Power Cords - Just Say Yes

Sorry, I meant I may try the Qv2. Try some power cords first. They made more of a difference than going from Electro-Harmonic Kt-88 tubes to Genalex Gold Lion tubes. I'm still burning everything in. Good luck.

Been down this road with my dad's system. High end dCS digital stuff, B&W 802 speakers, Transparent Reference level interconnect, power conditioners, the works. One of the more recent changes me made was add a Transparent PLMM with MM1 technology. It is a very expensive power cable. There is no question that it made a difference. Generally speaking I believe in the efficacy of at least that brand power cable after years of tinkering.

Now to my system, I just picked up a Bryston BHA-1 headphone amp and a pair of Grado PS1000 headphones. The DAC is an Ayre QB-9. It is a great setup but the Grado's are unforgiving headphones in that fatiguing, raspy sort of way. Well I purchased them anyway knowing that there is a good chance that some of that rasp could be cured with various tweaks.

The first tweak I tried was a $200 High Performance Powerlink. I put that on the DAC. Immediately my overall enjoyment level went way up. A lot of the fatigue seemed to just disappear. I was not convinced so I returned the demo unit and replaced the stock cord. Sure enough when I listened to my system over the next few weeks something was just not right.

So I tried a better one. At $500 the Premium Power Link adds a Transparent Network Box to the cord. I had this in place on the DAC for two weeks. There is no question that it was an improvement in every way. It changed the whole character of the system. The peakiness of the highs were more pleasant, I could listnen louder, the bass was punchier and had more articulation, and I just got the general sense that the system was more refined and there was less noise and more music. It sounded a lot more like my dad's setup.

I returned the demo unit and now I am simply unhappy with my setup with the stock cords. But before I returned it I did one last experiment. I put the Premium Power Link on the headphone amplifier instead of the DAC. Well all the improvements described above were gone, but now I had a much wider soundstage and better imaging and separation. It was a totally different experience then using it on the DAC.

My conclusion is therefore that I need one high end cord for each component.

Are these products ridiculously marked up? Yes I am sure if I cracked one open what is inside would not be terribly expensive or impressive looking. However, there seems to be something about the geometry of the cable, the materials used, the network box, and the length of the cable--they seem to know how to optimize and build these things and they just work. And they do get better as you go up the line.

So I believe they work, I have heard them and I covet them based on empirical testing. Overpriced, but they work.

Yes yes.

I use all Shunyata Annaconda power cords,except on my SME10, which is a DIY with the upper tier Furutech power wire and connectors.

When talking power cords,it's not just the wire.

The sound really takes off when you use the better connectors, and also when you upgrade your power receptacles.

I have had great success with the Furutech IEC for my amps and the very nice GTX D receptacles.My Annacondas never failed to please before, but since they've been teamed up with the Furutech at both ends,I couldn't be more pleased.

My advice is to not stop the quest with the purchase of a decent power cord.

You really get what you paid for when you upgrade with a dedicated line and upgraded receptacles.

One reason I feel people have negative things to say about power cords is that they've been compromised by cheap recptacles and polluted multi tapped lines to the wall.

Get the power right, and a whole new world awaits.

I'd like to add the following.

Cost can be a factor when considering power cords, but for just a little cash, anyone can upgrade a stock power cord by replacing the cheap molded rubber ends with decent entry level Furutechs.About 90 bucks.

Is that going to put you in the poor house?

I don't think so.

Here's why.

Most of the folks who balk at spending money on upgrades such as power cords or fuses,have never tried them, but somehow know they can't make an improvement.

I tend to side more with the folks who try the stuff they talk about, not with the speculators.

Getting back to spending big bucks on this hobby.
How many of the "cheapsters" think nothing of spending big bucks on their music libraries?

Oh, yeah, it's because they are music lovers and not gear heads.

Personally,it just doesn't jive with me when someone boasts about how large their music collections are and say they've spent their money on what's most important, the music.

Well, for me it's not about how much music I have but how much I enjoy my music, and cheap gear only lets you enjoy a portion of what you have invested your money in.

If I only had 100 recordings but a system that gives me 90 % return on my investement I would be more happy than having 10000 recordings and a system that was only capable of 10% sonic reproduction.

If sound really isn't important, or the gear shouldn't be a factor in musical enjoyment, then none of us needs anything more than a pocket transistor radio.

Anyone realize any significant improvement with homebrew DIY cable? for example like using some beldan wire and fairly inexpensive connectors or am I opening up another can of worms here.