# Best Audiophile Power Cables



## chenjy9

#4 hurts my heart.


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## Panson

If yuh hafta ask the price, yuh can't afford it...$35 fer 3 feet ain't too much, is it.

I wouldn't mind colorful well-built power cables, but wife dislikes visible cable. Maybe convince that cat would like. Anything goes for cat--finest foods, bottled water, grooming, etc. So, there yuh go.


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## Friendly Fire

OK, a better power cord seems unlikely to improve sound quality. But I can't totally dismiss the possibility. I've done my share of silver and gold connectors and Wonder Cap upgrades over the years and have been mostly pleased with the results. I know many people feel that any perceived improvements are psychological and maybe they are, but I prefer using gear that I like the output from. 

So I found the Audio Quest cord on Amazon with a 30 day return. When I have a chance I'll audition it and if not amused send it back. 

Then I will know.


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## Mashie Saldana

Next AVS Forum will feature a list of Audiophile fuses. 

Can't wait.


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## wookiegr

But... miles of cheap 14/2 cable between your audiophile plug and the electric company. What sort of nonsense is this thread!


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## GalvatronType_R

You gots to be kidding me....


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## Daniel Chaves

I find the max amps that something will draw find a cable that is rated for that amperage in the length and color I need and purchase it, no further thinking goes beyond that lol... so Im good with monoprice cables and the likes.


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## MrBobb

I like the PS Audio DRAGON myself. Just wait until she goes to sleep.


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## bryantc

This site will do anything for a buck


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## danlw2

wookiegr said:


> But... miles of cheap 14/2 cable between your audiophile plug and the electric company. What sort of nonsense is this thread!


No no no, you don't understand. This is for TRUE audiophiles. These people have Tesla Solar Roofs installed with Tesla Power Walls upgraded with AudioQuest super-caps. They have also hired AudioQuest electricians to replace that garbage that home builders use with pure silver 000 Guage AC wiring tuned to a precise 60Hz. These electricians wear EMI shielded coveralls to ensure that the wire is not contaminated with stray WIFI signals.

Coming soon, AudioQuest will be selling audiophile grade solar filter film which is applied directly to Tesla solar roofs. This film filters out variances found in normal sunlight so that the solar panels only get audiophile grade sunlight.

All of this combines to create an acoustically perfect power generation to speaker chain of audiophile grade components available only from AudioQuest.


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## psyduck103

Any UL listed IEC power cord of the proper gauge is as good as any snake oil out there.Speaking of a fool and his money- check this out. https://www.cruzefirstaudio.com/maestro A Hubble hospital grade receptacle costs about $10 and is as good as it gets.


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## psyduck103

This is the real deal in high quality electrical wiring https://www.hubbell.com/hubbell/en/...eceptacles/Extra-Heavy-Duty/HBL8600/p/1636155


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## wookiegr

danlw2 said:


> No no no, you don't understand. This is for TRUE audiophiles. These people have Tesla Solar Roofs installed with Tesla Power Walls upgraded with AudioQuest super-caps. They have also hired AudioQuest electricians to replace that garbage that home builders use with pure silver 000 Guage AC wiring tuned to a precise 60Hz. These electricians wear EMI shielded coveralls to ensure that the wire is not contaminated with stray WIFI signals.
> 
> Coming soon, AudioQuest will be selling audiophile grade solar filter film which is applied directly to Tesla solar roofs. This film filters out variances found in normal sunlight so that the solar panels only get audiophile grade sunlight.
> 
> All of this combines to create an acoustically perfect power generation to speaker chain of audiophile grade components available only from AudioQuest.


I stand corrected. I wonder if all that helps reverse tinnitus! If So, I need a second job.


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## wookiegr

psyduck103 said:


> This is the real deal in high quality electrical wiring https://www.hubbell.com/hubbell/en/...eceptacles/Extra-Heavy-Duty/HBL8600/p/1636155


I outfitted all the outlets in my theater build that have actual a/v equipment plugged in with high quality Hubbells. Not so much for the idea it may improve quality but to ensure tight connections and better build quality for the long haul than the cheapo basic outlets used by home builders.


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## Mocs123

Mashie Saldana said:


> Next AVS Forum will feature a list of Audiophile fuses.
> 
> Can't wait.



I'm not sure about fuses but next week is Audiophile 20A breakers. For only $299.99 you can really open up your soundstage.


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## gxfrench

I have upgraded all my home appliances to audioquest. my toast is crunchier ,my vacuum cleaner is suckier and my water boils extra hot.


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## S_rangeBrew

gxfrench said:


> I have upgraded all my home appliances to audioquest. my toast is crunchier ,my vacuum cleaner is suckier and my water boils extra hot.


100 deg Celsius boiling water is for plebes. 
This thread cracks me up. Get that money, AVS.
I'm helping by clicking.


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## bryantc

S_rangeBrew said:


> This thread cracks me up. Get that money, AVS.
> I'm helping by clicking.


I like how they post it from a generic account so you can't hold anyone accountable. AVS was founded by an enthusiast but since sold to a faceless conglomerate. Have you ever tried using this site without an ad blocker? It's literally cancer. There are still a lot of respected and knowledgeable people here but this kind of thing just makes me want to jump ship.


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## Guest

bryantc said:


> I like how they post it from a generic account so you can't hold anyone accountable. AVS was founded by an enthusiast but since sold to a faceless conglomerate. Have you ever tried using this site without an ad blocker? It's literally cancer. There are still a lot of respected and knowledgeable people here but this kind of thing just makes me want to jump ship.


It's almost as if you are commenting without actually reading the post... but to be honest the spicy comments are fun.


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## bryantc

AVS Forum News & Reviews said:


> It's almost as if you are commenting without actually reading the post... but to be honest the spicy comments are fun.


I read the post. You are still promoting these scammy companies and making money on the affiliate links..


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## Guest

bryantc said:


> I read the post. You are still promoting these scammy companies and making money on the affiliate links..


Some people amused, others triggered. That's power cords! World's not going to end if someone buys the big, thick, snake-skin patterned first choice without expectation of sonic improvement, or opts to go hospital grade for a 10-foot cable.

If they buy Audioquest, that's on them and is akin to buying expensive sunglasses just for the brand.


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## ipca204

chenjy9 said:


> #4 hurts my heart.


the whole post made me want to vomit..


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## chenjy9

AVS Forum News & Reviews said:


> Some people amused, others triggered. That's power cords! World's not going to end if someone buys the big, thick, snake-skin patterned first choice without expectation of sonic improvement, or opts to go hospital grade for a 10-foot cable.
> 
> If they buy Audioquest, that's on them and is akin to buying expensive sunglasses just for the brand.


This is a fair point, although fashion companies are typically a bit more honest about the benefits of their offerings whereas Audioquest is one of the scummiest.


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## bryantc

AVS Forum News & Reviews said:


> Some people amused, others triggered. That's power cords! World's not going to end if someone buys the big, thick, snake-skin patterned first choice without expectation of sonic improvement, or opts to go hospital grade for a 10-foot cable.
> 
> If they buy Audioquest, that's on them and is akin to buying expensive sunglasses just for the brand.


 You are right the world is not going to end if someone buys a power cable.


But let's use another example: Say I run a health blog and I promote someone else's fake but ultimately harmless Covid cure and make money every time someone clicks the link. Should people be upset at me?


You are running an AV Science website and now promoting literal snake oil products. Hopefully you can understand why this would upset people.


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## bryantc

^^ *And* why it hurts your credibility.




(apparently you can't edit posts here)


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## wookiegr

AVS Forum News & Reviews said:


> Some people amused, others triggered. That's power cords! World's not going to end if someone buys the big, thick, snake-skin patterned first choice without expectation of sonic improvement, or opts to go hospital grade for a 10-foot cable.
> 
> If they buy Audioquest, that's on them and is akin to buying expensive sunglasses just for the brand.


In case you hadn't noticed, the world IS ending because stupid people are blindly making bad, uneducated decisions.


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## Guest

bryantc said:


> You are right the world is not going to end if someone buys a power cable.
> 
> 
> But let's use another example: Say I run a health blog and I promote someone else's fake but ultimately harmless Covid cure and make money every time someone clicks the link. Should people be upset at me?
> 
> 
> You are running an AV Science website and now promoting literal snake oil products. Hopefully you can understand why this would upset people.


While I'd like to think of buying expensive audiophile cables as being akin to a disease, I am not willing to "go there" in terms of acknowledging that analogy. One is a serious public health issue, the other is spending way too much on something for a hobby. So please, no COVID analogies, OK?


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## DanPackMan

People can spend all they want, its just when they recommend others waste money that I have any issues.


As for power cables: If it ain't getting hot.......


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## johnplayerson

bryantc said:


> This site will do anything for a buck



IF you asked me... they deliberately post stuff like this.... so they can catagorize all more expensive stuff as a waste of money,,,,,,,,,,, so they can more easily sell, the truckloads of cheap stuff.......... that really are like throwing money into a land fill. One thing for sure...... as a purchaser is it highly unlikely you will misplace a 300.00 power cord.... but everything else...... people will waste hours upon hours looking for it.


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## Guest

DanPackMan said:


> People can spend all they want, *its just when they recommend others waste money that I have any issues.*
> 
> 
> As for power cables: If it ain't getting hot.......


And here I thought I was striking the right balance between sarcasm and stating some not so flattering facts regarding the "luxury" option. But if people take it seriously that just shows how marketing works, I suppose. I mean come on now... _"If you are the sort who can afford to spend big bucks on power cables, Audioquest can accommodate"_ you get _"a brochure full of technical mumbo-jumbo you can memorize to impress your friends"_ 

I'll practice my comedy, OK?


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## DanPackMan

Mylar shielding... to lock in all that noise and make sure it gets delivered to your equipment.


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## Guest

johnplayerson said:


> IF you asked me... they deliberately post stuff like this.... so they can catagorize all more expensive stuff as a waste of money,,,,,,,,,,, so they can more easily sell, the truckloads of cheap stuff.......... that really are like throwing money into a land fill. One thing for sure...... as a purchaser is it highly unlikely you will misplace a 300.00 power cord.... but everything else...... people will waste hours upon hours looking for it.


Monoprice FTW. But I would never make fun of their power cables by slapping an "audiophile" tag on them.


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## kluken

Not again. So the only thing I buy into is if you want to dress up your system and the cables are visible then sure get nice cables, it as others have said, with miles of plain old copper between where the power is generated and your gear, if the cable improves your shear results then the factory cable is woefully undersized (not likely). At best even is the power transformer is outside your home there is likely 100 or more feet of other copper and unless your gear plugs right into your electrical panel there is 14 or 12 gauge plain old copper and then the outlet contacts as well as the breaker contacts all in the path.


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## Soccerdude

The best power cords are the ones that come in the box with your gear period .


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## Daniel Chaves

kluken said:


> Not again. So the only thing I buy into is if you want to dress up your system and the cables are visible then sure get nice cables, it as others have said, with miles of plain old copper between where the power is generated and your gear, if the cable improves your shear results then the factory cable is woefully undersized (not likely). At best even is the power transformer is outside your home there is likely 100 or more feet of other copper and unless your gear plugs right into your electrical panel there is 14 or 12 gauge plain old copper and then the outlet contacts as well as the breaker contacts all in the path.


Well there was that one guy that basically had his own sub power station in front of his house dedicated to his Sound System so maybe that makes a difference lol but yes this is all about visual appeal than it is practicality... 

I mean you can spend a fraction of the money to make something perform as good or better than a Ferrari but it sure wont look as good as a Ferrari, in other words some people spend the money for the name behind the brand and the looks and frankly to say Im better than you because I can easily waste this kind of money like its nothing lol, if it happens to performs better well thats just a plus but typically isnt always the factor. 

And to be fair there was a lot of sarcasm in that article so I guess it wasnt picked up as easily as it was for others. 

But ultimately live and let live.


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## chirpie

OMG, those Amazon reviews... 

"Yes, it will work with those Marantzs. It is an amazing upgrade. If your setup has already been active for some time, and you know the sound well; changing out one power cord at a time in the chain will reveal the difference to you right away. With some time it gets more apparent. Enjoy!"

I'm not even an engineer and I want to build a cinderblock wall just to bash my head against it.


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## chirpie

bryantc said:


> ^^ *And* why it hurts your credibility.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (apparently you can't edit posts here)


At first I was about to post "Of course you can edit your post" but then I realized the edit button is gone. What the what?


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## MrGrey

So, My $1600 subwoofer is gonna come with a cable that is gonna limit it's performance?. is my Avr is gonna come with a cable that limits it's performance?. common sense says that whatever cable comes with the device must be sufficient for it to perform to it's specifications.​


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## Davenlr

*Waste of money*



AVS Forum News & Reviews said:


> Audiophiles are prone to doing whatever it takes to get as pristine sound as they can, and even something as mundane and detached from the signal chain as a power cable factors into the equation.


OK, I normally keep my mouth shut, but this is the stupidest thing I have ever read here.
I had a friend who spent $500 on a dang power cable for his tube amp. I told his what Im telling you all, this is STUPID.

WHAT are you plugging those expensive cords into? A frigging 30 cent outlet from Home Depot, with wires inside walls that have been chewed on by mice over the years, and running all over the house, before ending up inside a power box that EVERY OTHER WIRE in the house is connected to and shielded by.

ASSUMING you have a dedicated power box for you audiophile gear, AND you run those $500 cables directly from the power box in shielded form to the outlet, and buy gold outlets, you are just wasting your damn money.


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## mach250

MrBobb said:


> I like the PS Audio DRAGON myself. Just wait until she goes to sleep.



 is there some special copper that has been found that is only available from one source on the planet? That is almost the same as buying 1 ton of raw copper.


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## Rysa_105

I do not know why Audioquest gets unwarranted hate on this message board. Audioquest has multiple tiers of products, their 'super high end' products may surely be snake oil but generalizing and saying Audioquest is snake oil is wrong. Buy any


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## AlexLac

Rysa_105 said:


> I do not know why Audioquest gets unwarranted hate on this message board. Audioquest has multiple tiers of products, their 'super high end' products may surely be snake oil but generalizing and saying Audioquest is snake oil is wrong. Buy any


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## Guest

Davenlr said:


> OK, I normally keep my mouth shut, but this is the stupidest thing I have ever read here.
> I had a friend who spent $500 on a dang power cable for his tube amp. I told his what Im telling you all, this is STUPID.
> 
> WHAT are you plugging those expensive cords into? A frigging 30 cent outlet from Home Depot, with wires inside walls that have been chewed on by mice over the years, and running all over the house, before ending up inside a power box that EVERY OTHER WIRE in the house is connected to and shielded by.
> 
> ASSUMING you have a dedicated power box for you audiophile gear, AND you run those $500 cables directly from the power box in shielded form to the outlet, and buy gold outlets, you are just wasting your damn money.


It's a description of a mindset that will spend money on tweaks that do nothing. This could be called the "audiophile mindset" and it is notoriously uncritical. The comment itself is not meant to be stupid, but rather to describe a frame of mind that critical thinkers would likely find lacking in intellectual rigor.


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## Guest

AlexLac said:


> Because they got caught in their own lies, because they prey on people with similar claims to diet pills. One can argue that if a person has $500 to spend on 6ftp of cable then he probably deserves it, but it's not always the case. If they advertised as "pretty cable" then I'm sure no one would care.
> 
> What was apparent in the HDMI cables other than the premium build?


In retrospect, I now realize that Audioquest is the target of particularly strong criticism because of the well documented fact the company made false claims about HDMI benefitting from cable upgrades. That's not something I'd expect AVS Forum members to take sitting down.

Fully understand where that sentiment is coming from.


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## kamouflage

To be fair in the original post they did state that the power cord that came with your component is good enough but if you need something longer or that looks better here are some affordable options. Do people not even read posts anymore or is reading comprehension down that much these days? Also the sarcasm was pretty clear to me as well but maybe that's just me.


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## scanido

chenjy9 said:


> AVS Forum News & Reviews said:
> 
> 
> 
> Some people amused, others triggered. That's power cords! World's not going to end if someone buys the big, thick, snake-skin patterned first choice without expectation of sonic improvement, or opts to go hospital grade for a 10-foot cable.
> 
> If they buy Audioquest, that's on them and is akin to buying expensive sunglasses just for the brand.
> 
> 
> 
> This is a fair point, although fashion companies are typically a bit more honest about the benefits of their offerings whereas Audioquest is one of the scummiest.
Click to expand...

At least audioquest’ fancy audio cables will hold their value much better than any sunglasses


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## bryantc

kamouflage said:


> To be fair in the original post they did state that the power cord that came with your component is good enough but if you need something longer or that looks better here are some affordable options. Do people not even read posts anymore or is reading comprehension down that much these days? Also the sarcasm was pretty clear to me as well but maybe that's just me.


Doesn't matter what the post says. Both AVS and these shady companies are making money off this thread.


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## Archaea

It's obvious there are different thoughts on this, but I'll add my vote to the pool that says this type of post is borderline irresponsible, and not worth any possible financial income it brings to AVSForum -- even though the original post is clearly done in half jest. Cables 1, 2, and 3 are not outrageously priced, but cable 4 is -- and I know from visiting trade shows that's only the beginning.

This type of thing is not harmless. There is no good that will come from the dust this type of post creates. it just breeds more arguments and consumer ignorance into the future. We have thousands of posts on this forum with people claiming they can hear improvements that are fully placebo based. It'd be nice to have fewer.

The role of this AV Science forum/community should be to clear the air of placebo improvements and steer towards legitimate, measurable, audible improvements. If we want to talk about when you might actually need a larger gauge power cable due to (distance/voltage drop/wire resistance, metals used/insulation/build quality, or power draw requirements) then lets have the conversation.


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## MrBobb

Some folks here need to stay away from too much Covid-19 news and recognize site like this is for-profit, viva capitalism! Is entertainment folks.


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## Guest

Archaea said:


> It's obvious there are different thoughts on this, but I'll add my vote to the pool that says this type of post is borderline irresponsible, and not worth any possible financial income it brings to AVSForum -- even though the original post is clearly done in half jest. Cables 1, 2, and 3 are not outrageously priced, but cable 4 is -- and I know from visiting trade shows that's only the beginning.
> 
> This type of thing is not harmless. There is no good that will come from the dust this type of post creates. it just breeds more arguments and consumer ignorance into the future. *We have thousands of posts on this forum with people claiming they can hear improvements that are fully placebo based. It'd be nice to have fewer.*
> 
> *The role of this AV Science forum/community should be to clear the air of placebo improvements and steer towards legitimate, measurable, audible improvements. If we want to talk about when you might actually need a larger gauge power cable due to (distance/voltage drop/wire resistance, metals used/insulation/build quality, or power draw requirements) then lets have the conversation.*


Sure seems like the community showed up and made its voice heard. Also seems like "the system" i.e. people posting their opinion as a supplement to the OP, is working the way it's supposed to. Plenty of good points made, you'd figure someone reading this thread could figure out the overall message. 

For those who read all this and still think buying a $300 power cord is a good idea, or a $3000 one, it's a consumer jungle out there, best of luck to them because there's a lot more ways to lose your money than audio cables. Ever been to Vegas? This post is a drop in the ocean of cable arguments, it won't change anything, especially not anyone's mind on the topic. Hope the folks who got triggered can recover quickly from the shock to the system.


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## benji888578

So, these links surely give AVSForum a small commission if purchased via links, thus the motivation for this, (and, in case one does not understand why people are saying they make money from these posts.)

#1: 10 AWG wire is good for 30 AMPS or 3600 Watts at 120 V, so, major overkill!  ...However, the shielding might be helpful in some cases.

I just couldn't read the whole thing, so, not much more to say, except, don't bother paying attention to this post/thread.


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## a2lowvw

There has been so much back and forth about these high dollar mystery cables. Before joining the site I read through one of the longer threads about them from 2011 and loved the back and forth banter.


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## jvc

Let me throw my $.2 in. I agree that power cables (especially at the crazy costs!) to improve sound DOES sound kind of nuts, however... If you even hooked up a car amp using various gauges of of wire or of different types (like the old - but great Monsters with the flux tube in it), then you KNOW that the thicker the cable - the more power than is delivered to the amps. The more power delivered, the better the sound - especially at lower levels. So it is not far fetched, but spending hundreds and thousands on a cable is madness!

Like someone wrote: some people have the money to burn and are too stingy to give it to the needy, but are looking for something to spend it on. In their minds, as long as they know the price paid and they make sure to tell someone, they simply get bragging and envy points. The problem is - most do not envy someone with an expensive power cable. You can get the Ferrari for that cost, or you can get a new Corvette! You stun in both, but the other gives greater class and EGO separation, as it is harder for the 'average' person to obtain. 

That is where companies come in - to take advantage of the ego with long pockets! They know that someone, at some time, will make a move on top cost products, so even if they never sell out - they have made gigantic profits! With that being written - you can get high end power cables on Ebay from China for like $20. I'm thinking of trying one out - just to see.


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## james111333

jvc said:


> Let me throw my $.2 in. I agree that power cables (especially at the crazy costs!) to improve sound DOES sound kind of nuts, however... If you even hooked up a car amp using various gauges of of wire or of different types (like the old - but great Monsters with the flux tube in it), then you KNOW that the thicker the cable - the more power than is delivered to the amps. The more power delivered, the better the sound - especially at lower levels. So it is not far fetched, but spending hundreds and thousands on a cable is madness!


You need to do your homework before spouting nonsense, have you ever considered that a car amp is running at 12v and outputting silly numbers of watts (1000s at peak) hence the need for higher current.
120v needs 10 times less current to output the same watts, 240v is 20 times less. V x A = W


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## pomonabill220

wookiegr said:


> But... miles of cheap 14/2 cable between your audiophile plug and the electric company. What sort of nonsense is this thread!


..... yes! AND the plug on the wall AND the wire in the amp/receiver, what gauge is that? AND the breaker or fuse in your electrical panel, what are the contacts made out of? NOT gold but copper!
snif.. snif... snif smells like snake oil!
Just good copper that is of heavy enough gauge with good terminations is the best you can do!


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## 760rapta

Davenlr said:


> *Waste of money*
> 
> 
> 
> OK, I normally keep my mouth shut, but this is the stupidest thing I have ever read here.
> I had a friend who spent $500 on a dang power cable for his tube amp. I told his what Im telling you all, this is STUPID.
> 
> WHAT are you plugging those expensive cords into? A frigging 30 cent outlet from Home Depot, with wires inside walls that have been chewed on by mice over the years, and running all over the house, before ending up inside a power box that EVERY OTHER WIRE in the house is connected to and shielded by.
> 
> ASSUMING you have a dedicated power box for you audiophile gear, AND you run those $500 cables directly from the power box in shielded form to the outlet, and buy gold outlets, you are just wasting your damn money.


BOOM! THAT is the most convincing argument I've ever read for not upgrading power cables.


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## caryt

Sorry same BS as speaker cables...every few min someone wants to take your $ for nothing. For 20 years +- there have been double and triple blind studies and 0 can tell the difference.

PT Barnum was correct.


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## model21and12

caryt said:


> Sorry same BS as speaker cables...every few min someone wants to take your $ for nothing. For 20 years +- there have been double and triple blind studies and 0 can tell the difference.
> 
> PT Barnum was correct.


Ha speaker wires are a bit different my friend-stranded why-high frequency runs on the outside of the wire where current tends to run thru the bulk of the wire-therefore you really need low gauge wire with lots of strands-but pretty much crap on the input power cable, besides AVS has just turned into another sale platform for an expensive and fun hobby!


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## Dark Matter

psyduck103 said:


> Any UL listed IEC power cord of the proper gauge is as good as any snake oil out there.Speaking of a fool and his money- check this out. https://www.cruzefirstaudio.com/maestro A Hubble hospital grade receptacle costs about $10 and is as good as it gets.


"...The first thing I noticed was that several layers of haze have been removed from the sound ". I wonder how many layers of haze are left to remove--maybe adding these outlets at the power company would do the trick. How does the reviewer know, that instead of several layers, it wasn't just one extremely thick layer?


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## [email protected]

Snake oil


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## Mr_Movie_Dog

Snake oil? It's not that good! LOL Whoever buys this hog wash should buy cables from Moon Audio where you can spend $300 or more on a simple Dragon cable. Do a double blind and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the Dragon and a much cheaper cable from Monoprice. If you're really worried about power source get a good power conditioner that actually cleans up the signal phase and compresses spikes, maybe then you hear a difference, maybe?


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## mboddy

Best reason to improve the power coming to your equipment is to protect it. Just turning a switch on can send a spike.
Get an electrician to run a dedicated circuit from the main board to your equipment.
Then your gear won't receive a spike due to;

your wife running the vacuum cleaner
your son using an arc welder
your daughter charging her electric car
on the same circuit.

ps. I did the above but didn't bother to upgrade the power cords.


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## repair4man

Reading this, I feel as though my decades in aerospace design engineering learning about power and signal wiring approaches to survive aircraft carrier environments was wasted! Actually, my time was wasted reading this article.


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## Accuphased

Roger Russel, Chief Engineer at McIntosh Laboratories states in very scientific terms that there is no difference. The money I have saved in cables I have put in higher-end amps, pre-amps, and number 1, SPEAKERS. Even people could not tell the difference between the coat hangers and expensive cables. Good read, I trust an electronical engineer from McIntosh who was head of their speaker division. Do these get edited out, like Facebook and Twitter now:


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## scanido

Accuphased said:


> Roger Russel, Chief Engineer at McIntosh Laboratories states in very scientific terms that there is no difference. The money I have saved in cables I have put in higher-end amps, pre-amps, and number 1, SPEAKERS. Even people could not tell the difference between the coat hangers and expensive cables. Good read, I trust an electronical engineer from McIntosh who was head of their speaker division. Do these get edited out, like Facebook and Twitter now:


Can you please share the reference? I would be interested to read this from McIntosh's Chief Engineer


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## tonigold9

can such a cable help the TV?
or receiver?
or computer ?


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## AlexLac

tonigold9 said:


> can such a cable help the TV?
> or receiver?
> or computer ?


No.


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## Ryan Howard

Wow, I thought snake oil stuff like this died off back in the early 2000's. I guess folks still try to sell/buy this crap.


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## Schwa

Sheesh. Enough with the self-righteous indignation. These power cables are just audiophile jewelry; nothing more. Let people spend their money how they want...AVS Forum certainly isn't forcing anyone to buy anything. 

Heck, I bought a few Pangea power cables for my two-channel system because they look nicer than the stock cables (blue!), I like the braided outer cover, and, most importantly, they came in the exact lengths I needed. They weren't super-expensive (maybe $30-$40 each depending on length), but certainly more than the stock cords. I don't like using the stock cables because they're always too long so I wind up having to coil and hide the extra length. I bought a few low-end Audioquest Evergreen interconnects too (about $50-$60 each); again, they're not super-expensive, but they look nice (green!), and came in the precise lengths I wanted.

So what if someone buys a $3000 power cord and thinks it makes their system sound better? More power (see what I did there?) to 'em. Even if we all know that their perceived sound improvement is nothing but confirmation bias, you'll never convince that power cord owner that it's all in their head, so why bother trying? Let's not try to save the audiophile community from themselves - I guarantee that whoever is buying an uber-expensive power cable or interconnect or whatever can easily afford to do so.


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## pacman9270

I think the cables look great! That is the only reason why I would buy one of these. Anyone claiming sonic differences has serious power issues in their home/facility. They may need to fix their home/facility power wiring before buying a power cord to correct interference issues. JMHO


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## fiftmoki

do not understand you recommend Audiophile Power Cables
for any electrical product like :
AVR / Blue Ray / Streamer / PC?


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## AlexLac

fiftmoki said:


> do not understand you recommend Audiophile Power Cables
> for any electrical product like :
> AVR / Blue Ray / Streamer / PC?


For toasters. Take the simplest ingridients like white bread and American cheese. Use a toaster powered with an audiophile power cable and you have yourself a Michelin star worthy gourmet toast.


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## kucharsk

Schwa said:


> Sheesh. Enough with the self-righteous indignation. These power cables are just audiophile jewelry; nothing more


Try the cable in your system; if it makes an improvement and you can afford it, buy it.

Cables can and do make a difference in highly resolving systems.


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## squared80

Surprised to see a post like this on these forums. Fake news for the casuals, huh? I guess everyone needs to pay the bills somehow.


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## Mike_WI

Not endorsing this, but an FYI from a post on HeadFi...

*Cable pathways between audio components can affect perceived sound quality*
Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, Volume 69 Issue 6 pp. 398-409, June 1st 2021

http://boson.physics.sc.edu/~kunchur//papers/Audibility-of-cable-pathways--Kunchur.pdf


*4 CONCLUSIONS *
High-end audio is a subject that is shrouded in controversy. Aside from loudspeakers, consumers exhibit varying degrees of skepticism as to what affects sonic performance. The most contentious ingredient in the chain is the interconnection between components, which concerns both the topology (balanced versus single-ended) and the characteristics of the cable itself. This work shows that two system configurations differing only by the interconnect pathway are audibly discernable, even by average listeners with no special experience in music or audio. 

To the author’s knowledge, this may represent the smallest change in an audio system proven to be discernable through IRB approved blind listening tests. 

The success of these experiments depended first on assembling an audio system with sufficient fidelity to avoid masking the minute differences being auditioned. 
Secondly, the approach to designing blind listening tests was scrutinized to see what might improve sensitivity. 

An extended multiple pass (EMP) listening protocol was developed, because preliminary experimentation along with other published observations [22]–[23] indicated that it would be more likely to form a robust and detailed impression of a HEA system’s sound quality compared to a short-segment comparison (SSC) method. 

This work did not conduct an exhaustive determination of all possible physical causes of sonic differences in interconnects. For example, time-domain effects such as reflections were not studied because a balanced cable requires a differential amplifier and extra cable (both adding their own noise and distortions) before an oscilloscope. 

However, the electrical measurements conducted here indicate that noise levels may be one determining factor of sonic performance. 
The measurements also show that characteristics such as resistance and frequency response, that naïve consumers may focus on, are irrelevant for distinguishing HEA interconnect cables. 
A worthwhile future extension of this work, would be to develop high-performance instrumentation that can cleanly switch between two single-ended interconnects. 
This will allow assessing sonic differences arising from cables’ transmission characteristics that are unrelated to topology, and also facilitate the study of time-domain effects.


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## shmerls

I'm just learning about high end power cables and am amazed by the disparity between those who swear by high end cables and those that don't. Horse racing. 

The post that started this thread doesn't feel that high end cables do more than look amazing. I just read a very interesting article by Kurt Denke (Blue Jeans Cable) at: Audiophile Power Cords - Do they really make a difference?

Check it out. Still researching whether Marantz who's SR6015 AVR I'm getting would include a substandard power cable that I need to trash and buy a replacement.

Thoughts?


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## Mike Lang

I say if it makes YOU feel better fine, but don't try to convince others they need to convert. It comes off about as likeable as a vegan preaching to a guy eating a burger.


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## Guakus

After 20 years of buying "luxury" cables, I have discovered that not every manufacturer is equal. Take Audioquest for example. They make a fantastic product, but only if you spend a thousand or more dollars. The reason being is that they pour all their engineering into the ultimate cable, and then find creative ways to BREAK that design, so that it under performs in order to make more affordable versions. Let me give you an example. Take the Bridge series of interconnects as the example, starting with the Sydney. 

The Sydney has their top-level cable geometry with their top-level copper. It even has silver plated connectors. So, what'd they break? First, it doesn't have their DBS system. Not that big a deal. The insulator for that high end copper is Polyethylene. A relatively crappy and cheap insulator that absorbs more signal than it reflects. That can have a significant impact on audio signals. However, the significant break is the connector. They used "purple copper" before silver plating it. "Purple" copper; WTAF!?! It's copper mixed with sulfur. Sulfur is _NOT_ a good conductor of electricity. So they hose that cable's performance in a massive way.

Next up, the Victoria. A far more expensive cable than the Sydney. They added the DBS system, yay. They replaced the "purple" copper with "pure red copper." So....just copper. What did they break on this cable? They carried over that crappy Polyethylene insulator. It's like all those fantastic materials and cable geometry are fighting against that $#!t-tastic insulator.

The upgrade from this is the Yosemite. A significantly expensive cable. They finally ditched the Polyethylene insulator and replaced it with superior FEP. A fluoropolymer that isn't unlike teflon. At last, the perfect small interconnect from Audioquest.....that uses copper. Nothing broken, expect your bank and wallet.

The final cable is the Angel, but all they did was replace the copper conductor with silver. If silver's your bag, great, I hope you can shell out the thousands of dollars required to own it.

Are the audio gains worth the price of admission? I have serious doubts that the costs to make the cable are so high that it warrants a $700 to $1000 price tag.

Then there are companies like Kimber Kable. They aren't over inflating the cost that much. For example, the connectors they use on their higher tier cables from Wattgate are being sold at-cost. If you wanted to DIY a power cable, you'd have to spend the same amount. So you are really paying for some labor cost for hand crafting the cable and some for the spool of wire they cut from. The performance exceeds Audioquest in the same category. You'd have to spend $700 or more dollars in Audioquest to get the same result in $350 in Kimber Kable.


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## Rustdust

scanido said:


> Can you please share the reference? I would be interested to read this from McIntosh's Chief Engineer


Im late to the party but here you go! Speaker Wire


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## BarryO

Don't stop at incomplete solutions like this. You _have_ to go all the way to get the ultimate in audio and video quality:









New Cabling Technology Announced


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Start-Up Caters to Requirements of Home Theater Enthusiasts for Perfect Power and Signal Delivery April 1, 2003 San Jose -- Helada Technologies, Ltd., announced today that they were accepting orders for installation of their revolutionary PerfectWire(tm) technology...




www.avsforum.com


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## imagic

BarryO said:


> Don't stop at incomplete solutions like this. You _have_ to go all the way to get the ultimate in audio and video quality:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> New Cabling Technology Announced
> 
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Start-Up Caters to Requirements of Home Theater Enthusiasts for Perfect Power and Signal Delivery April 1, 2003 San Jose -- Helada Technologies, Ltd., announced today that they were accepting orders for installation of their revolutionary PerfectWire(tm) technology...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.avsforum.com


All a waste when you get top performance out of crumpled aluminum foil  (only works for speaker cables though, not power cords).









Monster XP versus Aluminum Foil: A Speaker Cable Test


Few audio-related topics generate as much heated discussion as whether or not speaker cables make a significant difference in how a system sounds. Opinions on the topic vary wildly, as do the prices of the cables. There's seemingly no limit to how much an exotic speaker cable can cost, and...




www.avsforum.com


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