Power Cord Shoot-Out: 16 Power Cords Reviewed

Probably. I once read an article that said insulation played a big factor in cables, too. The PS cables surely have some very thick insulation.

Whether that makes a noticeable difference in sound... I don't know. I have a Statement and a Prelude PS speaker cable, and I never thought of them as slow... then again, I can't find any difference between them and other cables I own, so maybe I'm not that good detecting very small things.

 

That's a good prediction.

 

I tried that cord at home for a few days. Very nice on the CD player - I could not believe the improvement. For a CD or SACD player, I would agree with your recommendation.

Only a very tiny improvement on the amplifier, however. The TG Audio made the amp come alive. For a preamp, integrated amp or power amp, I would not agree with your recommendation.

 

I know what you said. The thing is, it is clear that this area of audio is not completely understood. It's not to be explained as simply Ohms Law in action.

Because of this, speculations by lay people can often lead those more versed in the art to greater insight.

 

Yes, perhaps. But not if it's clearly nonsense or misunderstanding. Like when people think of electric signals in wire as though it's a fluid flowing through a hose.

 

I'm currently constructing a 350b PP tube power amp. I Recently bit the bullet, and decided to go with the more expensive power tool replacement cord from the Depot. It was much nicer looking than the cheaper lamp cord over in lighting. Thats all I have to say about that.

 

I compared it against the Cardas Twin Link, the DH Labs stock cord, the Absolute power cord and the stock Richard Gray.

The 8TC was too bright in the top end I had heard from someone I trust 100%. When the Grovers arrived I got the complete picture is all. The uneducated mind/ears doesn't know until it's shown was the case.

So you don't like the PS Audio for some reason Goran? What makes the grade in your home? I'm beginning to believe these PC's are very system dependent which makes everyone's trials costly with no definite applications/answers for everyone.

 

I've never been able to tell large differences between speaker wires, either, assuming they are thick enough for their length to give a good damping factor (low resistance). I'm of the mind that pretty much everything about wire's effect on a signal in a circuit with amps and speakers can be modeled and predicted by its complex impedance values, i.e., the combination of resistance, capacitance, and inductance. Other factors that could influence sound might be freedom from EMI effects, and this is mainly affected by the shielding and grounding of the wire and/or it's proximity to sources of electromagnetic noise - other than that it might be affected subtly somewhat by how the strands are wound together and how the dielectric is constructed to make it immune from such EMI effects. I can't really think of anything else that could have an influence. There are some straightforward cable manufacturers that admit this much and try to produce a value-conscious quality product. They are other purveyors of "snake oil" products that use exotic materials or garden hose sizes, but never seem to have a plausible explanation as to why their product should sounds superior. Or even worse, they may buy their cable from a mass-manufacturer in a Chinese factory and just slap their fancy audiophile label or marque on it and promote it as something unusual and wonderful. And since everyone seems to think that choice of appropriate wire is so very system-dependent, we are left with an expensive trial-and-error situation that leads people around and around in circles using wires as tone controls and listening for minute and subtle effects such as more or less "grain" in the sound. Does anyone else find the whole crazy wire scene frustrating, unsatisfactory, and just plain obnoxious? Whereas with most things in the world of audio, one has a reasonable hope of making a series of rational judgments and investments to get to better sound, with wires it just seems hopeless to me. Any one else feel this way?

 

I don't know soundQman, I kind of like that Mark took the time to do all of this and then turn around and share it with us even though our experiences were not the same.

 

I'll go along with that. I might try the Iron Lung Jellyfish or Volex 17604 at their reasonable prices and see if it makes a difference in my system.

 

I don't like their power cords - to be precise. I do have a bad situation in my apartment powerhouse and I guess this is the reason I am able to hear differences between power cords, but the PS Audio cords I had a chance to hear in different situations and with different gear, including my friend's home and he has 2 dedicated power lines. Unfortunately, they always affected the sound in the way I did not like.

With Shunyata cables that I am using, when a cable does not work in one application perfectly, I am able to use it elsewhere. All their cables, including the cheaper ones (Diamondback and Copperhead) are musical, even though there are trade offs (slight brightness and lack of detail), and that is why I come back to them after trying other cords.
Some produced enormous detail and/or great bass, but were unlistenable in the long term.

The two more expensive Shunyata power cords that I have (Taipan Vx) are the ones that deliver the goods I crave for - meaty sound which is detailed and full at the same time. But, they are costly - $500 used.

Goran

 

I do I always hear (so to speak ) people saying X wire sounds "fast, detailed, etc." and y wire sounds "slow, arrythmic, etc.", and both sound the same to me Or maybe the differences are there, and I simply don't notice.

Either wire differences are minute and I can't hear them, or my hearing is too bad and I can't find out any difference at all.

But what it is frustrating, as you so well put it, is the lack of any logic behind wire manufacturing. Very few companies make an effort of trying to explain why their cables should work as advertised, IMHO. That's what I liked about the PS Audio cables - the box says the cables are 8 GA or 12 GA, they detail the insulation, the internal construction, and don't make any more statements.

It's quite frustrating, though, because with other equipment you at least have a clue as to the quality when the topology and components are described. Cables are still the "black magic" part of audio, IMHO.

 

My friend George Cardas would agree with you. That's why his cables measure well in IC&R. I have found that cables that do well in these areas do in fact sound better.

The problem with cables is two-fold:

1. Barriers to entry are very low and profit margins are high. This leads to every yahoo out there offering a cable and using guerilla marketing, often dishonest, on web forums to push the brand. Caveat emptor indeed!

2. Many people wish to comment on their own cable reviewing but often have lower resolution systems where subtle cable differences are not easily heard. Even worse are the EEs who think because they can't hear the difference it doesn't exist.

 

I'm an EE and I almost think that, but not quite.
I think maybe I have a mid-res system, or ears.
Seriously, I do have some high frequency hearing loss, particularly in my right ear. Doesn't go much above 8K in that ear, or 12-14K in the left. I still can discriminate for good sound in music, and I can hear mastering differences.

 

Absolutely. I know my opinion of the mastering of a particular CD routinely differs from Markl's, from what I recall reading. He's thought awful of what I've thought great and vice versa. I don't know what Sony MDR-R10 headphones sound like and he doesn't know what my ATC speakers sound like. I'm best off trying the PCs he likes least.

 

Just a quick follow-up. I want to note that the slight brightness I reported earlier with the Violet has totally resolved with further burn-in, so I now no longer have any criticisms of the cord at all.


Also, I just want to point out that it appears John has cooked up another batch of the Violets, they had sold out of remaining B-stock after my review appeared:

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?cablpowr&1153898120

The cords I bought were B-stock, returned cords (though they appear brand new) with maybe 40-hours burn-in. These up now are brand new versions, so the price is marginally higher than the $180 I printed. *However*, when you consider that this cord (IMHO) handily beat out a $1200 power cord, it's still a screaming bargain. If you buy one, give it 100-120 hours burn-in if you are concerned at all with the little bit of extra brightness you may perceive, it will fade over time.


P.S. In all disclosure, it should be noted I did receive a small piece of "consideration" from Black Sand Cable after the fact. Namely, they sent me a free Black Sand Cable T-shirt! I'll wear it proudly.

 

Mark,

Thanks for giving the forum members your opinion of the cords in your system. I put in an order for the Black Sand Silver Reference after reading your review and other reviews on audiocircle.com. I wanted the upgraded plugs and sprung for their flagship cable. I'm looking forward to using the cords when I get back from vacation on 7/13.

John at Black Sand is a great guy to work with and he responds promptly to emails.

Alan

 

Alan, please post your thoughts. The Silver is excellent!

 

How does your fridge sound?

 

Did he use the power cords on his fridge, too? COOL!

 

Much better, when the compressor kicks in there is a much wider sound stage, better definition, and tighter bass.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do such a detailed review. I have tried a few of the ones you reviewed and others and my current favorite are Richard Grays. Smoothest top end and detail, better LF and extension yadda yadda.......I hope you get one to compare. Finally something made my MF Trivista SACD sound right.

ET

 

No need to bring religion into this.

(just joking)