Why not?
I have always wondered why if better cables produce better sound, as appears to be the consensus, I am not aware of any manufacturer that provides an aftermarket quality power cable with their product. If I am wrong please tell me. There may be instances I am not familiar with.
Wouldn't they be in the best position to test or design the optimum cable for their component? Wouldn't it be a great marketing angle to say to the customer does not need to worry or fret about selecting this expensive accessory.
"We know these cables show off our component to best effect and there is not question of listener bias or self interested market hype. We offer you the best cable to use with our components."
They could make it optional if they wanted to remain price competitive. This same thinking applies to interconnects, especially with manufacturers who make multiple interconnected components. I pose these questions in all sincerity, not particularly wishing to stir the cable controversy pot. But because it is precisely the absence of this practice that most makes me doubt the objective superiority of the whole cable enterprise.
Mostly I would like to know if I am wrong and there are some examples of manufacturers who either include, offer or recommend specific power, interconnect and speaker cable for their products. Thanks community members for offering a place to ask this question that keeps gnawing at me.
“I hope you feel as I do that manufacturers who are affirmatively addressing this issue deserve your attention.” I completely disagree with ‘deserve your attention’ notion. When I am shopping for electronics, I am considering its features, design, implementation and how it’s going to sound in my system. I didn’t buy my $25K EMM Labs DAC because they included $200 Kimber Power Cable which I did not care to use, instead I used a $5K PC. |
This is definitely “argument” #1 cable deniers make. The truth is pretty simple: why would a manufacturer add to the cost of their gear by including a good / pricey power cord, when the user will use their own preferred power cable anyways. A basic power is included for convenience purposes. Besides: 1) Some manufacturers do not even include a power cord 2) Some manufacturers do in fact include sufficiently good / solid power cords, not the usual $2 junk. Example: my T+A PA 3100 HV does come with a decent 20A power cord. I often use it when I am in between cables, and it sounds sufficiently good. |
@lalitk Bingo! A perfect example and case in point. |
Well others are mentioning power cords. I use mostly Mogami and Neutrik ends for DIY ICs, but I am also trying some silver IC cable and ETI ends. Mogami (and Cardas, etc.) do at least publish the capacitance and inductance specs of the raw IC cable, as well as their speaker cable. Kimber also publishes those specs. The ones that do not publish those specs, I assume have no real R&D, nor the equipment to measure things… And they also fall mostly into what I call “the creative writing group.” I would like to hear the difference, but I really have a hard time convincing myself that one low capacitance and low inductance cable sounds different than another. |
