I’m not after refinancing my house for a power cord only to plug it into standard 12 gauge Romax in the wall. So I’m really not looking for expensive power cords. What I would like to find are three matching good quality power cords for my Amps and phono stage. What I need are two 3 foot long, heavy duty power cords for my amps. (each power chord is powering a 200 watt tube amp) And one 2 foot long Power cord for my phonopreamp stage. I’d like it if they have really good shielding and can care for my electronics needs. I’d like to be under $150 for all three. The phon0 stage power cord cannot have a large head. All three are your standard three prong to server type female end. The factory cables are all considerably too long and while I could simply cut the heads off and put new heads on, I wouldn’t mind going to something that I know is higher quality than what ships with the products. Notes: dedicated good quality 20 amp circuit feeding 16’ of new 12 guage romax well grounded and connected to a commercial hospital style 20 amp outlet.
$150 for all 3 w/ shielding & other requirements unless you DIY seems a No-Go. Start w/ the cable & pick out the rest as needed. Power cords are the simplist DIY out there too so don't be afraid to go that route.
Agree with @2channelforever -- unless you DIY, not likely. Sounds like you just may be able to DIY. You can buy un-terminated quality cable and you get to decide how to terminate them. Or you could have someone else do it for you. Check with Patrick Cullen Home - Cullen Cable Maybe he can hook you up with something close to your price range. Or source the cables and the parts for a DIY project: Audio cables, parts, and tweaks for audiophiles - VH Audio
I started this thread instead of just pulling the trigger on something because I thought I might learn something. And I’ve been reading here and there a little bit. One of the concerns I’m starting to have, is the devil that is my insurance company. Murphy created his law because he obviously followed me around in life. From dealing with hurricane damage and my insurance company I know they love to squirm and get out of anything they can. And with my Schleprock luck, If a house fire started anywhere those insurance yo-yos would walk over and say that it’s because my amps cord isn’t UL listed. Maybe that sounds silly to many. But believe me, if it’s going to happen, it will happen to me.
top choices on a budget! Best Deal, well balanced. Audience Forte F3 PowerChord BIG soundstage, Tight and Dynamic. Wireworld Aurora 7 Power Cord Well balanced! https://www.thecableco.com/cables/power-cables/mojo-high-current-power-cord.html Much like the above DH Labs Silver Sonic Encore Power Cord – The Cable Company
Not to me it doesn't. I can easily imagine an insurance company squirming out on whatever pretext. "Oh sir, it appears you were playing music that was too compressed, which overheated the amplifier, therefore it is your fault and we are denying your claim" --> this implies that before buying any tweako cables, we should be asking if they are UL listed...
I’ve found hospital grade power cables to sound quite good. Lots to be found on Amazon or various electrical supply sites, and not expensive at all. The heads are a tad large though, so might not work for your phono stage. It’s this type with the colorful translucent heads I’m referring to: I first looked into theses after reading a ranking of ten power cables. Someone had marketed a typical hospital grade cable like this with the brand name Jellyfish. I quickly discovered the Jellyfish was no longer being sold, but there were lots of cables that looked identical on Amazon so went ahead ordered one. My ears told me that indeed, this type of hospital grade power cable sounded significantly better than stock cables. An inexpensive way to improve sound quality and worth trying, especially if on a limited budget IMHO.
Not expensive and good performance, sometimes quite excellent performance based on the component - I own quite a few MagicPower and MagicPower Digital cables for spots in my system I don't need the last bit of ultra high performance and cost. Signal Cable: Power Cables
I highly recommend these nice cables. Supra LoRad Power Cable CS-US with Terminations: Madisound Speaker Components (madisoundspeakerstore.com) I'm pleased with the one I use on my 1500 watt sub and I think they're tough to beat especially at their low price.
I was going to say Supra LoRad but $50 each would mean making your own. Not hard to do but an insurance company would be happy to deny a claim over that.
Here's something inexpensive and works: Archimago's Musings: MEASUREMENTS: Do power cables make a difference with audio amplifiers? I know all kinds of people believe/hear all kinds of things. Don't worry about it, IMO. Get a good gauge cable and buy for the looks and durability, not some purported "sound quality" that some people get all excited about. The 100-200V 50/60Hz AC doesn't care.
Here we go. The PC Police have arrived. Who needs a Bugatti, my Corolla does 65mph just the same and seats more people with a larger trunk.
I added one of these to an amazon order and plugged in my integrated. Ahdunno. I think it sounded better. (I don't have the patience or the a good enough audio memory to keep plugging and unplugging again and again.) At some point I might have a dedicated room with all the right gear to make esoteric power cables worthwhile. But until then, for $15, this'll do, Pig.
Ice age audio. I’ve never owned any,but I’ve heard really,really good things about them. They may be a bit over your budget though.
Pat McGinty (Meadowlark digispeakers) includes the Audience Forte F3 power cords (scroll down to post #274 to read his thoughts on stupidexpensive cords) with his gear. Then again he says 50k of his speakers smoke a 200k conventional system so hes probably full of it.
got three of these for 35 each for 3ft. 40 for 4ft. 10awg. the difference they make is truly amazing. you can now hear my bass in the next block.
Nelson Pass says all Pass Labs amplifiers are supplied with high quality power cables that are more than capable of providig the current and power his amplifiers can deliver. They are basic high quality heavier duty power cables.
Yeah. If Nelson chose it, listened to it and liked it Id use it too. Same with some PS Audio Gear but Pauls cords aren't cheap either. There are a number of companies that ear-choose the cords and include them with the product. But many of them will tell you if you like something different (Nelson has said this in interviews) use it and enjoy! If someone like Nelson wants a something different he'll just swap out a tiny component inside but im not doing that so i do what I can easily. But Yeah there are lots of cheaper cords that sound great. You just have to listen to them yourself and decide what you want and if you even care. Many just dont care, it all sounds the same. And some hear a difference - it can be a rabbit hole when that happens Otherwise just use what came with it unless you want Jewelry/Audio-bling. I dont, I cover the cords up as best I can, don't want to see them. Plain Dull Black is Best for me - no bling.
Spent some time a few years ago with a handful of variously priced power cords, as well as one I made from components from parts express. Not saying that $$$ cords weren’t better, just that I could discern no differences. Now all my cords are carol 12/3 wire with wattgate ends. About $50 per.
This kind of has to be the mantra on this whole subject. Things might matter, but not the same to everyone.
How about used? I've purchased a PC from TMR and it turned out to be a great addition to my system. There are a bunch in your price range and some even below $100.00: Accessories - Power Cables - Page 1 - The Music Room
