Ross B. Posted September 27, 2021 Share Posted September 27, 2021 I use Pangea Audio AC-14 power cords. I'm generally of the opinion that a power cord can't improve anything, since it is simply the final leg between the wall and your equipment (I suppose it could make things worse). I use a premium power cord to minimize the effect interference from the cord propagates to other, low-voltage cables, especially interconnects. In my opinion, interconnects, especially phono-level, are the most important cables in your system. They are the lowest voltage and their signals are amplified many times over, bringing out any minor flaws. Second is speaker cables. I don't worry about data/network cables. As long as they are to-spec, the data will be validated and rectified as needed by the processing chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted September 27, 2021 Share Posted September 27, 2021 I’ll probably use something like these on the end of my Neutrik PowerCon.https://krispyaudio.com.au/products/furutech-fi-32-rhodium-20a-iec-connector.html I’ve no idea if they would fit, but I like the idea of not ripping into 80-100 year old plaster, and I have a crawl space under the floor. And they (Neutrik) have similar (SpeakOn) to pipe speakers signals, and XLRs for powered speaker channels. Obviously in @Steve Edwardscase he would not even want to consider any other cables than possibly the PowerCon. I’ve been looking at things like the Niagara and how to reasonably move the filtered AC around the room without skipping and hopping over cords. It might not be for everyone, but ideas are free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 First go read RICHARD’s post. I did cords last. Happy I did as I do hear a nice difference. I should as they cost a bit. I also can’t afford Kentos, so that’s why I am upgrading my source first. AQ has their lower series cords that sound great and fit. They can also install the iec e ding that fit onto any of their cords including Dragon. It’s easy if you ask you dealer to do a custom order. I did. I use Nurricane throughout other than dragon on the Niagara 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GdnrBob Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 @Holmz, In the unfortunate event a power cord won't fit, I bought some adaptors and extenders at Amazon. I rather doubt they would make any difference, sound-wise, but at least you'll be able to listen to music. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 16 minutes ago, GdnrBob said: @Holmz, In the unfortunate event a power cord won't fit, I bought some adaptors and extenders at Amazon. I rather doubt they would make any difference, sound-wise, but at least you'll be able to listen to music. B People talk about goosebumps and their hair standing on end while listening. 😇 I am not sure I understand how high end cords work to make a better sound, but at least using the good ends can allow one to make their own. And if one is sloppy their hair can curl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GdnrBob Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 23 hours ago, Holmz said: I am not sure I understand how high end cords work to make a better sound I can't say either, I just know what my ears tell me. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomicTime Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 Vandy the Black sheep weighing in….. For my 7 and 7 I am…..many years later running them off the factory provided power cords, preferring instead as others have said to work the more delicate signal end of the chain, for example Audioquest FIre phono cable, or Wild Blue Yonder preamp to amp. I might be leaning some performance on the table, but frankly i think i would rather have $ of HRS isolation vs $ in back end power cords. Having said that I have a veritable fleet of used $100-$120 cales i opportunistic buy as they come up used….Kimber, Cardas, Isotec, etc…. Have fun, chill, listen to great tunes…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 When I switched from factory to the AQ Hurricane I was blown away. Now that I upgraded to Dragon for my Niagara it's made an even larger jump in better sound. I never believed it could be like that from a cable. That said, there is a price/perf deal going and I'd do it after the HRS platforms/feet etc... I know the incoming Brinkmann uses their own specially made cord that Helmut tunes the units he sells with. He also wants the DAC to be plugged into the wall and not into the Niagara. Any advice on that from you guys who have done this? Do I use the 2nd isolated outlet to keep all the digital on one or would that create a grounding problem potentially? Hope I'm not derailing the thread. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Whip Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 You guys may want to consider a pro cable company, Essential Sound Products. I have had a ton of power cables come and go in my system due to contacts in the business or friends. The ESP cords, which Jim Anderson recommended very highly to me, are the only ones that really did anything for me. As far as audiophile pricing goes, these aren’t that expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Vandersteen Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 On 9/29/2021 at 4:10 PM, TomicTime said: Vandy the Black sheep weighing in….. For my 7 and 7 I am…..many years later running them off the factory provided power cords, preferring instead as others have said to work the more delicate signal end of the chain, for example Audioquest FIre phono cable, or Wild Blue Yonder preamp to amp. I might be leaning some performance on the table, but frankly i think i would rather have $ of HRS isolation vs $ in back end power cords. Having said that I have a veritable fleet of used $100-$120 cales i opportunistic buy as they come up used….Kimber, Cardas, Isotec, etc…. Have fun, chill, listen to great tunes…. Very wise allocation of funds! You must have some Dutch blood from somewhere. RV 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomicTime Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 Yes , Post in the US was Van der Poste elsewhere ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 You guys crack me up. I probably should have just used the cords that came with Richards amps instead of the Hurricane's. So much easier to move around etc... I may sell the Hurricanes and use the originals. I could use the money, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 6 hours ago, Richard Vandersteen said: Very wise allocation of funds! You must have some Dutch blood from somewhere. RV Maybe his parent went halves on him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 13 hours ago, ctsooner said: When I switched from factory to the AQ Hurricane I was blown away. Now that I upgraded to Dragon for my Niagara it's made an even larger jump in better sound. I never believed it could be like that from a cable. That said, there is a price/perf deal going and I'd do it after the HRS platforms/feet etc... I know the incoming Brinkmann uses their own specially made cord that Helmut tunes the units he sells with. He also wants the DAC to be plugged into the wall and not into the Niagara. Any advice on that from you guys who have done this? Do I use the 2nd isolated outlet to keep all the digital on one or would that create a grounding problem potentially? Hope I'm not derailing the thread. I am thinking of using some chokes around the incoming power cords, or maybe the incoming power strip. If I can grab a scope off of a friend that would be good, Has anyone measured whether the frequency spectrum of the power is altered using the Niagara type of devices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 Guys, i think we all get way too wrapped up in cords and cables. I just keep it simple. I have spent too much of my budget with what I have, but it's made a large difference. That said, I have heard Garth's lower priced cables and cords and they are outstanding and not out of place in a high end system. I don't think the Niagara products change a thing other than cleaning things up. Heck, I have my amps plugged into them instead of teh wall and I dont' hear a major difference. I may be plugging them directly into the way though. Honestly, if I was doing this all over again, I would just plug the amps and DAC into teh wall (same circuit). I am getting a preamp now that I found out I can't use my DAC as a volume control (that will be teh topic of another thread soon), so that needs the Niagara, but I feed my system very clean power directly from the wall, so I could get away with it. The more I type, the more I wonder if I should just sell the Niagara 3000 and some of the cords that I don't use. Hmmm... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Neff Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 I am using the Niagara 5000 with all AQ cables. I have the NRG 4's plugged into the Vandy Quattro Carbon CT's and plugged into dedicated 20amp circuits. All the electronics go through the Niagara. I am happy with the results. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 1 hour ago, ctsooner said: Guys, i think we all get way too wrapped up in cords and cables. I just keep it simple. I have spent too much of my budget with what I have, but it's made a large difference. That said, I have heard Garth's lower priced cables and cords and they are outstanding and not out of place in a high end system. I don't think the Niagara products change a thing other than cleaning things up. Heck, I have my amps plugged into them instead of teh wall and I dont' hear a major difference. I may be plugging them directly into the way though. Honestly, if I was doing this all over again, I would just plug the amps and DAC into teh wall (same circuit). I am getting a preamp now that I found out I can't use my DAC as a volume control (that will be teh topic of another thread soon), so that needs the Niagara, but I feed my system very clean power directly from the wall, so I could get away with it. The more I type, the more I wonder if I should just sell the Niagara 3000 and some of the cords that I don't use. Hmmm... It is possible that different homes, and areas, might have varying degrees of noise on the power lines. If that is the case, then apparent effects would also vary between user experiences. The AQ link may be helpful: https://www.audioquest.com/resource/1136/Power-Demystified-whitepaper-8-23-18.zip 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross B. Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, Holmz said: I am thinking of using some chokes around the incoming power cords, or maybe the incoming power strip. If I can grab a scope off of a friend that would be good, Has anyone measured whether the frequency spectrum of the power is altered using the Niagara type of devices? Amir at Audio Science Review took measurements from two AudioQuest power conditioners, a PowerQuest 3 and a Niagara 1200: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/audioquest-powerquest-3-power-conditioner-surge-protector-review.14580/ https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/audioquest-niagara-1200-review-power-conditioner-surge-protector.25443/ In the review of the Niagara 1200 he takes frequency and distortion measurements of a Topping D90 with and without the Niagara connected. Edited October 2, 2021 by Ross B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 1 hour ago, Ross B. said: Amir at Audio Science Review took measurements from two AudioQuest power conditioners, a PowerQuest 3 and a Niagara 1200: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/audioquest-powerquest-3-power-conditioner-surge-protector-review.14580/ https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/audioquest-niagara-1200-review-power-conditioner-surge-protector.25443/ In the review of the Niagara 1200 he takes frequency and distortion measurements of a Topping D90 with and without the Niagara connected. Did you see the review of it after buying the unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross B. Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 4 minutes ago, Holmz said: Did you see the review of it after buying the unit? I don't own either of them. I had a Panamax conditioner, and currently run just a Furman surge protector. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 53 minutes ago, Ross B. said: I don't own either of them. I had a Panamax conditioner, and currently run just a Furman surge protector. Well done Sir. I see AmirM also recommended the SurgeX, which comes in rack mount and also just a strip. I might revisit the power box based units for the big thunderclaps, and check the insurance. I usually unplug the gear when leaving the SW house as there is heaps of weather events there. Not so much happens in the current local… almost always sunny (mean number of clear days/year is >199). Just wind and dust and varying degrees of heat and UV alerts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomicTime Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 one reason I enjoy the forum is the varied needs and solutions chosen and deployed. I am blessed with relatively clean power in Seattle, so i get away with just a Furman for the digital stuff. Others perhaps not as fortunate need spend on Niagara, etc… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 I have very clean power considering I'm in a townhouse. Everyone's lines run through our basement. I have the end unit so it was easy to bury three copper rods into the ground next to teh unit. One for each dedicated circuit and then one for the whole house/main box. Power makes a HUGE difference. Too many of the power conditioners that are very expensive don't do much of anything. I feel some are selling hocus pocus BS. Like anything else folks need to audition these devices in their own house to see what they will or won't do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross B. Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 9 minutes ago, ctsooner said: I have very clean power considering I'm in a townhouse. Everyone's lines run through our basement. I have the end unit so it was easy to bury three copper rods into the ground next to teh unit. One for each dedicated circuit and then one for the whole house/main box. Power makes a HUGE difference. Interesting. I assume the rods are your ground rail? Is the idea that provides a cleaner path to ground than the mains circuit, therefore more effectively draining off noise and other problems? I'm in the process of building a power amp, and I selected an IEC socket with a built-in medical-grade power filter. That way, it shouldn't matter as much what's upstream, the amp will take care of its self. If I did live in a place with problematic power, I would skip conditioners entirely and get an isolation transformer. That seems to me to be the only way to truly solve issues coming out of the wall. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GdnrBob Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 Wow, this thread is really moving in many directions. In the interest of making all this info easily searchable, perhaps we should break it down to separate threads? 1 Power Cords 2 Power Conditioning 3 Electrical Wiring B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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