The Truth About Power Cords and there "Real" Price to Performance

mambacfa,

Not to rain on your parade, but if your test had been made blind, i.e.  you had no clue what cord was attached at any point in time, your test would have validity. You may think you have superhuman hearing, but you could have just as easily proved confirmation bias as you did sound differences.

@turnbowm - which Bryston do you have?
- I have the B135 integrated - great value and quality.

I find your approach is very sound (’scuse the pun)...

So, I purchased one of the better performing (and more expensive) cords for my Ayre and another inexpensive cord for the LTA, saving myself several hundred dollars in the process."

And for components of the quality level of Bryston and LTA, one would need the very best power cables to achieve discernible improvements and that equates to $$$

My experience has been that (most) all components will benefit from a better power cable.

Since I make my own cables that use a Helix cable geometry (i.e. I do not simply add connectors to bulk cable) and I use them on all my components, so I did not even try the stock power cable that came with my Bryston.
- But it looked pretty standard, so I do believe it would impact the overall sound - to some extent.

Selection of "the right cable" is the challenge and most of the brands out there are not up to this task.

One brand I do regard as "worthy" for amps of this quality is Nordost. - Even so, I would probably select one of their higher end models.

As always, it all depends on how much one is willing to spend on this insane hobby.

Happy Listening - Steve

I would like to thank blumartini for inviting me to participate in this "so far" civil discussion. I rarely, if ever, participate in discussions like this since some "experts" cannot (or refuse to) understand how power cables can make a "difference" in sound quality.

As I perused through the responses, I noticed quite a few assumptions & opinions that, IMHO, are inaccurate, such as "Good Shielding is never going to hurt a power cord"... yes, good shielding but not "traditional shielding"... Traditional shielding, that most cable manufacturers choose to use, is detrimental to sound reproduction. It adds capacitance to the cable, which results in a duller, lifeless, less dynamic power cable... I would never use traditional shielding in Triode Wire Labs products for that reason. Some innovative methods of obtaining a great sounding cable can involve advanced cable geometry, use of piezoelectrics as well as advanced shielding materials that do not add capacitance to a cable...

Everything makes a difference. Yes, that is true... Yes, the receptacle you connect your power cables to can make a noticeable difference. (Please note I wrote "difference" not "Improvement").

Power cables can make a significant difference and "improvement" in sound quality. Recently (two weeks ago), I participated in FIVE rooms at the Capital AudioFest, providing the entire cable looms. I partnered with manufacturers & distributors, such as Vinnie Rossi, Gigawatt, Innuos, Daedalus Audio, Volti Audio, BorderPatrol, PI AudioGroup, Esoteric, QLN, Well Pleased A/V, GT Audio Works, Sound Insights, Pass Labs, etc. In the large Frederick Room, we had Pass Labs "best" gear... XS-150 mono blocks ($65K), XS preamp ($38K) & XS phono preamp ($45K)... Yes, placing my power cords on the Pass Labs gear made a significant improvement in sound quality... I did have the opportunity to "A-B" test the XS phono preamp in my "test set-up" at my Lab and the results were similar to many other preamps I tested. Yes, power cables can make an "improvement" in sound quality.

I'd like to also add that Triode Wire Labs offers a 30-day trial period, money-back guarantee on all its cable products... I believe blumartini stated that only one manufacturer offered that...

As far as my top of the line "Obsession NCF" power cable (6 ft. - $1399), I'd like to point out that it uses the expensive ($385 each connector ($770 of connectors per cable)) & incredible sounding Furutech FI-50 NCF series of connectors. The "Obsession NCF" competes with and exceeds performance of cables costing multiple times as much... money-back guarantee! Here's Jay's review... https://audiobacon.net/2019/08/17/27-audiophile-power-cables-reviewed/15/

In all of Triode Wire Labs products, there's exceptional value, since all TWL's products are directly-marketed with very low overhead costs.  

I'd like to thank Jay Luong for his incredible review of power cables, which much have been very exhausting... and to blumartini once again for inviting me to provide my $0.02...


Cheers,
Pete
Triode Wire Labs, Inc.
Affordable Audiophile Cables
https://www.triodewirelabs.com

@atdavid,

My point is simple:

You have "mains feed" into your breaker or fuse box at your listening location.

From there, you have a breaker or fuse that protects the circuit.  That breaker or circuit is sized according to the amperage of the circuit you will run off that breaker.

The AWG wire sizes I listed are the minimum electrical code standards for circuits of the listed amperage.  There is potentially a very LONG run of Romex that goes from that breaker / fuse box to your AC outlet.  Then you have the outlet itself. (I recommend a hospital grade outlet simply because they are robust and grip your cord tightly.)

Thinking that the last six feet of wiring after the outlet makes a difference after all of that...and thinking you can hear a difference...is crazy - unless the cable is doing something other than just transmitting the power (such as a choke / filter or power conditioning system).

Things like a Furman, PanaMax or Monster cable power conditioner DO make a difference...because they have filters and chokes that CLEAN the power.  An Emotiva CMX-2 DOES make a difference because it filters and eliminates DC offset.

Silver cords, braided cords, excessively oversized cords, etc. don't do a darn thing that is audible unless they have a choke or filter in the cable. 

A cord that is too small for the current draw will actually get hot and be a safety hazard.  

Imagine if I made two cords to prove my point that have the following construction:

• 3 feet of 12AWG Romex that plugs into your wall outlet with a Marinco or Wattgate  plug...or even wired directly to your mains box.

• The other end of that Romex would go into a junction box.  Inside that junction box will be a Marinco or Wattgate 3 prong plug that plugs into a hospital grade outlet (which is wired to the Romex) and coming out of that box would be 3 feet of a fancy twisted pair, cryo treated silver conductor, blah blah blah cord that terminates in an IEC plug that goes into your gear.

• The second box would be Romex all-the way.  Same junction box.  Same plugs.  Same outlet.  Just 6 total feet 12AWG Romex all the way to your gear.

Are any of you willing to tell me you could hear a difference?  Because that is how your house is wired.

I am confident nobody could not pass an A:B comparison noticing any difference with any consistency.