They sure are.
Even the connectors on commercial grade outlets are better than the screw terminals on residential grade outlets. I recently replaced some wire and outlets in my house. I used commercial grade outlets. From the electrician's point of view, they are much easier to work with and make for a neater installation.
OP,
You find out in time there is no universal best power cord. Only the one that suits your taste and system the best.
The power cord, as any cord is a complex tuning accessory. The hardness of the wire, the type of wire, the thickness of strands, the hardness and dampening characteristics of the dielectric, the plugs materials, they all contribute to the timbral characteristic of the overall cable.
Chances are, if you start spending on power cords, a vicious cycle of swapping cables will begin. There's no universal best in this.
In the end, I made my own power cables, but I've studied the influence of every material on sound for years.
As for crimping the ends, I find it a good idea for multicore wires to at least slightly tin them. That should ensure a longtime good electrical connection.
You find out in time there is no universal best power cord. Only the one that suits your taste and system the best.
The power cord, as any cord is a complex tuning accessory. The hardness of the wire, the type of wire, the thickness of strands, the hardness and dampening characteristics of the dielectric, the plugs materials, they all contribute to the timbral characteristic of the overall cable.
Chances are, if you start spending on power cords, a vicious cycle of swapping cables will begin. There's no universal best in this.
In the end, I made my own power cables, but I've studied the influence of every material on sound for years.
As for crimping the ends, I find it a good idea for multicore wires to at least slightly tin them. That should ensure a longtime good electrical connection.
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Ha ha. I'm actually replacing the wire in my house, but not for hi fi.
The wire (60+ years old THN) at the end of the line is like new. The wire that goes to the service box (the line) is brittle and the insulation is crumbling.
Well that would also be for hifi I guess?! Or do you have wireless power to your hifi? 😀
In fact one of the worser ideas.... At least with tin/lead solder things get worse both electrically and mechanically. The crimping tools and stuff to directly crimp the stranded wires make for wires to have contact with each other and with the cable ferrule. One only has to deal with copper and its properties.
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The codes are very different in our respective countries. There are very specific differences between outlet types, and the code requires specific types in specific installations (to a point).
This video explains the differences. Believe me, commercial grade outlets are a joy to work with compared to the residential grade. If I remove a residential grade outlet for whatever reason I won't even reinstall it. I keep old commercial grade outlets if they're in good condition and reuse them.
"multicore/stranded wire" I don't even like using stranded wire for 12 gauge or smaller in a residential wiring scenario. Of course you don't tin it but if you really know what you're doing and aren't half-assing it, it's actually more work and still presents unique problems. There's arcane minutiae on terminals and whatnot that could make your head spin, but using solid wire makes a more reliable installation and solid wire works with everything - all breakers, switches, outlets, etc.
"I know the comparison between the cheapest of the cheap and good quality stuff" I hope you realize that's not my point but it's a real concern too.
Old news. Or should it be called "olds"? Give some time and the usual suspects will chime in.
I don't always post when I see this kind of evaluation, but I always wonder if the difference can be heard in the dreaded DBT. Someone's bound to complain "there's too much pressure in such comparisons, I can't hear the difference under those conditions!"
I also wonder if there's rule against using those three letters in any thread discussing cables.
For tuning one's bank account.
Interesting post by someone who joined this forum in July of 2011 and the first post was made in March of 2021. 🤔
What's remarkable is how inexpensively these things can be made and sold for. Years (decades?) ago I saw a "Contractor Pack" of 10 dual-outlet wall sockets for $2.50 at Home Depot right here in the USA. I couldn't help but wonder if a 25 cent product could possibly meet safety standards or be safe in general. Never mind hi-fi equipment, I'd hesitate to plug in a phone charger.
1. You can do it money - free. It takes some listening and experiments
2. I beg you pardon? I've been posting in this forum since 2011.
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"The power cord, as any cord is a complex tuning accessory. The hardness of the wire, the type of wire, the thickness of strands, the hardness and dampening characteristics of the dielectric, the plugs materials, they all contribute to the timbral characteristic of the overall cable."
Seriously?
What happens if I use it for power tools such as a drill or an angle grinder?
They will perform better?
Seriously?
What happens if I use it for power tools such as a drill or an angle grinder?
They will perform better?
Why is that? I've disassembled 30 year power plugs with DIY tinned multistrand cable leads with no sign of loosening or bad electrical contact.
Simple. It is because solder has different properties than copper has. Crimping tools and parts are designed to use without soldering anyway, the soldering does not add anything "extra" nor does it make things any better. It is OK if you have seen a few that stood the test of time. The exceptions confirm the rule.
Another practice best forgotten is to solder the wires to the pins of power plugs.
Another practice best forgotten is to solder the wires to the pins of power plugs.
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The idea behind the solder was to solidify the whole mass as an alternative to crimping. The primary idea is to have a monolithic mass of copper, otherwise just pressing a multistranded wire on a single pressure point, as a bolt does, will disperse the strands in all directions. How would solder hurt the contact properties? We're talking about electrical contact only, not sound. Yes, it is sensitive to breakup from vibrations, but the whole package is held together inside the plug housing.
An amplifier that really and verifyably (!) lets you hear a »sonic« or »timbral« difference between different power chords is a badly designed one. An amplifier design that follows acknowledged rules (e. g. those in D. Self's papers) won't sound differently even with those oh so bad and cheap computer cords, with the exception of slightly decreased maximum output power if one cord's resistance is higher than another one's.
Best regards!
Best regards!
Lead (solder) 'creeps' with prolonged pressure. I have seen soldered stranded wire come out of a pressure clamp, loose, because it had deformed over the years.
Time is money too.
Can you please share the listening setup for such experiments? In case some people want to try it themselves to see what you are talking about.
That's excellent advice, thanks! Kind of the objective answer I expected from Jean Paul.
It's not just amplifiers, it's any kind of component - turntable, phono, DAC, preamp, computer, etc.
I don't think it's about the electricity flowing within the cable, but how the cable transmits acoustic vibrations. Many components vibrate and resonate together during playback. The influence of the power cord can be tweaked without electrical connection, for example adding weight from different materials on the cable itself.
Even the simplest pair of copper will do a great job transmitting 50Hz to the component.
Aah, what insight! Now I start getting the purpose of cable lifters 😛 😛 😛!
Best regards!
Best regards!