So my conclusion on the Preffair 10awg OFC power cord with copper connectors is that it’s going back with just over 300hrs on it.
It started out great then went through a bit of a rollercoaster and settled on being thin and undefined in the lower regions with bass being distant and light without much body or definition, the highs are very over accentuated partially due to lack of bass. The mids are good with decent clarity.
It’s very possible that the sound characteristics I’m hearing are due to the copper connectors. I recall the TWL Seven Plus that has pure copper connectors sounded slightly bright but had excellent bass which this cord lacks so the balance is more towards highs and it just rings. It’s a high quality build. Too bad it didn’t work out as I was hoping.
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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@audphile1 , without any sarcasm whatsoever, I envy your critical ear. Or maybe I don't--I can see where it could be a curse. I still have not put a full 100 hours on the new speakers I installed in my system at roughly the same time as the three power cords. There are sessions that sound better than other sessions, and I am attributing this to the speaker break in process, but the cords could be involved as well. After I have 100+ on the speakers, I may play with those cords, but I will never be able to pick out/identify the type of detail you have described. I will only vaguely know that I think I like it better one way or the other. And also, with no sarcasm intended, when you put in a new piece of gear, be it a pre or an amp or a front end source, how much time do you give it with the OEM PC? And what would your description of the tone of an OEM PC be? |
I’ve noticed fatigue setting in 5-10min in. Few days ago I thought it was power issues due to everyone running AC 24/7 amongst other things that impact power quality. I tried listening in the morning and late at night and the effect is the same. So this morning I swapped in the stock cord and the problem is solved. |
@audphile1 , to clarify, so I am not misunderstanding, are you saying that the power cord that came with the unit is preferable to your ears than the Preffair? |
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