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audiphile power cords

Do upgraded power cords really make a significant difference in sound quality? I have a Jolida 502p that I think sounds pretty good. What do you recommend for a power cord that would make a significant improvement?
al2214
akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,281 posts
 
(1) Yes
(2) Without knowing the rest of your system including inter alia, source, all electronics, speakers, AND all the other cables in your kit, it is impossible to blindly recommend one. Choosing one blindly is a gamble at best. Without knowing more, all you can get back in these blogs are heavily biased personal value judgements that are functionally useless otherwise.

System synergy matters ... big time. Just because it sounds good in one guy's rig is no basis to assume that it will sound good in your system. .

There is no substitute in:

(a) first doing your homework for YOUR system requirements; and then
(b) also doing actual in-house auditions to swap them in and swap them out

to see what sounds best. There is no other magic bullet. Good luck.
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
play with one with return policy. if you don't hear differences, you've just saved lots of money you can purchase media.
pops
2,275 posts
 
They definitely make a difference in most cases but not always necessarily better. I have tried enough in my system to determine stock cords are better sounding to me. YMMV.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,335 posts
 
I hear a difference with Pangea AC14SE cords on my DACs that I would attribute to lower noise and distortion. This Pangea model is designed specifically for that with line level components, ie source gear and pre-amps.

Power amps are different. More about current delivery capabilities than noise. Pangea AC9 model is for that. I have not tried these to date.

Main thing is always have a clear reason to use a particular product in each case based on problem to be addressed and how designed to address it. All power cords are different. It's a potshot otherwise.

Never buy anything just because it has been labeled "audiophile". That is a useless adjective for describing gear. It may be a good product or not. It may be the right solution, or not. There may be other solutions out there not so labeled to be marketed to "audiophiles" that might work better, or not.

All the "audiophile" label means for sure is that you will likely pay a premium for whatever you actually get.
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