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Tornado and Thunder Power Cables

Hi all,

I am going to be upgrading my power cables for my preamp, 2 channel power amp and 5 channel power amp and I have chosen the following power cables to use in my setup:

1m Tornado(source)- preamp
2m Tornado(high current)- 2 channel power amp
1m Tornado( high current)- 5 channel power amp

In terms of bringing the cost down, if I used a 1m Thunder power cable for the 5 channel amp instead of the 1m Tornado(high current) would I be missing anything sonically by not using a Tornado HC power cable? Does anyone in the forum have a similar setup or are using a Thunder HC power cable as well mixed with the Tornado power cables? If so, what are your thoughts? Would it be better to just keep it all the same brand of power cable consistent or is there a huge sonic difference between the two power cables that would warrant me to stay with the Tornado HC power cable for my 5 channel amp?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts. Much appreciated.

2007audioman

2007audioman
riley804
1,224 posts
 
Power amp(2 channel)- Rotel RB1590
Power amp(5 channel)- Rotel RMB1585

Rotel amps are definitely not one that is recommended for 2 channel listening .   tend to be be cold / sterile sound and give the listener fatigue.
seems you are trying to make a sub par amp better by putting an expensive power cord on it.

if you want better 2 channel sound, then i would look at getting a preamp with home theater bypass and a better 2 channel amp.
thyname's avatar
thyname
3,107 posts
 
Rotel RB-1590 is more than adequate for most 2-channel applications. Can one do better? Absolutely! But for a lot more money. I know, I owned it as soon as about three years ago. 
As for the power cords, Audioquest Storm series are very good. For two channel I would however select Hurricane or higher, if the budget allows. Also, there are other power cords out there, other brands, that perhaps offer better value for the dollar. Examples: Triode Wire Labs, Zavfino Prima or even Majestic, Shunyata Delta v2 NR, or even Venom NR v10
tuberist
951 posts
 
2007, Those audioquest cables seem like a disproportionate cost with the gear you already own. You might wish to consider going with the monsoon power cords. I use monsoons on my LuminT2 streamer-dac and my integrated tube amplifier. Those cords are high performers IMO. What exactly are you hoping to accomplish with power cords?
barjohn's avatar
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barjohn
27 posts
 
If you can hear the difference caused by any power cable your amp/pre-amp is crap.  A good power supply will easily filter out any possible noise far better tan any cable can by changing its capacitance/inductance or both.  Have someone change the stock cables randomly with the new ones and you are blindfolded and not told which cable is being used.  have them do this about 10 times and each time you mark which sounded best, A or B.  If you do no better than chance, it isn't the cables.
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kingbarbuda
514 posts
 
I run Tornados on a pair of Bryston 28B3 monoblocks and they seem to not be creating any issues. I have also used one on a tube integrated. Again no issue. Just good performance from my gear. I can’t speak to the AQ Thunder. But I went with the Tornado based on the better specs, and I found them used for less than MSRP. 
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