Have You Actually A/B Tested Power Cords?

You really just proved his point with that post.

 

It was a factual post, he KNOWS power cords make no difference to sound quality, or are you suggesting otherwise? That is not an attack on him, just stating facts.

 

Ultimately current and sound travel through audio systems ( from one component to another) via simple wiring .It just seems a bit strange that we use big heavy wires to connect components and speakers together ,when the sound has already traveled along tiny wiring through cartridges or internal wiring.

 

The signals going through the tiny wires are tiny signals. The signals going through the speaker wires are not so tiny. That is why they call the component that precedes the speaker an "amplifier".

 

These solid core speaker cables work perfectly and are no larger than the wires in my components.

 

They don't look tiny, they are pretty much all wire. Tiny is 28 or 30 gauge hook up wire.

 

I am no scientific expert but the demands of a power cable are clearly going to exceed those of a speaker cable or IC or internal speaker cabling in many circumstances.

That being said, the power cable is going to be subjected to very different conditions depending on what it is hooked up to. The power cord on a big honking amplifier is going to operate under very different conditions than the power cord on a DAC, CD player or line level preamp.

Many years ago I ran a DIY power cord using 47 Labs OTA cable ( 2 single runs of 26 gauge solid core copper wire for hot and neutral) with pretty good results (better than stock) on a CD player for a couple of years. At that point in time I was using the same Hubbell valise male on that cord that is on the OP's Jenna Labs cord and that was poo-pooed earlier in this thread on the Virtual Dynamics cord.

It is, in fact, an excellent connector and unlike many of the heavier duty spec/industrial or hospital grade plugs out there has absolutely no ferrous metal anywhere in the connector, which is probably why Jenna and Virtual Dynamics liked it. But 14 gauge is the limit on that connector; it is not spec'ed for anything larger than that and will not accept it. So you won't see it on larger 10-12 gauge offerings more suited to many integrated or power amplifiers.

I notice that the OP's Jenna cord is, in fact, recommended for line level or lower demand pieces of equipment, which makes sense in light of a) the Hubbell Valise male and 2) the apparent smaller (total) gauge of wire used in the cord itself.
Bigger may not always be better or necessary, depending on the application, with power cords.

 

Deeper bass, lower noise floor, 'higher' highs, greater dynamics (claims I've heard from users of boutique power cords) are all quite measurable with today's science. User F1nut posted up thread that he measured lower noise floor with the use of a certain cord.

 

Troll? Me? Phooey! Nuh-uh! This is troll:



. . . a troll from either Finnish or Icelandic children's storybooks unless I miss my guess . . . which, anyway, cannot possibly be me because, well, that's, um, not me. Seriously. Troll?

Maybe I missed something in the forum rules way back when I first read them @Stefan Sigurdsson, or maybe I just glossed over something important back then, or something like that. I certainly make mistakes, so maybe I screwed something up. But, my recollection is that this particular forum is a place for audiophiles to hang out, discuss topics on all aspects of audio, engage with other audiophiles from all over the world, and generally help support deeper and broader knowledge about audio hardware.

But maybe I've got all that wrong. For sure, some people find opinions that disagree with theirs to be disagreeable. I get that. I understand it. I try not to interfere with it. But unsupportable name-calling doesn't further any discussion and it doesn't provide useful information to forum members who are reading rather than posting.

As always, if you are personally getting enjoyment and a better musical experience when using after-market, so-called audiophile AC power cords, that's great! As long as nobody is breaking the bank or running up credit cards to make the purchases, I think they should enjoy the cables and enjoy the music!

 

I'm so confused. I never liked Tolkien.

 

Wow! Just Wow! I have lurked this forum in the past for good information, but this post of assumptions and seemingly accusations is absurd and I would recommend you stick to facts you can stand by.

First, I am an audio enthusiast in the area that is local to both Sain Line Systems as well as AR. I run a mix of older AR gear, Rogue audio and Revel speakers. I also run Sain Line cables for IC and PCs. My system is revealing enough to notice changes in my system.

I make no claims of being "in the room" or anything but I will share my opinions as someone who perhaps has a little more (in)direct insight to the details here:
- As I understand it, Mr. Gehl did provide the quote
- As I understand it, AR does voice their systems (some or all I do not know) with Sain Line PCs but not the ones you are referring to. They use his Pure Current cables and you seem to be referencing costs more associated with his reference cables.

My only tests have been A/B tests with stock cables against Sain Line cables and the difference could be heard. I would agree with the poster here who said the change is really about "more" than different as I noticed more power and depth with Sain Line Pure Current PCs than with the stock cables. I did not notice a coloration change. I believe the Pure Current Sain Line cables allowed me to hear how my system should sound without power being constrained. I have not used his more expensive reference PCs more inline with the pricing indicated above, however I do know a number of people who have compared his Pure Currents and Reference cables and did choose the reference, even at the greater cost.

Chris Sain has always been giving in his time and in sharing his philosophy. He is passionate about his work, has been at it a long time and historically has been well ahead of the curve with respect to implementing ideas that sound better. Listen for yourself and have facts to base your opinions on.

 

"...as long as..."???

Sorry, you don't get to impose qualifiers on how I spend my money.

 

I am here to set the record straight. A freind showed me this thread, and I thought it appropriate to respond. Warren does use Sain Line Systems Pure current power cables at ARC for product development, and he uses my power cables and interconnects on his home system. They were purchased, not given to them. All ARC products within the last ten years have been voiced with stock power cables and Sain Line Systems. He uses them because they are the best he has heard, period. ARC like the improvement so much they almost made it a Reference product, with Sain Line Systems being the OEM manufacture. Industry politics within dealers and distributors killed the idea. Every testimonial on my website is real and unaltered from happy customers all over the country, and Warren is one of them. Every person to ever purchase a product from me gets to try them at home in their own system, and they get to judge if the product has merit for themselves. I have now been in business for 17 years without spending one dime in any magazine on advertisements, but have now been mentioned in both Stereophile (ARC Ref 150 review) and The absolute sound ( Ref 250 se review) and soon to be Ref 750 review. I personally spoke to Warren about this and he told me if anyone has their doubts to call him at ARC, he will gladly talk to you about the vurtues of my products and why he uses them.
Thank you and happy listening.
Christopher Sain
President, Sain Line Systems

 

I wonder if this would cut it for the James Randy organization project.
Anybody want to win a million dollars?

 

Yes. I got rid of a low hum in a Pass Labs amp, may years ago, by switching over to an aftermarket power cord.

 

Some would say just trust your ears.

 

I would say dont do that.

 

I bought a 12 mile power cord that plugs directly into the Tucson Electric Power company powerplant. That made a slight difference.

 

Wow, i had no idea that power cords could create such heated and heavy debate. Calm down lads; each to their own

 

Where have YOU been? This is some of the best entertainment on the Interweb.

 

I haven't read the whole thread, so I don't know if you explained elsewhere what you mean by "impossible effects."

John K.

 

what happens when we hit that little fuse filament?

 

Yep.
And cumulatively as well.
The effect was obvious on the line stage and phono stage and amps. But even the plate amps for the integrated woofers improved with cord 'B'. The only cord that didn't seem to benefit from a cord change was the power controller to the turntable motors.
What did I compare? Various Shunyata, including the model that rattled like a snake, to Kubala Sosna. That was in 2006-7. I haven't really changed any power cord since, though i moved and in my new place, did a major electrical subsystem with 10kVa isolation transformer, etc. (Previously, had dedicated lines and subpanel but no big Iso).
I started messing with cord changes back in the '80s and heard a difference then (with speaker cables).
Will my experience reflect yours? I have no idea.
PS: Oops. I posted several times to this thread. But, there it is.
Regards,

 

You, my friend, are wrong.
Power cables can and do make an audible difference in the sound of an audio system.
I don’t even have expensive power cabled, just very good quality wire with very good quality connectors that I assembled myself. As I believe I stated earlier in this thread, when they replaced the standard issue power cables, the improvement was not subtle or slight. There was a significant improvement in the sound of my system. No one is paying me or coaxing me to state that. It is simply true. I spent many years as a professional sound engineer in the studio and live concerts. I am a trained listener and understand what I hear. I will admit, I was surprised by the improvement. I didn’t honestly expect much. But it is there and I am pleased that it is.