Try STELTH CORDS THE BEST!!
Dream system - but no aftermarket power cords
Hi,
after tweaking many other aspects of my system, I have had to deal with substantial noise from my Piega C10Ltd speakers recently.
This has led me to order a Synergistic Research Tesla PowerCell 10SE which should arrive later this week.
So, after getting into the "power" game and reading up on some PC reviews, I am still lost with regards to the baseline strategy to upgrade the stock cables on all components.
Here's my current setup for my 2 channel speaker system:
[Squeezebox Transporter] - [McIntosh MDA 1000] - [Piega P1 Mk ii active subwoofer (RCA loop-through and cut-off at 75Hz)] - [Marantz MA9-S2 mono amps (2x)] - [Piega C10Ltd]
All active components will be powered through the PowerCell.
So here are my preliminary thoughts, please feel free to comment:
1. Order of upgrades
1.1 Frequently, it's recommended to "upgrade the transport" first. In my case, would that be the Transporter (I guess? Or upgrade last because it's only feeding the DAC?) or the MDA-1000 (which is serving double duty as DAC and preamp, so could I double the impact from a better PC??)
1.2 The Marantz amps with their massive capacitors ought to be the least power sensitive piece of gear (??? not sure about that), so it would make sense to upgrade them last?
Of course the whole question about order of upgrades is related to
2. good-better-best strategy
2.1 what's considered a solid baseline for a highend system like mine, I don't have the money for (new) Valhalla everywhere (I need 5 PCs total)?
2.2 back to order of upgrades: looking at the individual pieces of equipment specifically, where do I get to the 95% point of diminishing returns? e.g. Synergistic apparently recommend Tesla T2 on sources and T3 on (pre)amps, is there a reasonable "segmentation" strategy?
2.3 how high should I value system synergies, specifically considering the fact that I will use a PowerCell; in other words, are there unwanted side effects from other cords (e.g. LossLess) trying to filter out stuff that the PowerCell has already taken care off and leading to a "lifeless" sound?
3. Looking at the list of components above, any recommendation about what you have found to work well with any one of the components listed above would be appreciated (e.g. Jerry Seigel recommended PS Audio PW 10 for the Marantz amps, I am reluctant to go there based on my general preference to avoid too much shielding)
Any help/suggestions much appreciated (I promise to report back my findings after trying out some of your recommendations in return!)
Thanks!
Jofte
after tweaking many other aspects of my system, I have had to deal with substantial noise from my Piega C10Ltd speakers recently.
This has led me to order a Synergistic Research Tesla PowerCell 10SE which should arrive later this week.
So, after getting into the "power" game and reading up on some PC reviews, I am still lost with regards to the baseline strategy to upgrade the stock cables on all components.
Here's my current setup for my 2 channel speaker system:
[Squeezebox Transporter] - [McIntosh MDA 1000] - [Piega P1 Mk ii active subwoofer (RCA loop-through and cut-off at 75Hz)] - [Marantz MA9-S2 mono amps (2x)] - [Piega C10Ltd]
All active components will be powered through the PowerCell.
So here are my preliminary thoughts, please feel free to comment:
1. Order of upgrades
1.1 Frequently, it's recommended to "upgrade the transport" first. In my case, would that be the Transporter (I guess? Or upgrade last because it's only feeding the DAC?) or the MDA-1000 (which is serving double duty as DAC and preamp, so could I double the impact from a better PC??)
1.2 The Marantz amps with their massive capacitors ought to be the least power sensitive piece of gear (??? not sure about that), so it would make sense to upgrade them last?
Of course the whole question about order of upgrades is related to
2. good-better-best strategy
2.1 what's considered a solid baseline for a highend system like mine, I don't have the money for (new) Valhalla everywhere (I need 5 PCs total)?
2.2 back to order of upgrades: looking at the individual pieces of equipment specifically, where do I get to the 95% point of diminishing returns? e.g. Synergistic apparently recommend Tesla T2 on sources and T3 on (pre)amps, is there a reasonable "segmentation" strategy?
2.3 how high should I value system synergies, specifically considering the fact that I will use a PowerCell; in other words, are there unwanted side effects from other cords (e.g. LossLess) trying to filter out stuff that the PowerCell has already taken care off and leading to a "lifeless" sound?
3. Looking at the list of components above, any recommendation about what you have found to work well with any one of the components listed above would be appreciated (e.g. Jerry Seigel recommended PS Audio PW 10 for the Marantz amps, I am reluctant to go there based on my general preference to avoid too much shielding)
Any help/suggestions much appreciated (I promise to report back my findings after trying out some of your recommendations in return!)
Thanks!
Jofte
- ...
- 32 posts total
Lacee, I think you mistook Macdadtexas' post as being a sincere attempt to contribute to the OP's issue. Unfortunately, he just trolls all posts on hi-end power cords (and cables in general) and insults everyone who has positive experiences with them. The post above is just another example of his unwelcome sarcasm. Jofte, The Powercell 10SE is an incredible power conditioner. Great choice as it does a wonderful job of cleansing your power without the usual current limiting issues of other conditioners. I run my entire system through mine (including a Plasma TV, two subwoofers, and a 1200 w/ch Krell FPB-600C amp). I think you will find that continuing to add Tesla power cords, ICs, and speaker cables to your system will consistently improve your system's sound quality, lowering the noise floor and vastly improving soundstaging and transparency. The new SR Galileo MPCs are also recommended, especially for your Powercell and the included Precision AC power cord. I have an excellent SR dealer that will let you experiment with different SR cables and other products if you wish to email me for his contact info. Good luck. |
Dlcockrum, I love the ability to look through others' posts on Audiogon, it is very telling, and can reveal when someone posts something ignorant, and baseless. First of all, I post very little on cords, because I think they are snake oil in general, especially on return for $$$. But sometimes it's just too easy and fun to actually answer some of the ludicris posts asking which power cord has the biggest soundstage? LOL, that's just too much fun when someone asks that. Although this hobby is really subjective, some things really are just too crazy to leave alone. Looking through your posts, you comment more on cords, power cords in general, than anything else. It seems you are obsessed with them, and that's fine, good for you. I on the other hand talk quite a bit about real equipment. You know, the stuff that turns power from the transformers into music, that's called equipment. Changing out that equipment can really affect the sound more than anything else; You should try it. Also, since you don't post your system on here how are we to take you seriously when you comment on anything? Do you own or have you ever tried any of the cords you obsess about? I can't tell. Sorry, I have to get back to "trolling", sorry I think your obsession is pointless, if you bought some new equipment, maybe a preamp, turntable or amp, you would probably find you get more bang for your buck than mess with a cord that brings electrons to a tramsformer. Good luck. |
Macdadtexas, You can find my system here: http://cgi.audioasylum.com/systems/9214.html I believe you will find my equipment credentials to be in order. In direct opposition to your view of continuing to trade/upgrade equipment (and therefore never optimizing any of it AS A SYSTEM), I feel that once you get a rig of equipment/speakers that pleases you, it is best to focus remaining funds on improving cabling/power/acoustic treatment/stands/tweaks etc to bring out its full potential AS A SYSTEM. Thus, as you have observed, my posts are focused on that pursuit. You may not recall, but I also live in the Houston area and even once invited you over to hear my system but you were unable to make it. Offer still open. In the meanwhile, give the sarcasm and unresponsive posts a rest, huh? |
That's someone's system on Audio Asylum, not here on Audiogon, I have no idea's whose that is, or why they would put a link to a competing site on here. That seems rather rude. Do you hate sarcasm, or just cry when someone disagrees with you? Also, are you going to admit after looking through the postings on here that I not only don't "troll" for your precious power cord posts, but I seldom answer any of them, especially because I think they are baseless. I have answered 18 posts on "Cables" out of greater than threads (with only a few of them 'dis'cussing power cables. That's a very small percentage, especially compared to your 33 posts on cables (pretty much all discussing power cables) out of only a little over one hundred. So actully, you are the one trolling power cables to pimp them. Your acusation is baseless, not well thought out, and sounds very petty. Also, it is VERY bad form to post a link to a competing website. If you have a system, post it here. |
- 32 posts total