NBS Omega 4 PC can be had for around 300 USD.
Cable Influences: IC SpeakerCables Power Cord?
I recently upgraded my speaker cables from Audioquest Slate biwire to Acoustic Zen Hologram II biwire. (one of the audiogoner's favorites) in search of hugh increase in transpareny. ($200 cable to $1100 cable). The improvements are mainly in the following area: speed, tiny details and a more extended treble. I started hearing nuances in the background and instrument that I have not noticed before. Each individual instrument is more distinct and the treble has more snap. Remarkably, the overall presentation & tonal balance of the music did not change at all. I feel that this is a small step forward but probably not worth $600 (used). Does interconnects exert a bigger influence generally and power cables are even less significant? I know this is system dependent but I am asking this if this is generally true?
Sys:
Ayre CX-7 CDP
Kimber Silver Streak IC
Cary SLP 308 Pre-amp
Nordost Red Dawn IC
Audio Research VS 110
B&W Signature 805s
Sys:
Ayre CX-7 CDP
Kimber Silver Streak IC
Cary SLP 308 Pre-amp
Nordost Red Dawn IC
Audio Research VS 110
B&W Signature 805s
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- 13 posts total
Thanks for the feedback. So like everything else in the system, I guess a budget of $150 is not going to cut it, huh. Man, "just when I thought I was out...they pull me right back in..." Seriously, how about the Blue Circle BC 61/62, Kimber PK 10, Audience, or AC Master coupler? I've heard good things about them. Anyone?... Anyone?... Steve |
Stevenkc, it all depends on what you want. You should try before you buy or at least buy at such a good price point that you can sell without loosing too much $$$. Truthfully, if I had not heard better AC cords in my system, I probably would still be using stock cords. I went for many (too MANY) years oblivious to the affect of power cords on sound. The best advice I can give is never insert a component or cable or cable in your system you CANNOT afford. This especially goes for AC cords! Because once you hear it, you might not want to give it up... And if you are forced to give it up, your system sound will cause pains in your gut everytime you hear it. One good rule of thumb is if you put good AC cords on all of your components, that sound will probably exceed one stellar cord on a single component. OFC mileage may vary. KF |
In my own system I would rank improvements from cable upgrades in the following order 1) power cords 2) speaker cables 3) interconnects A couple of power cords to add to your list of possibilities are 1) Zcable Gold Lightning - $200 2) Cryo treated Acme - $??, but less than $100 The Zcable has a trial policy and treated Acme's do not. I have heard neither of these suggestions, but am making an educated guess based on having heard the original Lightning and untreated Acme's. I really liked both of these, but they did not increase the resolution of my system in the way some more expensive power cords were able to do. As for speaker cables at $600, you might get better results using a product called the Zero Autoformer that allows a user to get a better impedance match between amp and loudspeaker. I don't actually know what this means technically, but in practical terms they can potentially provide really signifigant performance gains. Zero Autoformer Website I just noticed a previous Audiogon thread on this same subject and there is a poster there that owns a system very similar to my own and he essentially recommends the opposite to my ranking. One thing to note, he has a world class power conditioner and I use none. This could explain alot. Previous Audiogon Thread |
- 13 posts total