Audiophile Power Cables: Hype or Holy Grail? What Priorities Matter per Blue Jeans Cable
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- Ever wondered if those fancy, super-expensive audiophile power cables are actually worth the hype? Buckle up, audiophiles, because in this in-depth series, we're diving headfirst into the world of wires with a no-nonsense zoom interview with Jeff from Blue Jeans Cable and my own personal journey through the labyrinth of power cords.
In Part 1, we'll be focusing on the crucial factors to consider before you break the bank on your next upgrade. Forget snake oil promises and marketing mumbo jumbo - we're cutting through the fluff to give you the straight-up facts on what truly matters when choosing an audiophile power cord.
Here's what you can expect:
An honest conversation with Jeff from Blue Jeans Cable:
- I'll be asking him about the science behind their first ever venture into power cables and why.
- We'll discuss their impact on sound quality, and why most audiophiles are wasting their money.
- My personal adventures in power cord madness
Join me as I share my hilarious and sometimes frustrating experiences with different cables, proving that even seasoned audiophiles can get caught in the hype trap.
Prioritizing your purchase: Learn exactly what you should be looking for in a power cord based on your budget, system, and listening preferences. We'll break down the essential specs and debunk the misleading marketing jargon so you can make an informed decision.
This series is not going to be an ordinary gear review - it's a no-holds-barred exploration of the audiophile power cord phenomenon and how Blue Jeans Cable decided to tackle it. Whether you're a skeptical newbie or a seasoned audiophile on the edge of cable-induced bankruptcy, this series will have something for everyone.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where we'll dive deeper into more specifics like aesthetics as well as other cable options and recommendations!
P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment below with your own power cord experiences and questions!
0:00 Intro
1:40 My Experience with Power Cords
5:52 Zoom with Blue Jeans Cable
7:52 Why BJC Made a Power Cord
8:58 Highest Priority in PCs
10:30 Connection Quality
12:34 Next Highest Priority
14:38 Why PCs Require Unique Design
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BTW...props to / krutikovmusic for the awesome remix of "Intergalactic" used in both the intro and outro.
For full music trailer - • The Marvels | TRAILER ...
All copyright belongs to their respective owners.
Original Trailer Song - Beastie Boys - Intergalactic
Arranged and Orchestrated - Yuri Krutikov - Zábava
If you want to purchase or inquire about the Blue Jeans Power Cable, see the description for my email address and website. Or you can fill out the form on this page - audiophilejunkie.com/blue-jeans-cable/
I was told by a Audiophile that power cords make no difference to the sound so i removed mine and i had no sound at all. My amplifier never even turned on so power cords differently make a difference.
Funny !!! But the truth it all depends if all things are proper in your system you will see nothing if there is a minor to moderate problem it may help.
( Some internals are sensitive to
.100 volts so a swing in the right direction could happen )
I build my own cables and wire my house
Indeed ... the voltage drop without them is untenable.
Yes , no power cord no power no sound ! Luv it 🤣
I agree with you 110% l have vintage and l mean 70 and 80 so what is my opinion. Do l have to pop the hood and wire it myself?
The price is right. I just got my GR research #16 cryo power cords back in my system. Love to see some shootouts between BJC and others. Excellent vid
Since you and Blue Jeans seems open to ideas from outside, I would like to make a suggestion that I think others might appreciate also. Could someone (Blue Jeans are you listening?) please make a power cable with right angle plugs? It would make it easier to fit into tight spaces and it would also take a lot of strain off the connectors.
We actually talk about that in the zoom. I haven't released that part yet, but you can request it. They can do it.
Taking good and proper care of the electromagnetic fields is very very important for great audio. Using cable riser (hunk of random wood) to elevate cables off of CONCRETE floors is way important due to concrete being a ground to earth. And keeping signal cables routed as far from power cables is a good idea.. Better power cables have improved my streamer, DAC, power cleaner and crown power amps, and not so much for a high end home theater integrated.
@bayard1332
There is much less chance for any EMI or RFI inducted noise making its way into the cable if it is on the floor adjacent to a large ground plane, rather than being elevated in air like an antenna. ;)
It's nice to hear about the genesis phase of products, and who's behind them, but I wanted to get into cable benefits to end result.
I promise you, you will hear a difference using power cords if you compare shielded vs un-shielded..... And sometimes, silver vs copper. And you don't have to spend much money at all.
exactly
@mikehuntington
What are you shielding the internal wires from with a shielded vs. unshielded power cable?
What happens to all power and any other "signals" in the power cable once the 120-240VAC goes through even a rudimentary power supply?
A dealer and a maker of expensive powercables in one video. Gee, I wonder what verdict they'll come up with!
Did you watch? What part do you disagree with?
Oh fuck, here we go...
Michael Fremer look.😅
I like anyone that has a pinball machine in their office 👍
Are they UL, CE, or FCC certified?
Stay tuned...we discuss in upcoming part of this zoom.
I'm going to run an uninterrupted power cable from my equipment all the way to the power plant.
make sure it shielded
I'm just gonna throw this out there as food for thought as a musician and recording engineer...
99% of the professional tracking (recording), mixing, and mastering equipment that is being used in professional studios around the world to actually Record and Produce ALL of the Music that YOU listen to are using the stock OEM Power Cables that were supplied by the manufacturer of the equipment.
Unless the power cable has a manufacturing defect or is damaged in use, NO professional audio engineer is EVER going to "reach for a Different Power Cable" as a tool in their vast toolkit in order to try to make an audible improvement to the music and quality of the album or track(s) they are producing!!!
Jus' sayin' that IF these 3rd party aftermarket power cables are not being used by PROFESSIONAL AUDIO RECORDING ENGINEERS who actually record and produce ALL of the music you are listening to on YOUR system, do you really think that YOU would ever need a different or "better" power cable other than the one that was supplied with your electronic equipment???
As long as the AC power cable is designed, manufactured, and tested to safely handle the required Voltage and Current demands of the connected equipment (UL, CE, ISO, & other certifications), good luck actually Hearing or Proving ANY audible improvement by using a 3rd party aftermarket power cable.
The above statements are independent to the use and implementation of any low level SIGNAL interconnect cable(s) being used in your system.
TBF, I have purchased and use several of Blue Jean Cable's analog and digital Signal Interconnect Cable products (copper & optical fiber) in my home recording studio, as well as both high-end home and car audio systems, because they are well made and of high quality and good value.
If I ever needed a REPLACEMENT AC power cable for any of my equipment due to a lost or damaged original cable, I might conssider purchasing a Blue Jeans Cable product, and would have no reservations regarding my purchase.
HOWEVER, I would never go out of my way to do so and would certainly not expect to gain any audible improvement by doing so.
It's good to go in not expecting any huge improvements with audibility. However, that why the video focused on other metrics that can be equally a priority.
The subjective report was in a different video and I have more parts of this zoom where we get into measurements.
I've fixed audio equipment for over 20 years and have never heard so much dribble. This power cable will make no difference to your audio.
I can almost guarantee you didn't watch... or you shouldn't be touching anybody's equipment if you don't worry about connection quality, safety, and RF that even the FCC regulates.
If you don't care about anything related to construction, then I shudder to think of the quality of tools and education you use in fixing gear.
If you want to argue about the audible merits of a power cord, that's a different argument not even touched on yet in the video series. Getting triggered and running to your keyboard to knee-jerk call something "dribble".... that doesn't even talk about what you're referring to... is pretty embarrassing.
@@AudiophileJunkieI did watch the entire video, and the guy from the cable place was using plenty of actual tech terms, but most of them didn't make any sense when it came to the actual electronics involved. Except for the reason he gave why some cables come with ferrite beads. A well-built amp will filter most noise out of the AC supply even before the power is rectified or fed to the transformer, the cable emitting EMF even a little is unlikely to affect the audio unless it runs near unshielded input cables. An insulation test at 500v plus is required for all cables sold (except by China) so there is nothing special there. However, believe what you like it is your money.
Everything he said makes sense for the actual cable itself. You're reading too much into things and he actually mentioned that the power supplies filter out much of what gets IN to the cable. He was talking about metrics that most audiophile power cords don't focus on...even though they are the basics. It's not just Chinese cords.
If you are fine with the molded power cords, I can't blame you based on what a rip-off many after market audiophile cords do worse in several metrics. However, getting triggered by this video content...and this cable... at this price...seems to be a gross over-reaction compared to what other's claim and build at far less quality and higher cost.
@@AudiophileJunkieI'm not triggered at all. The First stage of any good amp has at least 2 to 4 y filter caps 2 to 4 x filter caps and 2 to 3 coupled inductors then you have a transformer that essentially airgaps the mains power. With all the crap wiring in the walls and power lines and wall sockets a few feet of a thick shielded power cable is doing nothing to improve the power quality at the input. I will concede a good connector might stop any noise created by moving cables, but unless one of the videos coming up shows actual scientific proof of improvements then we'll just have to agree to disagree.
Nothing you're talking about is related to the video. In fact, it's the complete opposite. He literally talks about the power supply and caps in the gear negating certain issues with noise getting into the equipment from the cable. He's talking about other stuff totally unrelated to what you're desperately trying to argue to fit a conclusion. Stick to what's in the video...it's not that hard. This isn't the place to emotionally vomit about other claims and other arguments made elsewhere about cables.
If power cable puts out too much RF then power plant or the connected device are the problems! Cable is only conducting or radiating this bad RF! And do you address the problem of cheap device inlets (see rarely something like solid SCHURTER AC inlets) for this big and heavy power cords!
I've shown in my amps much more expensive IEC inlets used. In fact, mine uses Bocchino inlets which can be considered overkill, but it's ironic you're using the logic that "you don't improve something because something else isn't high quality"... Instead of arguing about the specific content discussing the cable improvements.
You're obviously triggered by the video, but not a single comment you've posted addresses any disagreement with what was actually said in the video.
Cables are like camshafts in cars you reach a certain level of performance according to the law of sum of parts.
Again using the camshaft analogy, horsepower sells cars, torque wins races (saying credit to a Ford engineer 25 years ago). If your house is old, poorly wired or ground or your flashy amp is of poor design , you have many problems.
When I speak to high end audio salespeople to explain why the internal wiring rarely matches what is outside the case? No answer. You just need quality products through and through.
This whole cable hype started in the late 80's when Monster Cable and Audioquest hatched. Monster Cable did make a slight difference to a point to my ears. Audioquest always sounded like garbage because I tested a few. Back then early90s I had a decent system NAD 5000,3100-2100 bridge,Kenwood deck, Mitsubishi U52 VCR used also for playback KEF 104.2 Ref and Kube was the upper echelon of what I could afford with Monster Cable Reference 2 cabling. Mid fi but Hifi to me.😮
In this hobby, there's an interesting level of confusion between wanting the best quality... Yet products of lesser quality being perceived as better.
The metric of "audibility" is often the most confusing because you can't standardize it for everyone. Plus there's plenty of delusion and fake marketing.
I'll do a video touching on that because you mentioned a few brand names where this was applicable.
I use power cords designed for recording studios. The are UL certified. Do not buy anything that is not UL certified.
We discuss that in the zoom too...stay tuned, but yes...they are using existing UL listed wiring.
@@AudiophileJunkie
The entire cable ASSEMBLY must be UL certified, not just the conductor wires.
Optical cables are immune to RF.
I'm a fan of toslink and other optical cables for that reason... But some cables can't be optical.
@@AudiophileJunkie I would love to see an optical power cable :D
@@portwill
All you have to do is look at the sun. :p