Hi everybody, lots of opinions here, as it should be. I don’t blame anybody for being skeptical about power cords. That’s fine. Apparently lots of people who have actually bought power cords seem to think they work. I understand the logic of course about what’s behind the wall receptacle, got it. But you can’t beat direct experience. As pointed out in the video no one needs to upgrade cables for great sound. As always thanks for watching.
@wordwell3 жыл бұрын
Lots of comments suggest doing a blind test.......why not?
@JohnJohn-lk4lq3 жыл бұрын
@@wordwell That’s easy... TIME
@iracohen7303 жыл бұрын
I think the non believers may not have the same interest in getting every last bit of performance out of their systems or they just don;t think they will hear a difference because they don't know what to listen for.
@Filtersloth3 жыл бұрын
People who have bought and paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for a product should not be the test for whether or not something works. They are literally invested in believing that it works, they’ve sunk large amounts of money into it, it would be very difficult for them to step back and look at it critically. There’s no doubt that cables can have an effect on sound and act as a tone control... but to do that they need to have been made specifically to restrict or distort the flow of electricity. High resistance or capacitance, thin flat wires stacked on top of eachother, things like that. Then there’s the word that no audio reviewer wants to utter ‘Placebo’, it’s a real thing and no human in immune to it. Even changing the colour of a food or wine will make the taste different to a person, because of our expectations and biases. Nothing has actually changed about the food, wine or music except in the way we think about it. So yeah, in some ways adding expensive cables to an audio system does change the way we hear the music... it’s a placebo, but that does truly change our perception, despite there being nothing really there. When you start praising expensive products that work on placebo or through distortion, don’t be surprised when people also take a second look at the things you say about normal products like speakers, and wondering whether or not your opinions are based largely on suggestion. I love your videos btw and love listening to your enthusiasm and opinions.
@TheLkdude3 жыл бұрын
Come on Guys, We are going to be an interplanetary species in few years and we can land and take off the same rockets but can't measure the physical properties of a piece of cable? , send it to the audio science review. And that will be it.
@RIMc6153 жыл бұрын
Confessions: 1) I love Steve, respecting his opinions has made my audio life better 2) I consider myself an audiophile 3) I'm a recovering electrical engineer Your wall outlet is connected to the electrical grid: nuke plants, hydro dams, coal powered generators, bird-blenders, some eco-nuts solar panels, miles and miles of wires and cables of every size, transformers, fuses and everything you and your neighbors connect to it: computers, stereos, refrigerators, motors, CFLs . . . and so on. What you need from all of this is 60Hz SIne-wave at about 120 Volts(here in North America). You get that plus maybe some noise. Now you want to replace only 2 meters of all of that with a $450/meter cable made from unobtainium ? It's just two wires. What does it do ? It can't add anything. It can only subtract or distort. ! Blastphemy: If it made a difference it would be measurable at the output of the power supply. 120V/60Hz in -> 50V/DC out. Simple, no complex waveforms, no phase relationships just DC. Still, good people hear a difference. I believe that means the difference is in our brains and not the electrons. Ask a philosopher ? Which brings us back to the Audiophiliac.
@380stroker3 жыл бұрын
Would the ideal set up then be a pure sine wave inverter hooked up to deep cycle batteries as your power source? No hum?
@maxhirsch70354 ай бұрын
Wherever the difference lies, if it sounds better to you and it's a personally defensible price for the improvement, go for it!
@Wordsalad69420Ай бұрын
@@maxhirsch7035But it cannot physically sound better. Wanna buy a cool looking cable that will last a lifetime? Be my guest. But don’t claim it’s better without proof. And what is better anyways? I see commenters saying more bass (which is complete nonsense), well then turn up the bass knob if you need more bass. If you’re talking noise, one meter of cable isn’t going to magically remove any noise.
@chiphill4856Ай бұрын
It's mostly about reduction of noise and signal distortion. The cable has shielding which is grounded at the outlet box end only. This reduces noise and distortion from local sources. As far as sound quality goes, the reduction in noise may reveal more nuance. I'm not aware of any electrical measurement related to soundstage or imaging. I have a background in physics and engineering. If there is such a test, please leave a comment.
@toddb17652 күн бұрын
I replaced all my power cables last year and it made a huge difference! All my components sound so much better.
@beer_goggler3 жыл бұрын
You're approaching this problem all wrong with fancy power cables. Instead do what I did. I approached my electricity supplier and was amazed to find out they can supply a special audio quality AC power direct to the socket. They do 2 types, a hifi quality power and a master quality power. I went with the full 240volt master audio AC and the great thing it only costs an extra £100 per month. It was amazing. This new audio power supply has transformed my audio system, with more sound space and more focused base and a clarity in treble and vocals I've never heard before just Wow.
@bugsbunny46983 жыл бұрын
As an electrical engineer I was very sceptic before and I still can't figure out why this is, but the changes power cables make are huge. On my all-in-one system from Linn (they proclaim to use their standard cables) I actually use a braided(!) 3x6 sqmm 7N ofc copper cable that was relatively cheap on ebay (70€), but it outperformed my Supra LoRad 2.5, that already was way better than a standard cable. It sounds as if you'd add some horsepower at still low speed. Everything performs with much greater ease. I don't know and I don't care why. It just does! Thanks for your great work, Steve!
@svampebob82263 жыл бұрын
Which one was that? ;-)
@ropeburn66843 ай бұрын
Now go be a proper engineer and do blind tests. You also need to leave the strict realm of engineering and regard psychology. Your brain is the most unreliable factor in the whole audio chain.
@wilcalint3 жыл бұрын
I was involved with a prestigious group of Audiophiles in the Boston area in the early 90's. The exact name of the group will remain unnamed as that causes great stress. Anyway, power cable performance is a perfect target for a blind ABX test comparison. The hardware is quite easy to construct. Heavy copper knife switches work nicely. 20 Golden Ears and a selection of Standard NEMA 5-6 or NEMA 5-8 power cables and some expensive replacements. And an empty Saturday afternoon and snacks. The group was NOT able to discern any difference one cable to another. It's very important that this be done as a blind test as its been repeatedly been proven that comparing the way Steve did in this video will always tread towards the device(s) you want to win. ABX testing is really the only way to properly compare these kinds of things. And ABX testing is hated by most, if not all, reviewers as it really does work. You are not looking for which one sounds better, you are looking to see if you can hear any differences between the devices under test. Note to the group. Usage of a unCertified electrical devices is at the least risky and at the worst dangerous. Look for that UL/CSA/CE label before purchasing. Do the cables that Steve mentioned in this video display their UL/CSA/CE certification numbers? Usage of such devices in some locations, like New York City and Los Angeles, is illegal. The fact that you are a small company does NOT absolve you from obtaining the necessary safety certifications.
@gregworrel26233 жыл бұрын
How is this not common knowledge by now? It is just incredible to me that people are unaware of the psychological effects that impact our hearing. Just try it, the salesman says, knowing full well that many will be fooled into hearing differences that are not real but are convincing nonetheless. This industry is ripe for scammers and they do not let up.
@wilcalint3 жыл бұрын
@@gregworrel2623 Some serious work has been done in this area over the years. My school, MIT, the Media Lab, has done some serious work in the psychology of sound. Why people hear what they want to hear. I remember two studies one where people tend to prefer the sound they want to prefer. The other was, and this one was fun, why people tended to prefer the sound of tube electronics.
@gregworrel26233 жыл бұрын
@@wilcalint I am in the Detroit area and it was a local audio group, the SMWTMS who developed ABX testing in the 1980s. They had differing opinions on audible effects and wanted some way to confirm differences.
@KDBAO3 жыл бұрын
Thank you my man. 1m of expensive soldered copper will make chaff all difference to the electrons entering the amp and thus, the sound. Didn't realise it had been proven in a blind study. Great little nugget of information. What's needed now is a large scale test that keeps all cables identical but tells subjects that one is low cost, one is entry level audiophile cable and one is super expensive silver impregnated cable and observe the placebo in people's heads / ears.
@dudemastermaster89443 жыл бұрын
I am always baffled how people who call themselves scientists and explain scientific approaches always call their own results as the only truth. Thinking only black and white is imho the exact opposite of a scientific approach on things.
@oleksiifilippov683 жыл бұрын
Thanks Steve! Love your delicate and unobtrusive way of speaking about the cables. Long ago I experimented with interconnects, not because I really expected to hear improvement, but to check why people talk about it and if it’s legit. Even with modest equipment the difference was quite obvious, so I changed couple of cables up to ~$150 for used pair. Then bought decent speaker cables. I was totally septic about power cables up until half a year ago. I already had hand made Belden on DAC and Cullen on integrated for another half a year, but after switching for a first time with warm sounding speakers, I thought that difference was negligible. But just out of interest I switched cables to stock (with more resolving speakers) and was surprised how much influence they had on the sound. And in my case, I heard more difference on a DAC. I guess, it may be equipment dependent. Edit: right as Steve said, the difference is pretty small, but was well worth it for me to spend couple hundred bucks.
@bikemike11183 жыл бұрын
How many times has this question been asked...and how many times have discussions been happening about it. A VERY easy way for a KZbinr to get a full comments section! This is so so transparent why „the audiophiliac“ brings back this age old topic ...yaaaawn 🥱
@Coneman33 жыл бұрын
Power cables produce magnetic fields which can disturb nearby interconnects. Good shielding is therefore important.
@marcdavis88423 жыл бұрын
For me I absolutely love the subject about Power mains cables, interconnects, mains surge conditioning ect that makes being an Audiophile even more fun and interesting. I feel and regard mains cables, interconnects as a "component" and should be treated and regarded with the same leval of focus and respect as anything else in your system. I live in London, UK and have power cables from a company/manufacturer called Merlin Cables. I have Merlin Scorpion for both my Marantz SACD SA-15S1 Player & Denon AV-4803. I also use Merlin figure-8 cable for my LG 2019 55SM8600 TV. I also use a Isotek Sirus Evo-3 Mains Surge power conditioner as well. Iv used merlin cables for years and they are regarded as one of the very best in the UK. What you have described Steve with regards of the Wireworld cables is pretty much what I get with the Merlin cables. I have in fact a little while ago switched back to stock cable as an experiment and kept to the stock cables for 1 week to get my ears used to the change in sound then after 7 days I changed back to the Merlin Cables and it very much and impressive stark different realy is. I'm never going back. That's absolutely nothing to do with so called "snake oil" that folks bang on about. Its about me and me only acutally taking the time out and making my own mind up with my own ears and no one else no reviewers no one!. And giving it a try for 1 week then make your comments. So to all these folks out their stating its all bullshit and crap it's plasibo and all that.. I wonder just how many acutally truly tried some cable out. It is very much subjective obviously. Each to thier own at the end of the day. Peace out from London UK 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧✌️
@Supashoppa693 жыл бұрын
Would love to meet you at a party....
@martinmullen712 жыл бұрын
Hi there I also live in London UK, I’ve just recently bought a set of speaker cables and was surprisingly impressed with the quality improvement of the bass etc, and as my budget increases I will start changing other cables like interconnects.
@Wordsalad69420Ай бұрын
Ok but why does the last meter make a difference. The power traveled hundreds of miles through antiquated wiring to get to your house. Then traveled dozens more meters through your antiquated house wiring. So how is another meter of cable going to do anything? If you can’t explain that, then your ears are lying to you, I’m sorry.
@jvanb2313 жыл бұрын
I don't see how it's possible that after a breaker box, followed by many many feet of romex and then a nothing special outlet that the last foot of 200 dollar cable can do anything.
@bba9353 жыл бұрын
@@djgibby1301 If it's audible it's measurable. Otherwise this is snake oil BS. Show me measurements. This is all such bullshit. Just like @jvanb231 said. The last foot is suddenly all that matters? LOL!
@garytill3 жыл бұрын
Mostly power cables are just confirmation bias, but I do like fancy cables for the looks. Cant have a nice hifi without fat snakes.
@baredesigns13 жыл бұрын
Steve is just spouting nonsense. So in effect, if you could get a feed directly from the generating station, at the required voltage of course, then you would have achieved maximum audio quality. :)
@kurtwolter39843 жыл бұрын
@@djgibby1301 Yes, but in the case of a water filter I know what it’s doing, and the mechanisms involved with that process. The before and after is also measurable in the form of removed solids and chlorine/chloramine content.
@bba9353 жыл бұрын
@@baredesigns1 A simple solution is to use a power conditioner. There is a huge capacitor that works like an AC battery, so any problems in the powerline are eliminated. I watched about half of his video and stopped because I didn't think he was going to get into the technical of how those cables are working. Based on what I saw, it doesn't look like there is anything special going on with those expensive cables that would matter.
@dudemastermaster89443 жыл бұрын
I had the same experience. I’d like to see more cable reviews. Great content thanks to you and stay safe.
@timjaffray15363 жыл бұрын
How do you know you're an audiophile, Reason No.11...you get more excited about cables than active speakers!! 😂 Love your work!
@mrpositronia3 жыл бұрын
I added the cheapest Isotek Evo 3 cable to my amp. It made a big improvement to the scale of the bass end, and tightened up the microdynamics. I can't go back to basic cables now.
@edwardbalboa55283 жыл бұрын
Idiot
@Hare_deLune3 жыл бұрын
Hi there! Haven't seen you around for a while. Hope you're doing well. : )
@jaytorr67013 жыл бұрын
Audio Science Review: 1000 dollar battery powered RF noise cancelling Audio Quest cable vs a Hitachi 30 dollar cable. Ends up cheapo cable measures slightly better. Please, if you are an audiophile, spend some time looking into cognitive bias like expectations bias.
@Hare_deLune3 жыл бұрын
@@jaytorr6701 Audio Science Review: Measures the hell out of everything, but never listens to it!! 😆 😆 Oh, yes! I'm gonna spend fifteen hundred dollars on a stereo amplifier so I can sit at home in the evenings and measure it!
@jaytorr67013 жыл бұрын
@@Hare_deLune cognitive
@laurelhardy40643 жыл бұрын
I think cables are very system dependent, I have tried different cables on my friend's $80,000 system that made little to no difference, but the same cables on another friend entry level system made a huge difference, so don't just assume because your system is an entry level one that you're not going to hear much of a difference between cables.
@AndrewB232 ай бұрын
No they didn't
@shaolin9512 күн бұрын
@@AndrewB23exactly..but imagination can be very powerful 😂
@Egkr00013 жыл бұрын
My local hifi shop gave me the Audioquest z3 to try it out. I used it on my Moon 250i and the improvement was instantly noticible. I didn't have to swap the cables around to hear the difference. Now I am looking into the iFi Audio AC iPurifier. Not really convinced yet.
@carilynjurgeson6178 Жыл бұрын
I have a communications background, including audio/video over ethernet, and power over ethernet. The cables have been studied and found to make a difference in picture and sound quality, especially with cheap counterfeit cables that can be bought easily on the internet. Temperature is also a factor in a cable's ability to perform. Seems reasonable to think that in your application the power cables could also make a difference. Thanks for sharing!!
@evobatman3 жыл бұрын
Definitively bringing out a bucket of popcorn before watching this one and reading the comments.
@Hare_deLune3 жыл бұрын
Too true! 😆
@jaytorr67013 жыл бұрын
Whar percentage milk solids is the butter that goes on the pop corn. It affects the crunch of the pop corn
@Hare_deLune3 жыл бұрын
@@jaytorr6701 Your snob card has been revoked.
@andrewclough6603 жыл бұрын
before cabling try an Air Atomiser between your speakers and you. Oh my God! the difference is there. you may have to toe it in etc but wow!
@theokidokis3 жыл бұрын
How do the last few feet from the plug in the wall make a difference? Give us one little piece of sience to back this up, otherwise just snake oil.
@shannonwilliams66233 жыл бұрын
Go watch Caelyn Gabriel of Shunyata: Q&A San Francisco audiophile society It 2 hours long this might educate you a little on understanding your concerns.
@srenthorsen89773 жыл бұрын
@@shannonwilliams6623 I listened to some of that, and looked at their website. It quickly became apparent that they make up technical terms (DTCD? you're literally just measuring impedance?) and show pour understanding of the operation of power supplies.
@shannonwilliams66233 жыл бұрын
@@srenthorsen8977 correct DTCD (demonstrates the clear current delivery) is made up its not a general technical claim, DTCD is research through shunyata for showing how they measure there cable's for the difference in sound, to be honest with you I didn't have any faith in cable's either I believed its all bs until I was given a shunyata power cable for free with noise reduction, I wouldn't have bought it, but I tried it out just out curiosity and I let it play for a couple weeks then I switched back to my stock power cable and I was quite impressed on the difference so I bought one to add and hooked it up to my dac and it opened the system up even more, I wouldn't care to comment about this kind of stuff but the Quality change put a impression on the way I look a cable's now just saying.
@DrinkWater7133 жыл бұрын
@@shannonwilliams6623 How do you know it's not placebo ?
@shannonwilliams66233 жыл бұрын
@@DrinkWater713 Because I trust my family and friends on there opinion when they witness A demo. Better your room treatment is and how refined inn extracting and presenting an illustration.. Your equipment will have better results on leaving a positive or negative impression on hearing a difference. It takes more then just cables, cables add that last touch of detail, everything counts in a system, it all depends how far you want to go with it, or is best buy cables good enough.
@jimgroce94872 жыл бұрын
Like many people, when I got my first decent system in the late’70s I just used the cables that came in the box. It was many years later before I tried anything more expensive. The first time I really heard a big difference was when I had an Ayre ax7e amp and cx7e cdp. For some reason those two components responded very strongly to changing the power cable. Those two pieces are now gone but I still use good cables throughout the system.
@madstillz3 жыл бұрын
I'm wondering how a 2 meter power cable can make an improvement in the sound given that from the circuit breaker box to the outlet there is anywhere between 10 and 100 feet or more of 10 or 12 ga copper Romex. Seems like the power cable should be of the same gauge and material.
@medsa6663 жыл бұрын
I have hear that it is the same as having a water filter right before your water tap, There might 100 feet of rusty pipe, but if right before you drink the water, it goes through a a reverse osmosis filter you can taste a difference :) ( Even though I don't have any high-end power cables)
@powdermnky0073 жыл бұрын
@@medsa666 That would be more like a power filter / power conditioner than just a cable.
@medsa6663 жыл бұрын
@@powdermnky007 good point!
@LuxAudio3893 жыл бұрын
I think he's saying that when you have a thicker gauge like 10 or 12 gauge electrical wire at the wall outlet to the panel, and then your cable to your equipment from the wall outlet is a lower gauge like 14, you are restricting the amount of amps and current that is going to your equipment. By restricting the equipment via the lower gauge power cable, it's acting like a filter in regards to restricting the amount of amps that can be drawn by the component. In the case of water if you place a filter in line it does it's job, but the water pressure drops a bit because the water has to be pushed through the filter element. In the case of electricity, the voltage will be the same, but current and amps are restricted or not depening on the gauge of the cable going to the equipment.
@richardhernandez77413 жыл бұрын
Nope
@mrpmj009 ай бұрын
The Cardas Clear USB cable sounds even better than the already great freebie cable from my Eversolo DMP-A6. The Cardas Parsec RCA cable sounds even better than my already great WorldsBestCable (using Mogami 2549 and Neutrik connector). The iFi SilentPower Supanova (with noise cancelling) improved the sound quality objectively when it made the speaker buzz go away! The Micca speaker wires improved my sound quality. streaming source=Apple Music lossless.
@onemic-theminimalist3 жыл бұрын
Steve, please do a live blind test with these cables. It will be your most-watched KZbin video. It will also be a great service to your subscribers. If you can guess the Electra 7 ten out of ten times many people will likely want to buy them. That should be easy given what you said in your review. That's good for your street cred, Wire World, and all of us subscribers.
@damonm33 жыл бұрын
Agree. I was at a local high end home audio shop out of the owners home. He hooked up some new paradigms and I couldn’t believe the soundstage. Just couldn’t wrap my head around it. What did I do? I unplugged the speakers mid song without asking. Guess what?! There were some 20k Martin Logans playing as well off to the side. He was shocked that I did this. The paradigms were hooked up with 5k wires..I couldn’t tell a dif between them and some “cheap” $100 wires. And I ended up buying some $10m wire and my system rocks. When people use feelings and excitement to find differences tend to hear differences.
@Earlysport3 жыл бұрын
You know this will never happen, and everyone already knows what the outcome would be. In all of history no-one has proved cables sound different in a double blind test, ever! Let alone power cables. I enjoy Steve’s videos, but at time his powers of placebo are really strong..
@damonm33 жыл бұрын
@@Earlysport yet many still public ally claim it. If you are a man of your word do a test. Until then anyone that makes this silly claim looses my respect until they’ll put their money where there mouths are. This is almost as bad as a religious claim. Well it’s worse cause it can be proven wrong. Most Religious claims can’t be cause they’re impossible
@Pete.across.the.street Жыл бұрын
Guessing if it's the Electra 7 or not wouldn't really prove anything.
@Coneman39 ай бұрын
There are some on YT
@smcpac3 жыл бұрын
Wow! 960 comments in 16 hours... OK here it is... I've had Wireworld Aurora 7 power conditioning cables, (silver plated OFC), in my modest system, (Streamer, Topping D90 DAC into two IOTAVX PA3 Mono Amplifiers to Triangle Borea BR02 speakers), for several months, and I've been enjoying much better sound quality with them. Last month I purchased three Electra 7 power conditioning cords, the next step up in the line, (occ 99.99999% pure copper), which I installed on my power conditioner that feeds my system, and then my Amplifiers, (Amplifiers are bypassed from filtering). I noticed an immediate improvement in pace rythym and timing, as well as better bass grip and texture, as well as significant improvement in the sense of space between, behind and around instruments and singers in well recorded orchestral works with choral accompaniment like soundtracks from movies and epic games. I let the system settle for a few days and noticed improvement in the naturalness of the presentation which became more wholistic and organic to my jaded 61 year old ears. I then swapped the Electra 7's off the Amps and placed them on the source and DAC with less impressive results. I gave it a day or so then swapped the Electra 7's back to the amplifiers and was immediately relived I had. Steve has this correct in my estimation. Amplifiers do seem to benefit more from better Wireworld power conditioning cables significantly. More so than my streamers and Topping D90 DAC. Although, my entire system did improve nicely with everything connected with Auroras and just one Electra 7 connecting my system's power conditioner to a 20 Amp Hubble commercial grade duplex outlet. As an aside... Wireworld uses the exact same patented geometry and custom blended insulation on all their power conditioning cables. Only the type and purity of the conductors change with price. Additionally, Wireworld promotes their cables to Musicians, Sound engineers and Music Studios, ( non-audiophile normies), and has received numerous positive testimonials from professionals in the music industry. As always, YMMV... Cheers!
@markgiesen98623 жыл бұрын
I hate to add another variable, but I recently added a surge protector/power filter before the stock amp power cable and noticed an improvement like Steve had mentioned.
@Mrch33ky3 жыл бұрын
Audiophilia = self hypnosis. I prefer to spend the least on cables and then suggest to myself that they sound the best. And I'm right every single time. :)
@PhuckHue23 жыл бұрын
cables in the audio path do make a difference but as long as the wire is copper and shielded thats all that matters. They sell them on Monoprice for $5. Spending $200 for cables is just stupid
@ujean563 жыл бұрын
Yes! When I upgraded the power cable on my tube pre-amp. It was a significant improvement all round particularly in imaging and noise. But, there are those who say it's all in your head. OK fine; if I'm fooling myself - it was worth the effort. Thanks Steve - great video.
@r423fplip3 жыл бұрын
You would not be able to tell with all that distortion a tube amp has.
@JohnJohn-lk4lq3 жыл бұрын
@@r423fplip wrong, you have crap tube amps then
@BumpNrun692 жыл бұрын
@@r423fplip Bwah, haaa, haaa, eh-boy, ignorance at it's best "distortion from tube amps" .... 😂
@violin-schwerin3 жыл бұрын
It’s also extremely easy to buy quality cable and connectors and diy
@vicwahbyphotography48663 жыл бұрын
Don't forget shielding.
@PDCRed3 жыл бұрын
Indeed. Probably only 20-25% of the price too.
@Audiorevue3 жыл бұрын
Actually I bought some nice plugs from the cable company and thick electrical cable from Home Depot and boy oh boy
@mattbrown35493 жыл бұрын
@Yama Fanboy - I do make DIY power cables but it is difficult to make them if your budget is only $10. The plugs at both ends generally will cost a little bit over $10. I live in the UK and I can make a one metre shielded power cable for under £30. It is difficult to make a one metre shielded cable for less than £20.
@vicwahbyphotography48663 жыл бұрын
@Yama Fanboy What if it's not about keeping the power traveling within pristine, but keeping stray electric fields caused by said power from influencing delicate signals adjacent to the power or speaker cables? Still, shouldn't be a fortune, but the cable has to be well designed.
@silentjens42023 жыл бұрын
Schiit Saga and Freya have a major improvement by replacing the power cable. It literally sounded like I added a subwoofer. They in particular must be using very cheap cables because I have never heard that much improvement on any upgrade of any type in a component. I use a schiit saga, aigir, topping D90, Tekton lore speakers for reference.
@whatthefnousernames3 жыл бұрын
yo, I just got a saga & aegir last week. Could you send me a link to the PC you got?
@Hare_deLune3 жыл бұрын
It could be that Schiit products have a sensitive PSU. At any rate, good to know. Thanks for sharing! : )
@silentjens42023 жыл бұрын
@@whatthefnousernames I also recommend the electro-harmonix gold pin tube which around $40. There isn’t a lot of difference in sound between tube and line level unless you replace the JJ tube with a tube with a little more character. The electro-harmonix has been a really good fit for this preamp and not very expensive.
@whatthefnousernames3 жыл бұрын
@@silentjens4202 I'll give it a shot, this was my first experience with tubes so I was wondering why the difference was so small between the saga modes.
@laurencerothman9313 жыл бұрын
I have a Freya+, dual Aegir, and Tekton Impact Monitors. I love the Tekton /Schiit combo too. It sounds awesome!
@kevonmanuel3 жыл бұрын
How does the cable do this? Are there electronics in the cable to reduce noise?
@alistairwilson53443 жыл бұрын
Good design.
@kevonmanuel3 жыл бұрын
@@alistairwilson5344 Pure nonsense. Wasn't the stock cable was not a good design?
@alistairwilson53443 жыл бұрын
@@kevonmanuel the stock cable is adequate/does the job. Better cables use better materials and design. Have a listen and trust your ears. They are system dependant,there's no one size fits all,and we all have different preferences.
@laurencerothman9313 жыл бұрын
Cables in the signal chain for sure, I have silver XLRs between my balanced components (VPI turntable, Tavish Adagio phono stage, preamp, and power amp). But, outside the signal chain, I am not so sure. What about the miles of crap copper running through your home? Your components transformer, rectifier, and filter (their internal power supply) convert the AC to usable DC, the cord from your wall to your components doesn't matter so much. If your system is plugged into a conditioner the cord matters even less. Again it is outside the signal chain and just needs to get power from the wall to the internal power supply of the component.
@richardhernandez77413 жыл бұрын
Power delivery starts at the wall, not Niagra Falls.
@theomindschrddr79833 жыл бұрын
I bought a audioquest Thunder powercord. It took a few days to understand the new sound. The music became much easier for the ears and open up. But it reveals also where the weak spot is in your system
@kaypee19723 жыл бұрын
Ok, I want to trust you, that more expensive cables, improve the sound. ButI missed your explanation for this. Actually, I found this to be one of the most superficial videos from you and I am a big fan of yours. When I read these comments almost everyone prefers new, expensive cables. I don’t have too much experience regarding this, but I couldn’t see anyone really telling the reason why expensive cables should have a big effect on the sound quality. It seems like: I spent big money on it, so it must be better sounding. Oh: and I’m sure, everyone who has spent big bucks on cables, after watching this video is even more sure that the sound has improved. Thankful for every further info.
@Hare_deLune3 жыл бұрын
It isn't about the cost, it's about how the cables are made, and what materials they're made from. You can get a power cord that should improve the sound of your system for about $12.00 The brand is Hosa, readily available on Amazon or at your local music shop. They make cables for professional musicians. Their cables are well made, using superior materials and craftsmanship. Will the improvement in sound quality be the same? I don't know, because I haven't compared them with the ones in this video. I can tell you some things to look for, and even try yourself if you are interested in a little DIY. First, look for cables made with Oxygen Free Copper, or even better grades of copper, if you want. This can bring the price up, but it doesn't have to be a considerable amount. Those Hosa cables I mentioned use it, and they're twelve bucks. Next, look for cables that have minimalist construction. This is where you're going to run into a brick wall. All the audiophile companies make the big 'hospital grade', garden hose size cables with all the bling fittings and extra shielding and woven plastic jackets. Those are all trash, and you should avoid them. Why? Because of something called "cable dielectrics". Dielectrics, which is basically the insulating coating on the cable (plus the plug ends, which are made of plasticized rubber, AFAIK), makes a big difference in the *clarity* of the sound you hear from your system. The reason all the audiophile cable companies make the oversized bling cables is because they look good in a brochure or on a website, and good looks sells. If you noticed, the cables that Steve showed in the video were all flat. Usually, flat cables use less material in the insulating jacket. Here's where a little DIY can help you: The outer insulating jacket on these cables is not really necessary. If you strip it off, you will see two or more conducting wires inside with their own, individual, insulating jackets. These wires will usually have even thinner jackets on them. Since thinner and less is what we want, it will benefit the sound of the cable further to remove the outer jacket, which is there for looks and tidiness more than anything else. Also look for the plug ends to be made with a minimum of material, for the same reasons. Another brick wall for you. You can think of each of these facets of cable construction as pennies which will add up to clearer, more detailed sound (similar to what Steve described) from your system. Power cables and interconnects make the most difference, but you can apply the same methodology to speaker cables or as a universal "rule of thumb" for audio cables in general. I sincerely hope this may have been of some use to you. : )
@kaypee19723 жыл бұрын
@@Hare_deLune wow! I really appreciate your informative description. Not sure if I want to do any DIY on power cables but will give better grade copper cables a try. Thanks!
@Hare_deLune3 жыл бұрын
@@kaypee1972 You're most welcome. Best of luck to you on your journey! :D
@isacatt993 жыл бұрын
To tell you the truth, not even cable manufacturers 100% know how power cables improves the sound, but they do. We have a Naim power amp (with pmc speakers) and we tried a PS Audio power cable... right out of the box the difference was “small” (if any); after a month plugged in we did a blind test between that and the stock cable. WOW, the difference was not subtle, you could tell the PS audio after a second of listening, much better bass, voices and soundstage.
@DrinkWater7133 жыл бұрын
It needs to be a well made copper cable that has shielding. Anything else is not going to make any difference. You could even make them yourself and it would be ok.
@paulcomeau63 жыл бұрын
Completely agree Steve. Similar experience with upgraded AQ cables in my high end digital system. No going back. Too bad some people cannot hear the difference in their system. Cheap upgrade compared to other components. Best return on investment however was room treatment for me. Thanks for another great review.
@BumpNrun692 жыл бұрын
It's all about Synergy. Someone with a cheap system won't hear any difference whatsoever. Someone with an expensive system that puts out a lot of detailing will notice the difference. Them low-end best buy systems that the majority own, don't display a lot of detailing to notice anything.
@thirumalkumaran3 жыл бұрын
Interesting that the normal cable which runs miles from power plant to wall doesn't make a difference, but a 2meter cable from wall to amp improves the sound!
@peekaboo43903 жыл бұрын
Yup .. thank you.
@jimfarrell46353 жыл бұрын
I hear this argument a lot but it actually makes little sense. It is entirely reasonable that something interposed in a small section of a flow of anything, be it water or electrons, can have a downstream effect. Nothing counterintuitive at all about that. Having said that I don't buy into the argument that expensive power cables make a significant difference.
@BumpNrun692 жыл бұрын
There you go, you learned something today. Surprised you've never noticed that, maybe once when you visited a Hospital, or a facility with a huge amount of computer networking.
@Wordsalad69420Ай бұрын
It adds more bass according to a commenter! Do people actually believe this garbage? Another commenter said good power cables widen the soundstage 😂 Completely clueless.
@cizcalodiablopanzon13 күн бұрын
Of course it makes a difference ...It is just like tap water... We all get it from the street ..and it is coming in the same pipe... But in the las section of my piping going into my house and into my kitchen I add a carbon filter, an ozone purifier and whatnot... Will it improve the water? Maybe... Will it make it better? Probably ...will it taste different? Definitely!! That's the same with cables lol
@JCW-jx6ld3 жыл бұрын
Wireworld cables are amazing bang for buck particularly silver Electra 7
@kennethiman26913 жыл бұрын
Any measuring instruments to back up their cables? If they do something, that "something" should be measurable.
@saltrocklamp1993 жыл бұрын
This is my question as well. If the noise floor is lower, shouldn't that be measurable?
@jonathanbott11443 жыл бұрын
If it is audible, it should be easily measureable.
@tubefreeeasy Жыл бұрын
Pure silver has helped me reach my perfection. My dream sound!
@tubefreeeasy9 ай бұрын
I stand behind what I said six months ago.
@tubefreeeasy5 ай бұрын
I’ve finally reached the zenith of my optimization with tweaks and components. I will stand by pure silver has helped me reach my goal of my system’s perfection. Let me add, Furutech NCF terminals rule.
@DarkJeff003 жыл бұрын
Maybe some people here need to look at the audio science review youtube channel and forum... Placebo effect can do a lot of things, don't trust those who sell you expensive things without any measurements data or AB blind trials You only trust your golden ears ? Do a blind test with a friend swapping cables for you so you don't know which one is plugged in. If you can tell the right cable 8 times out of 10, well you'll need to publish your results because you've made a major science discovery !
@daeunjung66603 жыл бұрын
Well said
@mysock351C3 жыл бұрын
Yeah. As I always say, how does a 6' long $1000 dollar cable make the 30-50 feet of 12 AWG romex in your wall sound better? It doesn't. Odd how people just assume the outlet and everything behind it is perfect. Of course, even using a roll of lamp cord to hook up $200,000 speakers will produce no discernable effect.
@andrewb45843 жыл бұрын
Mysock, I've seen exact test with 16GA lamp cord from Lowes, 20GA (less than 6') zip cord, coat hangers, and a $3,500 interconnect. 1kW monoblock amps, $40k speakers. Blind, the highest like factor was actually the coat hangers. None were statistically significant.
@mysock351C3 жыл бұрын
@@andrewb4584 Coat hangers lol! Did you have audiophile participants? Be interesting to see their reaction. "Oh, for interconnects, you chose the coat hangers I got with my dry cleaning yesterday..." A new use to add for them in addition to brazing and fuse replacement.
@oleksiifilippov683 жыл бұрын
Did blind tests with stable results on a man who didn’t know what I was doing
@alm56933 жыл бұрын
I'll assume that you plugged these test power cables directly into the wall rather than into one of your power strips. How do power strips play into this subject (for those of us with only one or two duplex outlets for our entire system)? Not too long ago I bought a new integrated amp and a $100 Audioquest power cable for the amp and a Furman PST-8 Filtering Power Strip for all my components. The new system sounds weak and I've ordered a new power strip with no bells and whistles to see if the Furman could be the culprit. Any guidelines on power strips for those of us who need them? Do I have to find something that's 'star' wired?
@econautx3 жыл бұрын
Read up on power conditioners and dynamics. You're not the only one with that problem. There are conditioners that try to avoid this.
@dariusvilcinskis57533 жыл бұрын
I like Steve a lot, but I would bet cash that these improvements would fade away during a blind AB test. Hell, I don't even think he would be able to tell between power amps.
@DonnieDorko4773 жыл бұрын
100% agree.
@PDCRed3 жыл бұрын
And your evidence/credentials for this is?
@dariusvilcinskis57533 жыл бұрын
@@PDCRed I would recommend to look up "Audio Myths Workshop" conference by Ethan Winer on KZbin. It covers the psychology of listening to gear pretty well I think.
@a0r0a73 жыл бұрын
@@PDCRed simple, multiple blind listening test. If you pick out the pricy power cable every time you can tell it makes a difference. Not convinced one bit myself but everyone is welcome to there beliefs. DIY my power cords, did it make a difference, of course not, just a nice set of quality cables and nothing wrong in that either.
@justadad23043 жыл бұрын
I would bet whatever cash you would and double it, that Steve and many others could pass ABX tests. The only people I know who deny cable differences, or source differences, or amplifier differences, or speaker differences, are those who did not do well on their SAT scores. Of course, true ABX test is not as easy as a couple guys in a dark room for a couple hours. A real one, which accounts for the multifactorial experience of listening as a human being, is a major undertaking that could take days... Actually, weeks or months of leaving and returning to the testing condition. In the meantime, look all over the Internet, the professional press, or go and listen at a dealer's shop if you have one in the area. The overwhelming testimony from empirical observation is that cables make a difference - a positive one at that. The people who deny are those who preclude possibility based on simplified models developed in the 1800s through mid-1900s. These are the ones who are anti-science, denying empirical observation on the basis of a previous conclusion. Science is taking the world and explaining what has been observed; scientists are people who take a thing and want to know why rather than say that thing cannot exist. The orthodox church is the one that reinforces old conclusions and blocks the process to learn more.
@dennisw46543 жыл бұрын
I became a cable believer 30 years ago, or so, when Monster cables became popular. I had a Kenwood separates system paired with Yamaha NSM 1000s. Switched from standard speaker wire to Monster speaker cables. The big change for me was listening at lower volumes. I could hear a more complete dynamic range with the Monster. Tried it on my friends to make sure it wasn't just me and all agreed. Since then, I do believe good or great quality cables of all the connects, including power, do make a difference and are critical to optimize your system. However, I admit I am not trained enough to appreciate the high end cable impact.
@KillerKojak Жыл бұрын
The 1990-2000 era of MONSTER CABLES was huge.. Since my Interlink ref i never have this same gain... now i have BIS and ACTINOTE cables but i love and regret my REF line rca from the BRISSON era...
@billbones10003 жыл бұрын
I purchased a good cable for my tube integrated, heard nothing. Tried it feeding my DAC and phono pre, once again nothing. If the difference is there it is so extremely subtle that it's very difficult to justify the cost.....but this is hifi.....big cost for nearly imperceptible gains is what the industry is based on.
@hilde453 жыл бұрын
In some systems it won't be perceptible, that's true. But why would that automatically generalize to all systems? While it's true that imperceptible gains are a flaw in hifi thinking, it's also possible that in other contexts than yours, something could be heard and not imperceptible. Unless your system is representative enough to stand in for all systems. Which it isn't.
@billbones10003 жыл бұрын
@@hilde45 wow you really feel strongly about this! Glad we are not talking about religion or politics, I'm guessing you start those conversations with screams and groin kicks and degenerate from there! Yes cables can make a perceivable difference if your willing to spend high dollar amounts for the tiniest of gains, yes cables are system dependent, yes every system/room/set of ears/home wiring/anxiety level is different. Personally I tried one high end cable and it made zero or very close to zero difference and there was no way I could justify the cost for such a tiny (if any) improvement as a middle class wage earner. I think the vast majority of music lovers want to hear a clear improvement in sound when they are spending their hard earned money, cables are 100% the least bang for buck in a hifi system and even with super high end cables they may make a difference for the better, may make it sound worse and most often have an imperceivable difference.
@arthurhaywood21843 жыл бұрын
@@billbones1000 Let me ask you this: If someone tells you that they can see something & you don't see it. Do you automatically assume that they are wrong? Is there the possibility that their eyesight is better than yours & they're picking up something that you're unable to? The same question can be asked about any other of our senses. Don't be so quick to dismiss something because you can't perceive it because that's all it means.......
@vincentvanrooij96753 жыл бұрын
@@arthurhaywood2184 Exactly that!
@billbones10003 жыл бұрын
@@arthurhaywood2184 blowing my mind Arthur! Wow, that's really deep stuff! Uncertainty principle be damned!
@gudmi627210 ай бұрын
Steve is a good den. Have you compared the Wireworld Platinum electra 7 cable in sound with the silver electra 7 and electra 7 models?
@henriksrensen32203 жыл бұрын
Thank you for all the great videoes Steve 👍
@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for watching!
@jean-christiannugues8693 жыл бұрын
Hello, As my new naim system is composed of only 2 boxes (an all in one preamp/dac/network streamer + a power amp) I thought that I could try good power cords. I bought 2 Nordost Heimdall 2. I was really impressed. It improved the sound just like you described. The improvement is to my ears more important than what you get with good interconnects or speaker cables. And I do agree with you, it is the power amp that gets the most from these cables. Regards,
@christinezuazua22183 жыл бұрын
So today I heard the difference more than ever, I recent;y upgraded my preamp and I run 300B single ended monoblocks into Autotech Horn speakers, my scourge is either a Lampizator DAC or PTP6 Lenco TT, I got my amp designer to switch out the silver internal wire as it was making the system too bright, I got myself a Chinese mains cable to try with the -re after this change and I have been struggling since Saturday to balance the sound and really gel with it. I thought maybe tube rolling was the way to go but first I thought I’d try switching out the Chinese cable for the standard mains cable. I instantly heard the brightness and edginess vanish and more body came back into the sound, I’ve actually switched it again for a better cable and now I’m happy. What a difference I heard and it really is eye or eye opening as to what the mains cables can do. My system is extremely revealing and doesn’t pit up with sub standard components or cables, this is my experience anyway ;-). Craig typing this on my fiancé’s account 🙂
@Hare_deLune3 жыл бұрын
No component in your system should be a scourge to you, for Heaven's sake! Really hope you will find something more pleasing to you than that DAC or TT.
@christinezuazua22183 жыл бұрын
@@Hare_deLune i meant source 😅
@christinezuazua22183 жыл бұрын
@Douglas Blake better doing something I enjoy that isn’t hurting anyone
@christinezuazua22183 жыл бұрын
@Douglas Blake i have messed with room treatment a lot, anyway to get things up to date, I’m truly happy with it right now and in my experience cables for make a significant difference, too much silver and the horns sound thin, more copper and they have more body
@SveinOlavGlesaaenNyberg3 жыл бұрын
How are the power cables in your walls? If those 50 or so meters are no good, what does it matter to add fabulous cables for the last 1-2 meters?
@markbuttery27903 жыл бұрын
I would be more convinced if you took 2 recordings, analysed and broke them down and checked on a graph.The mind is a wonderfull creature, it can be very mischievous and play games with us.
@mtkreger3 жыл бұрын
Silver Electra 7 sounds serious and cool, so it must be better. I agree with you, without graphical comparisons of sound output, I am skeptical.
@vicwahbyphotography48663 жыл бұрын
A graph? Really?
@mtkreger3 жыл бұрын
@@vicwahbyphotography4866 Really!. Sound output is absolutely measurable. Perception is not.
@booradley34523 жыл бұрын
@@mtkreger You're right of course, but no-one listens to a graph.
@bigchimpin42153 жыл бұрын
@@vicwahbyphotography4866 if a properly measured and isolated system can’t hear a difference neither can you.
@brucepruzansky58303 жыл бұрын
My equipment averages about 2500 dollars per component. I've had no trouble hearing the difference between speaker cables and interconnects. I've tried 6 power cables from prominent brands including Wireworld Aurora. They have either done nothing I could hear, or made the sound too bassy. Do you think it's easier to hear the difference with higher end equipment?
@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac3 жыл бұрын
No, but you tried,
@RJ_Chicago3 жыл бұрын
Steve, thank you for the power cable review! Please do more cable reviews! I have a lot of direct experience with upgraded power cables. I went initially from stock cables to Shunyata Venom V1 HC power cables and the improvements were immediate. Black background and more detail amongst others. I have since upgraded to Shunyata Delta NR V1 power cables. Results are perhaps more subtle. But I feel the improvements are not to be limited to your power cables but also from where they get their power. So I run both systems off of PS Audio PowerPlants. I also use Greenwave EMI filters throughout my home and you can hear and see the reduction in EMI with a meter. I am certainly all in on the benefits of cables. I do have a request. Please do a review of USB cables for streaming. I would love a comparison of the Shunyata Sigma vs Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 vs Audioquest Diamond. Thanks!
@christinearmington2 жыл бұрын
Nice 😊
@VegasVaron Жыл бұрын
Steve, did you perform a blind A/B/C/D test? Where you weren’t aware which cable was being used? How often where you able to identify the cables? Oh, and by the way, can you share the objective measurements? There’s lot of snake oil in audio cable business, so you’ll understand my level of skepticism.
@opk1573 жыл бұрын
You could also try to switch to green energy; makes the sound really open up and breath more. More air and more space...
@iKaGe013 жыл бұрын
Oh yeah, that premium electricity :p
@jebrehbaker86133 жыл бұрын
LMAO 🤣
@robertburton2953 жыл бұрын
I enjoy your channel I would love to see something on power conditioners as well
@ValentineLuke3 жыл бұрын
Hey Steve, I really enjoy your videos. Your passion for music really comes through. My experience with upgraded cables has given me a better understanding of signal/noise. Things seem cleaner, and more transparent to my ears. Along with better dynamics and more easily discernible micro details. It simply distills down to more signal, and less noise. Cheers!
@bobcostner22383 жыл бұрын
ok so what about the wiring in the wall? I understand you can choke the current with to small and low grade wire. and there is a thing called "in-rush+ current.... but again, what about the wall wiring?
@Hare_deLune3 жыл бұрын
The wall wiring is a hard thing to get around, mainly because of Construction Codes. You never want to violate Code, but if there's any way you can manage wall wiring (only what will be connected to your system. The rest doesn't matter) of a smaller gauge, or thinner wire, with thinner dielectric that still meets Code; then that should help too. Edit: I wouldn't expect a big difference from it, but you never know. Everything's worth trying once.
@bobcostner22383 жыл бұрын
@@Hare_deLune I have a Citation 16 amp and Klipsch Chorus 2 speakers and i could tell when i was dragging down the voltage on the line. I know when you have a voltage drop current spikes. it was very observable when i would be rocking very loud volume for a long night of drinking. lol. I used to run a box fan on the amp to cool it and from the side with the fan the power level lights on the citation 16 would react lower than the hot side where the fan was farther away. Well I met my wife and she put a stop to all that! lol
@Hare_deLune3 жыл бұрын
@@bobcostner2238 omg... Lol!
@galeazzosanvitale62023 жыл бұрын
Strange but I always bought power cords even before interconnections, I have Wireworld, Audioquest Van den Hul , Supra and others...yes I fully agree they DO make the difference: One day I suggest you to make a review also about some conditioner like the Puritan or IFI ...just a stupid hint.Keep doing your amazing job. Booyah!
@phillipakisanders3 жыл бұрын
Just bought the new upgraded 156, and the newer Very Ultimate power cable - astonishing
@Gilliboy82 Жыл бұрын
Which of these models will improve the sound the most? If you have a budget of 150 eur max. There is too much choice...
@borlach3215 күн бұрын
How do you know what gauge to use? Do you really need a 10 gauge ac cord? I have a class A integrated.
@dave64k3 жыл бұрын
The adjectives you use here Steve sound big but can you attempt to quantify it? Is it a 0.1% improvement, a 1% improvement, a 10% improvement in your system?
@jonpatrick663 жыл бұрын
What kind of bookshelf speakers are in the background? Does anyone know? Thanks
@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac3 жыл бұрын
Fyne F500, Review will post soon
@leoluck683 жыл бұрын
I'm a headphone guy, so all my experiences are related to recabling the standard headphone cable. I've recalled my Grado RS1e with Black Dragon detachable cable. Have replaced my Focal Clear cable with the black dragon as well. I hear a definite difference (improvement). Is it jaw dropping? Nope, but still a welcome improvement. More air, better imaging, and better soundstage. Bass has more slam, but that bass is tight and pure. Anyway, my experiences have been positive and undeniable for ME. Maybe not you.....lol
@andrewclough6603 жыл бұрын
pure placebo! now go into hifi shop and ask them to do the same with blind testing.
@onemic-theminimalist3 жыл бұрын
If your cables are acting as tone controls, toss them all out.
@zoltanvlad2729 Жыл бұрын
I inherited an expensive Monster Cable HTPS 700 surge protector/low noise circuits etc. The voltage is very stable. Does this do the job that good power cords would do?
@oldschoolaudioenthusiast3 жыл бұрын
As an audiophile for around 50 years, I've used upgraded AC Power Cables when possible for two main reasons. 1. In the case of power amplification, you want to use a cable that insures maximum power delivery without restriction / resistive limitations. 2. In addition it's important to select cables that will provide strong protection & shielding against external airborne pollution from stray RF and EMI entering your system. You don't have to go crazy however for reasonable amounts of $ you can make a significant and noticible improvement to the sound & performance of your system vs. the basic cables routinely supplied with components. As an example - All the wire entering your home and throughout your home to the AC receptacle is typically solid Copper. Cheap cables supplied with components is almost always stranded and more susceptible to picking up noise just like an antenna since the shielding is almost non-existant. As you might expect, I also strongly support interconnect and speaker cable upgrades throughout, staying with the same manufacturer to support a similar sonic signature. In my case, I like modestly priced Kimber products. For interconnects and speaker cables, it's all about preserving the integrity of the signal being transmitted through the cable from the source component to the pre-amp or amp. In other words, "doing no harm." Also protection against stray airborne RF and EMI is very important to prevent noise from impacting the signal as well.
@alexanderbelov68922 жыл бұрын
You should be aware that 99.9% of noise comes from wall power outlets/local energy system/all the electricity users around you. All that RF noise exist only as a theory if you live near radio transmitting antennas, radars, and so on sources that can influence power lines by several millivolts. Here power conditioners can have real effect on that noise in power line. But audio components usually have power filters inside, so they are not sensitive much to power conditioner filtering. Power cables with gauge like AWG 14, AWG 12 may cure some unwanted ground loops noise.
@linda5381 Жыл бұрын
So I have a Furman surge protector with an attached cord going into the wall outlet. Would a upgraded power cable make a noticeable difference ?
@AndrewB232 ай бұрын
No
@BenX743 жыл бұрын
Regarding cables, I'm not asking for much, just for ONE properly documented successful blind test. Just one! 🙏 *crickets*
@gioponti63593 жыл бұрын
Is there a properly conducted blind test on any Hi-Fi component? And do other people’s impressions really outweigh my own? Am asking because there is a blind study in which people were played uncompressed wav and mp3 files (
@Askew823 жыл бұрын
There are plenty of resources of blind cable test out there. As for documented, are you looking for scholarly type research project type documentation? If so you, you might be hard pressed to find. There is the saying "If it's meant to be , it's up to me". You might have to document your own test. But hey, then you can set the record straight for both camps and can even look at getting it published in some hi-fi press.
@BenX743 жыл бұрын
@@Askew82 There are plenty? Name eight. The only cable blind tests I know of resulted in folks failing to distinguish between cables or hearing all sorts of differences when in reality they were listening to the very same cable every time.
@JohnJohn-lk4lq3 жыл бұрын
Be a big boy and do your own test. Don’t be lazy or thick.
@BenX743 жыл бұрын
@@JohnJohn-lk4lq for myself, I have done that already and sent back the expensive interconnect that sounded exactly as my cheap one.
@berj792 жыл бұрын
What about changing the power cable for a music streamer which is used as a transport only?
@Michael-xz1nk3 жыл бұрын
When does the spending stop? Pretty crazy to me. Just different strokes.
@Michael-xz1nk3 жыл бұрын
Sadly, a lot of it is all about keeping people chasing rainbows (aka audio perfection, which does not exist) and spending money. Upgrades = money. What also saddens me is that some people are just never satisfied and waste tons of money in the process. I know many audiophiles who have come full circle on gear after wasting gobs of $$ and are now sorry. And way too many are into the equipment simply for coolness, status, being different or overcoming boredom vs the music itself. It’s all crazy to me. I buy good once, enjoy it till it can no longer be fixed and really focus on the music. To each their own I guess.
@Michael-xz1nk3 жыл бұрын
Hi Doug...I could not agree more. Enjoy!!!
@Michael-xz1nk3 жыл бұрын
Bingo...and I’ll beat the system was nothing special....
@Michael-xz1nk3 жыл бұрын
Thanks. Have a good weekend!
@JohnJohn-lk4lq3 жыл бұрын
You are correct Steve, cables make a difference... all the people that say they don’t, either can’t afford to buy said cables or have subpar components to where the cables aren’t going to make a difference anyway... ie $1k worth of cables in a $300 set up.
@Sparky-Tim3 жыл бұрын
Could be that some people are just happy with their system the way it is. As long as they're enjoying it, then that's all that matters and as long as they don't start flaming people who want to try new things (like cables) then all is well in the audio world. Peace, Love & Rainbows. ;-)
@JohnJohn-lk4lq3 жыл бұрын
@@Sparky-Tim two sides to every coin, people are going to schiit on people for what they don’t have and can’t afford. There’s always something better than what you have to someone else no matter what.
@Sparky-Tim3 жыл бұрын
@@JohnJohn-lk4lq You're right. It's a sad world we live in.
@onemic-theminimalist3 жыл бұрын
It always amazes me how psychology beats out physics when it comes to audio.
@JohnJohn-lk4lq3 жыл бұрын
Somebody got a weak mind
@amirjubran18453 жыл бұрын
The difference for me was audible, but only on bright systems. I found cable changes harder to notice on systems that are warm and relaxed sounding.
@lloll693 жыл бұрын
there is science... Shielding. dielectric. materials. emi rejection. skin effect. come on man just try don't assume.
@onemic-theminimalist3 жыл бұрын
@@lloll69 all of which is taken care of by any well designed power supply when converted to DC...man.
@lloll693 жыл бұрын
assume and assume.
@peterlundskow40613 жыл бұрын
I appreciate your video on cables. I have a follow up question. Don't know if you have addressed it before? What about the 'quality' of power when it comes into one's house & through the questionable wiring in a building. Is the ultimate solution to purchase a power condition device like PS Audio and others? The ones I have looked at are pricey for my budget.
@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac3 жыл бұрын
Power conditioners don't make any difference in this apartment, I had a few come through here.
@glennarcher9863 жыл бұрын
Mark Twain said it best: “It’s easier to fool someone than to tell them that they’ve been fooled.”
@andru26253 жыл бұрын
And it's also easier to have a closed mind than an opened one.
@glennarcher9863 жыл бұрын
@@andru2625 Here’s a comment for your entertainment. I did an experiment with all my cables. I put all of them inside my freezer for 48 hours. After the freezing process was over, I proceeded to put them in my Traeger Ironwood 885 pellet smoker. For this experiment I chose a combination of Hickory and Mesquite pellets. I decided to do a low and slow smoke at 165 degrees using my super smoke setting. After approximately 10 hours, the smell was making me hungry. So much that instead of connecting my cables to my AV gear, I ATE them! (the cables included the power cords, RCA cables, HDMI cables and speaker wire). I told myself to keep an “OPEN” mind as to what the potential results would be. What would my farts and burps sound like? Would eating the power cords make me dispense my 💩 faster? Would eating the HDMI cable make me see better? Would the speaker wire and power cords alter the sound of my voice? The results were astonishing! My farts and burps had more reverb and sustain. The midrange was warm and buttery! I timed how long it took for my poop to drop. It was instantly! It dropped with so much force that it shattered the toilet. What about my voice? It was like a lion! When a sang, I swear I had 4 octaves like Roy Orbison! My wife said my voice had never been sexier! Let’s move on to the HDMI cable. No more carrots for me! I could see all the way to Jupiter without the use of a telescope! Wow, what do you know! Cables do make a difference! This comment is for satirical, highly sarcastic purposes! It’s not about being close minded or opened minded. It’s about how gullible one is. These high end manufacturers are concerned about one thing: How open is your wallet? They will use terminology, be smooth talking and use so called scientific proof and experimentation in order to sell their product, therefore creating a psychological effect on your brain to justify the cost. When it comes to sales, it’s 20% truth and 80% BS you feed the consumer!
@fubartotale33893 жыл бұрын
@@glennarcher986 LOL! Thanks for that, that made my day. I'm not a person that thinks any crappy substandard cable cable will sound as good as a premium cable, but the claims made for sone of these cable are ridiculous. The law of diminishing returns is in effect here for sure. Gene DelaSala at "Audiohaulics" is a degreed electrical engineer with the proper (expensive) test equipment, and also someone with a finely trained ear. I would refer anyone truly interested in this subject to check out his channel.
@glennarcher9863 жыл бұрын
@@fubartotale3389 Glad you had a good laugh and the time to read it! I agree. Audioholics is a good source of reliable and trustworthy knowledge and advice.
@mdr46703 жыл бұрын
Steve, what are those mini subs behind you and why are they off the floor?
@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac3 жыл бұрын
Not subs, they're Fyne F500 speakers. Review to come.
@mdr46703 жыл бұрын
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac That's just Fyne then. Thanks Steve.
@gtric14663 жыл бұрын
I have my system a few feet out from the wall so I routed all the power cables separately from all the audio cables. Im a tech . so I used my toner wand which is very sensitive and made sure I doubled the distance from any signal off the power cables. Using the wand, yes for at least 5" you hear the AC hum which could interject especially on low Z cables. But Wireworld don't appear to have any major shielding. So does anyone that have these have a wand to test for noise? If your AC power coming in isn't clean power cables aren't going to do it for you. FWIW Psychoacoustics is a powerful thing.
@380stroker3 жыл бұрын
So would it be better to just use a pure sine wave inverter hooked up to deep cycle batteries as your power source to eliminate any problems from the power company?
@francoisroberge58828 ай бұрын
A few years ago I acquired a pair of Audio Art power cables (AAC power1 e Cryo AC Cable with Rhodium 15A) from a CAM member at a BARGOON price. Never believed that power cables can make a difference. Hooked one to a Cambridge CXN and the other to a Benchmark DAC 1. I'm going to make this short. I played music all night with those cables and when I went to bed (very late) all I could say was I DON'T BELIEVE IT! It was the sound improvement I needed. What an improvement! Now both Audio Art cables are hooked up to Cambridge CXN and CXC and I added a JPS Digital AC-X to the DAC 1. I find that when it comes to digital, clean current from the wall to the speaker is the way to go.
@MrMichaelfalk3 жыл бұрын
My powercables are a 10000 meters long - the last 2 meters is from the powerplug to the hifi..
@xcy0n3 жыл бұрын
This.
@vicwahbyphotography48663 жыл бұрын
What makes you think the environment behind an audio system is the same as the rest of the run?
@MrMichaelfalk3 жыл бұрын
@@vicwahbyphotography4866 ?? you seems to missing the point..
@vicwahbyphotography48663 жыл бұрын
@@MrMichaelfalk Me? I'm saying the environment behind an audio system is entirely different, and so you're making a false comparison.
@MrMichaelfalk3 жыл бұрын
@@vicwahbyphotography4866 I am not comparing anything
@rayfordham92303 жыл бұрын
Hello A few years ago I invested quite a large number of good English Pounds in a meter of Atlas Power cable and a 6 way adapter (after a trial period). I tried it on my Naim CDX, sound was a bit crisper but not worth the money. Then I tried it on my 200 series Naim pre+power amp, now that really did make a difference, crisper better defined top end middle seemed to have more space and the bass was better defined and more confident so it has stayed there to this day. It wasn't till I changed back ( just to check it wasn't my imagination ) that I realised what a difference it was making, with the stock cable it lost it's power, sounded compressed sound stage was narrower it really sounded like it was having a problem so back it went. Tried it on a friends integrated, not much difference he said it seemed louder for a given setting and a bit more slam. Then tried it on my Sub woofer, there was more of everything had to put it further out into the room and re-calibrate everything, in a good way. Think I made the right choice there, cause I had tried an even dearer one and it sounded harsh to say the least probably needed a lot better amp than mine to reap the benefits of that one. Have a home demonstration, choose carefully, the dearest is not always the best. ..
@tpcjames1113 жыл бұрын
Should I upgrade the power cable in my wall as well?
@hypersphereengineering60153 жыл бұрын
Absolutely and all the way back to the power station too
@tpcjames1113 жыл бұрын
@@hypersphereengineering6015 I will let them know to upgrade their power lines with solid silver conductor.
@hypersphereengineering60153 жыл бұрын
@@tpcjames111 only silver? wouldn't gold be better? 24 carat . Not that cheap 18 carat shit
@rego25513 жыл бұрын
Aurora 7, EGM or Isotec. Which would you buy for same money?
@alexYT87462 Жыл бұрын
I have learnt to avoid A/B testing (esp. rapidly) cables, or indeed components. I put something new into the system, leave it in for a week, then remove it to determine whether I notice a meaningful difference when it’s gone. What I can say from experience is that the better my system has become over the years through various component upgrades, the more noticeable cable changes have become. I have found that prioritising my amp and power conditioner when it comes to power cable upgrades has yielded the best results. I think it has also helped that over the years my ears have become better trained and that I am now clearer about my listening preferences / what sound qualities I value above all else…eg tonal balance, timbral accuracy, transient dynamics, timing…etc. before I understand what these were/was clear about what I valued…I had absolutely no clue about the impact of changes I made to my system….it was a bit like stumbling around in a dark room….and I consequently wasted a great deal of money in the process. What I’ve heard with power cable changes defies all logic and I’m not even an electrical engineer. They do however say that the mind (and I guess by extension the ears) are like a parachute….they only work when they are open😊
@nazar5489 Жыл бұрын
"I put something new into the system, leave it in for a week, then remove it to determine whether I notice a meaningful difference when it’s gone." You mean like a CD?
@darkoprister10102 жыл бұрын
Hi, Auroras are really worth of listening. Mate, well done!
@bobk38403 жыл бұрын
So these cables magically clean the power coming into the building, through the circuit breaker, through the house/condo/apartment wiring, through the outlet, into the magic cable and...IMPROVE MY SOUND? Being a degree engineer with some common sense, I have better things to spend money on. One thing I’ll give them credit for: they work real hard at marketing this stuff....
@iand85483 жыл бұрын
Hi Bob, I think of the circuit in reverse, the "last meter" that delivers power to the amplifier - the power cable. Then whatever passes through it is affected by this cable. I've verified EMI/noise is reduced through some power conditioners. My power cables are plugged into a Furman Reference 15i conditioner which does reduce EMI/noise significantly - verified by an EMI meter. This to me is a good investment versus only cables to improve sound quality - reduce noise floor, allowing more detail to come through, harshness reduced, etc.
@jebrehbaker86133 жыл бұрын
@@iand8548 in an audible spectrum?
@bencausey3 жыл бұрын
“Steve is a liar.” - Bob
@mrjm67523 жыл бұрын
These cable maker are actual genius. Snake oil in 2021 is hard to make. Their fanbase is also dead blind sometimes I fell like I'm the stupid one for not actually starting to sell cable at 3000% mark up.
@kurtwolter39843 жыл бұрын
@@iand8548 My take on this on the cables part is that maybe it’s just a simple case of electromagnetic fields disturbing components (especially from the amplifier(s)) and/or insufficiently shielded interconnects. If this is the case, couldn’t this be remedied by lower cost solutions?
@johnbartel52293 жыл бұрын
Since I have an older McIntosh 754 amp, would same results hold true to replace the power cable on my Primaluna Dialogue Premium preamp? I'm open minded and curious. Great review Steve.
@matzeflamingos3 жыл бұрын
The topic of cables probably heats people interested in hi-fi like no other area - in Europe as well as Asia and America. I have - I would say - a high-end entry level system. I put 10% of the value of my system into the cabling and I haven't regretted it for a second. In Germany almost all dealers and manufacturers offer the possibility to test the cables for 2 or 3 weeks. The way back to compare the cheap included cables, on the other hand, was always a failure. none of the supplied cables could come close to the performance of the "expensive" cables. But that doesn't stop with power cables - all cables have been changed. Yes, also usb and ethernet cables. If you don't believe it, you've probably not really listened. I'm not talking about hanging a $ 1000 power cord on a $ 2000 system. There the relation would be missing. But on a budget, I would always calculate 10-20% for better cables.
@oleksiifilippov683 жыл бұрын
Hehe) it just happened that I have exactly 10% of whole system price in cables. And most of them are used and some DIY.
@crazyprayingmantis55963 жыл бұрын
Make a video of you blindfolded and a friend switching cables and you picking the expensive every time
@oleksiifilippov683 жыл бұрын
Be gone 🤣
@dudemastermaster89443 жыл бұрын
@@crazyprayingmantis5596 I’d take that test all day.
@crazyprayingmantis55963 жыл бұрын
@@dudemastermaster8944 Talk is cheap, show it
@ericlofroos24052 жыл бұрын
How important are high end cables, if I buy a AudioQuest Niagara 5000, or 7000 Noise Dissipation System?
@srjack1003 жыл бұрын
I understand the need of quality cables, but the cable from the wall socket to the main fuse board in the house is probably the cheapest mass produced cable you could ever find? Do these expensive power cables actively block any noise etc etc from the cheap cable that feeds the wall socket?
@wolfmanjacksaid2 жыл бұрын
Is it true the extra shielding of power cables can cause it to fail UL fire rating requirements?
@AndrewB232 ай бұрын
No
@wesspangler3 жыл бұрын
5 months ago I added better power cables to my headphone amp and dac, and the sound definitely became deeper and cleaner, while also increasing bass presence and texture, and the highs maintained extension. The overall sound became more organic and I could listen longer and louder with less fatigue. Honestly, the change in sound was about equal to what a good tube roll can do. I am an avid tube roller, by the way. I had my system dialed in for years with the stock power cables, so I knew the sound quite well. The level of engagement went up several levels after the power cable upgrade. I do have some decent gear, so I can hear changes to my system easily. Yes, they make a difference and are highly recommended by me.
@Coneman3 Жыл бұрын
Try vibration damping if you haven’t already.
@martybousum10103 жыл бұрын
Steve, what about those 'beaks' on the Klipsch speakers? Any improvement ?
@andrewhaberecht91403 жыл бұрын
Very well put. I started with just the one Wireworld Aurora and now own 8 with a mix of Aurora and Electra. Only recently and good friend came around and asked if I had added a sub to the system after the upgrade. He could not believe it was the same system. Great investment well worth it.
@cizcalodiablopanzon13 күн бұрын
Of course it makes a difference ...It is just like tap water... We all get it from the street ..and it is coming in the same pipe... But in the las section of my piping going into my house and into my kitchen I add a carbon filter, an ozone purifier and whatnot... Will it improve the water? Maybe... Will it make it better? Probably ...will it taste different? Definitely!! That's the same with cables lol
@shaolin9512 күн бұрын
not a good analogy because power cords do not filter anything! But the power supply is designed to filter so that is your water filter... Is already in your system so no need for"magical" power cords that only improve the seller's back account
@cizcalodiablopanzon9 күн бұрын
@shaolin95 well I invested some dollars on making my own audiophile cables (pure copper thicker gauge and better connectors.... I will find out soon lol
@tjp4443 жыл бұрын
I've experimented with these higher quality cable. I've never heard a difference. Specially with AC power cables. Think about it - the AC power is travelling hundreds of feet in your home/apt through regular romex. You think that putting 5 feet of a magic cable at the end of this is going to make a bit of difference? Really? What is real though is confirmation bias.
@mrpositronia3 жыл бұрын
Confirmation bias that it doesn't work?
@tjp4443 жыл бұрын
@@mrpositronia Wrong. I would love this to actually work. It would be such an easy way to improve the sound. Think about it, just swapping out a cable and bingo. But, reality can be a bitch.
@JohnVander703 жыл бұрын
It’s not the end of the system, it the beginning.
@divertiti3 жыл бұрын
Either you have radio shack level gear under 5k, or your room is terrible, either way at least you tried it. Enjoy the music and don't worry about gear ever again
@tjp4443 жыл бұрын
@@divertiti You're right. Even Steve says that. Either you're a believer in exotic cables or you're not. By the way I have a decent system (Anthem STR Power amp and KEF R7 speakers)
@seethowaikeng78263 жыл бұрын
It's not snake oil folks. I just switched to Linn power cable and Bada Audio power conditioner and the lousy KZbin videos image clarity and colours had marked improvement.
@sandyearllarsen28203 жыл бұрын
It is astonishing that you pay $16 K plus for a Pass Labs amp and you are fitting $240 power cable and it sounds better. Surely if pass labs are ripping you to that sort of money he must of designed a top notch power cable to make his amp sound the best? Sorry doesn’t make sense to me.
@nrafaco3 жыл бұрын
Since the cost more the longer they are I wonder if I get an electrician to put a socket a couple of inches from the device and use a superior cable a couple of inches long, would this work the same ? Or how long should it be to make a difference ? Or if I make it longer will that improve the sound more ?
@stuartgreenaway89993 жыл бұрын
The most helpful mains alteration I heard in cable change was from the addition of mains filtration not the cable. Every DIY audiophile mains cable brings its own colour and there is no way I am spending hundreds on wire as a result of what I have heard so far. I'm sure you would have more respect if you took some audio hardware and blind tested, as in blind folded tested with an assistant doing all the changes. Film it and record the audio. That should save us all a few thousand.
@crazyprayingmantis55963 жыл бұрын
Not one person has done this yet after years of people asking them to. That tells me everything about their cable claims, if they were confident they could hear a difference it shouldn't be hard to SHOW that they can, but all they do is talk. If you can't SHOW it, you don't KNOW it
@lannylippold14613 жыл бұрын
@@crazyprayingmantis5596 actually, Michael Fremer has done blind a/b testing on cables. And he got everything correct....Sorry
@econautx3 жыл бұрын
@@lannylippold1461 Link?
@crazyprayingmantis55963 жыл бұрын
@@lannylippold1461 Link
@crazyprayingmantis55963 жыл бұрын
@Douglas Blake I got it from the great Aron ra
@zackw49413 жыл бұрын
Good morning Steve. Never tried power cables. Have noticed small differences with interconnects and headphone cables. I re-terminated the stock cable for my LCD-4 because it sounded *very slightly* better than my Periapt cable. Other than that though, in my own limited experience, I have mostly found that a cable is either good enough or it isn't. Going from a poor cable to a decent one can make a noticeable, even sometimes very large difference. Beyond that point, I'm not a big believer.
@dertechniker88673 жыл бұрын
The biggest enemy of audiophiliacs is the psychoacoustic - but they are thinking it's their friend.
@peekaboo43903 жыл бұрын
Exactly.
@paulb.32273 жыл бұрын
Being an audiophile is all about HEARING music. I think it's very sad if you need blind tests and measurements because you don't trust your ears to enjoy music.
@peekaboo43903 жыл бұрын
@@paulb.3227 lol.
@tim_bbq10083 жыл бұрын
Are there stand alone devices that filter the incoming AC power that you can then plug the equipment into? Have you reviewed anything like that?
@CaptainCrunch8233 жыл бұрын
Thanks for being brave posting this video Steve! 😊 Cables, regenerators and conditioners make a difference from my experience. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. I will only purchase from sellers that allow for returns if I don’t like the effect that the fancy gadget makes in my various HiFi rigs.
@andreabeltrame693 жыл бұрын
Thank you for your video and Wireworld cable review. My experience is that they influence for sure the musical message on amps and other electronics as well. But do you think they can improve the sound on turntable also? Never tried that so far and a little sceptic, because in the end it is just giving power to a motor.