Power Cable DIY - Please advise

I was sceptical of any differences in sound due to power cables, but experimentation has shown me they exist.. It's always amusing when people have strong opinions on things they've never tried.

@Jac

could you please describe what you mean by "quad star implementation of the internal conductors"

Have you been using the Flavor 4 cable and do you find this mod to be productive?

 

The VH Audio Flavor 4 cord, if constructed with Chris' purpose-built wire, does in fact consist of four conductors. The star-quad configuration consists of connecting the two conductors opposite (not next to) each other for each polarity.  For example, if the four conductors corresponded to 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock, then the 12 and 6 o'clock conductors would be connected together for one polarity (load or neutral) and the 3 and 9 o'clock conductors would be connected together for the other polarity.    The purpose of the star quad geometry is to reduce inductance - a good thing for power cords and speaker cables The ground is typically twisted/spiraled around the four conductors in the opposite direction that the conductors are twisted/spiraled.  If a shield is used, then it is recommended to place the ground outside of the shield.  It is also recommended to space the shield a bit away from the conductors but it can be difficult to decide what "spacing" material to use so many would simply place the shield directly over the pvc sheath carrying the conductors without using spacer material.  Finally, connect the ground wire at both ends and the shield only at the plug end not at the iec end.

@mitch2 

very well explained, thank you. The one thing I'm sceptical about the flavour 4 cord is the timeline. It's almost a decade since it was introduced & as someone mentioned it uses Belden cable (not sure, but experienced users could vet this claim). Nevertheless, I cannot undermine the expertise of CVH, constructing audiophile cables is his passion & I have great respect for individuals who are driven by passion.

Our hobby is ever evolving and I'm sure Furutech was not sleeping on its ass all this while :))

I wouldn't worry about timing - electricity hasn't changed.  The wires I use are probably 40 years old!

Based on my experience, I would probably consider the Flavor 4 for power amps only, and not for front end gear.  The conductors are 12 awg so two per pole results in a hefty 9 awg per pole.

I would probably look at the Furutech  FP-3TS20 for front end gear.  The  Furutech FP-Alpha 3 is also good for power amps.  As others have mentioned, the Neotech cords are not bad either and I also have a couple of them, made with Furutech plugs/iecs.  I would probably not shield PCs used for power amps, and maybe not even those used with preamps.  Definitely use shielded cables with your digital gear.