I am ashamed

[izeek]

I've been pretty much an objectivist on cables till today. It shouldn't matter scientifically.
I bought new power cable just because one them wouldn't stay seated after long last.
I bought some pretty nice looking power cables from Amazon. Spent about $100 for three.
From the very start, something is noticeably different. Audio memory is non-existent but stuff just is...different.
The wife sat down and after a few minutes, asked me what I did. She was cooking when I put them in.
The bass significantly improved in strength and most especially, in detail. The mids are right where I like them. They are in balance. And the highs are tamed and no longer nearing fatiguing. Almost no boom anywhere.
The crispness of a snare attack. A brush dragged across a snare while being hit with a rimshot.
The depth at low volume. An improvement in timing??
The cables are chinese stuff with an awg of 10. I bought them on looks even if that isn't rational. (I've been excoriated on a couple other forums I'm on for even buying them for the looks since I won't be able to see them and since they wouldn't improve performance.
And they aren't even burned in!
Something else I hadn't believed in but will see after 50hrs.roflmaooo

 

[BlueFox]

This is 2021. The power cable debate was settled years ago. Power is the foundation for a stereo, and power cables matter.

 

[Frenchrooster]

Ask your wife to cook them more

 

[izeek]

Ask your wife to cook them more

Poor attempt at humor.

 

[PeterA]

I've been pretty much an objectivist on cables till today. It shouldn't matter scientifically.
I bought new power cable just because one them wouldn't stay seated after long last.
I bought some pretty nice looking power cables from Amazon. Spent about $100 for three.
From the very start, something is noticeably different. Audio memory is non-existent but stuff just is...different.
The wife sat down and after a few minutes, asked me what I did. She was cooking when I put them in.
The bass significantly improved in strength and most especially, in detail. The mids are right where I like them. They are in balance. And the highs are tamed and no longer nearing fatiguing. Almost no boom anywhere.
The crispness of a snare attack. A brush dragged across a snare while being hit with a rimshot.
The depth at low volume. An improvement in timing??
The cables are chinese stuff with an awg of 10. I bought them on looks even if that isn't rational. (I've been excoriated on a couple other forums I'm on for even buying them for the looks since I won't be able to see them and since they wouldn't improve performance.
And they aren't even burned in!
Something else I hadn't believed in but will see after 50hrs.roflmaooo

Thank you for sharing your experience. About what is there to be ashamed? Something similar happened in my system when I switched to the stock power cords and then to old cheap Chinese power cords. The system suddenly sounded in balance and my overall satisfaction improved pretty dramatically.

Power cables do matter because they can sound so different from each other. About this, I think most people seem to agree.

 

[Gregadd]

No need to be ashamed. I am a power cord skeptic. The arguments against pc are entirely reasonable. How could the last few feet of cable make a difference?
So I purchased a used pair of Martin Logan CLS1. They came with generic power cords that appeared to have been taken from garden variety appliances. I sought to replace them. I found a company that seemed competent, a charged reasonable prices, and did not make outrageous claims. DH LABS.
The cables had audiophile appeal. They were five feet long and heavy.
Iknew instantly they made a difference-for the worst. The sound was thin and lifeless. As burn in occurred gradually, it exceeded it's former glory.
Note: As far as the pc debate being settled. I guess that depends on your audience. We will settle for one convert at a time.

 

[Frenchrooster]

Poor attempt at humor.

no need to be agressIve man. I am not a power cord skeptic, neither a burn in reality skeptic .
but as you mentioned that your wife was cooking and your cables need a burn in, I was tempted by that poor attempt of humour, I agree.

 

[thedudeabides]

The arguments against pc are entirely reasonable.

Absent using your ears, that is a true statement.

 

[spiritofmusic]

no need to be agressIve man. I am not a power cord skeptic, neither a burn in reality skeptic .
but as you mentioned that your wife was cooking and your cables need a burn in, I was tempted by that poor attempt of humour, I agree.

We have a phrase in UK when things are going swimmingly..."now things are cooking on gas".

 

[andromedaaudio]

I am a power cord skeptic

Im not actually .
I tried without powercords , sounds awful.

 

[Al M.]

No need to be ashamed. I am a power cord skeptic.

Me too, and no, I'm not ashamed either. I use $ 10 generic cords on my expensive preamp/amp combo, as well as on anything else.

I do have isolation transformers for my digital components. Those actually do something .

 

[matakana]

We have a phrase in UK when things are going swimmingly..."now things are cooking on gas".

Remember Spirit, gas is petrol over the pond.

 

[Gregadd]

I'm not actually .
I tried without power cords , sounds awful.

I sense your tongue is planted firmly in cheek.

 

[andromedaaudio]

I sense your tongue is planted firmly in cheek.

Sorry , i couldnt help myself . .

 

[izeek]

no need to be agressIve man. I am not a power cord skeptic, neither a burn in reality skeptic .
but as you mentioned that your wife was cooking and your cables need a burn in, I was tempted by that poor attempt of humour, I agree.

no need to be agressIve man. I am not a power cord skeptic, neither a burn in reality skeptic .
but as you mentioned that your wife was cooking and your cables need a burn in, I was tempted by that poor attempt of humour, I agree.

Yea, I did say she was. I'm flinchy because I find there are a whole lot of unhumorous folk on these audio forums. I appreciate your follow-up.

 

[sbo6]

Great to hear you're realizing there's more to cables than measurements and specs. As for the topic being settled, that depends on the forum, but I will tell you that as you climb the audio gear ladder cables matter more and more. Happy listening!

 

[DaveC]

Great to hear you're realizing there's more to cables than measurements and specs. As for the topic being settled, that depends on the forum, but I will tell you that as you climb the audio gear ladder cables matter more and more. Happy listening!

Almost every high end system would be changed to a large degree by changing the cables.

As high end electronics and speakers get better they also get more resolving, clearer and there are less instances of major flaws in product offerings. This makes the contribution of cables and AC power more evident. I'm not sure the same can be said for cables, there are still a wide variety of designs on the market and thus a wide variety of results. I believe this is due to our inability to fully understand the subject, which results in almost exclusively empirical design processes.

Also, there is the tendency of many to use cables to fine-tune their system, which is understandable, but there's the danger of judging the system and making choices on components and setup based on how their inferior cables sound. This makes it more likely to choose components and even speakers that compensate for the colorations and non-neutral character of the cables currently in use.

So this results in lot of trial and error finding "synergy"...a proper definition of synergy might be the art of compensating for coloration of one aspect of a system by choosing complimentary colorations in another part of the system. The problem with this is coloration reduces resolution, so the end result is of lower fidelity than it could be.

Considering this, in some systems... for example a super clean and low distortion YG and Dag system... cables may end up being THE most important part of a system. OTOH, I might be biased...

 

[Frenchrooster]

Yea, I did say she was. I'm flinchy because I find there are a whole lot of unhumorous folk on these audio forums. I appreciate your follow-up.

I can understand your first post, because we don’t know each other and I was a bit direct...Glad all is restored now.

 

[sbo6]

Almost every high end system would be changed to a large degree by changing the cables.

As high end electronics and speakers get better they also get more resolving, clearer and there are less instances of major flaws in product offerings. This makes the contribution of cables and AC power more evident. I'm not sure the same can be said for cables, there are still a wide variety of designs on the market and thus a wide variety of results. I believe this is due to our inability to fully understand the subject, which results in almost exclusively empirical design processes.

Also, there is the tendency of many to use cables to fine-tune their system, which is understandable, but there's the danger of judging the system and making choices on components and setup based on how their inferior cables sound. This makes it more likely to choose components and even speakers that compensate for the colorations and non-neutral character of the cables currently in use.

So this results in lot of trial and error finding "synergy"...a proper definition of synergy might be the art of compensating for coloration of one aspect of a system by choosing complimentary colorations in another part of the system. The problem with this is coloration reduces resolution, so the end result is of lower fidelity than it could be.

Considering this, in some systems... for example a super clean and low distortion YG and Dag system... cables may end up being THE most important part of a system. OTOH, I might be biased...

I wouldn't say there's a wide variety of designs as most are very similar topologies - spiraled pairs (or more) of high conductive wire in insulative sleeves. The variability may be in the conductor and insulator type but most are the same.

Also, I agree mostly with your supposition that cables can lead to less than objective assessments of components as they add their own "flavor". But I think once you reach a certain point, a certain level of quality in your system including cables that it becomes more a matter of personal taste and more "goodness".

Maybe the lesson is - ensure your cables (whatever brand you chose) are primarily commensurate to the quality (and cost?) of your system or you likely won't reap all the potential rewards of your system. I think we've all heard / seen that 6+ figure system with el cheapo cables and thought, "Imagine how much better it would sound with xx cables".

 

[Hear Here]

I wonder which cables the OP bought - 3 Chinese ones for $100?

I'm a sceptic but have changed most of the supplied cables with ones using Belden 19364 cable

It is quite heavy enough for 240 volt supply (and probably 110 V) and is made with oxygen-gree copper and includes a drain wire and foil screen. What is genuinely likely to be better than thisrelatively inexpensive cable?

Belden 19364 Audio-Grade Mains Cable sold per metre for DIY

Belden 19364 Mains Cable Per Metre for DIY

www.mcru.co.uk