Power Cords Snake Oil ??

The armonico Power Cord from Fono Acustica is changing the view many people have about power cords in general. I have witness how this PC truly transform the sound of a system for the better regardless of what other cables are being used in a system. I also witness how this PC has changed the minds of many none believers, while I do agree that there are lot snake oil products in the market the armonico PC is worth to try.

Hmmm...first post by Pierre620. I suspect a shill.

At $7300 - I would hope it would change peoples minds - at least in a positive direction.

There's also the TOTL - Odin Supreme Reference from Nordost @ $7000 (I believe that's the price)

Now back to the real world...

So since my first append above I have added a DH Labs Power Plus PC to my system at a very reasonable $49 for 7 ft of cable+ $40 for connectors.

Replacing the 10 awg furutech cable on my amp made no difference to the sound!
- but then it didn't get any worse :-)
- the furutech cost $250 to build myself

Replacing 15 awg Furutech DIY cable on the power conditioner however did result in a significant improvement across the board...
- improved detail across the complete frequency range
- more spacious 3D stage
- smoother highs
- deeper bass
- more dynamic

all in all - a nice little upgrade :-)

The Furutech seems to have "industrial" written all over it and would be right at home in harsh chemical environments.

The DH labs cable is not of the same build quality as the Furutech, But then it doesn't need to be because it's designed for audio use only and has great quality copper, which is the important thing here.

AND - if you search AG forums there are many references to DH Labs and their very respectable performance levels.

If you are thinking about upgrading PC's - give DH Labs Power Plus a whirl

If you live in a harsh environment - or just want a cable built like a TANK! - try the Furutech

Why did I decide to try DH Labs over other cables like Pangea? - well, their whole design philosophy made a lot of sense and they laid their designs out on the web for everyone to see, just like Furutech and Van Den Hul does.

Seeing it helps me believe it :-)

Companies that just tell me "it will sound better!"
- well that's just asking me to rub on the snake oil :-)

OK, so since my last posting I've had a chance to revamp a few parts of my system and the following is what transpired...

I looked at the bottlenecks in my power supply components and in the power supply to the phono stage and the DAC the fuses seemed the weakest link. I replaced them with push button breakers, which allowed the attached sources to really improve their performance.

I also replaced the power conditioner with a DIY power distribution centre that utilized Pass and Seymour outlets and a push button breaker for safety.

I then tried some different power cord combinations and found that the Furutech outperformed the DH Labs Encore cable - not by a lot, but it was discernible.

The DH Labs Power Plus cable is still a top performer, capable of satisfying the most dynamic power demands.

So, my new benchmark power cables are the Furutech.

But if your budget will not stretch to their price point, the DH Labs power cables are very respectable options at a much more affordable cost.

Cost conscious readers should also take a look at the Vanguard line of connectors on eBay, which are gold on copper and very affordable at $23 for a mains plug and an IEC connector.

Enjoy:-)

If power cords can't make a difference, then nothing else in this hobby should either.

If you think stranded copper wire will sound just the same as solid core, then a tube amp should sound the same as a solid state amp.

If you think 18 guage zip wire sounds as good as Crystal cable,then a 300B tube sounds the same as an el84.

But of course nothing sounds the same as anything except it's self.Especially so if the gear are constructed from different materials and in different ways.An amp is an amp,if they meet the same specs they should sound identical.But do they all sound the same?
Remember when people avoided cars made on Fidays and Mondays?
I would like to know what amp has the ideal sound, so that we can clone it?
Sorry, I've never heard a modelling amp that when compared directly to the "source" sounds exactly the same.
Somehow old black face Fender amps sound different than the newer ones do, even if the names are the same.
A synthed Hammond B3 sound is nice, but nothing can match the real vintage B3 with a Leslie 145.
They sound about the same, but it's more like listening to a recording of a B3/Hammond,while the real thing sounds like the real thing.
And that comes from working onstage in a group with a Hammond X2 played by one fellow and a real B3,Leslie, played by another.The real thing has more presence, and the sound pressure(not volume) just envelopes you more than the synth organ.

Something tells me a small 5 inch woofer will sound a bit different than a Klanghorn, even if moddeled after the Klanghorn.

I remember reading about a fellow doing a repair to Robbie Robertson's guitar years ago, and noticed that one of his pickups had more windings around the magnet than he was used to seeing.
Robbie always had a "sound" but no one knew it was all just a chance happening.The fellow at the Fender factory was nearing the end of the roll winding the pickup and decided to just let the spool run out.
The extra bit of wire made the difference in sound.
That fellow, was Seymour Duncan,and he made a name for himself out of this discovery.

But why buy any of his pickups?
Why should they sound any different than a stock pick up?

Why should a $15,000.00 Clearaudio cartridge sound any better than a $150.00 Grado?
They are both capable of doing the job.
Why spend more if you don't have to?

Well you don't.
Some folks are quite happy with a cheaper Grado, in a system of cheaper components using zip wire, stock power cords and straight into the wall.

And then there are those who aren't .

To appreciate the good stuff, you have to ween yourself away from the mediocre stuff, and forget about all the science that tells you nothing should make a difference.

That's the kind of belief in science that put the fear of falling off the edge of the earth into everyone's minds,until someone proved the science wrong.

I understand there are those who can not distinguish differences in power cords, fuses, etc,but all that proves is that they do not hear the differences.
THat doesn't mean that no one else can't or is incapable of hearing differences.
There could be many reasons for this,physical, gear related, lack of learning how to listen crtically,attention deficit disorders,or just the desire to use listening to music as a way to block out the stress of the day.Passive listening habits.
If all you want from your sound is a bit of relief, then why sweat the hard stuff trying to improve the sound?
That's just more work and stress.And it costs money, which I have other things that appeal more to me to spend it on.

But for me it's all about sweating out the details.
After I did, the listening experience was even more rewarding.

Power cords,and other things labelled snake oil have given me some of the best sound ever.
All I have to do is to take them out and go back to "stock"
to prove it to myself.
And I'm the only one I need to prove it to.