Can a better power cable make a difference if NOT plugged directly into an outlet?
I am curious about improving my sound with power cable upgrades.
At present, I'm using a setup which Almarg (RIP) used and which he recommended to me:
Wall outlet (hospital plug)
Audience Adept Response-ar2p power conditioner
Wiremold strip w/ Shunyata defender
I use Pangea AC 9 SE and AC14 SE cords, at present.
This setup has been quiet and hum free.
Still I'm curious about whether better power cables might make some improvements, here or there.
The question is, whether any improvements a power cable could bring would be blunted or nullified by the setup I'm presently using.
Any thoughts?
Those who say power cables never matter, please go watch a cute cat video instead of posting here, please.
@hilde45 When you go for it, a desktop computer with a decent power supply unit can be very useful as a cheap way to burn-in new cables before you try them out. My computer has a 1000 watt PSU, so my m.o. now is to cook cables (usually in a daisy chain) alternating between 6 amps and 3.75 amps, continuously, for 2 or 3 days before I let them sit in my system with some ordinary usage for at least a day before starting to make decisions. That's a bare minimum.
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Hilde45, Here has been my experience: (1) Biggest change was pulling two dedicated circuits, one for the amplifier and one for a Panamax M5300-PM power conditioner (which signal components are plugged into) (2) Upgraded power receptacles, finally settled on Furutech GTX-D(G) which is gold plated (vs the GTX-D(R) which is rhodium plated…..the rhodium is more revealing but a touch harsher (3) Plug the amp directly into the Furutech receptacle, and not into the power conditioner. Much more dynamic and “immediate” than through the conditioner (4) I also use Pangea’s Cardas copper higher end cables, there are much better cables to be had….I’ll be replacing some of mine as I can afford (after replacing my streamer)
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@hilde45 changing a power cable on a component would make a difference. Doesn’t matter if it’s plugged into a power conditioner, power strip or outlet. Pangea is pretty basic. I wouldn’t hesitate to step up to something better. Boils down to how much you are planning to spend and what component would get an upgraded cord. I would start with the amp if it isn’t possible to upgrade the power cord on the conditioner or power strip. As with everything in this hobby, step up to something significantly better. No baby steps - don’t waste your time and money. |
@vthokie83 agree with everything you said except the thought about furutech rhodium. I use furutech rhodium plugs on my power cables as well as furutech rhodium NCF outlet. Very extended and sweet highs, great clarity. Zero harshness. Perhaps the harshness comes from the components in your system but not from the outlet. |
