Power leads - opinions?

[Charl]

Howdy - I need some expert advice from ye fellow Rotelians.....
Would it really make a noticeable difference to upgrade the standard power / mains leads you get in the box?
I'm not talking about the super duper solid gold cables with kryptonite plugs and triple multiplex quasi-nanotube atomic regenarators :W , I mean the basic $50 -$100 type for a basic $10,000 HT setup.

Will it make enough difference to be able to pick it out in a blind test?
Any ideas?

Lex, I don't see any on the Cat site - do you offer any? What are your thoughts?

[aarsoe]

Charl

This is a very subjective question. Some discard the idea that a power cable can make a difference - however I dont. So with the risc of getting burned once more..

Depends - on the cable. The ones I use clearly makes a difference. Not night and day when you plug them in, as they have to run in - but when you take them out again the whole sound image collapses. The area where I have the biggest effect is the very deep bass section.
However there are more snakeoil in power cables than normal cables, so be aware and be sure to try before you purchase..

[malcky]

Hi mate, i have got a few of the Lat International power cables as they are very well made and are reasonably priced compared to some other brands out there.

As aarsoe said its not always a night and day diff straight away as they do need a burn in period (Lat International say at least 100 hours) so its a very gradual improvement that it might not seem obvious whats changing, but once your have fully burned cable in then go back to stock thats when there is a differance (for me anyway).

Also i dont think changing 1 power cable only would be enough to make a big enough differance and should change what ever is needed for a straight run of equiptment used for what you listen to most, for example if its for cd use, then change the cd, amp and processor.

The best thing to do is pick a company that offers a trial period (Lat offer a 45 day trial) so you can test it in your system, burn them in, have a listen to familiar tunes, then swap them back to stock and listen to same tunes and then make your mind up.

p.s. my theory above about not replacing 1 cable only applies to components themselves only, because if you replace the power lead going to your powerblock (i have 11 items in my rig so have two 8 way blocks) then that means everything connected to the block should have a cleaner supply.

sorry if it sounds like i am selling Lat, but i was also very scepticle about this issue as well and Lat seemed to be the only company that offered a trial period for me in the UK.

[aarsoe]

Another observation to make things really complicated.

First - changing all the cables is not alwayes a good thing. Some times the effect can become too much. (Now go figure that one...) So I would recommend taking things in steps. I am sure that it has something to do with how the cable matches the individual piece of equipment.

Second - on Malcky's comment on just changing the cable to the power distribution block I have to disagree as well.
It does not seem to be important what you have before your cable, but certanly after. I had to re-arrange my equipment and my power cable for my power amp became to short - so I was forced to put an extender in before the cable. The extender was about the worst piece of crap you can buy for 2 cents a meter - but against my expectations the "real" power cable still had a clear effect.. But if I turned it around so expensive then cheap, the effect would disappear..

Again - some people say this is mombo jumbo and whichcraft - so let your ears be the judge, and not other people's recommendations..

[maddog]

If you are looking to try out a few cables in hope of finding one that actually does make a noticable improvement, you might want to check out The Cable Company (www.fatwyre.com). They have a library of cables from almost every manufacturer that you can borrow a few from to try out and compare. They also give a discount on the MSRP. However, if you return a cable, they will charge you a 15% restocking fee. I used them to find a new power cord for my Rotel. I have since purchased all of my new cables from them.

[Charl]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.
Unfortunately over here in darkest Africa I can't seem to find anyone who stocks power cables, so I'll probably have to order from the USA without having the chance to demo them first (this sucks) so I'll have to go on your recommendations and other reviews.

[Stevebez]

Try SupraLoRad ... http://www.jenving.se/

Available at hifibitz.co.uk at £12 / metre.

Tried these with Wattgate plugs and noted the following.

1 Whether imagined or not a blacker sound background
2 Much better fit into the components (but thats all due to plugs)
3 Really flexible cable which is usefull going around tight corners
4 The shielding allowed me to run the cable close to anything and I would get zippo interference.

When it comes down to brass tax ... I dont believe the cable itself is what changes the sound picture. IMO its the shielding that provides the most benefit. Got 4 leads for amp, sub, processor and dvd. Aesthetically not bad either!

Rgds Steve