Replacement power cord Virgin.

[Chewie]

Now I have always been very sceptical about the effects of replacement power cords :Not Sure:but having read some interesting comments recently from James and Duvet on this forum concerning their power cables, I have perhaps become a bit more open minded.

As a relative newbie, having returned to the flock following a ten or twelve year absence, I would like some advice from the experienced members of the board with regard to dipping my toe in the proverbial water with replacement power cords.

So where should I start?

How much do I have to spend to receive an audible improvement?

Do I replace the cables of both my CDP and Amp?

And what cable would you recommend to a novice?

Or alternatively, am I better spending the money elsewhere? :Not Sure:

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Carl

 

[earl of sodbury]

With your kit I wouldn't look to getting anything less than Krytsal Kables "Mercury". So that you have something of a price-equivalent "industry standard" to compare with it I'd also getsome RA "Classic" powercords - try that first, then the Mercury.

Both offer a money-back guarantee, so you can't go wrong.

Your CD-P has some pretty serious inlet chokes (think the amp may, too), so I wouldn't bother with mains conditioning (less well-equippedCDPs respond well, though). Just get cords for both.

Be interested to know how you get on.

churz, eofs

 

[notaclue]

Chewie, it is hard to answer your questions because this area is very much one where opinion rules over facts. Be wary of other people's opinions: you may not share them.Always remember the two golden rules of buying cables. Namely, make sure you get a 'money back if not satisfied' guarantee and make sure any cable you buy is onion flavoured (avoid the cheaper chive flavoured cables).

 

[Effem]

Like what hizzonner said above ^^^

Musical Fidelity kit responds really well to sooper dooper mains cords, especially ones made from pure silver. You would think that having mains chokes in there the size of house bricks they wouldn't need sooper dooper wires to make them pick their skirts up and dance, but having been a former owner of the aforesaid brands and models I can assure you they do come to life quite a bit with with some decent mains cords up 'em.

By all meanstry a set from Russ Abb. . . . I mean Andrewsas well so you can directly compare performance between the two and of course the stock kettle leads.

 

[cjr]

£16. Belkin Surgemaster. I use the £6.79 4 way version of this chap and it sounds exactly the same as a £60 RA Yellow power extension cable, or did use should I say.

Good luck.

 

[Bracko]

Try before you buy on some of these http://www.the-missing-link.netYou can demo the cables and then if you like 'em you can buy them in kit form for about 1/2 the price, so if you can wire a plug you can make the cable. I bought Orbits and vfm is very good imo. I'mgoing to be demoing one of his balanced interconnects shortly. It's worth looking at some of the reviews on the site to see what other people say.

 

[mosfet]

Here’s a few facts chewie to help you see through some of the more ‘inventive’ claims of some power cable manufacturers.

1. Mains anomalies:

Wave clipping (where the peaks of the 50Hz sine wave are truncated) and frequency and voltage variations. No mains cable can correct or compensate for these; any manufacturer who claims otherwise is telling fibs.

2. Mains impedance and current supply:

A mains cable as thick as your forearm would not reduce the mains impedance (the resistance to current flow seen by the kit) and hence improve current supply to the kit by any meaningful amount. Over-sized power cables capable of carrying 20 amps or more will do nothing to improve the power supply of a piece of kit.

Under dynamic conditions an amplifier may require larger amounts of current than nominal for a brief moment. Any competently designed amplifier will include big whacking reservoir capacitors as part of the power supply to supply this.

3. Mettalurgy:

At 50Hz 230V AC silver has no objective advantage over copper.

So what can be achieved with a power cable?

If the power cable has distributed capacitance over it’s length, as a result of design, this will offer some suppression of mains harmonics (high frequency noise on the mains at MHz). For instance power cables with a weave construction.

4. Try a few..

 

[Mr Coherent]

Most definatley try a few

 

[Guest]

I'm afraid nothing i seenwritten or heard has ever settled a cable debate. So I do adopt the suck it and see appraoch. The only claims i make are those that effect my system and to my ears. The no quibble money back guarantee offered by Krystal and other vendors really do mean that you have nothing to lose. I had a hiss in the tweeters of my speakers even when the amps were at rest. Though this is only audible with your ears up close. Stuck in the Mercury power chords and suddenly nothing not a jot of hiss could be heard. Would that be enough to persuade me then the answer would be no but also there was a definite raising of the bar performace wise a. Power chords themselves impart in my opinion no sonic signature but they do let your equipment perform to the best of its ability. Hogwash. To my ears not at allbut try it yourself and see what you think. All the best Duvet.

To those of you who think its all a load of gonads . Well here are some:flasher::flasher:

all the best , peace to all.

 

[Chewie]

Thanks for the replies lads, I will have a hunt around but I don’t know how practical it will be to try a few, living in the sticks and all that.

So Krystal Kables and Russ Andrews

I am off a searching now

 

[Picard]

try coherence cables as well (mr. c).excellent IMHO.

 

[supercapman]

Don't know how much you are willing to spend, but try mains cables from Mr. Coherence of Coherent systems, the best I have heard to date, if the funds don't stretch that far then get in touch with Frank (Effem) again, superb cables for the money IMO.

 

[Dannish]

Chewie. pm your address and i will send you a lapp Kabel that is spare for you to play with.

 

[Glens of Antrim]

Hi Chewie

I was a bit skeptical about powercords too - it seemed daft to spend £80 on a glorified kettle lead ffs - & you'd think that the hifi manufacturers would included thebest cable for their their kit. They don't. But the diffence a RA classic powerkord made was massive.I found that I could listen to a CD for more than 30 minutes at a go & move the volume beyond 9 o'clock withoutmy fillings falling out.

Bought a Mercury powercord off Effem about a month ago, more in hope than expectation, on the back of some good reviews on the AVreview & Hifi Choice fora & because he answered an email query - which was more than RA did when Iasked about his Reference cords. The Mercury, imo, is 10 times better than thesimilarly priced classicpowerkord. I'd give it a whirl, you can always get your money back.

Regards GofA

 

[Chewie]

Blimey, they aren’t cheep are they?

:shock:

 

[Chewie]

andi wrote:

Chewie. pm your address and i will send you a lapp Kabel that is spare for you to play with.

Thanks for the kind offer Andi,:dude:I will drop you a pm

 

[MartinC]

Chewie wrote:

Blimey, they aren’t cheep are they?

:shock:

Not sure which ones you've looked at, but cheap compared to a £2k Nordost mains lead I expect?

 

[Guest]

Quite right Martin. Just price up a Nordost wiring loom for an amp, cd and a pair of speakers. Better make those seakers non bi-wirable.

 

[MartinC]

Duvet wrote:

Quite right Martin. Just price up a Nordost wiring loom for an amp, cd and a pair of speakers. Better make those seakers non bi-wirable.

Scary thought! My current speaker cables are 5m long too

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