Once in a while the stock power cord sounds pretty good and
various aftermarket cords can muck up the sound. It's
happened in my past systems. Some aftermarket power cords
can make very little difference. One problem is that you
can't try every power cord out there. The one that is best
in your system may be out of reach and too pricey, or
totally unknown. Sometimes aftermarket power cords can make
your system sound better. Some can add bass and weight to
the sound, and some take away bass. Some add bass weight and
reduce the highs (this seems typical) but the reverse can
happen too. There's no set answer for what can happen, but
power cords usually alter the sound for better or worse.
Sometimes I feel like I've expected a power cord to make too
big a change. I've learned this is folly. The component
makes the big difference. A good power cord I use is the 8+
by Triode Wire Labs. These come with a 30 day trial period.
If I were starting out in what I call the "power cord
jungle" I would only deal with power cords that have at
least a 30 day trial period, so I could make a return if
necessary. This removes your risk. In various systems over
the years I have owned power cords up to $950 used. |
1. yes!
2. You will have to try the various makes/models in order to deterimine the correct 'fit' for your rig.
Happy Listening |
I heard a distinct improvement when I swapped out a stock PC with AntiCable's Level 3 PC particularly with my phono amp - the AntiCable is a braided design which is inexpensive and offers a return policy. |
"I've swapped some high end and less so cords in and out for fun and it pretty much always sounds great regardless."
Power cords and similar fringe tweaks have the advantage of not having much down side. They all work pretty well, but performance of gear can certainly vary to an audible extent that might still be better or worse in any case depending on what on starts with and then changes to.
But the differences are subtle on the large scale of things I would say, so its hard to go away unhappy because a power cord ruined the sound.
Same true with other tweaks targeting "audiophile" kooks like us ranging from fringe-to-placebo IMHO like isolation devices, fuses, clocks, flying saucers, even ICs though to a lesser extent perhaps.
At least with wires, fuses and other actual electrical devices, its not as much of a stretch to envision how some difference might result, though proving cause/effect conclusively when it comes to effect on sound quality is elusive at best. |
The entire line of Shunyata PC's are designed to reduce the travel of noise and RF which is present in almost every home, and is often created by the gear itself. The negative effect can be subtle or major. Which cable for what spot in your system is really the question. If you don't hear a difference, most likely your system is not worthy of the investment. Most are. |
I have a 502p with a beefy power cord of unknown provinance that somebody gave me, and it sounds great...really great, but attaining a "significant" difference from AC cables might be illusive. I've swapped some high end and less so cords in and out for fun and it pretty much always sounds great regardless. I have it and and another power amp plugged into a PS Audio Humbuster III (more for the other amp which is SS and used rarely for a pair of deck speakers) which has a sensible transformer noise killing design, and having tried various so-called "premium" power cables with very difficult to detect little to no improvement having led me to not give a damn about them. I'm lucky I guess...I do use a PS Audio "garden hose" type AC cord on my REL sub, mostly because it was a cheap used thing and looks cool, but it had no audible effect on the sound of the sub. Good AC wall plugs (again, PS Audio Power Ports) make sense but I'm not sure if the SOUND is better, but the grip on the cable is great so there's that. The claims of what expensive AC cables might do are silly to me, but I do think that better power supplies with chokes and other sorts of filtering can be helpful. |
I hear a difference with Pangea AC14SE cords on my DACs that I would attribute to lower noise and distortion. This Pangea model is designed specifically for that with line level components, ie source gear and pre-amps.
Power amps are different. More about current delivery capabilities than noise. Pangea AC9 model is for that. I have not tried these to date.
Main thing is always have a clear reason to use a particular product in each case based on problem to be addressed and how designed to address it. All power cords are different. It's a potshot otherwise.
Never buy anything just because it has been labeled "audiophile". That is a useless adjective for describing gear. It may be a good product or not. It may be the right solution, or not. There may be other solutions out there not so labeled to be marketed to "audiophiles" that might work better, or not.
All the "audiophile" label means for sure is that you will likely pay a premium for whatever you actually get. |
They definitely make a difference in most cases but not always necessarily better. I have tried enough in my system to determine stock cords are better sounding to me. YMMV. |
I have tried a few brands and gave up when heard some DIY cables a friend of mine is making. To get a good cable that makes your system play MUSIC (not only a power cord) you have to pay a lot of money to get one that is really something. With a good DIY you should get it for much less.
So, my advise is just to consider a DIY cable. Good luck :) |
Hi Al2214
I have the same Jolida JD 502P amp that you have. I was using a stock 14 AWG power cord with it at first and then got a Shunyata Venom 3 power cord for about $100. I just had to give it a try as I wouldn't take too much of a hit on resale of that cord. With the Venom 3 in place it was hard for me to notice a difference in sound in my system. I think I've hit the wall with sonic performance for my system. This may vary for you though. With my Jolida I found the adjustment that made the most changes sonically were swapping out the 12AX7 tubes followed by the power tubes.
Audiophile power cords can make a difference as explained by many here but it is very system and user dependent.
If your room hasn't been treated already I'd focus there first before going overboard with tube rolling, power cord swapping or changing ICs and SCs. |
play with one with return policy. if you don't hear differences, you've just saved lots of money you can purchase media. |
(1) Yes
(2) Without knowing the rest of your system including inter alia, source, all electronics, speakers, AND all the other cables in your kit, it is impossible to blindly recommend one. Choosing one blindly is a gamble at best. Without knowing more, all you can get back in these blogs are heavily biased personal value judgements that are functionally useless otherwise.
System synergy matters ... big time. Just because it sounds good in one guy's rig is no basis to assume that it will sound good in your system. .
There is no substitute in:
(a) first doing your homework for YOUR system requirements; and then
(b) also doing actual in-house auditions to swap them in and swap them out
to see what sounds best. There is no other magic bullet. Good luck. |
