Are manufacturer AC cables good enough?
No manufacturer is going to hobble the performance of a product by supplying a sub-par pc; after all, the goal is to sell the product, and they know people will check it out beforehand (or at least most people will). But... in the "lower" range of HEA, it's all about price point. So that's a factor. And as you move up to the "higher" range, manufacturers know that the buyer will almost certainly want to use their own flavor of pc, so what's the point of including an really expensive one. |
Then what's left? What else can differentiate one power cord from another?Well - it's a lot more complicated - to start with, I have found the following affects all cables - not just power cables... - Connectors - you need quality connectors with plated solid copper pins - my preference is silver plated Sonar Quest connectors - the IEC plugs clamp like a vice - Quality wires - either OCC Silver or OCC copper - the fewer strands the better, but solid copper or Solid silver wire will fracture if the cable is constantly moved - I now use 4 strands of solid 18 gauge OCC copper for amp power cables and one strand of 18 gauge solid silver wire for source components. I use a different type wire for neutral and ground wires. - Insulation that has a low Dielectric Constant (D.C.) - Teflon is too high at 2.1 - below 1.5 is best - I now use wire from VH Audio that has mains rated (600v) AirLok insulation with a D.C. less than 1.45 - A well designed cable geometry that mitigates cable related noise - I use a Helix geometry, but there are others to consider. If you want to see inside a well designed power cable take a look at the Inakustik web site.. https://www.in-akustik.de/en/cables-and-accessories/reference-selection/power-cables/ Nordost also build great cables, but they don’t share their design so openly I build my own cables, so I can control every aspect - and I build to the requirements of each component. One power cable does not necessarily work well for every component Hope that helps - Steve |
Think of the power cord that comes with your gear as a "courtesy" power cord, just to get you going. @millercarbon explained this very well above. Whether you are happy with the stock power cords or want to try "after market" power cord, that's all up to you. Have you every tried to call / email Ayre and ask? |
Power cords are included as a courtesy, just like patch cords. You aren't meant to actually use them. They are meant to stay wrapped in the plastic bag in the box to be passed along with the owner's manual to the next guy.This reminds of a "trick" that the owner of a hi-fi shop does all the time when selling "open box" (returned) items: Oh look... this was not even powered on ... the power cord is still in the plastic wrapper !! |
