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Power Cords - Just Say Yes

I'm the biggest cable skeptic on the planet. I've never been able to tell the difference between one speaker cable over the other. I've never a/b tested because I just can't handle that sort of thing when all I want to do is listen to music. The power cord however is a whole different beast. I know. I just replaced a 18/3 that was powering my Rogue Cronus Magnum for two years with an Audioquest NRG4. I know some people aren't fans of AQ but that's what my local guy sells and I support him 100%. He sold me a broken in demo which is exactly what I wanted. I didn't do an a/b test and I didn't have to. I pulled the old one out and tossed it in the copper recycling pile and replaced it with the AQ. I fired up my amp this morning and let her warm up. I pulled out Sylvain Luc & Bireli Agrene's 'Duet' and hit the play button on the remote. Right off the bat I had to blink my eyes to make sure I was actually in my house. Everything tightened up with a dead silent background. I feel like a fool for waiting so long to come around on this one. I'm still skeptical of whether or not I will notice a difference when I replace the power cord to my CDP, but if you tell me I'll notice I might believe you. Either way, that's my next investment.
donjr
lacee
811 posts
 
Yes the more solar flares there are the worse it gets.
That's why something has to be done.

Whenever I hear about a cosmic storm heading my way I duck and cover myself with my shunyata power snakes.
They are shielded afterall.
bjesien
1,337 posts
 
With the right cable things just settle a little more. Easier flow and the more relaxed things will be.

It's all personal preference and goals. Double blind tests help in the beginning.

Good luck.
lacee
811 posts
 
Quick cable swaps may or may not be why double blind testing has varying results.

That quick snap judgement call of a power cord's performance usually changes over time.

What you may not hear/or like could change as the cable settles in with the system.

Disturbing cables in my system after cleaning the connectors periodically, could make you believe that cleaning cables with Deoxit can do more harm than good.

After a few hours, things settle back in and you realize it was worth the wait.

It takes a bit of time to evaluate how any thing new is performing in a system.

I realize someone will chime in and say that it's just me getting used to the new sound, so I'll do it now and save them the trouble.

What is important is if I enjoy the new sound or I don't.

I wouldn't get used to a drop in performance,but I can state that I have gotten used to an increase in performance, and when that bug bites, you keeping looking for more.

That's why I have replaced all the stock power cords in my set up with ones that have made the music more enjoyable to listen to.
I wouldn't be enjoying my music as much if I had stopped at one power cord upgrade.
foster_9
1,638 posts
 
Lacee, you are correct all the way. Disconnecting, moving and reconnecting cables alters the sound coming from the speakers. From top to bottom there is a change in the presentation. It can take a day or so for the sound to restore. Changing out power cords also makes perceptible changes too and the sound can take days to stabilize before you can really evaluate the final result.
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