New Upgraded Power Cable - Now a Believer in a Bad Way....

After looking at my stock power amplifier power cord it just seemed so light / small gauge that I decided to upgrade.
The manufacturer says that the stock cable has more than enough ampacity but I tried nonetheless.

Purchased a well known quality cable, heavy gauge shielded with upgraded contacts and heavy duty IEC and power connection. The diameter is easily double the stock cable.

It definitely changed the quality of the sound noticeably- I spent hours A-B comparing it with the stock one.
Unfortunately it made the sound worse! I never expected such a change and not in the wrong direction either.

The bass became deeper but with less impact. Overall just a touch more transparent. However the treble became more pronounced at the very top and also slightly but noticeably grainy / edgy. Also the sound became somewhat occasionally hesitant, that the pace and timing seemed altered.

So much for that experiment !

 

Now you know...

 

Is this a even a word ?

 

You're not alone, I've had similar experiences with power cords. It's a rabbit hole that I'm perfectly comfortable filling with dirt.

 

Strange things sometimes happen. I bought a very expensive Furman line conditioner/surge protector and returned it two days later because it made my system sound noticeably worse than it does through the everyday power strip/surge protector that it goes through again now. No one could explain it, but it was real.

 

I'd probably give the cable two weeks to settle but chances are you still won't like it. The only time I've had the sonic experience you're describing was with Pangea power cables - not pricey but much more substantial than stock cables. They sucked the life right out of my amp and I never used them again.

 

I have switched back recently from a wireworld powercord to the stock power cord of my parasound and I have found it added a bit of dynamics which was a plus but on the other hand vocals sounded more grainy and strained. So in the end I went back to the wireworld as I preferred the sound of it even if the stock powercord had a bit more dynamics. So it's not always a win-win situation when switching power cords I believe.

 

Apparently...Ampacity

 

Learn something new every day

 

Are both power cables the same length?
Experiment some more!
Remove the high quality connectors from the new cable and assemble them onto your original cable.
And then assemble to original connectors onto your new high quality cable.
Listen again to find out which you prefer!

 

Brand?

 

More copper should not be a bad thing in a power cable. I’m curious as to the shielding.....probably not necessary and in some cases detrimental.

 

It is my understanding that it is not advisable to use shielded power cords with audio amplifiers. And, amps should be plugged directly into the AC receptacle in the wall.

 

Maybe it wasnt copper, or silver plated copper or the such.

 

If not, it should be.

@avanti1960 now all there is to do is wait for the ‘just burn it in for 2 weeks’ crowd to show.

Also, FWIW, I followed @RavenDave ’s recommendation and built the cord for my Blackhawk. I just installed ZeroSurge surge protectors yesterday on my two systems and was thinking about this as I looked at the thinness of my CD player power cable, but I really don’t think it would matter there.

 

Even better, amapacity is a portmanteau according to: Ampacity - Wikipedia

 

You really should give it some time.... let’s say two weeks.

 

Instructions to build a PC are in the original Raven Audio Blackhawk Manual, no longer in the latest manual. https://www.ravenaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RavenManual_NighthawkIntAmp.pdf

 

Just here, because.

M~

 

Sorry to hear your experience. How much time did you have in it? Things do change over a matter of weeks.

My new turntable came with a basic power cord. I did check it out and listened and nothing special. So ....you know me. I went into my stash of cables and pulled out a Wirworld Electra 7 conditioning power cord. 12 awg OCC copper. Perfect for a TT.

The Wireword exposed the stock power cord as basically builder grade. The WW Electra 7 is 2 steps up from the stock cord and WW's second level power cord.

This cable was already run in. I noticed a more focused sound. Highs became sweeter not higher. Bass has more meat on the bones...not really deeper but more texture. Lots of times with cables we think we should hear a deeper bass and higher highs and better voices. But could it be we are looking for the wrong thing? The grain which you dont know is there , should clear up and you should hear sweeter highs and more texture on the bass and voices should be heard not straining but clear and relaxed. The mids should have a sort of greater focus. You are most defiantly looking for a better fidelity to the sound.

In my experience with all cable changes, you have to not listen to the individual parts because the individual parts will let you down. The parts make a whole and that's what You listen to. You want to see the Forrest all at once and not just look at the trees. When you look (listen) at the trees you see a small increment in individual performance. But if you look at the entire performance of the music you see a huge upgrade in fidelity. This is what you want. At least that's how I can tell if its a worthy upgrade. Another thing is you have to have a frame of reference to judge the fidelity you are getting as opposed to what you had before.... How's the sound stage now as before? How is the blackness from where the music arises? To Hear the differences, you really have to know what to listen for. Remember...if you are going from a Stock power cord to 1 level up you may not hear much difference. But if from a Stock cord to 3 levels up you should hear a great improvement with run in....dont think run in is worthless

 

Oh great! I just bought one for my PrimaLuna, it's still en route.

This thread is a week late...

 

Which Pangea? I have two of them and am not complaining.

 

If it's brand spanking new let it cook a bit on something else, then try it again. Power cords are generally not shielded as there is no reason to do so. Are you sure yours is?

 

The AC9. Very dark sonics even after months of leaving them engaged. Perhaps something unique to my setup and lack of synergies. Never had issues with any other PC.

 

Unless you have a component that draws over 15amps(at full load!!)i doubt power cords are an issue.