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"
Power Cables on Subwoofers do Matter
I read an opinion somewhere on this site that swapping the power cable on a subwoofer has a minimal effect and may not be worth it. I have a very different opinion. Power cables can completely transform a subwoofer’s performance.
I have an SVS SB-2000 powered sub and my preferred power cable, a Zavfino Fina, has made it sound like a different animal altogether. It has much more punch, freq response linearity, and liveliness. The manufacturer included power cable makes it sound slow, bloated, and almost out of tune just because it’s sloppy, in comparison. The only drawback to the Fina is that slam below 30-40 hz is a little recessed but it’s not major and is still clearly my choice. I also compared five other aftermarket power cables from other components in my system and they ALL had a different effect on the sub. For testing, I used various crossover points and most of the testing was with the loudspeakers off in order to isolate the sub for critical listening.
Cheers!
- ...
- 50 posts total
| Post removed |
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. |
@steakster Totally agree that precise phase adjustment is crucial to integration, along with crossover and volume. I think it's a baseline thing for the total system's sound. If it's not properly integrated, especially with phase (in my experience), then power cable upgrades won't have the potential to be anywhere near as advantageous. Worth noting again that I found isolating the sub by turning off power to the loudspeakers to be very important for the conditions needed to be able to choose the best power cable. |
- 50 posts total