Mr Angry - on exhorbitantly priced power leads

He is probably right that some of the power cables he mentions are over-priced (as I'm sure are many of the interconnects I have used). However, I know that he is wrong when he says that power cables make no difference (even though he cannot measure that difference). I have tried a number of power cables, including some very expensive ones. They do, indeed, make a difference, sometimes a significant one, usually an improvement on the free cable, and they often sound very similar to the interconnects from the same manufacturer.

However, the best power cables I've heard are my home-made ones, for which I use 1mm or 1.5mm solid core power cable from the hardware store (the same stuff that's in your walls). These cost about 5 bucks a piece, and sound better than anything else I've heard. (I have a theory about this, too, but I won't bore you with it).

Ross

perhaps you'd be kind enough to tell us how to make these cables, as they're so cost effective I'm sure some of us would like to experiment

regards,

MarkL

regards,

MarkÊ

I don't think there's much more I can add to what I posted above. Essentially, you buy some solid core electrical cable (1mm) from your hardware or electrical store, put an IEC plug on one end and your local electrical plug on the other end. Of course, this assumes that your components accept IEC plugs. They also need to be run in for a few days.

And as you insist (not really) I will tell you my theory of power cables. Some people have suggested that power cables act as a kind of filter to exclude RFI in the final stage of moving the electricity to your kit. I think this is a load of crap. It seems to me that the power cables used in most grids, and in transferring the electricity to your home, are actually of quite good quality, usually solid core. Therefore, substituting an inferior multistrand cable in the final stage of transmission will degrade the sound. However, replacing it with a cable identical to the cable which precedes it will not degrade the sound to nearly the same extent, and will therefore sound "better" (actually less worse) than a flimsy multistrand cable. Of course, this theory could also be a complete load of crap.

Ross

Thank you for saying it first so I don't have to.

Stuart

- You may seek it with thimbles and seek it with care. You may hunt it with forks and hope. -

These days I'm using Naim standard leads.

Rico - musichead

ricomuzik@hotmail.com

quote:

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I don't think there's much more I can add to what I posted above. Essentially, you buy some solid core electrical cable (1mm) from your hardware or electrical store, put an IEC plug on one end and your local electrical plug on the other end. Of course, this assumes that your components accept IEC plugs. They also need to be run in for a few days.

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I have tried and actually used solid core mains for many years - with some systems it definitely works. I started using it ages ago (it was all the rage in Hi-Fi Answers around 1980) when I had an old Quad 33 / 303, and it improved that amp by a mile. I also found it worked with my old 62 / Hicap / 140, and a friends Krell (yuck), but now I much prefer my current spec standard Naim leads.

With my current system solid core mains cable seems to impact the timing quite negatively, as does removing fuses. The better my system gets the less some tweaks seem to work. Definitely worth trying for your though, as I really can't understand why it sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't, it might even have something to do with mains quality as I have moved around a lot.

Tony.