@jerryg123 RE: ....
but sticking a $600.00 PC on a $699.00 DAC is a freaking waste of money. IMHO.
So here’s the problem with this particular train of thought...
- to start with that "$699 DAC" seldom had a "substantial power supply", because the power supply is often the most overlooked and underestimated part of any "budget component"
- it does not have the capability of handling transient spikes in music
- it does not have the capability of handling the dynamic nature of music
- all of which detract from the overall sound of that component
- poor imaging is often a direct result
Using a really good power cable - and there are some out there starting around $350 - will improve the performance of a component far beyond what a stock power cable can achieve
- Cables like those from Zavfino, use UP-OCC copper, which offer exceptional dynamic perofrmance
- replenishing that energy used in the reproduction of music is critical to achieving excellent perofrmance
- Cable geometry lowers the noise floor making for a much quieter musical rendering
- using the right Insulations also lower the noise floor resulting in improved sound
Whereas - the amplifier has a much more robust power supply
- it is more able to handle those transient peaks and generally offers superior dynamic perofrmance
- but you can still improve performance with the right power cable
- unfortunately, because of their heavier duty power supply, many amps do require even better quality power cable than that used for a source component
Todays electronics tend to perform much better than their power supplies allow. So using a good quality power cable can make a significant perofrmance improvement
I know this after many years of fabricating my own power cables and applying them to a variety of components,.e.g..
- my $250 Yamaha Mini System
- my Bluesound portable streaming speaker
- my Bluesound Node 2 streamer
- my Bifrost DAC
- my Nami 5i amplifer
- my Simaudio Moon phono stage
- my Bryston B135 amp
- and friends audio systems exceeding $70k
All of these benefitted from cable upgrades
Of course - if your other cables (i.e. speaker and interconnect) are not of a similar quality then you will probably have more difficulty hearing the improvements a power cable upgrade might make
I have come to realize that my cables are as important as my components, because they allow each component to operate at peek performance
I realize this may sound counter intuitive, and if I hadn’t tried it for myself, I might believe the same as yourself.
But I have spent many years investigating cable designs and actually proving (to myself and friends willing to listen) what makes a good cable.
Commercial products from Zavfino are a very good place to start because their entry level cables are affordable and they work because they know how to make a very good cable - their UP-OCC cables offer exceptional perofrmance
Hope that helps - Steve