10 AWG or better O2 free pure copper..
Ideal power cord lengths?
A quick Google search suggests there is consensus that the ideal power cord length is 2m. 1m cords sound “harsher” and 3m cords sound “smoother”, with 2m being the sweet spot. The PS Audio dude suggests that the reason is that the reason is that all cords have an impact on the power, and the greater the length, the greater the impact, good or bad.
I know many will say there is no difference between a 1m cord and a 3m cord. But my question is, who here has tried like model power cords of different lengths, and what were the differences?
Second question: How does length factor into the equation when you have a cord feeding a conditioner, then other cords feeding components? If 2m cords are in fact the ideal, would 1m cords be ideal when using conditioners?
I tend to believe those that say that power cord lengths matter. While I’ve not been able to do this test myself, I’ve had these two experiences:
- Testing Audioquest Diamond and Nordost Valhalla 2 USB cables, the cables shorter than 1.5m sounded TERRIBLE by comparison. Especially the .75m Audioquest Diamond vs the 1.5m version. But the 1m Valhalla 2 also sounded awful in comparison to the 2m version. In general this opened my eyes to how much cable length matters, and counterintuitively in the case of digital cables.
- I have a 2019 2m AudioQuest Hurricane Source cable from back when AQ braided their cables, and I also have the newer non-braided Hurricane Source, but 3m in length. The new Hurricane sounds vastly superior to my old 2m Hurricane. In comparison the older cord compresses the soundstage depth. I don’t know if the differences are due to the differences in length, or if it’s due to a design change by Audioquest.
Very interested in learning of others experiences with power cord lengths.
- ...
- 126 posts total
@lalitk , I agree, I am going to tackle room treatment next, before dealing with vibration/coupling. But I might start considering vibration control and learning more about soon as I simply plan to engage a qualified expert to specify how to treat my room. I think my room is more complicated than most as there are angles, open walls, high ceilings, and it’s not simply a rectangle like most rooms. TBH I’m not noticing any issues with my room, but I know it can be improved. I’ve had terrible rooms before for my system but not this time. |
@audioman58 Wrote:
I agree. One of the reasons I eliminated the power cords from my two monoblock amps was to eliminate two connection points, the wall plug and power cord male plug. Also, another reason is to negate the question to me about what power cord sounds best. Running my amps directly to the dedicated circuit sounds better, in my opinion, then running them with a power cord. 😎 Mike |
I love how this cable (and in particular power cord) debate has raged on for decades…. It seems that both sides always end up talking down to the opposing side. All over whether or not you believe a power cord makes a difference in your HiFi system, lol…. Oh well, human nature. No wonder humans have fought wars for thousands of years. @mahlman , I think you are on the right track. There is a perception of elitism that people probably find distasteful, causing the drive to be condescending and judgemental. You are also correct that I am compensating for poor source files. Lucky guess! But I would present an alternate way of looking at this. I want the convenience of streaming via Tidal HiFi and Roon, but I also want quality. As such you are right, I’ve purchased two items to equalize my streaming performance to that of local high-res files. The two components are the Innuos PhoenixUSB Reclocker and the Innuos PhoenixNet Ethernet isolation switch. These devices (not cables) offer me the convenience of streaming combined with the quality of local high-res files.
|
- 126 posts total