@jasonbourne52 you keep repeating yourself, like those annoying commercials between two Youtube videos. Yawn.
Power cords or power conditioner
I’m at a cross roads and I’m looking for some advice from those have have gone down this road. I recently added a 2 channel integrated amplifier to improve my 2 channel performance. I had been using my Datasat LS-10 for music and while it sounded really nice, it was missing the depth and clarity that I know my speakers are capable of. My speakers are KEF Reference 3s, rest of my 2 channel set is is as follows:
Luxman L 509x
Luxman D-03x
Roon Nucleus Plus
Lumin U2 Mini
Transparent Audio Super speaker cables
Nordorst Red Dawn XLR, Blue Heaven USB
Wire World Platinum USB
All power cables are DYI using Oyaide Tsunami V2 cable
So what I feel I am missing is that 3D holographic sound stage. It was there with the Luxman 509 when I demo’d it, but I am unable to get that experience at my house. I feel that majority of equipment is up to the task but I am curious if I should ad a top shelf power condtioner like a Shunyata Triton or Torus AVR20 into the system or replace my Intergrated’s power cord with a Shunyata Alpha NC? I’m getting tapped out, so for now it can only be one or the other.
Or should I skip the above and focus on room treatments?
122 responses Add your response
@wheelndeal1099 I've never tried a good power conditioner - something to do in the future, for sure (if I still have money after energy bills and black market food, that is) but I've had some power cords having a deep effect on depth and width of the stage, amongst many other benefits. My take on it however is that if you go for a power conditioner, you will still need good power cords... everything matters. |
Sure, I'll pile on with more anecdotal stuff.. What is very interesting is the general and maybe overall support for power cables, but such a mixed range of support on cables relating to the actual signal itself. A few folks mentioned power conditioner 'no' cables 'yes', it's in the power arena I personally have experienced the least in SQ change either way - sure if the power cord is flimsy, absolutely go 12AWG copper or something, but haven't had these changes significantly impact.. What did benefit me in a huge way was ripping out a power conditioner I had - this thing acted as such a sound suffocator it was unreal. In fact, doing that and realizing the improvement it made me go the other way in maximizing power wire gauge all the way through the chain, building my own star-wired boxes w/12awg, and even adding copper outlets and plugs - while fun, none of it really made much impact beyond removing the power conditioner, it affected my DAC the most, like a blanket over the speakers. |
@wheelndeal1099 "I have an 80" TV in the middle of my sound stage so I tossed a thick blanket over it and it helped. " - I suggest you try diffusion instead (you could try any similarly sized uneven surface) - Absorb first reflections on the side walls - To finetune yr spark placement, try listening to only one speaker - Regarding power chords, are you using good quality connectors? They make up much for the difference in sound. Good luck! |
@rickysnit some of the (cheaper) power cords I purchased did absolutely nothing. But most of the other ones I own made me go through a "wow" moment, when placed on the right device. I don't think there's an universal power cord that works its magic on source and amps, digital and analog... |
Given the spectrum of opinions, I think that we can conclude that you should buy your power cables, conditioners and regenerators with the ability to try and return if they don't meet your expectations. Also, you must be willing to spend big money if you have high expectations. I spent more on power than any one component and I purchased with 60 day return..but the benefit was not subtle. It is hard to spend money on that last six feet. It just doesn't make sense that this would make a difference..but it can if you go all out and not buy an intermediate solution. |
And some that reach differing conclusion. I’ll agree that if you buy one make sure you can return it. |
@holmz I never plug my amplifiers into power conditioners.
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@thyname I see you are getting vexed again. So the OP has von H and myself in violent agreement on that part, even though we are coming at it from two differing perspectives. Maybe the OP does not wish to hear that advice, but I do not need to seek your approvals to reiterate Von H’s sage advice. If you want to urge the OP to get a cable without a return policy then you’re free to that… Don’t feel you need to get my approval first, just opine on his cord decision questions… just chuck what ever is germane to the OP’s topic, which coincidentally, a swipe in my direction is straying off of the question and appears like some personal beef, or you are getting too emotionally vexed when reading sage advice. let it go…. |
Yeah @juanmanuelfangioii me either. I seem be under the impression that you have quite stack of equipment, but I am not sure that is correct. If there is a certain amp that responds well to a cord, or doesn’t, then that would be kind of useful if one was putting together sort of spreadsheet for amps and cords. And a similar deal for front end gear and power conditioners… or front end gear and cords also seems like it would be an aid. |
Whellndeal1099, if you are looking for a better soundstage I think you should try DSP instead of power treatments. Paradigm sells the Link Preamp for $199 and it comes with a microphone and their ARC room correction software or you can get a minidsp running dirac. If you want to try a power conditioner check out ADD-POWR.
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@wheelndeal1099 Could you please reveal your source for "All power cables are DYI using Oyaide Tsunami V2 cable." I have been unable to source it in the USA. Thanks! |
I enjoy music and have tried power cords and power conditioners. I had a furman power distributor- perhaps more of a surge protector than conditioner. Then I tried Shunyata Venom NR10 power cables on my DAC/ network player and I perceived an impact on the lower frequencies being clearer and the reduction of ‘noise’. The volume would be at the same level but the space between notes was clearer.
Replacing the furman with Shunyata venom resulted in a drop in the noise floor. Overall impact was detail in lower end - seemed like I added a subwoofer because of the immediacy of bass drums, detail clarity during peaks etc.
Is my mind playing tricks and giving me confirmation bias - maybe I like how it sounds and listen to more music so there’s that My advice is experiment and listen to as many systems as you can What’s the worse thing that can happen?
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I won't enter an opinion for the idea of power cables/conditioners. Instead, as probably has been stated, do all that you can physically with the listening environment first. I should take the advice that i give here. When reading such books as Jim Smiths 'Get better sound' there are many ideas that can be tried out for free, and if they work as prescribed you are ahead of the game before spending extra money on other attempts to improve your systems performance at large. Tweaks are fine, if you so desire, after the physics that can be dealt with are dealt with first. |
@wheelndeal1099, if anything I’d get a half decent power conditioner with a good power cable simply to protect that $10,000 Luxman amplifier of yours. Some say you don’t need them. But what if the transmission lines or the pole pig outside your house gets struck by lightning? Chances are that’s not going to happen. But you never know. I’m a disciple of the “everything in a systems matters” church of audiophilia. From the wall socket to your brain, every piece of gear, cables, and interconnects, can affect your music listening experience. If you don’t address the matter of having clean power and minimal RFI and EMI running through your system, then I guarantee you that you’ll always be wondering why your music playback setup doesn’t give you goosebumps with the songs that you enjoy the most. This article gave me a good look at your Luxman CD/DAC. Luxman makes some really nice stuff! But before you go all crazy jumping down the power supply, conditioner, cable, rabbit hole, I suggest demoing a better DAC. To my ears I found the sound of Luxman DACs to be too polite. Very smooth and full bodied. Just not exciting. |
It looks like a magic trick… That loop of wire actually creates a coil, and the inductance will result is decreasing the voltage, and spreading the pulse out over time. It is the same as a lightening spike on a roof, and then running it around the eaves to bolt it on to the slide of the building. Any lightening strike will see that bend in the wire as a huge impedance due to the inductance, and it’ll just arc in a straight line from the eaves towards the ground or to the somewhere on the cable in a straighter path. |