Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems power cord - changed from cynic to beleiver

I used to think that expensive power cords are a waste of money because all you need from them is to not limit current and to filter noise.

After listening to Shunyata Pythons, I am now a beleiver that power cords can make a big difference in sound. The most noticeable improvement was to the G68 (preamp), then the G55 (5-channel amp), then the the G57 (stereo amp). The bass is deeper and better defined (less boomy), mids are fuller bodied, highs are smoother, sound stage is larger, imaging is more precise, DSPs sound more musical, and overall the system is much more listenable (less fatiguing). Wow!

Axle,

i dit have exactly the same experiences.Until 2 months iam allways against the voodoo of power cables.
As iam an electronic engineer, only few arguments could scrape my "bad" thinking about that.
A friens of mine, allways pushing me to try some cables, makes finally a bet for some bottle of wine to hear a difference.
Finally after MONTHS we make the experiment.
AND i was shocked what i have missed. And i was shocked because there is no real explaination(for me), only some arguments for the "technic".
Most of the explaination from the "manucturer" are bullsh..
But after severall trying forth and back and changing many cables and distribution blocks iam completly for this better power staff.
Still my brain is against it, but my ears are love it.
And we do makes some blind tests, so its not auto suggestions or what else...

Still confused

Robert

Axle, I see you have an Analog system. I wonder if it would help in a DSP system?
Cheers, Chris

I hate to admit it but I too find improved front-end investment to be significantly more hearable than say loony-tunes interconnects. My Russ Andrews blocks just seem to make it sound relaxed.

Chris,
i have a full digital chain-800/861/5x8k.
The difference is not subtil, its clear to hear-more dynamics,more detail,better "room", better control of the bass,more expressed voices and finally more swing or foot taping factor.
But you have do to alot of comparising of the the different cable and distribution blocks.
And unfortunately the better cable are the more expensive-but not all.
I dit have luck as my friends and the dealer have a lot cable do try for weeks.
But this testing was a lot of work,now i know what i want and what sonic footprint cable makes the cable in my chain.
I kmnow all that sound unbelievable,because i only changed power cables nothing else,
but these are my experiences.

Robert I Bow to your knowledge, and you experimentation may save many of us alot of time auditioning. Chris

Chris,sorry about my english-is that serious or cynic ? ?

I have found that power cords from Missing Link and Nordost have brought improvements in picture quality as well as sound to that extent that I had to re-calibrate contrast, brightness and saturation.

You are not alone...

https://www.meridianunplugged.com/u...pl&topic=0&Search=true#Post37370

Have a look at this thread from a few years ago....is quite a good read.

I am not being Cynical Robert. I am happy to listen to the thoughts of a man with your kind of system.
I can only dream of such things right now.

Jealous, Chris

Still my brain is against it, but my ears are love it.
And we do makes some blind tests, so its not auto suggestions or what else...

Still confused

Robert
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Robert,

I am the same way when it comes to understanding my investment. An EE requires a sound explanation beyond "it sounds good", even though that is always the ultimate test.

AC noise will make a system sound harsh. Low power factor will make a system sound weak. A good power cable can helps with both noise and power factor.

The obvious question is how can AC noise matter if there is a transformer and then a regulation circuit? Some small amount of noise always gets through. The level may be so small that you can't hear it. But after it`s amplified, you can hear it. That's why it`s important to filter the noise as far upstream as possible.

You want low resistance for current and low reactance for noise. Ideally the cable would be zero impedance for these two reasons. But at the same time you want some impedance for power factor. The cable should provide reactance equal and opposite of the input transformer's primary reactance in order to cancel each other and provide unity power factor. Therefore, there is no perfect power cable impedance but rather some optimal impedance that provides the best compromise between noise and power factor.

The cable's impedance (performance) must remain stable over voltage, temperature, manufacturing variations, and age. Considering all these requirements, it is experience, knowledge, and sound engineering that makes a good power cable. There is no black magic. Everything can be explained. It`s just a matter of who you talk to as to whether you get a sound engineering explanation or some nonsense feel-good explanation.

This is not complicated in theory. But until recently, I just had no idea how much it mattered in reality! The most important power cable is for your source. Unfortunately, many sources have power cables that are hardwired. Perhaps a power conditioner is appropriate.

The next question: If you have a good power conditioner, how much does the power cable matter then?

I suspects its much to do with the quality of the supply from the road and the condition of the wiring in the house as to what improvements would be made.

I have two specialist power cables and in my old house I could never hear or see any difference so never bothered with them - shey were so short they were next to useless anyhow. When I was selling my house, I had an electrical test done and the results were that my earth was the best type of design and that there was no measurable interference coming in from the street. My wiring to the socket that my AV kit was plugged into was within a few M of the consumer unit so that measured pretty high on the quality stakes too. So I guess I didn't have much that needed sorting anyway.

Having moved to my new house, if I commissioned another test, I would not expect the results to be anywhere near as good, although spurring the cooker off the meter unit with a dedicated consumer unit/rcd probably had a positive effect by removing one source of internal interference from the standard consumer unit/main ring. If the AV leads were not so short, I may have given them another try.

But having the cooker on its own circuit certainly made for a tastier xmas turkey