Power Cables on Subwoofers do Matter

I run 1000 watt A/B Dayton plate amps. 1200 watt class D DSP Dayton plates. 370 watt A/B Servo plates. 12K Behringers (NU12000). I use heavy copper for power cables. #10 for all my sub plates and the 3 12K. I run them at 220/240 if we have a PARTY.

The only difference I heard is too small of a conductor or BAD cabling like aluminum with copper clad. I've seen that type of cable make a class D wobble a bit, and it was on older class Ds too. I won't mention names but be careful with a cable made with that material and WOVEN.. They look cool, but they SUCK.

I uses a 24 strand weave too that works really well at a low cost too. OCC with a good cover but it's not teflon. 

I've used #8 copper OCC with mill spec 5N silver large strand and teflon, VERY stiff but you should give that a listen. Run the cable on an AC or Refer unit for a month or so too. That makes a lot of difference too. With a dedicated 15 or 20 amp plug a 2400 watt maintainer per 2 subs and good cabling make a BIG difference in SQ.

Regards

I'm a believer in upgrading power cords etc. With that said I believe your mileage may vary depending upon the manufacturer of the subwoofer as with other components also.

FWIW, I went back and forth on my REL 328 sealed sub and heard zero difference. I contacted REL and they said in their tests it didn't make a difference. They said, "A while back, REL tested some third party power cords with our subs but did not find a noticeable impact"

Yes, I agree @lak that mileage WILL vary based on multiple conditions, one of which being the exact power cable used. I can only provide testimony about my sealed, 500w rms, class D powered sub which is plugged into a power conditioner outlet that provides up to 55 amps of current when needed. The sound quality of the sub was audibly affected in different ways by each power cable I tested, which ranged in price from a few dollars to about $800 (most of which were in the middle of that range).

As far as the response from REL, I’m really not interested in what most manufacturers would tell their retail customers regarding sonic changes due to power cable upgrades. It’s usually not in their financial interest to suggest that may sound significantly better when the power cable is upgraded, potentially implying to certain customers that’s it inadequate as sold.

I have a high level of confidence in my own subjective discrimination of sonic attributes, so what the REL guy said makes no difference to me, personally.