Power Cords

[CallDr]

OK, I am a newbe so be nice....LOL! I want to know if power cords do work and what works for the the best price? I ain't spending 500 on a power cord nor would I spend 500 for speaker cables or any cables. I just don't have those kind of ears.....LOL! I use Kimber Hero's and for my Speakers. Is the Kimber power cord good....... it ain't a arm and a leg. Thanks!

[Burke Strickland]

Howdy Mike -- Welcome to the HT Guide. You've asked a couple of good questions that warrant some discussion beyond a "yes" or "no" answer.

I want to know if power cords do work

If your component is receiving electrical current, then the attached power cord does work. :>)

How does the Kimber power cord you are considering differ from the original cord provided with your equipment? Do you detect a problem with the power that you think a different cord could help ameliorate, or is it something an aggressive salesperson is recommending to "improve" your system?

I have tried after-market power cords of widely ranging prices (from about $25 up to $1,060 -- a Kimber Palladian) and varying configurations (some had proprietary circuitry in addition to the copper that carried the current, some just had beefy connectors and boa constrictor-diameter wire :>) and the least expensive was basically just a fancy appliance cord) on my power amplifier and found via semi-blind testing that the stock cord was as satisfactory as the others. So I returned all of the demo cords to their respective vendors except an updated stock cord that I am currently (pun intended) using which was provided by the manufacturer via my local dealer at no extra charge to me beyond what I had paid for the amp originally.

Is the Kimber power cord good....... it ain't a arm and a leg.

As for the lower-cost (than $1,060) Kimber power cord you are looking at, if it is something you really need because your existing cord no longer does the job, then sure, it will "work" in that it will effectively carry current from the wall plug to your component. Will it magically improve performance? While it is well built and made with high grade materials, don't expect "miracles".

I am very skeptical of claims that a three foot stretch of wire from the wall to the component will somehow magically "cure" all the "problems" supposedly inherent in our commercial power sources. If there are problems with the power source that need correction, I believe there are other more effective and cost-realistic approaches to a "fix" than buying an ultra-exotic power cord. Spending our money on those options (some of which have been or are being discussed in other threads around the forum) would usually make more sense. And if your electrical power is not really a problem, there are all sorts of other upgrades such as room treatments that will do far more to improve the sound than putting on a fancy power cord.

If the cord that comes with the unit is unsatisfactory or yields less than optimal performance, then I have to wonder why the manufacturer included it in the first place. I feel that an adequate power cord is a design necessity, as opposed to "throw away" interconnects which might be included as a convenience for quick hook up, but which need to be replaced ASAP with a call to CAT Cable or another vendor of comparable quality and price (good luck finding one). :>)

On the other hand, if the original cord is defective or damaged, then it is certainly more convenient to be able to plug in an after-market or replacement cord than to have to unscrew the cabinet, re-solder, etcetera. In that situation, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting a cord as good (before it was damaged) as the one that needs replacing.

So I am NOT advocating that power cords be "hard wired" to the components to which they deliver power. But I am suggesting that in most situations there are other more useful ways to spend our HT dollars than to buy a fancy power cord.

Burke

[Adz]

I agree. I bought so called crazy high end power cords and couldn't really tell any discernable difference. Then I was told it takes time to break it in! I've made so many real changes since then that have improved my system that I would need to go back and A/B the cords to tell if there is a difference now. Not sure how a break-in period helps for a power cord but who knows.

I would recommend putting the cash into a dedicated 20 amp circuit. Here I can tell you that my system improved quite noticeably. There is a thread on here that I started on this that has some pretty useful information.

[jimmyp58]

I couldn't agree more nor say it any better with what Burke and ADZ have said.

Jim

[Shane Martin]

CallDR,
I believe some folks in Club Rotel had some good luck with some after market power cords. Perhaps a member will drop by and let you know the results.

[H.Donald]

I purchased 3 aftermarket cords from a company that will remain nameless.
One was a heavy duty cord to replace the one on my Rmb 1075 which kept falling out.It fit more snug...did it improve anything otherwise?...nothing that I could say "oh yeah,that's more like it".In fact I dont even use it anymore...I plug everything into a power center.The cords I used were less than $75 a piece...worth it to satisfy my curiosity.

[CallDr]

Well that sums up about what I was thinking. I was not SURE.......so thats why I asked. So with that behind....... are the Kimber Silver Streak cables worth the money with better sound? I still use the the PBJ's and have had no complaints. Last...... If you have the option to go balanced ( like in my Bryston Sp 1.7........ will it sound better?

[aarsoe]

Ohh - I can feel that I am going down a road where people will be starring and pointing fingers..

But keeping silent is not what I normally do, so.

Yes, I have tried aftermarket chords and many of them do actually work. However they range from almost no difference to huge difference - and price is NOT a factor that in my experience have anything particular to do with their performance.

Now, I wont go into the why the h... they work, but I even tried a funny little experiment, where I put one of my favorite power chords after the cheapest extender I could find. Still sounded better than with the stock chord - go figure..

So what are the effects? Different on different components, but in general better perspective, more focus, less noise (and trust me, it is there even if you dont notice it now) and more, more, more bass extention.
I guess the effects will vary with your component and not all components react the same way. My Krell pre-amp really shows a huge difference with different power chords, but at the same time it is also the most hysterical component I have in regards to correct phasing - On the other hand my Rotel processor (1066) dont care and sound exactly the same with all chords - even the worst ones..
On my cd player (Teac T1) the effect is suddle, but quite noticable if you remove the cable again.
My DAC shows a very noticeble affect - but not as dramatic as the pre-amp.
Power amps - my front power amp (Quad) really loves the cables and show an effect almost as big as on the Krell.
My other power amp (Rotel 1095) also shows clear improvement with the after market cable

I should mention I have tried shielded power chords and un-shielded chords, but I cant say I prefer one over the other, as the best ones I have dont exist in a shielded version.

Guess it all comes down to how your gear is designed and how your local power is implemented...

[Burke Strickland]

An interesting and timely article on this subject...

Secrets of Home Theater "online magazine" recently conducted an ABX blind test Can We hear Difference Between AC Power Cords and concluded that there is no statistical difference in results in distinguishing between cords for either untrained listeners or hard-core "tweak-o-philes". The double blind test removed subjective factors (such as "knowing" that a particular brand is "better" or that a more expensive cord "has to be superior") that can potentially sway our evaluations.

Burke

[Shane Martin]

Burke,
There were also major issues with that test. We discussed them over at HTT with 2 of the participants. Basically the test can be ignored given those issues.

As long as you can buy the cords, try them out for yourself and decide for yourself if they are worth a hoot and return them for a full refund or a trial basis, then I would do it.

Otherwise I wouldn't spend lots of extra money on aftermarket cords. I would probably just stick with somethign decent and shielded like the ones from signalcable or ven heus(the one that Club Rotel was hot after for a while).

[Burke Strickland]

There were also major issues with that test. We discussed them over at HTT with 2 of the participants. Basically the test can be ignored given those issues.

Perhaps we should invite those two participants over here to discuss those issues, so we can all be enlightened (without having to go to another forum to find out what those issues are) :>) and decide for ourselves whether those issues disqualify the test. I also noticed that there were more than two participants in the test -- I wonder how the rest of them felt about the test.

I agree that trying cords (or other equipment) on a full refund or trial basis is the best way to find out for yourself whether a particular product is worthwhile for your own system. But there is still a danger that without some kind of "control" (test), we might subjectively decide "change is better" even if there is no real change in performance. OTOH, as long as it is well made and does the job effectively, why not, if it satisfies the urge to upgrade without spending "an arm and a leg". :>)

Burke

[Raphie]

The trick with a good powercord is not so much to magically improve, but also to keep RFI etc away from your RCA cords. proper RFI management improves your soundstage, noisefloor and image depth. Will you hear a difference with only 1 well shielded cable? probably not. But when used in a seperate audiogroup or behind an active filter /isolator. It makes sure that once it's clean it stays clean until it's in the unit.

[Adz]

I plugged my amps directly into dedicated circuits.
Then I ran everything else through a power conditioner into another separate outlet.
This setup appears to work very well.

[Danbry39]

I have three aftermarket power cords. The first one I received when I bought my Arcam CD player. Not believing it would do any difference, I refused when the dealer told me I "needed" to have it because it would be a significant improvement. Frustrated, I guess, at my refusal to buy one, he gave me one of the ones hooked up to components in his shop. I never A/B'd and haven't a clue as to where the original is now, but as he gave it to me for free...

After hearing a lot of good things about how it worked symbiotically with my now departed Rotel 1066 pre-pro, I bought one and, while not expecting to hear a difference, did in much the way described by Raphie.

Elated, I bought another one for my DVD player. I heard no difference in the sound whatsoever.

So, with me, it is one I have no clue as to whether it made a difference, one where I perceived it did (when expecting it not to), and one where I could hear absolutely no difference (when I expected to hear a difference).

[Danbry39]

One thing I wonder about the perceived improvement I heard with an aftermarket power cord on my Rotel, in that this was the only time I saw a positive difference. Could it be attributed to the fact that the cord that came with the Rotel was extremely loose fitting. In other words, could it have been so loose as to cause a bad connection which in turn led to negative sonic side effects? I personally have no clue.

[TimRawson]

Curious... Are power cords to correct noise, a filter of sorts?

Why not just make one out of 10-2 romex? Can't imagine improving current flow of the 12-2 in the walls unless it has an inductive or capacitive feature.

[Lex]

Post deleted by admin that had an invitation to contact a local for construction of a cable. Not allowed, you know who you are. We had a real nice general info thread going here until that invitation.

Lex

[David Meek]

Okayyyy, back on topic....

Why not just make one out of 10-2 romex?

Good question. Why not?

[Lex]

To answer that question, because it's stiff as hell, that's why.

[aarsoe]

Dont really know what Romex is - but I am guessing installation cable...

And yes - most of the aftermarket cables are also very stiff. Makes life pretty difficult - especially if you have "full size" components like Krell. But again, to me its been worth while..

[Lex]

Romex is the base electrical wire used from switches back to the box. In other words, your house internal wire in the walls and overhead.

Lex

[David Meek]

To answer that question, because it's stiff as hell, that's why.

Yeah, but you can bend it into such cool shapes and it will stay there.... :B

[Chris D]

Simply put, Romex is a single strand of copper wire for each conductor. One big fat 12 gauge copper wire, not multi-strands. I have no idea if multi-strands is any better or not.