@immatthewj Get one for your power amp as well. $150. all in for 3. You will grow into a believer, and a happy listener. They are so good for the price. My best, MrD.
A stupid question(s) about power cords
As the title indicates, I admit that this is probably a stupid question. But since I don’t know (for sure) the answer, I am asking it anyway.
The recent power cord thread got me interested in a power cord upgrade (from the stock cord) on my Maranzt SA10 (SACDP). The power cord receptacle on that particular component does not have a male equipment ground pin--only the neutral and hot pins. Therefore the cord supplied by Maranzt is a two pole (if that is the right terminology) cord. But because I have done it this way before, I do know that it will accept a power cord with an equipment ground as well as a neutral and hot.
Question 1: I went to musicdirect and looked at some power cords and I saw one (an open box Audioquest NRG Z2) that they were calling a two pole cord. The end that plugs in to the component only has a neutral and a hot, but the other end, the end that plugs into the outlet in the wall, does have an equipment ground blade (so that end has three blades). Why would that be?
Question 2: (and this is the stupid one) if a power cord has an equipment ground pin plugged into the wall, even if it is not plugged into an eqipment ground in the component itself, that cord is still connected to the neutral bus bar in the panel, right? So that being the case, since the equipment ground wire in the cord is right next to the hot wire, is there a way unwanted stuff (rf or whatever, my understanding of this is quite limited) can that dirty up the power that is traveling on the hot wire in the power cord?
I think that the answer to the last question is probably going to be ’no’? And if the answer is ’no’, that means that I really don’t need to shop for only two pole cords, right? And I see this as sort of important because if I buy a two pole cord, the ONLY component I can use it on/try it out on will be my SACDP--there will be no playing around with a two pole cord on my preamp or my amp.
And ALSO, if I don’t feel constrained to shopping ONLY for two pole cords, I would probably have more options to consider.
TIA for legitimate insight to this, and to all others, feel free to ridicule me and my question--I don’t mind.
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@immatthewj I would put my best cord on the amp first and try it there for a few days. Then return to stock on the amp and listen to few of the same tracks. Then introduce the upgraded cord on digital and determine where it performs best. |
I can do that, @audphile1 . I guess I was more interested in it's effect on the front end due to being based upon what the salesman from MD told me (when he was no doubt trying to sell a power cord as well as the CDP). And I had been wanting to ask you what your thoughts were on the filter selections with the SA 10? I hate to admit it, but in the four years I have owned that component, I have never experimented--I have always left it in the 'default' setting. (I seem to hate being contronted with choices and decisions.) |
Yes the default sounded best to me as well. And if I’m not mistaken when you play an SACD the filter selection is disabled. I didn’t like the other filters and dither options as they just didn’t sound right to me. |
@immatthewj I would hope that anyone who owns gear as you do, would have a dedicated room, or at least, a room that you have done some "conditioning" to. If the speaker/room/listening seat is not the best it could be, you are missing out on a lot of your audio investment. IME....just saying. MrD. |
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