Hi. I recent bought some kaplan cables which i like very much. You can get at tweekgeek, in your price range, and I believe you can return within 30 days if not happy. Lots of discussion of these on audio circle. good luck |
Nasaman,
What "recipe" did you use for your Home Depot-baked cable? What gear did you use it with and what did you compare it to?
I made a 12 gauge cable to replace the 18 gauge dedicated lamp cord on my AMC integrated amplifier and it made a huge difference in overall presentation. Better bass, better musical flow, smoother but more extended treble, and able to play noticeably louder before compressing sound.
Could attribute most of this difference to larger gauge, twisted geometry and better(?) dialectric material. No easy way to compare with other amp cables without sacrificing IEC connector/finish - partly why I made my own.
My recipe:
-Pass & Seymour/Legrand PS5266-XGCM Heavy Duty AC plug
-Carolprene® Jacketed Type SJOOW 90ºC 300 Volt UL /CSA Portable Cord, 12 gauge - 5 ft. (essentially, bulk water pump or replacement hand tool cable)
-light coating of Mapleshade SILCLEAR on all connections
-wire nuts + electrical tape for internal connection
Total cost including tax $17.69 (SILCLEAR was on hand)
For building complete cable for exchange use between gear - I would probably experiment with different wire types. Note that IEC connectors would double the cost of a homemade budget cable |
bump...
I use krell too.. The 400xi & DVD showcase. |
neutron;
here are my thoughts;
1.try Mapleshade cords.it is almost as good as Argento MR ,which in my opinion,are amongst the best around.and it cost so little it is just increadible!!!!
2.you should try the mapleshade IC and sp cables too..again unbelievable value for money.
3.you MUST cook your cables with the Audiodharma cable cooker.I have one for myself but you could easily find a dealer who could cook it for you for a small fees.anyone I know who has had their cables cook will not listen to an uncook cable again.
4.finally all cables should be treated by deoxit gold. it just sound better.
cheers |
Neutron,
Wow! Deja Vu. Are you me? We almost have identical electronics (minus the Cambridge and MIT) and the types of music. Scary!
I was going to post couple P/C that I didn't like, but, to my experience, what I didn't like yesterday, didn't mean I don't like them today. Since I spend a lot of time playing (mix /match) with my system and friends', it's good to keep them all. Some of them sound flat in my system but they sound very detail and punchy in my buddy's or with diff combination of ICs.
Sorry, I didn't mean to give you a run around, but that's my .02. Just feel confident to buy what you can afford and the most popular ones. (You can always resell them here at the A'gon for any reason.) I have not seen any of P/C that is awfully bad except for my DIY from HomeDepot ones.
Don't forget to keep us posted. I'll be watching your posts closely since I have the SF GP Home series (front port) too. If color is matter, mine is in Cheery wood, lol.
As Tom92602 says, P/Cs make HUGE diff. and I hope others may shy you a brighter light.
Good lcuk, |
Since when do we listen to cables based on what color they are? One of the more ridiculous statements I've heard here on the Gon. |
Some ideas below in your stated price range (mostly).
1. I would contact The Cable Company and ask what they recommend for your gear in that range.
http://www.thecableco.com/expertForm.php
2. For your Cambridge 840C I would check out the JPS Labs Digital AC power cord and the Shunyata Research Diamondback Platinum and Taipan Helix VX (the latter a very good deal right now on close out, but still over your stated budget) - I can vouch that the Shunyata cords sound very good with Cambridge Audio CD players
3. For your Krell, I would suggest you check out the Analysis Plus Power Oval 10 and Power Oval 2, the JPS Labs's THE POWER AC +, VH Audio Flavor 4 Power Cables
with the upgraded Furutech connectors and the Shunyata Research Copperhead and Taipan Helix Alpha (also a very good deal right now on close out, but also over your stated budget)
4. Once you get your new power cables, you may want to upgrade or downgrade your power conditioner. Try plugging your gear directly into the wall socket and see if it sounds "better" or "worse" than routed trough your conditioner. If you live in a single family residence with decent wiring, chances are your system will sound better with no conditioner at all. If this is the case, and you still need a power bar for multiple AC connections, I suggest you check out this low cost but excellent solution:
http://generubinaudio.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=GRAS&Product_Code=Wmold&Category_Code=acc
If you are an apartment/condo dweller, more intensive power conditioning MAY BE necessary. Trick in this case is to clean power up a bit without sterilizing it (i.e. clipping musical transients). This may cost a lot of money to get truly transparent filtering - if such a thing exists at all.
Good luck. |
Cables asside neutron....You might consider going up the chain on a power conditioner too?that has hugh impact as well. |
Power cords make a HUGE difference in sound.
I would never have believed it if I hadn't
just tried them.
I keep trying different power cords. I ordered an
Acoustic Zen Tsunami to try out. Don't have it yet
but read it's a great powercord for the price.
Audience is supposed to be another winner but I haven't
tried it yet..
I considered the Shunyata Tiapan Helix but when I
saw to purple/lavender sleeve on both ends I decided
those guys at Shunyata are idiots. Like I want to see
a bunch of lavender colored cables when I listen to my
music. I don't know why others haven't complained about
the hideous color.. |
My venture into the power cable end of audio is somewhat limited to just using shunyata products.Just upgraded to the helix range on every thing,power cond included.Wow what a differance.Not sure if your Quintet is passive?that might not be important to you...your krell will definatly need a descent cable.The cd player is not to be overlooked either. |
Hi Folks,
Thanks for the input. Yes, some additional details would be helpful, so here it goes.
Sonus Faber, Grand Piano Home (newer front ported)
MIT speaker cables
Transparent ic's
Musical tastes (not necessarily in order of preference):
Classical (usually symphonic, but I also love pieces for strings, or piano)
Rock/Pop (Beatles, Bowie, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, 80's new wave, Alt Country)
Folk & Roots
The Shunyata Taipan Helix is on my list, just based upon readings, and I'm not familiar, yet, with the Electraglides.
This whole AC path is new to me, so thanks for the questions and suggestions. Looking forward to further discussion.
neutron |
You might try the current auctions here on AudiogoN for the Electraglide S.O.T.U. power cords. These are Electraglides top power cord available in a no reserve auction. You might be able to win one of these auctions for under $350. For that money these cables would probably be hard to beat. They retail for $2700. I haven't tried them personally but I have heard other Electraglide cables and thought they were very good.
Another option would be used Shunyata research Taipan Helix power cords which sell for the upper end of your price range and are exceptional. |
In general, all cables sounds diff from each others from a degrease of levels to diff brands. They are like ingredents to your stake, so let us know how do you like yours?
Neutron,
A very helpful info is the types of music that you are listeing to? warm, sweet, and romantic? Neutral, grainy, or fast and details?
W/O this, you'll see people throw in left and right what they have, what they like which could possibly set you off track.
Learning from your sources, I can't really guess to narrow down to the type of what you are listening to. Krell and Cambridge, hummm, let's see what do they have in common? |
