It was a non serious response.
Its dielectric rating is way over 1000.
Hope the cord works out, but the high gauge PC's I tried a long time ago sounded horrible in my setup.
One was Mapleshade and the other was a 47 Labs OTA one that I made.
DeKay
Serious Question About Silver vs Copper Conductivity for Power
Yes, I realize that this topic is going to bring out the sharks, but if I get at least one serious response, it will all be worth it.
I understand that silver conducts 7% faster than copper. I also understand that using a dielectric insulation like Teflon is best at keeping the wire from overheating, stopping signals entering and stopping signals from leaving the conductor. I understand that a certain amount of math is involved in selected gauge of wire depending largely on how much power the component is going to take, and how much the amperage is (20 or 15).
My question is regarding certain features applied to either silver or copper conductors that may or may not have an advantage over one or the other.
I have the Kimber Kable P14 Palladian. This uses 14awg copper conductors insulated in Teflon. Then it adds a massive filter that attempts to mitigate the standing wave ratio to as close to 1:1 as possible. I had Kimber’s Ascent power cable prior. It’s identical to the Palladian, except the filter. I have heard the difference between using those two cables. Apparently, mitigating the standing wave ratio lowers the noise floor significantly. However, any filter that chokes the signal and will slow the electrical current.
As I understand it, the amplifier works by opening the rectifier to allow the capacitors to fill with energy that the system will draw from. Being able to keep the rectifier open and fill the capacitors as fast as possible, reducing lag time, has the effect of creating more realistic and detailed sound.
With that said, changing to a power cable that uses pure silver insulated in Teflon, will ensure that power is delivered potentially faster. Although, the silver power cable will NOT have a filter. Therefore the standing wave ratio will not be mitigated and the electrical signal will not be choked either.
So, would the amplifier benefit from faster electrical current or slower, but cleaner electric current? Since this signal isn’t directly applied to sound, the concepts of “colder” or “warmer” sound should not apply.
Can someone help me out without poking fun at the question? Additionally, I am not interested in having a cable-theory debate. If you don’t believe cables make any difference, I will not debate or have discourse on that topic.
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On a properly engineered power amp the capacitors are big enough to supply power to the main boards for quite a while. So once they have filled on switch-on, the rate of current flow to them is of little consequence, they will be kept fully topped up at all times. All you need is a wire capable of carrying enough current to refill what is taken out. Standard power cables supplied with amplifiers can do that many times over. And, in case anyone was in doubt, it makes no difference if the power traverses the cable 7% faster. |
One should never use a power cord under 16 gauge in a stereo system. 20 gauge runs have no place in a stereo system. 20 gauge is fine for some low wattage lamps and LED lights, but not a stereo component. Yes, it is a potential fire risk. It will also blunt dynamics and bass performance. It will sound lean lacking body and proper weight.
Now you can use 20 gauge on 5,9 and 12 volt DC power cables. The ones used to power modems, ethernet switches and such off of a linear power supply Solid core conductors should also not be used. They stress and break over time with handling and use. This is especially true of thin 28 gauge conductors. Lastly, it is not safe to rely on the thin Teflon coating of these conductors as the sole material between the L, N and G runs. Any small nicks, breaks, cracks in the wire can cause shorts and possible electrocution.
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@clearthinker to be fair to the OP, it is spruicked in the literature of many of this sort of gear, using words of speed and fastness… and all sorts of things that help them, sell the gear as “being needed.” I certainly have spent more than I ever thought I would on a power supply, and I could spend more on a battery for it, as the front end preamp and phono amp uses 12V… So the last thing I would do is put on a fancy 240v cable to it with a darn good (and proven) reason. |
@holmz As to manufacturer's hype, we all need to keep our bullsh** detectors turned up full, otherwise we and our wallets are just cannon fodder.. Most people know that electricity travels at something approaching the speed of light, so a 7% reduction in the time to traverse a 6 foot length of wire will not be very long at all in audio terms. In this discussion, we are only keeping a capacitor topped up of course. You just can't beat good old common sense that regrettably appears in very short supply these days and not just in audio. For those nervous types who are obsessed by the risk of noise, I concur about DC battery supplies. These are particularly useful with preamps as you say, where the oomph required is much less than for power amps. But unless you are an electrical engineer, you need to buy an amp with built in provision for a battery supply, and this restricts choice unacceptably for most. I wonder if there s a place for a well-engineered all-in unit to do the job of inputting to an amp designed to take only 240v AC. Battery supply kills off all noise issues except for the very severely obsessed. |
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