1066 Power cord replacement

[Ron Reda]

Based on some discussion in another thread, I went ahead and ordered a VH Audio Flavor 3 power cord to replace the stock cord that came with the 1066 pre/pro. However, when it arrived today, I noticed that the cord had a three-prong female receptacle with a three-prong male receptacle versus a two-prong female receptacle at one end and two male prongs at the other end (no ground) which is what the stock cord has. Is there going to be any AC power issues using the replacement cord presuming that the cord fits snuggly?

[Andrew Pratt]

You'll should be fine...just the centre grounding pin won't connect to anything on the Rotel which is how it was designed.

[Azeke]

I would also suggest putting electrical tape over the center grounding pin of the female portion of the plug, just to be safe.

Regards,

Azeke

[Ron Reda]

Well, I asked Chris at VH Audio about the connectors and here's what he said:

The IEC's third prong is inactive, and the 3rd prong on the AC male plug is necessary to ground the shield. This cord is made for ungrounded components, but the shield needs to be grounded...

So, I guess I'm okay!

[Ron Reda]

Well, the new power cord arrived and I was able to hook it up on Wednesday. I was immediately impressed by the build quality...Chris did a great job with this cord, especially in regards to the connectors. The only thing that was a tad difficult was getting the cord to curve a little due to the location of my 1066 and the power strip...it is a bit inflexible. However, once it was in place, I quickly forgot about the effort it took to hook it up.

WOW, what a difference! While Chris suggested giving it 100 hours to cook and 200 hours to reach it's peak, I can't imagine it sounding better than it does right now. Right off the bat, I noticed a lowered noise floor which had the music emerging from a blacker background. There was also a big improvement in microdynamics. This was quite evident on acoustic guitars as I was really able to hear notes decay more naturally. Same thing goes for cymbals. The music also got noticeably more detailed allowing me to discover many new subtle nuances in some of my well-known CDs. In many instances, I had to reverse the CD to confirm that what I heard was actually in the CD and not in my head. The soundstage also benefitted from this cord. I have never thought the soundstage in my system was as wide as it could be, but let me tell you, it just got a big boost! I really couldn't believe it, but to me it sounds as though it has widened another 2 feet beyond the speakers. The depth improved as well creating a more three-dimensional sound. Lastly (and I just realized this yesterday), I feel that my system now plays louder at the same volume levels that I was previously using. Perhaps because it's playing cleaner? I don't know and I don't care because I'm sold on this cable and Chris' craftsmanship. Now my biggest problem is that I don't know what CD/SACD to play first. That and lack of sleep! I find myself getting so drawn into the music emotionally that I spend hours at a time in my listening room, easily until 1 AM on a work night. It's like trying to pull teeth to get me out of that room...at least that's what my wife says! All this with less than 40 hours of burn-in.

Hats off to Chris for building such a fine cable. I would easily pay twice what it cost for it's performance and what it helped me extract from my system. At $69, I can't imagine not picking one up. In fact, now I'm thinking about what other piece in my system would benefit from another one of Chris' cables!

[Danbry39]

Sensational review Ron. May I ask whether it stays affixed better than the cord that comes stock with the Rotels? The sonic improvements have me intrigued. I've heard a lot of people swear by power cords, while others argue against any sonic improvement. Same thing happens with cables and I fall in the camp that believes they do make a difference. I do have one power cord, a Transparent, which the dealer insisted I had to have with my Arcam CD player, but have never done an A/B test, nor do I intend to. I do know that he was so passionate about me pairing my Arcam with this particular cord that, when I said I wasn't interested, he pulled out one of their demo cords from the wall and just gave it to me. So, at least he seemed to be firmly of your camp that he wanted me to have it when there was no monetary gain (a loss actually) in it for him. I will say ya got this Rotel owner interested.




Keith

[Ron Reda]

Keith,

Ya know, I've read on this forum that people have had some issues with their stock cords not staying put. I guess that puts me in the minority because I have never encountered this problem. With that in mind, this cord does seem to stay affixed a bit better than the stock cord, but I really never had a problem to begin with.

In regards to the sonic improvement, I too fall in the camp that believes that they (power and interconnects) make a difference. Now whether they are subtle or major is up to the listener as well as the system. You're obviously not going to get a huge or substantial sonic improvement going from one great aftermarket power cord to another great cord. However, I do think that you will hear a lot of improvement going from a stock cord to an aftermarket cord. Also, please keep in mind that I don't profess to be this golden-eared audiophile, but I most certainly, unequivocably, without a doubt hear a difference with Chris' cord and feel that I could easily pick it out when doing a double-blind A/B test.

I too had a similar experience with an MIT Z-Cord II when purchasing my Musical Fidelity A3 CD player. The guy I bought it from sent the stock cord, but highly suggested that I go out and pick up the aforementioned MIT cord, praising it's effects on this player due to the RF/EMI rejection. As he had nothing to gain from me buying one, I said what the hell and picked one up. Same as you, I never did a comparison between it and the stock cord (and like you, probably never will), but he was so adamant in his recommendation, that I took his advice.

One more thing, Chris offers a 60-day return policy so that significantly reduces the buying risk (see below). My rationale was simply this; why not spend an extra $69 to have a $1500 pre/pro sound it's best? To me, it was a no-brainer!

All stock pre-made cables come with a NO-HASSLE 60-day money back guarantee. If these cables aren't the best power cables you've ever had in your system, simply return them in original condition, and VH Audio will cheerfully refund your purchase price on STOCK items (less shipping and payment transaction charges (PayPal, Credit Card, etc..). Custom sizes are not eligible for this offer.

One last thing, perhaps the cord is breaking-in a bit because last night (during another two-hour 3 AM listening session) I noticed that the bass my system had gotten more defined and had tightened up a bit and it's still below the first (100 hour) benchmark. If it stays this course, I can't imagine what it'll sound like after 200 hours!

[Danbry39]

Thanks Ron. Yeah, with the trial period, the only thing to lose is the shipping costs and that would be insignificant on a power cord.




Keith

[Ron Reda]

I think it was like $8 or something, so no great loss.

[dave]

Ron, where did you find your cable? it sounds like a good upgrade for very little expence . Regards




dave

[Claude D D]

Hey Ron,good to hear you're enjoying the improvements from your new powercord.I had pretty much the same results with my Rotel gear.Good upgrade for a low price. Here's a link to Chris's site for anyone interested.

http://www.venhaus1.com/diymains.html

[zeppelin]

You guys should also change the power cord on your CD and DVD player as well, than you will notice alot of difference, trust me.

[Ron Reda]

zepplin,

I'll probably end up swapping out the PC on my DVD player first as I already have the MIT Z-Cord II on my CD player. However, you never know, one of Chris' creations could best it!

[dpmckenzie]

I'm totally new to the effects (or purported effects) of the power cord switch idea. I tend to think it could have positive effects (I definitely notice the difference in interconnects). But what I'm wondering is, what exactly is the new/better power doing? And I didn't see anything about switching the power cord on the amp. What's the consensus on that?

I'm still breaking in my new 1066/1075 combo and am loving it, but I already went back to switch to different (more expensive) cables because I noticed a definite improvement for my ears. So now you guys have me getting itchy on trying a new cord.

I swear you all are going to be the death of me. But at least I'll go with beautiful music playing.

D

[will1066]

This board has been great. Picked up Denon 2900 for half-price and now, the Flavor 3.

Ron, your review had me piqued. For $70, I could afford to try it. It arrived yesterday and my reaction is similar to Ron's. The first things I noticed were increased midrange and midbass weight. Treble is less harsh and more detailed and delicate. I venture to say it even warmed up my upper midrange; also less harsh. For me, there wasn't a lot of change in the most microdynamics but there was in I guess I would call "midlevel" detail. Definitely recommended.

[Danbry39]

Talk about making me more curious. It seems that quite a few of you guys are having great success with this power cord.




Keith

[Ron Reda]

And I didn't see anything about switching the power cord on the amp.

dpmckenzie,

I actually took care of that when I first bought my "non-Rotel" amp (based on previous owner recommendations) although lately, I have been thinking about swapping it for one of Chris' cords just for comparison!

But at least I'll go with beautiful music playing.

Ha, ha...since I've been into this A/V thing, I've always said something along those same lines ("At least the funeral music is gonna sound great through my system!") :LOL:

[will1066]

Because of my diseased mind, I also have been thinking about replacing the cords on my other components. But right now, my wallet can't take it. From personal experience, with accessories and tweaks you always get the biggest improvement the first time and subsequent improvements will be incremental. I don't have anything to base this on other than my own experience.

Keith, I'd try it. Honestly, it's not a lot of money. And you could return it, though I doubt you would.

[Danbry39]

You know I'm going to. As a matter of fact, I'll just order a couple, for my 1066 and my Denon 1600. My Arcam CD player already has a Transparent power cable. Don't know if it will make any sonic improvement, but, as I say, I'm very curious. My system is pretty set now and tweaking for subtle changes is what it's all about for me at this stage. I will reiterate that the dealer who sold me the Arcam so insisted that I add on the Transparant, that he tossed it in for free, when I said I wasn't interested. I keep on asking why would he take a loss on this if he didn't truly believe that the change would be of benefit? On the other hand, I haven't read any tests which indicate that there will be a sonic difference, but I'll swallow my grain of salt after reading the testimonials of the gentlemen in this thread and on similar threads I've read on other boards.




Keith

[Ron Reda]

Keith,

I don't think that you'll experience any buyer's remorse on this one!

I'm sure you will do so, but please post your impressions of the power cord upgrade, especially in regards to the 1066. I'd be curious to hear what you think. Heck, knowing how fast Chris works and ships these suckers, you'll have it in several days!

[Danbry39]

Will do Ron, but probably won't order til next month.




Keith

[Danbry39]

By the way, look at what I read on another board.

Did anyone read that Velodyne is including the Signal cables 'magic' power cord with their soon to be released ultra expensive subwoofer?

Interesting, huh? I know my Parasound amp came with a "audiophile" cord. Don't know what they meant, but probably some extra shielding of some sort and thick enough to carry a big electrical load.




Keith

[Danbry39]

Ah heck, just went ahead and ordered a couple of them. Will they make a believer? Time will tell. After having Mick Jaggar, Keith Richards, and gang blast away an AMAZING concert on my new speakers last night, it's hard to imagine anything better, but I'm willing to try.




Keith

[Danbry39]

Here's one thing I liked.

All stock pre-made cables come with a NO-HASSLE 60-day money back guarantee. If these cables aren't the best power cables you've ever had in your system, simply return them in original condition, and VH Audio will cheerfully refund your purchase price on STOCK items

I appreciate companies that stand behind what they sell.




Keith

[george king]

I got very similar, if not as dramatic, results when I replaced the cord on my 1075 amp, with one from Sonic Horizons. (www.sonichorizons.com)

I do think cords and cables make something of a difference.

[will1066]

Ah heck, just went ahead and ordered a couple of them. Will they make a believer? Time will tell. After having Mick Jaggar, Keith Richards, and gang blast away an AMAZING concert on my new speakers last night, it's hard to imagine anything better, but I'm willing to try.

Keith, if it's not too much trouble, could you listen to one cord at a time? That way, you (and us) will know better what benefits each one brings. Thanks.

[Danbry39]

No problem, but, given the inaccessible nature of my hookups, any impressions will be hazed over by the passage of the time it takes to change the things. I will try to be objective though by listening for some very specific information. But, still, it will only be tentative, at best, due to the fact that my memory for sound is not quite accurate even after a few minutes.




Keith

[will1066]

Keith, no need to do various combinations. Don't sweat it on my account. I was just saying put one cord in (on either the Rotel or Denon, but would prefer Rotel first since that's what all of us have done). Then, put in the second cord afterward.

[Danbry39]

No problem. That would be my plan anyway. I'm just not sure if my sonic memory will be accurate enough to give you a valid impression. I'll give it a go though.




Keith

[Whistler]

I replaced the original powercord with a powercord of Fadel Art, don't know if that's aviable in the US. Result of the replacement:

- Sound got more breast
- Bass got more dry

Whistler




The Mainframe

[sikoniko]

I have my (Brand new) rotel 1055 going into a panamax 5100. Since I cant replace the power chord on the 5100, do you think it will make any difference?

[luszer]

Why does the 1066 have the third prong for grounding and my 1075 does not. Also my RB991 has the third prong

I would like to order the PCs, but am unsure which ones are most suitable Flavor 1, 2 or 3? Any advice/recommendations

[will1066]

I would get Flavor 3s for both the 1066 and 1075. They're both ungrounded components (two male prongs at the power inlet).

[Danbry39]

Okay, please accept my surprising review of the VH Audio power cord.

First, a little background on my mindset going into this thing. I expected no sonic improvement and would have never bought the cords were it not for testimonials by the posters on this and other threads. Even then, I expected nothing. It just doesn't make sense. Electrical current has traveled vast distances prior to reaching our outlets. How could a cord the last few feet change the characteristics of that current. As much as I admire the knowledge of the posters on this thread, I figured it had to be psychoaccoustic placebo type stuff going on. Well, at least the cord might fit more snugly into the Rotel 1066.

First the bad news, the cord I bought for my Denon 1600 won't fit. The Rotel does fit nicely and seems unlikely to pull free as the one that comes standard from Rotel.

Now, here's the weird part, the sonic improvement of the cord is very apparant, at least to my ears. Much more detail and sense of airy space betwen the instruments. Crisper. More snap to the drums, more bite to the guitar. And, these are on recordings I heard quite a bit over the weekend and immediately preceeding the cord changeover.

Please remember this is coming from someone who doubted their would be a difference.

Also, as a reminder, I'm playing music from my Arcam that already has installed an upgraded Transparent power cable and remember that the dealer insisted I take that, even if he had to give it to me for free, because he thought I'd enjoy the Arcam much more with the other equipment manufacturer cord.

I'm still reluctant to recommend them as I don't understand how an improvement like this can happen. Also, it may be a synergy going on with my particular system. Whatever, I would never think of returning the cord hooked up to my Rotel, even though I'll have to return the one due to the fact it doesn't fit.

Color me completely surprised.




Keith

[will1066]

Thanks for the review. I'm glad you concluded those of us who already have the cord are not crazy. I'd love an explanation of why we are hearing improvements. Is there some kind of artificial sweetener in the cord? I think not - I sincerely hope. Maybe it's just a cord that's been designed with proper shielding and quality parts as opposed to a freebie, low-spec cord that accompanied our Rotels. I just know I like what I'm hearing. *Shrug* I still wouldn't dream of paying as much for a power cord as a piece of component, though.

[Danbry39]

I've been scratching my head trying to figure out why too. Perhaps it's like interconnects or speaker wire where you strive for less impurities thus allowing the signal or electrical current to flow more easily. I really don't understand at all.

By the way, Will, there is still every chance that you all are crazy...just that you found another of your kind in me. xx)




Keith

[sikoniko]

I just ordered one. I am curious to see if it makes a difference since I already have a panamax 5100. How long did it take your guys to receiver yours?

[Danbry39]

I received mine about a week after placing the order. Pretty quick. In fact, I was surprised to see it hear waiting for me today.




Keith

[Danbry39]

Inquiring minds want to know – how power cords can have a sonic impact on our systems. So I went and asked and did some research on my own. Many theories abound, but the one that makes the most sense to me is one advocated by one who goes by the name Ole Lund.

Once a disbeliever himself, one day he was pushed to audition an aftermarket power cord by a dealer he had built a relationship with. At first, he resisted, but finally agreed to comply with the dealer’s request.

The experience resulted in the following:
“Having a B.Sc.E.E degree I knew that nothing would happen, and he was just victim of the placebo effect and a "snakeoil" cable distributor.
So my brain was trying hard to ignore the message from my ears, I was hearing a major improvemnt of the sound.
But as the truth is more important to me than my pride, I had to admit to the dealer, that I heard this improvement he was raving madly about.”

He concluded that the difference came not from the electrical power which had traveled ever so far from the power plant to his house, but from what lurks inside our equipment itself, things including rectifiers which contaminate the power in the cords which, in turn, radiate noise to other components and interconnects.

This had me thinking of how I eliminated a horrible hum from my system by simple isolating the power cords as far as possible from my interconnects. A good power cord can offer shielding which minimizes the electrical radiation that can negatively impact the quality of the sonics we hear.

That’s the most logical explanation I’ve heard thus far and makes the most sense given my experiences.

I'll also conclude that the components being used and how things such as how interconnects are laid out can affect the amount of effect power cords will have on individual systems.

Does this make sense to anyone?




Keith

[dave]

Absolutly :idea: :idea: :idea:




dave

[will1066]

By the way, Will, there is still every chance that you all are crazy...just that you found another of your kind in me. xx)

Well, call me crazy and welcome to the club. :LOL: And didn't I say it was the shielding up in the thread? 8)

[Danbry39]

Me thinks you're right Will.

Me also thinks this is one of the best tweaks I've made for the money.

Thanks to you and all who made me curious enough to give it a try. You all taught me something.




Keith

[Sithlord10]

Just a question. What cord would suit the 1098 and 1095?. I would probably get one for the Denon 2900 so which one would suit that?. As I live in Australia I would also have to buy the connector that attaches to the cord. After hearing the reviews I'm eager now to try one. I was looking at this site about 3 months ago when I became aware of these power cords. There was a site that sold another power cord in another state and they were priced at over $300. Too much for a power cord imo. I'm going through the tweeking phase at the moment, and this looks like the next thing on my list.

[Danbry39]

I'd contact Chris at VH Audio and describe the power cord connection to the two components so that he could advise you on which would work out best for you. He's a good guy and very responsive. I'm sure he work out the best fit for you.




Keith

[Scarp]

I replaced the original powercord with a powercord of Fadel Art, don't know if that's aviable in the US. Result of the replacement:

- Sound got more breast
- Bass got more dry

Whistler

Uhm... sound with boobies?