Power Cables
- Thread starter RodneyU
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amey01
Well-known member
Seriously - do a search. It's been discussed ad-infinitum. To quote another member:
I don't know if you'll find much appetite for anyone to partake.
JonFo said:
I don't know if you'll find much appetite for anyone to partake.
Yes this has been discussed a lot with many opinions. However I think what is universal is a different power cord then the original is always better. Now what brand or what model in a brand is a whole different topic. You have a huge speaker so I would expect better power will be even more evident then maybe with others.
I made my own power cable for my amp which requires only 15 Amps but I feed it 20 dedicated Amps through a 12AWG 20A cable which was an audible difference.
On my new 13A's I haven't gotten around to making power cables yet, but I will. The stock cables are 18AWG 10A rated. 10 Amps which equates to 1200 watts is the same as the peak watts from both woofer amplifiers together. I prefer “headroom” on everything so heavier gauge wire will soon be employed.
With your 15A speakers, you would probably benefit from heavier power cables if the supplied cables are rated at or below 15A because both woofer amplifiers together peak at 2,000 watts total - more than 15 Amps. What AWG is written on the power cable? Only a couple of my audio components were supplied with 14AWG or 16AWG power cables, most the rest were supplied with 18AWG 10A cables.
In my view, it gets in the weeds pretty quick when talking about this. But I am firmly in the camp of - the power cables should at least be as capable as the wiring in the wall, so don’t choke the little electron buggers.
On my new 13A's I haven't gotten around to making power cables yet, but I will. The stock cables are 18AWG 10A rated. 10 Amps which equates to 1200 watts is the same as the peak watts from both woofer amplifiers together. I prefer “headroom” on everything so heavier gauge wire will soon be employed.
With your 15A speakers, you would probably benefit from heavier power cables if the supplied cables are rated at or below 15A because both woofer amplifiers together peak at 2,000 watts total - more than 15 Amps. What AWG is written on the power cable? Only a couple of my audio components were supplied with 14AWG or 16AWG power cables, most the rest were supplied with 18AWG 10A cables.
In my view, it gets in the weeds pretty quick when talking about this. But I am firmly in the camp of - the power cables should at least be as capable as the wiring in the wall, so don’t choke the little electron buggers.
Speedskater
Well-known member
Just the opposite is most likely to be true.
Seldom is there a difference between reasonable cables in good condition. On the rare occasion that a true difference is heard, the cord is often not the cause of the problem. The cord's length or placement just changes the situation enough to change the noise/interference problem.
Stock is 18 AWG
I tossed on a pair of
Juice II Power Cords: Wywire
Capacitance: 8.1 pF (per foot at a frequency of 60Hz)
9 AWG (American Wire Guage) Asymmetrical Litz wire with 14 AWG ground
might run a see what it does
https://www.musicdirect.com/power/shunyata-hydra-denali-2000t-power-conditioner
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I tossed on a pair of
Juice II Power Cords: Wywire
Capacitance: 8.1 pF (per foot at a frequency of 60Hz)
9 AWG (American Wire Guage) Asymmetrical Litz wire with 14 AWG ground
might run a see what it does
https://www.musicdirect.com/power/shunyata-hydra-denali-2000t-power-conditioner
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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And so it starts!
Speedskater
Well-known member
When differences are heard with power cords, it usually comes down to:
1] a problematic cord.
2] an uncontrolled variable such as:
a] differences in control settings or levels.
b] differences in the cord's length or placement.
c] a nearby noise/interference source being turned on or off.
3] self fulfilling expectations.
1] a problematic cord.
2] an uncontrolled variable such as:
a] differences in control settings or levels.
b] differences in the cord's length or placement.
c] a nearby noise/interference source being turned on or off.
3] self fulfilling expectations.
And so it continues! Blah blah blah I get it you don't think a power cord makes a difference. I respect your opinion but I have another and so it continues.
amey01
Well-known member
How can it always be better if it can never be worse?
OK, I'll chime in with hopes of not sending another cable thread to the 'dumpster'...........
GW, I think 'Speedy' was trying to quantify his response with some rationale explanation so perhaps you can counter with something more than 'opinion'. There is science at work, one way or the other and opinion is first and foremost a 'bias' .....
My approach on these things is pretty basic. If I could solder the house wire to the component without repercussions I would. That's about as simple and straightforward a power connection could get.
The salesman handed me the wrong power cable for my amp when I purchased the display model. The cable I got is a 18AWG 10 Amp version (didn’t realize it until recently, never looked), but it’s supposed to be a 14AWG 15 Amp cable according to Krell. So I went full tilt and made a 12AWG 20 Amp cable. Two things were readily apparent, the amp runs cooler and is more dynamic.
So Speedskater is correct in my case, I had a “1] a problematic cord.”. But this proves a point, that components need properly sized power cables. In the case of amplifiers I choose to match the power cable wire gauge to the circuit, which in this case is 12 gauge, and the cable I made has a high grip IEC on the amplifier end and a high gripping hospital outlet at the other to plug into so it never gets loose at either end.
My Opinion is that an 18AWG power cable is not adequate for a component that can draw 2,000 watts like the 15A does, and I think Fact will back me up on this. So I Think a more adequately sized power cable would be an audible difference.
The salesman handed me the wrong power cable for my amp when I purchased the display model. The cable I got is a 18AWG 10 Amp version (didn’t realize it until recently, never looked), but it’s supposed to be a 14AWG 15 Amp cable according to Krell. So I went full tilt and made a 12AWG 20 Amp cable. Two things were readily apparent, the amp runs cooler and is more dynamic.
So Speedskater is correct in my case, I had a “1] a problematic cord.”. But this proves a point, that components need properly sized power cables. In the case of amplifiers I choose to match the power cable wire gauge to the circuit, which in this case is 12 gauge, and the cable I made has a high grip IEC on the amplifier end and a high gripping hospital outlet at the other to plug into so it never gets loose at either end.
My Opinion is that an 18AWG power cable is not adequate for a component that can draw 2,000 watts like the 15A does, and I think Fact will back me up on this. So I Think a more adequately sized power cable would be an audible difference.
That is ABSOLUTELY correct! 14AWG is the recommended size for that load. 18AWG will get hot, restrict current and possibly melt the cable with a high sustained load.
I think many of us will tend to overkill just a bit for a safety margin. It's pretty natural given the dollar signs involved.
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Rod, back to your original question on PC change on your 15a's. Get adequate seat time in first so if you do make a change you at least have a fighting chance of knowing if it made a difference or not.
Speedskater
Well-known member
Yes it's sad, if only 'GW1800' has written:
However I think that some audiophiles believe that a different power cord then the original is always better.
instead of:
However I think what is universal is a different power cord then the original is always better.
It's sad because it suggests that a producer of expensive speakers would go cheap on something as inexpensive as the power cable in a way that compromised it's sound quality.
My luxman amp and preamp came with 5.00 power cable and they cost me 30k and yes the power cable upgrade was huge
I just got a power cable today for my Shunyata Triton v3 it was a big upgrade
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I just got a power cable today for my Shunyata Triton v3 it was a big upgrade
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amey01
Well-known member
It's even sadder because it suggests that (when I'm handing over $MULTI-THOUSANDS) if a manufacturer/designer can't even spec something as simple as a power cable correctly, how can I trust them to have specced other aspects of the electro-acoustic design correctly.
My DAC was over 30K and came with no power cables lol , manufactures include a cheap power cable to keep cost down and they know people will just replace it anyways . A lot of lower cost gear people won’t bother with changing power cables . For your avg person the stock cable is just fine
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