on power cords..

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on power cords..

Postby qguy » Wed Jul 28, 2004 4:39 pm

Jadis,

whats your take on those megabuck power cords ? does it really make a difference considering that most outlets where these are used have internal wires which are far from the same quality that the $$$ power cords are made off ?
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Re: on power cords..

Postby jadis » Wed Jul 28, 2004 5:35 pm

qguy wrote:Jadis,

whats your take on those megabuck power cords ? does it really make a difference considering that most outlets where these are used have internal wires which are far from the same quality that the $$$ power cords are made off ?



Good topic! My first ever brush with the audiophile power cords
was back in the early 90s when a friend asked me over to hear some
exotically thick power cords that you can mistake for a snake. Upon
installation, the tubes in his Beard tube amps suddenly turned bright
orange and it got him scared. But there was no damage and it played
well. By that time, it got him psychologically scared no one was really
hearing well into the differences it made. And I never really heard any
difference.

Then a few years later, Upscale Audio lent me an MIT Z-cord
which did not cost that much, and my findings were quite
positive. The cord actually made my system sound smoother overall,
although the margin isn't that huge. It is good, but nothing really
exciting. Btw, I tried it only on the DAC, bec I read that DACs are
very prone to noise, and the MIT Z cord brochure states their shielding
is designed to reduce haze and noise at the wall outlet level.

About 2 yrs ago, I tried the MIT Z cord II, much more
expensive, about 10t I think, and it was a gift from a friend.
I tried it on the DAC and found out that it actually made the sound
thinner and lose a lot of body....hmmm. So I put in on my ARC amp
and boom, perfect match. It was better than the standard ARC power
cord in that the original cord now sounds very dirty in terms of hi's
and lows. The extremes were greatly improved. And I am very happy
now with both MIT Z cords. So, I believe they CAN make a difference
but be sure to try it first before buying.
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Postby mullard88 » Sun Jul 27, 2008 9:29 pm

Hi jadis,

The ARC SP3 and the MIT Z cord II match very well. I have seen a friend change the stock cord of his ARC SP3 to the MIT Z cord II. His system sounds fantastic. Hmmm...maybe I will try it on my own ARC SP3.
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Postby jadis » Sun Jul 27, 2008 9:35 pm

mullard88 wrote:Hi jadis,

The ARC SP3 and the MIT Z cord II match very well. I have seen a friend change the stock cord of his ARC SP3 to the MIT Z cord II. His system sounds fantastic. Hmmm...maybe I will try it on my own ARC SP3.


Hope you can share with us your findings...
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Postby mullard88 » Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:26 am

Hi jadis,

When I get the urge, I will check if Mario can do it. Perhaps I will experiment on the factory updated unit.
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Postby AUDIO8 » Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:14 am

I'm not a powercord believer, I tried many brands of powercord but I feel it only changes the character of the sound but not always for good sometimes you will encounter some which will even choke your system making it more lean. Last year, AVDI owner wilfred let me audition shunyata helix powercords (phython) he told me no strings attach no need to buy if it will not make my system better but to my after putting it in my monos I become a convert immediately and end up buying 5 of them.
So now I can say powercord make big improvement but not all brand are effective some are only hypes with no significant effect.
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Re: on power cords..

Postby John Martin » Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:57 am

qguy wrote:Jadis,

whats your take on those megabuck power cords ? does it really make a difference considering that most outlets where these are used have internal wires which are far from the same quality that the $$$ power cords are made off ?


YES,YES,YES....try it to believe it!!!
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Postby jma » Sat Aug 02, 2008 12:00 pm

i thought powercords were voodoo until the pythons came. even on the SDS. break-in time was super long though.
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Postby jadis » Sat Aug 02, 2008 8:06 pm

yes..yes..yes...my thinking on power cords is...there is no harm in trying...try it first... :)
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Re: on power cords..

Postby mullard88 » Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:12 am

Hi jadis,

Mario has changed the power cord on the factory updated Audio Research SP 3. I will inform you when it is installed into the chain.
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Re: on power cords..

Postby Kogarashi » Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:02 pm

Wow cords needs breaking in?
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Re: on power cords..

Postby mullard88 » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:18 am

Hi tongson,

I do not think power cords need breaking in. In my experience, they either make the system sound better or worse right out of the box and extended use does not change the initial effect. I don't know if other users had different experiences.
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Re: on power cords..

Postby jadis » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:30 am

one new thing i learned yesterday from the session at doc randy's - that power OUTLET SOCKETS make a sonic difference too. enteng brought a box full of imported ( i forgot the brand) heavy duty, stainless plate cover/hard plastic box wall outlets to 'upgrade' over the standard home type outlet sockets. they were ordered by 'thy good neighbor RT' who was AWOL, and the net result was that 4 pcs were sold on the spot to those who were present including the host himself, doc randy. while going home, enteng was explaining to me how he had tried various brands of industrial high grade outlets and each has a different sonic signature. and while you're at it, might as well change the copper wires to 'phelp dodge', he says. :)
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Re: on power cords..

Postby TheAnalogSource » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:35 am

......parang mga bata nag-agawan sa chocolates :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: on power cords..

Postby jadis » Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:28 am

halls wrote:......parang mga bata nag-agawan sa chocolates :lol: :lol: :lol:


hindi nga ako bumili kasi baka ma-kuryente ako, figuratively and LITERALLY. :rofl:
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