable vs a Hitachi 30 dollar cable. Ends up cheapo cable measures slightly better. Please, if you are an audiophile, spend some time looking into cognitive bias like expectations bias.
@@jaytorr6701
Audio Science Review: Measures the hell out of everything, but never listens to it!! 😆 😆
Oh, yes!
I'm gonna spend fifteen hundred dollars on a stereo amplifier so I can sit at home in the evenings and measure it!
@@HareDeLune cognitive
Hello,
As my new naim system is composed of only 2 boxes (an all in one preamp/dac/network streamer + a power amp) I thought that I could try good power cords. I bought 2 Nordost Heimdall 2. I was really impressed. It improved the sound just like you described. The improvement is to my ears more important than what you get with good interconnects or speaker cables. And I do agree with you, it is the power amp that gets the most from these cables.
Regards,
Since the cost more the longer they are I wonder if I get an electrician to put a socket a couple of inches from the device and use a superior cable a couple of inches long, would this work the same ? Or how long should it be to make a difference ? Or if I make it longer will that improve the sound more ?
I was involved with a prestigious group of Audiophiles in the Boston area in the early 90's. The exact name of the group will remain unnamed as that causes great stress. Anyway, power cable performance is a perfect target for a blind ABX test comparison. The hardware is quite easy to construct. Heavy copper knife switches work nicely.
20 Golden Ears and a selection of Standard NEMA 5-6 or NEMA 5-8 power cables and some expensive replacements. And an empty Saturday afternoon and snacks. The group was NOT able to discern any difference one cable to another.
It's very important that this be done as a blind test as its been repeatedly been proven that comparing the way Steve did in this video will always tread towards the device(s) you want to win.
ABX testing is really the only way to properly compare these kinds of things. And ABX testing is hated by most, if not all, reviewers as it really does work. You are not looking for which one sounds better, you are looking to see if you can hear any differences between the devices under test.
Note to the group. Usage of a unCertified electrical devices is at the least risky and at the worst dangerous. Look for that UL/CSA/CE label before purchasing. Do the cables that Steve mentioned in this video display their UL/CSA/CE certification numbers? Usage of such devices in some locations, like New York City and Los Angeles, is illegal. The fact that you are a small company does NOT absolve you from obtaining the necessary safety certifications.
How is this not common knowledge by now? It is just incredible to me that people are unaware of the psychological effects that impact our hearing. Just try it, the salesman says, knowing full well that many will be fooled into hearing differences that are not real but are convincing nonetheless. This industry is ripe for scammers and they do not let up.
@@gregworrel2623 Some serious work has been done in this area over the years. My school, MIT, the Media Lab, has done some serious work in the psychology of sound. Why people hear what they want to hear. I remember two studies one where people tend to prefer the sound they want to prefer. The other was, and this one was fun, why people tended to prefer the sound of tube electronics.
@@wilcalint I am in the Detroit area and it was a local audio group, the SMWTMS who developed ABX testing in the 1980s. They had differing opinions on audible effects and wanted some way to confirm differences.
Thank you my man. 1m of expensive soldered copper will make chaff all difference to the electrons entering the amp and thus, the sound.
Didn't realise it had been proven in a blind study. Great little nugget of information.
What's needed now is a large scale test that keeps all cables identical but tells subjects that one is low cost, one is entry level audiophile cable and one is super expensive silver impregnated cable and observe the placebo in people's heads / ears.
I am always baffled how people who call themselves scientists and explain scientific approaches always call their own results as the only truth. Thinking only black and white is imho the exact opposite of a scientific approach on things.
Thanks for being brave posting this video Steve! 😊 Cables, regenerators and conditioners make a difference from my experience. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. I will only purchase from sellers that allow for returns if I don’t like the effect that the fancy gadget makes in my various HiFi rigs.
Wireworld cables are amazing bang for buck particularly silver Electra 7
Years ago... I was invited to trial a passive mains filter. I bought it and still use it today.
Those actually work. I bought a few from a closeout sale and it got rid of the slight hum from the AC line
Yes! When I upgraded the power cable on my tube pre-amp. It was a significant improvement all round particularly in imaging and noise. But, there are those who say it's all in your head. OK fine; if I'm fooling myself - it was worth the effort. Thanks Steve - great video.
You would not be able to tell with all that distortion a tube amp has.
@@r423sdex wrong, you have crap tube amps then
@@r423sdex Bwah, haaa, haaa, eh-boy, ignorance at it's best "distortion from tube amps" .... 😂
It always amazes me how psychology beats out physics when it comes to audio.
Somebody got a weak mind
The difference for me was audible, but only on bright systems. I found cable changes harder to notice on systems that are warm and relaxed sounding.
there is science... Shielding. dielectric. materials. emi rejection. skin effect. come on man just try don't assume.
@@lloll69 all of which is taken care of by any well designed power supply when converted to DC...man.
assume and assume.
Thank you for your video and Wireworld cable review. My experience is that they influence for sure the musical message on amps and other electronics as well. But do you think they can improve the sound on turntable also? Never tried that so far and a little sceptic, because in the end it is just giving power to a motor.
I inherited an expensive Monster Cable HTPS 700 surge protector/low noise circuits etc. The voltage is very stable.
Does this do the job that good power cords would do?
Maybe some people here need to look at the audio science review youtube channel and forum...
Placebo effect can do a lot of things, don't trust those who sell you expensive things without any measurements data or AB blind trials
You only trust your golden ears ? Do a blind test with a friend swapping cables for you so you don't know which one is plugged in. If you can tell the right cable 8 times out of 10, well you'll need to publish your results because you've made a major science discovery !
Well said
Yeah. As I always say, how does a 6' long $1000 dollar cable make the 30-50 feet of 12 AWG romex in your wall sound better? It doesn't. Odd how people just assume the outlet and everything behind it is perfect. Of course, even using a roll of lamp cord to hook up $200,000 speakers will produce no discernable effect.
Mysock, I've seen exact test with 16GA lamp cord from Lowes, 20GA (less than 6') zip cord, coat hangers, and a $3,500 interconnect.
1kW monoblock amps, $40k speakers.
Blind, the highest like factor was actually the coat hangers. None were statistically significant.
@@andrewb4584 Coat hangers lol! Did you have audiophile participants? Be interesting to see their reaction. "Oh, for interconnects, you chose the coat hangers I got with my dry cleaning yesterday..." A new use to add for them in addition to brazing and fuse replacement.
Did blind tests with stable results on a man who didn’t know what I was doing
When does the spending stop? Pretty crazy to me. Just different strokes.
Sadly, a lot of it is all about keeping people chasing rainbows (aka audio perfection, which does not exist) and spending money. Upgrades = money. What also saddens me is that some people are just never satisfied and waste tons of money in the process. I know many audiophiles who have come full circle on gear after wasting gobs of $$ and are now sorry. And way too many are into the equipment simply for coolness, status, being different or overcoming boredom vs the music itself. It’s all crazy to me. I buy good once, enjoy it till it can no longer be fixed and really focus on the music. To each their own I guess.
Hi Doug...I could not agree more. Enjoy!!!
Bingo...and I’ll beat the system was nothing special....
Thanks. Have a good weekend!
Steve, what about those 'beaks' on the Klipsch speakers? Any improvement ?
Are there stand alone devices that filter the incoming AC power that you can then plug the equipment into? Have you reviewed anything like that?
Very well put. I started with just the one Wireworld Aurora and now own 8 with a mix of Aurora and Electra. Only recently and good friend came around and asked if I had added a sub to the system after the upgrade. He could not believe it was the same system. Great investment well worth it.
It’s also extremely easy to buy quality cable and connectors and diy
Don't forget shielding.
Indeed. Probably only 20-25% of the price too.
Actually I bought some nice plugs from the cable company and thick electrical cable from Home Depot and boy oh boy
EXACTLY or alternatively just purchase a better quality power cable it doesn't need to cost more than $10 bucks to get the job done.
@@yamafanboy - I do make DIY power cables but it is difficult to make them if your budget is only $10. The plugs at both ends generally will cost a little bit over $10. I live in the UK and I can make a one metre shielded power cable for under £30. It is difficult to make a one metre shielded cable for less than £20.
I became a cable believer 30 years ago, or so, when Monster cables became popular. I had a Kenwood separates system paired with Yamaha NSM 1000s. Switched from standard speaker wire to Monster speaker cables. The big change for me was listening at lower volumes. I could hear a more complete dynamic range with the Monster. Tried it on my friends to make sure it wasn't just me and all agreed. Since then, I do believe good or great quality cables of all the connects, including power, do make a difference and are critical to optimize your system. However, I admit I am not trained enough to appreciate the high end cable impact.
The 1990-2000 era of MONSTER CABLES was huge.. Since my Interlink ref i never have this same gain... now i have BIS and ACTINOTE cables but i love and regret my REF line rca from the BRISSON era...
Since I have an older McIntosh 754 amp, would same results hold true to replace the power cable on my Primaluna Dialogue Premium preamp? I'm open minded and curious. Great review Steve.
Hey Steve,
I really enjoy your videos. Your passion for music really comes through.
My experience with upgraded cables has given me a better understanding of signal/noise. Things seem cleaner, and more transparent to my ears. Along with better dynamics and more easily discernible micro details. It simply distills down to more signal, and less noise.
Cheers!
The sound you heard was the suction of cash coming out of your wallet... I use the word oscilloscope for this review.
I have a few coming and will measure capacitance, resistance, attenuation etc.. the main thing here is to keep in mind that a Most cables the devices come are by no means enough for example to provide for an instantaneous load like a drum or piano note, because they are just not the correct gauge. Does it make sense to buy 6awg when your outlet is terminated with a 12? Absolutely as this just reduces attenuation, also these cheap cables don’t have proper insulation in the sense that noise is not even considered.
The right way to look at these is from the transfer out, i if you have a good filtering cable it doesn’t “matter” if there is noise in the line in the receptacle because the good filtering cable with filter some of it out. Just like your tap water you want to clean it as close and soon as the time you will drink it.
So my educated guess is that these better cables with have lower capacitance and attenuation which is a good thing. All this would hep a transformer, on the other hand when it comes to streamers using an Ethernet cable a cable beyond meeting CAT5-6-7 is useless specially when even the best DAC/Streamer like a Vivaldi use very cheap NICs and 3-5 layer substrates. The Vivaldi uses 5 the Aries G2.1 uses 4. Each substrate layer acts as an insulator for the board traces. There are different substrates and without getting into the chemistry and content I can tell you that these boards are not high quality. If you look at the trace and tails, through a microscope, you can see incredibly rough surfaces. The rougher the surface the more noise as the dimples in the trace and tails increase the surface area thus becoming a bigger antenna to emit and relieve noise and crossover.
If you want to do yours self a favor a good compromise would be to have a battery backed power supply(I.e. big capacitor) then these good cables connected to your Apm and sources, analog first, digital second.
On a previous video Steve said not to waste your money by replacing your factory made power cords I agree with him. a Furman power conditioner or a tripplite line stabilizer which can be had for under $150 will do wonders to all of your components, and guess what? they come with technical specifications not a pair of ears on pictured on a box...
I got into hifi in high school and sold audio in the 90’s. I never tried aftermarket A/C cables, not even once for the first 23 years of being an audiophile. In 2017, I bought Focal Sopra 2’s. The dealer loaned me a Shunyata Alpha HC to try on my amp. I found that it did improve the sound.
How important are high end cables, if I buy a AudioQuest Niagara 5000, or 7000 Noise Dissipation System?
Cables in the signal chain for sure, I have silver XLRs between my balanced components (VPI turntable, Tavish Adagio phono stage, preamp, and power amp). But, outside the signal chain, I am not so sure. What about the miles of crap copper running through your home? Your components transformer, rectifier, and filter (their internal power supply) convert the AC to usable DC, the cord from your wall to your components doesn't matter so much. If your system is plugged into a conditioner the cord matters even less. Again it is outside the signal chain and just needs to get power from the wall to the internal power supply of the component.
Power delivery starts at the wall, not Niagra Falls.
How do the last few feet from the plug in the wall make a difference? Give us one little piece of sience to back this up, otherwise just snake oil.
Go watch Caelyn Gabriel of Shunyata: Q&A San Francisco audiophile society
It 2 hours long this might educate you a little on understanding your concerns.
@@shannonwilliams6623 I listened to some of that, and looked at their website. It quickly became apparent that they make up technical terms (DTCD? you're literally just measuring impedance?) and show pour understanding of the operation of power supplies.
@@srenthorsen8977 correct DTCD (demonstrates the clear current delivery) is made up its not a general technical claim, DTCD is research through shunyata for showing how they measure there cable's for the difference in sound, to be honest with you I didn't have any faith in cable's either I believed its all bs until I was given a shunyata power cable for free with noise reduction, I wouldn't have bought it, but I tried it out just out curiosity and I let it play for a couple weeks then I switched back to my stock power cable and I was quite impressed on the difference so I bought one to add and hooked it up to my dac and it opened the system up even more, I wouldn't care to comment about this kind of stuff but the Quality change put a impression on the way I look a cable's now just saying.
@@shannonwilliams6623 How do you know it's not placebo ?
@@DrinkWater713 Because I trust my family and friends on there opinion when they witness A demo. Better your room treatment is and how refined inn extracting and presenting an illustration.. Your equipment will have better results on leaving a positive or negative impression on hearing a difference. It takes more then just cables, cables add that last touch of detail, everything counts in a system, it all depends how far you want to go with it, or is best buy cables good enough.
What kind of bookshelf speakers are in the background? Does anyone know? Thanks
Fyne F500, Review will post soon
Hello
A few years ago I invested quite a large number of good English Pounds
in a meter of Atlas Power cable and a 6 way adapter (after a trial period).
I tried it on my Naim CDX, sound was a bit crisper but not worth the money.
Then I tried it on my 200 series Naim pre+power amp, now that really did make
a difference, crisper better defined top end middle seemed to have more space
and the bass was better defined and more confident so it has stayed there to this day.
It wasn't till I changed back ( just to check it wasn't my imagination ) that I realised
what a difference it was making, with the stock cable it lost it's power, sounded
compressed sound stage was narrower it really sounded like it was having a problem
so back it went. Tried it on a friends integrated, not much difference he said it seemed
louder for a given setting and a bit more slam.
Then tried it on my Sub woofer, there was more of everything had to put it further out
into the room and re-calibrate everything, in a good way. Think I made the right choice
there, cause I had tried an even dearer one and it sounded harsh to say the least probably
needed a lot better amp than mine to reap the benefits of that one. Have a home
demonstration, choose carefully, the dearest is not always the best.
..
Strange but I always bought power cords even before interconnections, I have Wireworld, Audioquest Van den Hul , Supra and others...yes I fully agree they DO make the difference: One day I suggest you to make a review also about some conditioner like the Puritan or IFI ...just a stupid hint.Keep doing your amazing job.
Booyah!
Just bought the new upgraded 156, and the newer Very Ultimate power cable - astonishing
Which of these models will improve the sound the most? If you have a budget of 150 eur max. There is too much choice...
I'm wondering how a 2 meter power cable can make an improvement in the sound given that from the circuit breaker box to the outlet there is anywhere between 10 and 100 feet or more of 10 or 12 ga copper Romex. Seems like the power cable should be of the same gauge and material.
I have hear that it is the same as having a water filter right before your water tap,
There might 100 feet of rusty pipe, but if right before you drink the water, it goes through a a reverse osmosis filter you can taste a difference :)
( Even though I don't have any high-end power cables)
@@medsa666 That would be more like a power filter / power conditioner than just a cable.
@@powdermnky007 good point!
I think he's saying that when you have a thicker gauge like 10 or 12 gauge electrical wire at the wall outlet to the panel, and then your cable to your equipment from the wall outlet is a lower gauge like 14, you are restricting the amount of amps and current that is going to your equipment. By restricting the equipment via the lower gauge power cable, it's acting like a filter in regards to restricting the amount of amps that can be drawn by the component. In the case of water if you place a filter in line it does it's job, but the water pressure drops a bit because the water has to be pushed through the filter element. In the case of electricity, the voltage will be the same, but current and amps are restricted or not depening on the gauge of the cable going to the equipment.
Nope
LOL... I'd been wanting to buy a new power cable for some time now! In fact, this morning, I logged in to work and instead started breezing through the online retail stores for prices... I'd put the WW Aurora and Electra on my short list. Just happened to decide to check what audiophile videos had been uploaded this morning, when Steve's video came up right at the top of my screen. And here we are!
I have had a couple positive experiences with upgraded power cables. In both cases I needed longer power cables so I opted to spend a little extra money and selected mid level PC’s, the first cable uses OCC copper and furutech plugs. Once plugged into my pioneer elite plasma it definitely made an improvement in the detail and contrast of the picture, a small layer of haze vanished. My second experience is using a 2m Transparent PC for my Hegel integrated amp. It definitely cleaned up the sound at higher volumes, at low and medium levels I can’t say I hear too much of a difference.
Mark Twain said it best: “It’s easier to fool someone than to tell them that they’ve been fooled.”
And it's also easier to have a closed mind than an opened one.
@@andru2625 Here’s a comment for your entertainment. I did an experiment with all my cables. I put all of them inside my freezer for 48 hours. After the freezing process was over, I proceeded to put them in my Traeger Ironwood 885 pellet smoker. For this experiment I chose a combination of Hickory and Mesquite pellets. I decided to do a low and slow smoke at 165 degrees using my super smoke setting. After approximately 10 hours, the smell was making me hungry. So much that instead of connecting my cables to my AV gear, I ATE them! (the cables included the power cords, RCA cables, HDMI cables and speaker wire). I told myself to keep an “OPEN” mind as to what the potential results would be. What would my farts and burps sound like? Would eating the power cords make me dispense my 💩 faster? Would eating the HDMI cable make me see better? Would the speaker wire and power cords alter the sound of my voice? The results were astonishing! My farts and burps had more reverb and sustain. The midrange was warm and buttery! I timed how long it took for my poop to drop. It was instantly! It dropped with so much force that it shattered the toilet. What about my voice? It was like a lion! When a sang, I swear I had 4 octaves like Roy Orbison! My wife said my voice had never been sexier! Let’s move on to the HDMI cable. No more carrots for me! I could see all the way to Jupiter without the use of a telescope! Wow, what do you know! Cables do make a difference! This comment is for satirical, highly sarcastic purposes! It’s not about being close minded or opened minded. It’s about how gullible one is. These high end manufacturers are concerned about one thing: How open is your wallet? They will use terminology, be smooth talking and use so called scientific proof and experimentation in order to sell their product, therefore creating a psychological effect on your brain to justify the cost. When it comes to sales, it’s 20% truth and 80% BS you feed the consumer!
@@glennarcher986
LOL! Thanks for that, that made my day.
I'm not a person that thinks any crappy substandard cable cable will sound as good as a premium cable, but the claims made for sone of these cable are ridiculous.
The law of diminishing returns is in effect here for sure.
Gene DelaSala at "Audiohaulics" is a degreed electrical engineer with the proper (expensive) test equipment, and also someone with a finely trained ear.
I would refer anyone truly interested in this subject to check out his channel.
@@fubartotale3389 Glad you had a good laugh and the time to read it! I agree. Audioholics is a good source of reliable and trustworthy knowledge and advice.
The adjectives you use here Steve sound big but can you attempt to quantify it? Is it a 0.1% improvement, a 1% improvement, a 10% improvement in your system?
I think I was about 10 years into my audiophile journey and I hadn’t explored the cable difference thing until my QED 69 speaker cable was looking a little worse for wear and really did need replacing. I was asked by the hifi store employee what system I was running at that time and I explained what it was. He suggested that I would benefit from a Chord Flatline twin cable at which point my scepticism grew. I work in electronics and to me and many others the conductivity of copper is pretty much universal therefore shouldn’t make any difference whatsoever. He offered to loan me the cable for a couple of weeks and said if it doesn’t make any difference then bring it back. To my amazement it really did improve the clarity and punch to my system. I can’t explain why cables make this difference but they do and the better the equipment the more noticeable the effects are.
I'll assume that you plugged these test power cables directly into the wall rather than into one of your power strips. How do power strips play into this subject (for those of us with only one or two duplex outlets for our entire system)? Not too long ago I bought a new integrated amp and a $100 Audioquest power cable for the amp and a Furman PST-8 Filtering Power Strip for all my components. The new system sounds weak and I've ordered a new power strip with no bells and whistles to see if the Furman could be the culprit. Any guidelines on power strips for those of us who need them? Do I have to find something that's 'star' wired?
Read up on power conditioners and dynamics. You're not the only one with that problem. There are conditioners that try to avoid this.
I'm a headphone guy, so all my experiences are related to recabling the standard headphone cable. I've recalled my Grado RS1e with Black Dragon detachable cable. Have replaced my Focal Clear cable with the black dragon as well. I hear a definite difference (improvement). Is it jaw dropping? Nope, but still a welcome improvement. More air, better imaging, and better soundstage. Bass has more slam, but that bass is tight and pure. Anyway, my experiences have been positive and undeniable for ME. Maybe not you.....lol
pure placebo! now go into hifi shop and ask them to do the same with blind testing.
If your cables are acting as tone controls, toss them all out.
had the same experience. after years of hearing and reading about cables (I was firmly a wire is wire guy) I broke down and bought a PS audio power cable for my amp (just to see) and got a clearly audible improvement similar to what you described, wider soundstage, and an overall intensifying of whole presentation, sort of what you called focus. I have upgraded other power cables, and you are correct the upgrade for the amp made the biggest improvement. interconnects can do similar things
How many times has this question been asked...and how many times have discussions been happening about it. A VERY easy way for a CZcamsr to get a full comments section! This is so so transparent why „the audiophiliac“ brings back this age old topic ...yaaaawn 🥱
I have upgraded all my power cables but one, not sure how to upgrade that one. I am not sure what it did to the sound as for most of my toys I had bought the cables so I would have them when the componets came in.
Confessions:
1) I love Steve, respecting his opinions has made my audio life better
2) I consider myself an audiophile
3) I'm a recovering electrical engineer
Your wall outlet is connected to the electrical grid: nuke plants, hydro dams, coal powered generators, bird-blenders, some eco-nuts solar panels, miles and miles of wires and cables of every size, transformers, fuses and everything you and your neighbors connect to it: computers, stereos, refrigerators, motors, CFLs . . . and so on.
What you need from all of this is 60Hz SIne-wave at about 120 Volts(here in North America). You get that plus maybe some noise.
Now you want to replace only 2 meters of all of that with a $450/meter cable made from unobtainium ?
It's just two wires. What does it do ? It can't add anything. It can only subtract or distort. ! Blastphemy: If it made a difference it would be measurable at the output of the power supply. 120V/60Hz in -> 50V/DC out. Simple, no complex waveforms, no phase relationships just DC.
Still, good people hear a difference. I believe that means the difference is in our brains and not the electrons. Ask a philosopher ? Which brings us back to the Audiophiliac.
Would the ideal set up then be a pure sine wave inverter hooked up to deep cycle batteries as your power source? No hum?
Funny how all the standard cheap wiring inside the wall you cant see doesnt make a difference, but that last meter you can see does.
From the standpoint of the gear, its the first meter.
What about a water filter at the end of a faucet
You realize the difference between water one way flow and the AC current. You don’t get the electrons from the wall or power plant . They don’t flow. They move there and back.
Is it true the extra shielding of power cables can cause it to fail UL fire rating requirements?
Thanks Steve. I Was considering upgrading my power cables, but was concerned about optimal length. Do you think longer power cables sound different from shorter ones?
yes... different lengths sound different... with Wireworld, as they are designed to reduce and absorb noise beyond 60 Hertz, longer is better relatively, if you need 1.5 meters, I would choose 2 meters instead.
cheers!
@@smcpac !!!???
@@econautx: Hey Eco! Here’s a quote from David Salz, the proprietor of Wireworld:
“The Fluxfield design in our full-sized power conditioning cords features 24 insulated wires coiled around flat inner cores to maximize inductive and capacitive filtering. Twin high-density shields prevent noise from entering or radiating outward. These unique elements minimize noise and line resonances, especially with longer lengths...”
Hope that clears up your exclamatory questions...
;)
Cheers!
Steve, thank you for the power cable review! Please do more cable reviews! I have a lot of direct experience with upgraded power cables. I went initially from stock cables to Shunyata Venom V1 HC power cables and the improvements were immediate. Black background and more detail amongst others. I have since upgraded to Shunyata Delta NR V1 power cables. Results are perhaps more subtle. But I feel the improvements are not to be limited to your power cables but also from where they get their power. So I run both systems off of PS Audio PowerPlants. I also use Greenwave EMI filters throughout my home and you can hear and see the reduction in EMI with a meter. I am certainly all in on the benefits of cables. I do have a request. Please do a review of USB cables for streaming. I would love a comparison of the Shunyata Sigma vs Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 vs Audioquest Diamond. Thanks!
Nice 😊
You could also try to switch to green energy; makes the sound really open up and breath more. More air and more space...
Oh yeah, that premium electricity :p
LMAO 🤣
I have all Electra cables and one silver Electra, and they are incredible cables. Sound is sublime, there is no discussion - they make a difference.
I have found specialist power cords repay purchase. The most noticeable difference has normally been with the base or one model up versus standard. However, with interconnects I started with source components and found that the best results came when I used the same interconnects throughout the system.
I would be more convinced if you took 2 recordings, analysed and broke them down and checked on a graph.The mind is a wonderfull creature, it can be very mischievous and play games with us.
Silver Electra 7 sounds serious and cool, so it must be better. I agree with you, without graphical comparisons of sound output, I am skeptical.
A graph? Really?
@@vicwahbyphotography4866 Really!. Sound output is absolutely measurable. Perception is not.
@@mtkreger You're right of course, but no-one listens to a graph.
@@vicwahbyphotography4866 if a properly measured and isolated system can’t hear a difference neither can you.
As an audiophile for around 50 years, I've used upgraded AC Power Cables when possible for two main reasons. 1. In the case of power amplification, you want to use a cable that insures maximum power delivery without restriction / resistive limitations. 2. In addition it's important to select cables that will provide strong protection & shielding against external airborne pollution from stray RF and EMI entering your system. You don't have to go crazy however for reasonable amounts of $ you can make a significant and noticible improvement to the sound & performance of your system vs. the basic cables routinely supplied with components. As an example - All the wire entering your home and throughout your home to the AC receptacle is typically solid Copper. Cheap cables supplied with components is almost always stranded and more susceptible to picking up noise just like an antenna since the shielding is almost non-existant. As you might expect, I also strongly support interconnect and speaker cable upgrades throughout, staying with the same manufacturer to support a similar sonic signature. In my case, I like modestly priced Kimber products. For interconnects and speaker cables, it's all about preserving the integrity of the signal being transmitted through the cable from the source component to the pre-amp or amp. In other words, "doing no harm." Also protection against stray airborne RF and EMI is very important to prevent noise from impacting the signal as well.
You should be aware that 99.9% of noise comes from wall power outlets/local energy system/all the electricity users around you. All that RF noise exist only as a theory if you live near radio transmitting antennas, radars, and so on sources that can influence power lines by several millivolts. Here power conditioners can have real effect on that noise in power line. But audio components usually have power filters inside, so they are not sensitive much to power conditioner filtering.
Power cables with gauge like AWG 14, AWG 12 may cure some unwanted ground loops noise.
What are the speakers in the back ground?
I've just ordered some Supra shielded mains cable to re-make all my power cables, as part of vintage audio service/upgrade just in case. I always make up my own cables anyway, both speaker and inter connects.
Perceiving improvement is much more difficult for me than recognizing deterioration. I have definitely placed "things" in my system that degrade the sound: cables, sources, isolation products.
Schiit Saga and Freya have a major improvement by replacing the power cable. It literally sounded like I added a subwoofer. They in particular must be using very cheap cables because I have never heard that much improvement on any upgrade of any type in a component. I use a schiit saga, aigir, topping D90, Tekton lore speakers for reference.
yo, I just got a saga & aegir last week. Could you send me a link to the PC you got?
It could be that Schiit products have a sensitive PSU.
At any rate, good to know. Thanks for sharing! : )
@@whatthefnousernames I also recommend the electro-harmonix gold pin tube which around $40. There isn’t a lot of difference in sound between tube and line level unless you replace the JJ tube with a tube with a little more character. The electro-harmonix has been a really good fit for this preamp and not very expensive.
@@silentjens4202 I'll give it a shot, this was my first experience with tubes so I was wondering why the difference was so small between the saga modes.
I have a Freya+, dual Aegir, and Tekton Impact Monitors. I love the Tekton /Schiit combo too. It sounds awesome!
Steve, did you perform a blind A/B/C/D test? Where you weren’t aware which cable was being used? How often where you able to identify the cables? Oh, and by the way, can you share the objective measurements? There’s lot of snake oil in audio cable business, so you’ll understand my level of skepticism.
How are the power cables in your walls? If those 50 or so meters are no good, what does it matter to add fabulous cables for the last 1-2 meters?
I just happened to change my AC cables to wireworld electra and silver Electra and I can say they’re totally worth it. Just the Electra 7 beat the original, more expensive cable from another manufacturer I was using.
Brooklyn must be wild n' out, it was like 60 deg yesterday! Seriously though in your case Steve, you should explore the power side of audio. You hear the diff in just the power cable, now think about the difference youll get cleaning up that poopy Con Ed power with an AC reconditioner!
Steve does any subject get this level of response?
How does the cable do this? Are there electronics in the cable to reduce noise?
Good design.
@@alistairwilson5344 Pure nonsense. Wasn't the stock cable was not a good design?
@@kevonmanuel the stock cable is adequate/does the job. Better cables use better materials and design. Have a listen and trust your ears. They are system dependant,there's no one size fits all,and we all have different preferences.
Did you upgrade the cables in the wall too?
I did it and it does sound much better than before. I also changed all the fuses - Incredible how the sound get more detailed.
I have learnt to avoid A/B testing (esp. rapidly) cables, or indeed components. I put something new into the system, leave it in for a week, then remove it to determine whether I notice a meaningful difference when it’s gone. What I can say from experience is that the better my system has become over the years through various component upgrades, the more noticeable cable changes have become. I have found that prioritising my amp and power conditioner when it comes to power cable upgrades has yielded the best results. I think it has also helped that over the years my ears have become better trained and that I am now clearer about my listening preferences / what sound qualities I value above all else…eg tonal balance, timbral accuracy, transient dynamics, timing…etc. before I understand what these were/was clear about what I valued…I had absolutely no clue about the impact of changes I made to my system….it was a bit like stumbling around in a dark room….and I consequently wasted a great deal of money in the process. What I’ve heard with power cable changes defies all logic and I’m not even an electrical engineer. They do however say that the mind (and I guess by extension the ears) are like a parachute….they only work when they are open😊
"I put something new into the system, leave it in for a week, then remove it to determine whether I notice a meaningful difference when it’s gone." You mean like a CD?
I have had direct experience with power cables that mirrors to a tee what you describe.
The experience pertains to 110w OTL triode monbloc amps (Walter's amps on the users system video). I started with stock IEC computer power cords. Then I built cables using 10AWE wire and decent plugs using a diy recipe. Big impact. Much more low end grunt, focus and texture. I built a cable for the source which had a good but less pronounced impact.
Friends came over and brought their Transcendent Mini Beast OTL tube amp to compare to my monster monoblocs (based on same patent). The sound was similar as expected from the same circuit design. Just a lot thinner. No less focus, just a lot less weight and transient snap.
At one point I suggested they power their amp using one of my diy power cords. Wow! Immediate jump. If my amps had been a 10 and theirs a 1, the power cord took it to a 5.
Pure silver has helped me reach my perfection.
My dream sound!
I stand behind what I said six months ago.
I’ve finally reached the zenith of my optimization with tweaks and components.
I will stand by pure silver has helped me reach my goal of my system’s perfection. Let me add, Furutech NCF terminals rule.
I have my system a few feet out from the wall so I routed all the power cables separately from all the audio cables. Im a tech . so I used my toner wand which is very sensitive and made sure I doubled the distance from any signal off the power cables. Using the wand, yes for at least 5" you hear the AC hum which could interject especially on low Z cables. But Wireworld don't appear to have any major shielding. So does anyone that have these have a wand to test for noise? If your AC power coming in isn't clean power cables aren't going to do it for you. FWIW Psychoacoustics is a powerful thing.
So would it be better to just use a pure sine wave inverter hooked up to deep cycle batteries as your power source to eliminate any problems from the power company?
You made great points. But don't neglect the wiring on the other side of the outlet. I find that vintage Knob and Tube provides a real sense of warmth.
That may just be a fire 😉
Yep, it is a much more open sound. Not like the boxed in cramped sound of Romex.
I enjoy your channel I would love to see something on power conditioners as well
I got an audioquest nrg 4 for my emotiva xpa 2 channel amp and couldn't tell a difference from stock
Sensitive topic! 😂🤣😂🤣
I keep an open mind but I have tried many cables (power, USB, Ethernet, interconnects, speaker). Some cost $7k. Yes ... power cables seem to have the most difference. But it’s not huge. It’s obvious though.
The real conclusive “test” would be to put your claims to the blind test. It would be interesting if nothing else. Live stream it too so we can all be a part of the exp. would be awesome.
Blind tests prove little
Hi, Auroras are really worth of listening. Mate, well done!
I definitely agree with your comments and perceptions on beefing up power supply cables. I recently built one for my main tube amp, the willsenton r8, because I do not understand paying the insane prices people charge for them. Vyborg copper connector and plug, with 2x 14awg (10awg? collectively) tinned copper wires for each leg including earth ground. Positive and negative/ground were put into twisted pair and then wrapped with copper foil tape then earth ground wires all were wrapped around the mains and then placed in a nylon jacket. Very similar improvement in sound, as described in review. I also support making RCA's. Have had great success with bulk audioquest Mackenzie wire (balanced wire with solid copper conductors) and adding plastic chinese Eichmann bullet plug copies for the ends (ebay). Ends up costing around 1/3 of retail prices. Admittedly I'm giving up the proprietary audioquest end welding they offer in premade cables, instead using cardas audio solder instead, but... I don't have a welder. Huge gains to be had. Last I'll recommend audioquest /canare speaker cable. I use the 4s type. Killer stuff.
That is not a real "blind test". Unless you believe deep inside that drinking snake oils makes you invincible!
Are you implying that I spent $2,300.00 on snake oil IN VAIN?????
Oil is good for health 😉
I don't see how it's possible that after a breaker box, followed by many many feet of romex and then a nothing special outlet that the last foot of 200 dollar cable can do anything.
@@djgibby1301 If it's audible it's measurable. Otherwise this is snake oil BS. Show me measurements. This is all such bullshit. Just like @jvanb231 said. The last foot is suddenly all that matters? LOL!
Mostly power cables are just confirmation bias, but I do like fancy cables for the looks. Cant have a nice hifi without fat snakes.
Steve is just spouting nonsense. So in effect, if you could get a feed directly from the generating station, at the required voltage of course, then you would have achieved maximum audio quality. :)
@@djgibby1301 Yes, but in the case of a water filter I know what it’s doing, and the mechanisms involved with that process. The before and after is also measurable in the form of removed solids and chlorine/chloramine content.
@@baredesigns1 A simple solution is to use a power conditioner. There is a huge capacitor that works like an AC battery, so any problems in the powerline are eliminated. I watched about half of his video and stopped because I didn't think he was going to get into the technical of how those cables are working. Based on what I saw, it doesn't look like there is anything special going on with those expensive cables that would matter.
What about manufacturers warranty if cables are switched?
Audiophilia = self hypnosis. I prefer to spend the least on cables and then suggest to myself that they sound the best. And I'm right every single time. :)
cables in the audio path do make a difference but as long as the wire is copper and shielded thats all that matters. They sell them on Monoprice for $5. Spending $200 for cables is just stupid
I'm open minded. But would much prefer thorough, blind listening tests involving 20 or more listeners to convince me.
I totally agree. In fact, I wish speaker reviews were done blind too. In other words, speaker reviewers should develop their listening impressions of a speaker without being able to know anything about the speaker, including being able to see the speaker before listening to it. They shouldn't know who made it, how it was made, what it looks like, what its physical characteristics are, what its price is, etc. A lot of impressions are formulated by these cues.
@@johnsmith1474 does not exists... they will never try too because too many engineers knowing the laws of electricity ....
You don't need someone to tell you if a cable matter, even after a 20 people blind test.. you should listen and evaluate by yourself. If you can't find a difference don't buy special cables.. Follow Steve advice, insert a power cable and remove it after a few listening sessions.. then you can realize if there's a difference. In my experience the matters..
@@giuseppelazzarotto2749
Very well said!
I've heard these 'blind tests' are very expensive to organize and set up properly, but hey! If you've got the cash, knock yerself out! It's only money, right?
Ok, I want to trust you, that more expensive cables, improve the sound. ButI missed your explanation for this. Actually, I found this to be one of the most superficial videos from you and I am a big fan of yours.
When I read these comments almost everyone prefers new, expensive cables. I don’t have too much experience regarding this, but I couldn’t see anyone really telling the reason why expensive cables should have a big effect on the sound quality. It seems like: I spent big money on it, so it must be better sounding. Oh: and I’m sure, everyone who has spent big bucks on cables, after watching this video is even more sure that the sound has improved. Thankful for every further info.
It isn't about the cost, it's about how the cables are made, and what materials they're made from.
You can get a power cord that should improve the sound of your system for about $12.00
The brand is Hosa, readily available on Amazon or at your local music shop.
They make cables for professional musicians. Their cables are well made, using superior materials and craftsmanship.
Will the improvement in sound quality be the same?
I don't know, because I haven't compared them with the ones in this video.
I can tell you some things to look for, and even try yourself if you are interested in a little DIY.
First, look for cables made with Oxygen Free Copper, or even better grades of copper, if you want. This can bring the price up, but it doesn't have to be a considerable amount. Those Hosa cables I mentioned use it, and they're twelve bucks.
Next, look for cables that have minimalist construction. This is where you're going to run into a brick wall.
All the audiophile companies make the big 'hospital grade', garden hose size cables with all the bling fittings and extra shielding and woven plastic jackets. Those are all trash, and you should avoid them.
Why? Because of something called "cable dielectrics". Dielectrics, which is basically the insulating coating on the cable (plus the plug ends, which are made of plasticized rubber, AFAIK), makes a big difference in the *clarity* of the sound you hear from your system.
The reason all the audiophile cable companies make the oversized bling cables is because they look good in a brochure or on a website, and good looks sells.
If you noticed, the cables that Steve showed in the video were all flat. Usually, flat cables use less material in the insulating jacket.
Here's where a little DIY can help you: The outer insulating jacket on these cables is not really necessary. If you strip it off, you will see two or more conducting wires inside with their own, individual, insulating jackets. These wires will usually have even thinner jackets on them.
Since thinner and less is what we want, it will benefit the sound of the cable further to remove the outer jacket, which is there for looks and tidiness more than anything else.
Also look for the plug ends to be made with a minimum of material, for the same reasons. Another brick wall for you.
You can think of each of these facets of cable construction as pennies which will add up to clearer, more detailed sound (similar to what Steve described) from your system. Power cables and interconnects make the most difference, but you can apply the same methodology to speaker cables or as a universal "rule of thumb" for audio cables in general.
I sincerely hope this may have been of some use to you. : )
@@HareDeLune wow! I really appreciate your informative description. Not sure if I want to do any DIY on power cables but will give better grade copper cables a try. Thanks!
@@kaypee1972
You're most welcome.
Best of luck to you on your journey! :D
To tell you the truth, not even cable manufacturers 100% know how power cables improves the sound, but they do. We have a Naim power amp (with pmc speakers) and we tried a PS Audio power cable... right out of the box the difference was “small” (if any); after a month plugged in we did a blind test between that and the stock cable. WOW, the difference was not subtle, you could tell the PS audio after a second of listening, much better bass, voices and soundstage.
It needs to be a well made copper cable that has shielding. Anything else is not going to make any difference. You could even make them yourself and it would be ok.
Aurora 7, EGM or Isotec. Which would you buy for same money?
I tried Electra 7 in my system because I believe WW knows the job and I saw it is made of OCC copper. I wanted to hear a proper power cable and I can say it is pure high end power cord but too high end for me at the moment so I will buy Aurora or Stratus. I have to try it yet to decide. Those are all excellent products that need to be heard.
5 months ago I added better power cables to my headphone amp and dac, and the sound definitely became deeper and cleaner, while also increasing bass presence and texture, and the highs maintained extension. The overall sound became more organic and I could listen longer and louder with less fatigue. Honestly, the change in sound was about equal to what a good tube roll can do. I am an avid tube roller, by the way. I had my system dialed in for years with the stock power cables, so I knew the sound quite well. The level of engagement went up several levels after the power cable upgrade. I do have some decent gear, so I can hear changes to my system easily. Yes, they make a difference and are highly recommended by me.
I have Focal Utopias. Swapped the stock cable for Transparent upgrade. Big difference--and I have bad ears
Try vibration damping if you haven’t already.
Great reviews like allways, very important to notice that you have to listen a week or so and after go back to the prior sysyem combi.....
I bought 2 Aurora 7 1 M (UK plug) off eBay very cheaply (£75 for both) they are great, they certainly have slightly improved the sound of my Primare integrated and my phono stage. But the main benefit is transformer noise completely disappeared, they definitely reduce noise from my mains. I think that at the right price mains cables are an excellent upgrade.
This was news in 1986, or whatever year Dick Olsher made the very infamous cable shootout for Stereophile (made Tara Labs famous!) My direct experience is that power cords can make small to huge differences in the sound of a component. I always start with the amp, and progress therefrom. Great that Steve confirms this for the benefit of the skeptic Millennials. 👍