Ideal power cord lengths?

Great thread and info! Since I DIY my PC's, just ordered new bulk. I will use existing Wattgate connectors to test before converting each cable to a new length. It's as good a time as any to order a couple different brands of bulk to try.

Checked and NO Shunyata nor Nordost bulk LOL!

Of course Nordost recommends 4 meter LOL!

Audioquest is a unique cable mfg/distributor. Yes, big $$$$ in R&D but in advertising and "shelving" as well! As one poster mentioned, gauge is smaller, forget molded connectors vs. good quality connectors cost wise. $2 vs $100 mfg COST! At AQ's massive mark up those two connectors would cost you $1000.

It only takes a stripper and screwdriver to DIY them.

Mark    

PS: Even Audioquest does not ship their Niagara Power Conditioners with a power cord (nor Denafrips).

From their website:

Niagara Noise-Dissipation Systems do not ship with an AC cable. Why?

The cable that feeds any power product is the most important AC cable in the audio/video system. For any power product to maximize its ability to dissipate noise, the attached AC cables must be Direction-Controlled to drain induced radio-frequency noise. AudioQuest AC cables include ZERO-Tech for uncompressed current transfer and optimal Noise-Dissipation. Further, our patented GND-Tech (Ground-Noise Dissipation) pulls RF noise out of any product it’s attached to.

When partnered with a Niagara power product, our Direction-Controlled AC cables create a complete Noise-Dissipation System, ensuring the most effective and efficient dissipation of RF noise.

We allow our customers to select the appropriate length of cable for their systems and to decide how completely they’d like to optimize their Niagaras.

I always take info from vendors with a grain of salt. I had thought Nordost recommends 2m power cords but I could be mistaken. I once found a link on these boards to a Nordost Q&A that lists recommended lengths for all types of cables. The PS Audio guy also recommends 2m as “the sweet spot” and said he has a number of theories as to why, inferring that longer than this can be worse.

Regarding pricing, yeah, all HiFi vendors are seemingly making ridiculous margins. I just bought some Herbie’s Cone/Spike Decoupling gliders for my speaker spikes to sit on. They are considered the “budget” option for these types of products (but people report positive results). But for the life of me I can’t see how these would cost a manufacturer any more than a few dollars more than a standard set of furniture sliders from Home Depot. Cable companies get picked on but it’s all types of HiFi vendors really. On the flip side the HiFi market is minuscule. For anyone to be in such a low volume market, it would only make sense if the margins were exorbitant with the small number of people in the market willing to pay.

Of note, yes, the Herbie’s gliders do seem to make an easily noticeable difference. I tried putting them on one speaker and not the other.  That made the differences really obvious.  But I don’t have experience with similar products and I’m guessing others are effective as well.

I find the two meter sounds better than one (or shorter). This makes me think of the length of wire from breaker box to room receptacles. And of course the type of wire.

I believe we are limited by practicality. 

The late Bob Crump determined in his extensive tests, that 7.5 feet was optimum and any lengths longer would not give any more sound signature of the given cable. Of course he did not test 100 cable brands, nor has anyone else. It would take too long and cost too much.

I have found with shorter than 1 meter cords, the Belden 12 AWG ( or generic similar) with a better IEC connector, sounds very good, and better than some custom cords. For longer than one meter, choose an Audiophile power cord.