[masi61]

I’m thinking of experimenting with upgraded power cords in and out of my Bryston BIT-15. Into the amp outlet I have plugged my Bryston 4Bsst2 amp with the standard power cord.

My system is sounding quite good right now and I noticed it has changed a bit over the last year or so. Depth, power, soundstage size, bass speed/articulation, details revealing themselves compared to my memory of same songs previously, etc...

I don’t really have any electrical engineering knowledge to direct me which power cord upgrade I should start with. I’ve been on the Linn forum @ HifiWigwam a lot lately and immersing myself in the Linn koolaid about upgrading the source at it’s beginning and to work downstream from there. Their new “Carousel” precision turntable bearing has captured my fascination for upgrading Linn Sondek LP12 turntables. It makes sense & worthy of an audition.

So by the above logic - I believe I would like to run a nice, thick copper power cord to the BIT-15 and audition it. I may upgrade my wall outlet at the same time to something audiophile grade. My suspicion is that he sound quality would change quite a bit. It could be worse, it could be better or a combination. When I repacked the power cord on my Sony XA-5400ES CD player with a $75 cottage industry woven 1meter power cord the sound quality was super vivid, dynamic and harsh. But I think it mellowed out as it burned in, now it better I think and not harsh like that anymore unless we’re talking crap, compressed recordings playing back congested and fatiguing.

Or perhaps I should start instead with the beefy copper power cord from the BIT-15 to the 4Bsst2 instead for more dramatic sonic benefits. Feel free to jump in & share your opinion here.

One of the “holy grail” type sonic attributes I’m seeking is that of palpable vocal elocution. My current system has been getting “voiced” by me for a few years with promising improvements. Sadly, when it comes to vocals, there is that last little bit of vocal clarity that is veiled to me. The demo of the current 2.5Bsst2.5 into my system showed me that. My preamp is the BP26/MPS-2 power supply BTW with Thiel CS3.6 speakers. A fun system to critically listen to all kinds of music on. I may end up just financing a new 4Bsst3 and take the upgrade plunge that way.

[masi61]

One more remark about my own shortcoming with letting vocals real meaning reveal itself: I’ve been using the Soundhound app to look up the songs I’m listening to. Many of the songs have the vocals right there to read. Reading the lyrics makes the music appreciation more memorable for me. Sometimes focusing on the music you like, it takes some practice and effort to get a handle on the importance of a piece of music.

[Toolbox149]

Are you still looking for an answer? 
If so, you might try an economical cord to start your test.  I would recommend one of the 10g copper cords from WAudio.  You can find them on eBay. 
It's a good looking, very thick cord with some nice looking gold plated terminations. Depending on the length you need they could cost about $50 - $70, each.  They were a noticable improvement over Pangia cords for me. 
While I have since moved on to higher priced cords from Shunyata, Morrow MAP-4, and lately, Cerious Extreme cords, I still hang on to my WAudio cords as a fall back.  They sound pretty good.  They have the warmth of pure copper without diminishing the details. 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/WAudio-10-AWG-Hi-End-HiFi-Audio-Universal-AC-Power-Cable-Power-Cord-US-Plug/392772247100?hash=item5b730cde3c:g:z8EAAOSwf4len959

[Elizabeth]

Some folks say the upgrade to the power cord from the wall to your conditioner is the most important.
I would not make such a general claim. But would say the power cord from the wall to the conditioner is important. and definitely worth experimenting with.
The experimenting with (to me) is the key point.
The thinking of so and so says X cord is the one. well no.
The right cord is the ONE that sounds better to YOU, not sounds better to Mr Guru in Pawtucket.
Yes that means you actually should get a few different cheap* ones in general and start swapping and LISTENING. *(Audiophile in never really cheap but cheap in perspective)
IF you hear one combo that is an improvement. well good. if not yeah you wasted a boat load of cash better spent getting drunk.
 

[bobf]

I found more clarity with 4B3 plugged directly into the wall rather Bit15. I plugged 17 cubed pre and front end components into the bit.

[Elizabeth]

I have my Bryston 4B-SST² to the wall/ though the wall is a Furutech GTX-D NCF rhodium at the wall, to a 30 ft home made set of Furtech plugs .. wire quad twist 12 g to another Furutech with two PS Audio Noise harvesters. (so the harvesters are in the circuit parallel to the wires.)and the wires continue to the final box with  dual Furutech GTX-D one Gold the other GTX-D NCF Rhodium.

[BCRich1]

Hi,
If you haven’t already done so I would start with running a dedicated line or two to your room if possible and go from there.
Enjoy the music!
Mike

[masi61]

Thanks all for the responses to my thread. There was no response at all for 60 days so I sort of forgot about my original query. I was a little concerned that the risk managers at Bryston exerted a silence command onto the mods of this forum since I was seeking advice on aftermarket power cords, who knows?

Anyway, I would like to upgrade my wall outlet and I would like to purchase a 10 AWG audiophile power cord in a slightly longer length to go from the (wants to be upgraded) wall outlet to my BIT-15.

I purchased a Maze Audio Ref 4 four foot 10 gauge power cord for $200 from eBay in a moment of unfulfilled retail therapy last week. It is not quite long enough to get from the wall to my BIT-15 so instead, I was going to try to swap it in for the stock cord from the BIT-15 to my MPS-2 power supply. I figure it will be an interesting minor tweak that I can busy myself auditioning and evaluating how it changes the sound for better or worse and if it “burns in” over time. My now vintage Thiel CS-3.6 speakers are very revealing of small changes. Unfortunately the last 10% of vocal clarity is a bit veiled at present which is partly why I am auditioning some minor system changes.

I am powering my BP-26 preamp right now with the MPS-2 and now own the BP-2 MM phono preamplifier which is also powered from the MPS-2 via an optional BP-26 umbilical.

I am considering replacing the 2 stock BP-26 umbilicals with the ones from another Canadian company who has been making an upgraded one for several years at what seems to be a decent price. Their’s can be ordered in various lengths. Sorry, I cannot remember the company name right now - but will locate it and post an update. (Found it... the company is “Take Five Audio”. I guess they like Dave Brubeck). https://www.takefiveaudio.com/shopexd.asp

My walls are full plaster with aluminum mesh lath backing it up. To me this makes the prospect of upgrading the outlet circuit to 20 amp or just 15 amp with better wire, a bit daunting.

[gberger]

Must agree with the dedicated line for the amplifier.

Had an electrician install a dedicated line, with a 20 amp circuit breaker in the main power distribution panel.
A 20 amp plug was located near my 4BSST2, now upgraded to a 4Bc.

IMO, it made a clear difference in the sudden transients, where the amplifier has to pull more power from the main distribution system.

[masi61]

Thanks @gberger for the suggestion about upgrading the outlet to 20 amp. I would love to do this and intend to pursue it, it is just a matter of when.

Just an update about swapping in upgraded power cords into my Bryston system: I purchased a 4 foot 10 Awg power cord with some really nice Krell brand IEC and 15 amp male plug. A tight fit compared to the stock cord. It wasn’t long enough to go from the outlet to my BIT-15 so I ran it from the BIT-15 to the MPS-2 power supply. I started auditioning some of my current heavy playlist tracks like Okkervil River “She Would Look for Me” (track #6 on the “Away” CD) and Kate Bush’s “Pi” (track #2 on Aerial, CD#1 “A Sea of Honey”). These 2 examples are fresh in my mind so I believe I am able to hear into the song enough to draw a few meaningful conclusions.

This is only day 2 of auditioning the new power cord and comparing it to stock but I will say that I did hear significant changes. The new one is BRIGHT! usually this is not a problem since I can turn the volume down or skip an occasional song that suddenly becomes TOO forward. Anyway, today is day 2 and I’m listening to my tracks like a madman, haha! Today’s sound has already smoothed out slightly compared to yesterday. I’m already reviewing my finances with objective of getting at least 2 more of the same power cord - one from the outlet to the BIT-15 & one from the wall or the BIT-15 (will have audition some more to see which one is more detailed/transparent/powerful,etc...) to my 4Bsst2 amp. I suspect with more hours of listening, these power cords will improve more. I can already get the vibe from background vocalists or counter-melodies in a song a bit better than before.

With all this said, I suspect that if I trade in the 4Bsst-2 to the cubed, then much of the detail retrieval and musical drive that I am seeking - will get a HUGE update for the better.

Thanks for reading this and I’m curious if my experiences with “voicing” my system are relatable to others here.


 

[EvanMcC]

Hello,

I have a BIT15 equivalent - the Torus RM15+ (these Torus and Bryston products are 99% identical - just dressed differently).

I agree 100% with the suggestion to put a dedicated, home-run electrical circuit (or 3!) in for your hifi system. You will not regret that, even if it's a bit of work. Make sure you use 10awg *stranded* copper (as per Torus recommendation), with a 10awg stranded home-run ground as well.

Then I have found success with SignalCable's Magic Power Cord - also 10awg, starting at $59 I think.

I have one of those running into my Torus, and more of these cables out from the Torus to all my Bryston gear (3B SST2, BP25, BDA/BDP1).

Good luck,

Evan

[James Tanner]

Looks great !

What are the speakers?

james

[EvanMcC]

Thanks James!

Speakers are Dynaudio Contour S5.4 - do I recall that Bryston periodically used Dynaudio speakers in its show demos? Or maybe it was Dynaudio using Bryston gear...

PS - had a memorable demo at the last Montreal show from you & the Bryston team.

Customer for life - keep up the great work!

Evan
Ottawa