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DIY PCs

I am thinking about upgrading my system power cables.  First off, I should confess that I am an objectivist and a cable skeptic.  That said, I see nothing wrong with a little bling in the cable department.  I don't think any of the present PCs are stock, they are lab grade molded connector types suitable for lab test equipment.  I will need four PCs: Pass INT-150, Oppo UDP-205, and 2 x ML Montis.  I will most likely go DIY and would like to spend around $50 each.  Any suggestions?  Thanks in advance for your replies.
jtucker
danager's avatar
danager
955 posts
 
As  a recently converted power cable skeptic I have heard the difference a single power cable makes but I struggle spending more for a cable than I did for the system (I'm cheap and buy a lot used).
Amazon is your friend and I just purchased 2 10AWG power cables for my amp and my DAC.  I liked what I heard and they were in your budget.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=power+cable+10awg&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
I couldn't build them for this price.

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
It is very easy to demonstrate and prove the difference a power cord can make. Cables wind up being just about as important as any other component. Nevertheless a lot of people have a mental mind block. Until you are able to get over this the smartest thing to do is buy stuff like danager mentioned that is already made for less than you could make it.
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
At $50, you are not going to get anything that is a significant improvement over stock cables.  In fact, the sound may actually be worse in some areas, depending on what you get, such as gold-plated plugs or even bare copper plugs.  The bare copper plugs are not that bad, but not as good as plated.

I'm very surprised that you would only be spending $50 on a power cable against equipment worth many thousands of dollars, lol. 

If you DIY, probably the best you are going to do is to get some Wattgate "Classis" series plugs ($24 for IEC plug and $16 for Male plug).  DO NOT BUY the Wattgate EVO plugs!!!  They use hex head clamp screws which strip really easily.  Then buy some 12awg construction power cord from home depot and terminate using the Wattgate plugs.
soix
9,621 posts
 
There are so many good cable makers these days who sell direct and offer generous trial periods, why not just try one of those?  You can get a Cullen Cable Red Copper PC for $81, which isn’t much more than your DIY target?  Then again, good cable by the foot from Furutech, DH Labs, etc. along with Wattgate, etc., connectors are readily available that you might have fun cobbling together.  Either way, I’d be surprised if you don’t hear a meaningful benefit from upgrading over stock cables.  Best of luck. 
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