Power cords: does length matter?
This is a serious question, however if you don’t believe that anything about power cords matter, and you feel the need to make a joke out of the question, feel free.
Anyway: I have noted that all the stock power cords that have been provided by the manufacturers for my equipment are about six feet long. After looking at various aftermarket power cords on the internet, I note that they can be ordered in various lengths from one meter on up.
I would think that the shortest possible power cord in any given application would be desirable (meaning one meter if it would work), but I find that a lot of notions I had about things like this are often wrong (such as what I very recently posted on misc about manually tripping breakers to protect components). So am I also mistaken about selecting lengths of power cords?
TIA for any and all legitimate consideration and answers to this question, and to all others, enjoy the laughs.
...what snots me is the lengths..... Too short too long too 'flexi' too big too stiff too light a gauge too hard to bend too flat too twisted too much a PIA x more of them than you...... ...and we haven't even considered the hardwares at the ends.... BTW....If you've found Anything in the above 'exciting' is some *ah* unusual usual way..... Don't go quietly....toss the trump card...😏 |
@pennfootball71 Shouldn’t generalize based on limited exposure. The standard length of SR cables is indeed 1.75 meters, but custom versions of certain models like the Venom HC v2 can be made in any desired length with various connectors. The "standard" length may indeed be set based on market demand rather than technical considerations discussed. I have not seen any technical white paper published by Shunyata Research to support such claims a 1.75m or length around it being an optimal design. Additionally, I have seen some audiophiles claim that power cables need capacitance, which is not accurate. In reality, high capacitance in high voltage applications can lead to power loss and inefficient operation of devices. |
@brian8383 , I believe that 10AWG has already been settled upon. |
It sounds like the power supply in the components grab power about 2m away from the component. I don’t mean it is using the power 6.6’ away just that it is the length that matters to the sound. Nordost does recommend 2m. Is that to sell more cable or is that the minimum length they sell to keep things tight. I have not tested this but it’s so interesting. What I have tested is different power cords on the same pieces of equipment. That is awesome that power cords do not make a difference on some of your systems and you are happy with the sound. Seriously, you are lucky. That being said I did do a sound test using different power cords like Nordost Blue Heaven, Puritan Classic Plus and Ultra XX, Straightwire Pro Thunder and Black Thunder, and three different ESP power cords, even some Audio Quest NRG. They all sound different on every component I tried. I even bought an EIC to C7 (figure8) adapter to test on the Blue Sound NODE. Every power cord had a different sound in one way or another. Detail, Decay, Midrange, Bass, harshness. One thing I was surprised about how one power cable might not sound good with a different brand on a different component. In the end it all can make a difference. I have a killer Kubala Sosna Elation on my ARC Ref 5 SE preamp. I do not want to spend another $3k on every power cord so I am looking for a power cord for the amp and DAC to keep the killer sound. |
