What was the first power cable that you noticed a difference in the sound?


I have bought six or seven different power cords, none over $500 and have noticed little or no change in the sound of my system. All the cables are 12 gauge or bigger.  Without talking about cables made with unobtainium, where did you start hear a difference.
 

Thanks.

128x128curiousjim

😀 Totally agree excellent response. We could do the same with taste and smell. Do we get an analytical report on food before we choose restaurants- No!

When I went to buy my first aftermarket cable I dragged my Cambridge Audio Azur 640C V2 CD player into a dealer and he let me connect it to a very high quality Simaudio Moon/Dynaudio system with all Shunyata cables and he let me switch out different power cables to see which worked best with my gear.  Maybe it was because the accompanying gear was very good, but the differences were not subtle.

Here is what I found:

Shunyata Anaconda > Shuyata Diamondback >> Shunyata entry level cable > 14 guage printer cable I grabbed out of the recycle bin at work. What was surprising was how much better the Diamond back was compared to their $100 cable, and how close it was to the Anaconda in performance.  I bought the Diamondback.

Now I assemble my own power cables.

kn

 

@bigtwin,

I found this to be helpful to understand the pros and cons of AC wiring:

Integrating Electronic Equipment and Power into Rack Enclosures

Optimized Power Distribution and Grounding for Audio, Video and Electronic Systems

See below page 11-13 for different types of AC power wiring. Good luck with your new room! 😎

Mike

https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://wirexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/MidAtlantic-White-Paper.pdf

@knownothing  Bingo. You nailed it. Comparison on your own equipment with other good equipment and good power cables.  When done as you did, the difference is truly not subtle.  I didn’t believe it until I did it myself after my equipment had improved to a reasonable level.  

Williwonka's DIY SPIRAL HELIX. Wires provided by fellow Goner, which I assembled with spare plugs for positive difference. Also tried a bulk audiophile recommended by a you tuber, with negative difference. Connected to pre-amp.