Going to dip my toes in the Power Cord abyss

I am also still very happy. I don't know which cable/s gave me the most improvement, but I am not about to start swapping the stock ones back in and out.

I have been working on some Cable management and finally eliminated some odd static crackling I was getting randomly thru the speakers. It drove me nuts for the last 6 months and suddenly went away after re-routing lots of cables.

I continue to be amazed with the results as I work my way thru disks I have not played in a while as well as ones I play all the time.
 
I am also still very happy. I don't know which cable/s gave me the most improvement, but I am not about to start swapping the stock ones back in and out.

I have been working on some Cable management and finally eliminated some odd static crackling I was getting randomly thru the speakers. It drove me nuts for the last 6 months and suddenly went away after re-routing lots of cables.

I continue to be amazed with the results as I work my way thru disks I have not played in a while as well as ones I play all the time.

That is very cool, Brian. I couldn't go back to stock power cables either.

I've done my best with cable management while also trying to avoid driving myself nuts with it. I do what I can to keep cables separated and it absolutely makes a difference.

As I concentrate on reducing interference/noise with my system it sounds better and better. Next I'm going to work on isolating the digital signal from streamer to my dac. There is just so much more interference around our systems than there was 15-20 years ago. I think I'll try the Remedy re-clocker from Wyred 4 Sound; and one of the final things I'll tackle is the outlet. I have a cry'od Hubbel now but Im going to try the higher-end products from Furutech.

What is great is that my system finally sounds musical and satisfying now; so I'm not desperately trying to find the next "thing" that will make my system enjoyable. It's been a long time since I could say that. It's amazing it took finding a power cable that worked well in my system to get to this point.

Cheers,

Scott
 
My C7 cable, like my others, is made by Cullen.
I admit they do have attractively priced interconnects, plus it appears their connectors are solid copper and not brass, which is a plus. The cost between the two styles of interconnects is only $5, from what I can tell, although the RCA plugs on one of them (with the carbon fiber barrels) appear to be fatter, which could be a problem with some equipment out there. I think I'd be OK with mine though, except for the phono stage.

As much as I like Cardas, the only thing of theirs I can afford is the bulk cable. Fortunately their copper litz wire is available in bulk (via the Crosslink), and I have a source for all-copper RCA plugs (which may be plated in gold or rhodium). Litz wire has each individual strand insulated (like a transformer winding) to help combat skin effect, and Cardas uses a "golden ratio" for the size of the individual strands within the bundle (smaller diameter in the middle strands, larger in the outer strands). Seems like an interesting concept and I'd like to hear it in my system.
 
I admit they do have attractively priced interconnects, plus it appears their connectors are solid copper and not brass, which is a plus. The cost between the two styles of interconnects is only $5, from what I can tell, although the RCA plugs on one of them (with the carbon fiber barrels) appear to be fatter, which could be a problem with some equipment out there. I think I'd be OK with mine though, except for the phono stage.

As much as I like Cardas, the only thing of theirs I can afford is the bulk cable. Fortunately their copper litz wire is available in bulk (via the Crosslink), and I have a source for all-copper RCA plugs (which may be plated in gold or rhodium). Litz wire has each individual strand insulated (like a transformer winding) to help combat skin effect, and Cardas uses a "golden ratio" for the size of the individual strands within the bundle (smaller diameter in the middle strands, larger in the outer strands). Seems like an interesting concept and I'd like to hear it in my system.

Cardas makes really great cables. Years ago in a system I no longer have I had all Cardas Golden Reference cables (exept power cables, which were stock). When I made the switch to Cardas It was very obvious to me that cables made a difference.

I believe the Crosslink with good RCAs will make fantastic interconnects.

Cheers,

Scott
 
I believe the Crosslink with good RCAs will make fantastic interconnects.
I would prefer using Cardas connectors but they have none that are pure copper, last time I checked. Many of the connectors out there are brass (which is a very poor conductor) or some sort of bronze alloy. My current set uses Silver Sonic cable--it's well made, but I'm looking to try something that is not silver plated, and the litz wire in the Cardas is another change in construction where I want to see how it affects what I hear.

I plan to tackle speaker cables one day, but I'm using a pair of 14 gauge OFC cables in a bi-wire setup (largely because Vandersteen recommends it) and it's sounding fine to me. And my issue with speaker cables is that if I move the system around drastically, or decide to put my amp(s) close to the speakers, I'm having to change the length of the wiring. Like with the interconnects, I'll buy bulk and terminate the cables myself.
 
I’ve been researching power cables and found this thread. I have PS audio AC five and a Pangea cable too, for amp and CD player. Morrow audio IC’s for everything else, MA 3 and 5.

But I wasn’t getting a wow moment. The MA5 was the newest, but broken in, and since the summer I’ve replaced the speakers, amp and pre. I’ve also regularly changed cables and speakers until about two weeks ago when I added a shelf to my Pangea audio rack. Then I stopped tinkering and just played the music, somewhat disappointed with the sound.

About two nights ago, after the system warmed up some what, it started sounding amazing. This was with my Bifrost DAC, which has the MA3’s, and my iPhone as source using a plain USB cable with the Apple camera/adapter cable.

But the sound has been jaw dropping since then. It needs to warm up first, but then all of these extra details pop out. It’s holographic and the soundstage so real. And this is with mp3 files! I’ve never heard any system sound this good, though I don’t get out to audio trade shows, and my friends have mostly AVR systems. But I used to have a system that retailed for over 10,000(sold it off as I was disenchanted with how it sounded, started over), and this current system eats it for lunch.

I don’t know if it’s the power or IC cables, probably both, but now I don’t dare move anything! My dac and pre have stock power cables still, and my CD player has a lesser RCA cable which I’ll be upgrading. Also I’m upgrading the USB cable. Audioquest has some good options there, and their NRG 4 power cable looks tempting.

But with cables, yeah, it’s real. My system is Parasound P5, Adcom 555se, Totem Rainmakers, Schiit Bimby, and Nad C565BEE. Speaker cables are Wireworld Oasis 7.
 
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Thanks for chiming in, runnin'

I had a little back and forth with SQ and perceived volume changes. I swapped out 4 stock cables in one shot so unsure which one had the most impact. I already have decent, but older Synergistic Research ICs a SC so happy with those.

Cheers!
 
@Hyfi have you looked at Isotek products or similar for conditioning? Several of my pieces are older, 2 pronged power MC2255 and a CJ tube pre. My TT is wall wart power Clearaudio model. I added an isotek power bar based on a friend’s recommendation to reduce noise. My wife (my double blind tester ) noticed an improvement.
 
@Hyfi have you looked at Isotek products or similar for conditioning? Several of my pieces are older, 2 pronged power MC2255 and a CJ tube pre. My TT is wall wart power Clearaudio model. I added an isotek power bar based on a friend’s recommendation to reduce noise. My wife (my double blind tester ) noticed an improvement.

No I have not, but thanks for the link, I will read thru
 
Wow, I am floored right about now. I am not so sure anyone should be dealing with Kent Maze, he appears a bit touchy and irritable if you ask him any questions.
His reaction is absolutely ridiculous. Sure he likes making cables, but if he wants to make a "business" out of it, then he will have to deal (competently) with the "business" side of things too, wont he?

That sounds very similar to my dealings with buying printed schematics and stereo manuals from a certain US site, very similar attitude which makes dealings unpleasant.
 
Can anyone recommend a good power conditioner to start out with for conditioned power, and does that recommended brand also cater to 230-240VAC?

cheers
 
Thanks for chiming in, runnin'

I had a little back and forth with SQ and perceived volume changes. I swapped out 4 stock cables in one shot so unsure which one had the most impact. I already have decent, but older Synergistic Research ICs a SC so happy with those.

Cheers!

Glad to share my results. I wish I could have replaced all power and IC cables at once, but there you go!
 
Can't believe it's been nearly a year since @Hyfi's thread surfaced! :D

So with the supply of the PS Audio power cords being rather short until early summer, I poked around a bit and have a different pair of power cords coming from another company. I added a phono stage which has an IEC receptacle, plus I am ordering a Furutech IEC receptacle and will get it installed on my power amp to replace its slightly damaged power cord. The plan so far is to use the new cords on the preamp and phono stage, and my PS Audio cords on everything else.

Just a teaser. I'll post photos once everything arrives and I get them hooked up. These cables were factory direct, and 75% off the $395 list price. :)

Now I just need to get a couple more affordable Cardas interconnects--waiting to see what Morrow Audio brings to AXPONA in terms of used cables, as they bring some fantastic discounts.
 
Having bought & sold over 300 pieces of gear I've ended up with quite a collection of botique power cords that came with amps I've bought ,I've kept all the Shunyata cords and even the Monster brand cords because they were the 2 most common cords left with the gear ,I use Shunyata Research cords on my monoblocks & 2 channel amps with Monster cords on sources & Preamps ,I've noticed zero difference ,i keep them simply because they look better & cost me nothing but others experiences could be the polar opposite ,I have a dedicated 20 amp line to every amp and each line on opposite legs of the breaker so I have excellent power supply from the wall .
 
No changes for me since the last Cullen Cable feeding my APC H-15. Saving my money now for a complete system redo in the next few years.
 
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