[wdlvwdlv]

Hello All,

I've decided to do a couple of small tweaks to my system and one of the items I am considering is upgrading the power cords. Now, I saw several YouTube videos that spurred me to go the DIY route but once I started putting the pieces together it was coming out more expensive than pre-made eBay HiFi power cords from China/Taiwan/Hong Kong. Adding in also the time to produce this, it seems like a no brainer. Mind you, I think you can really dictate what is happening with the cord in the DIY route but from a time and money perspective the eBay cords make sense.

Look, I know this may be like speaking heresy on this forum but how good are these cables? I sure as heck know they will be better than stock, although I've heard a lot of people poo poo on audiophile power cables as they are not UL or ULC certified (not sure which). Right now I am looking at OFC cables and not Silver plus I have no intention of laying down 3 figures $$$ for one power cord when I will need several.

Looking forward to your responses.
Walt

P.S. Here is an example of some of the listings

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=hifi+power+cable&_sacat=0

[Jon L]

I have a few Chi-Fi power cords sitting around that looked impressive on specs and appearance but don't really sound all that great.  Then again, I have a couple of other Chi-Fi interconnects that sound WAY better than I expected based on price. 
This stuff is all try-and-see gamble.  Before buying, try to find some decently reliable buyer reviews and think of the price as bets at a Poker table, avoiding amounts you can't afford to lose. 

[wdlvwdlv]

I have a few Chi-Fi power cords sitting around that looked impressive on specs and appearance but don't really sound all that great.  Then again, I have a couple of other Chi-Fi interconnects that sound WAY better than I expected based on price. 

Thanks, I figured as much. The price that the cables are going for make it a toss up. I was simply going to get better cables from Monoprice power cords spec'd to 14AWG 15A at a super low price. I then thought I could do better and saw some DIY videos that were super easy.

I think I'm ok with taking the plunge, sometimes you just have to go ahead and try it. I'd love to hear more feedback, though.

P.S. I loved the "Chi-Fi" reference, I never heard that one 

[JakeJ]

Hi Walt,

Check out the Pangea AC14 and AC9 SE Signature power cords available at Audio Advisor.  They are IMHO the bang for your buck.  And you can find them for a few bucks less if you shop the used market.  Triple shielded and SQ in the neighborhood of some of my megabuck power cords (admittedly the differences are subtle).

Best regards,
Jake

[krustykat]

If you decide to go the DIY route, you can get very excellent results.  I've been selectively replacing cables from my TWL Loom based upon the tuning you are able to do by mixing and matching various connectors and power cords.  I've been experimenting with the Viborg line of connectors on Oyiade, furutech and Viborg ac cables.  I found that the Viborg Copper Rhodium coated (VM512R/VF512R)is a very dynamic connector with great bass, but it has a bit of a glassy upper midrange. It works well as an input to a power conditioner.  The Viborg Copper Gold (VM512G/VF512G)plated is a lot smoother, less dynamic and a bit flabby in the bass. My favorite and a lot less expensive is the Viborg pure copper (no plating) VM503/VF503.  You get a lot more definition with the pure copper, it seems like the music has a texture vs the glossyness of the Rhodium and Gold connectors.  For cables I've experimented with the Furutech DPS4.1, Oyiade Tsunami, Oyaide Black Mamba, and Viborg 1501.  The Furutech DPS4.1 is the best of the bunch, it has a very balanced and smooth sound but hits the wallet real hard.  The Oyiade Tsunami is a good compromise for an higher power draw component like an amplifier and the Black Mamba is works well with DACS, CDs, etc. the Viborg 1501 cable is quite good for the price  - you can buy 5 meters of cable for the price of 1 meter of the Furutech DPS4.1.  It seems a tad bit darker than the other cables, but still very acceptable.   Both of the Oyiade cables are very unflexable and can be hard to work with behind your stereo. The Furutech DPS4.1 is a bit more flexible, but still can be hard to position.  The Viborg 1501 cable  is relatively flexible and easy to work with.   If you are looking for end game cables, the Furutech Fi-50 NCF connectors on the DPS4.1 cable are stunning, but the parts will cost you north of $1k for a 1 meter cable.   The Viborg pure copper connectors on the Viborg cable will cost a bit over $100.  EVerything else is in-between. Pick your poison.

[wdlvwdlv]

Hi Walt,

Check out the Pangea AC14 and AC9 SE Signature power cords available at Audio Advisor.  They are IMHO the bang for your buck.  And you can find them for a few bucks less if you shop the used market.  Triple shielded and SQ in the neighborhood of some of my megabuck power cords (admittedly the differences are subtle).

Best regards,
Jake

Thanks, this is why I love the forum. The Pangea power cords seem really good quality and not too much more than the "ChiFi" cables as @Jon L mentioned. I will certainly follow-up on this lead, thank you

[DaveC113]

DON'T!

Some of these cables use lighter gauge wire than required, or very low quality wire with high resistance.

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=165468.0

If you want a high quality cable I'd look into buying some mil-spec wire (12g stranded) from Apex Jr and making a 4-strand braid or star quad or look up various DIY cable "recipes". For plugs Furutech FI-15(Cu) at $33 each are pretty good, if that's too much look into something like an entry level Wattgate. Or go to the hardware store, just avoid nickle plated plugs.

I can get the Furutech plugs for you, Wattgate I'm not sure, maybe Amazon, but be careful of fakes. Or check out Partsconnexion, they often have deals on plugs and complete cables.

Power cables do get pricey for high end! They require a lot of heavy-gauge wire vs something like IC cables and combined with small-scale production quantities it makes for an expensive piece of gear. The Apex Jr mil-spec wire + Furutech FI-15 plugs will get you a very good cable for around $100 though.

Pangea are ok, as are a lot of the Japanese machine made cables, but I think my rec will be better vs all but the highest end of them, and much less $... just requires a little bit of DIY.

[wdlvwdlv]

DON'T!

Some of these cables use lighter gauge wire than required, or very low quality wire with high resistance.

I can get the Furutech plugs for you, Wattgate I'm not sure, maybe Amazon, but be careful of fakes. Or check out Partsconnexion, they often have deals on plugs and complete cables.

Pangea are ok, as are a lot of the Japanese machine made cables, but I think my rec will be better vs all but the highest end of them, and much less $... just requires a little bit of DIY.

I appreciate the response. I've gone ahead and taken the the plunge on some pre-made cables just to see, worst case scenario if they are not as expected perhaps one of my friends or family might want it as a freebie.

I think eventually I will go down the DIY route but not today. I also take heed on the fake parts, I saw a video that actually praised a fake over an original, while it was cheap in one regard it was better than an original in other respects, you just never know. Overall the original was better but the fake was not too shabby.

As long as there is any sort of improvement I'll be happy, that's why we tweak and are constantly upgrading gear, it's part of being in the audiophile community…

[Escott1377]

I am a fan of the Supra LoRad 12 AWG cable on Ebay.  Seller is Zendada.  The construction and design makes for an interesting read.  It’s about $22.00 / meter.

I use these from Amazon:

Viborg Hi-End US AC Power Plug Connector Pure Copper 10A/250V 15A/125V Audio Grade Power Connector

I prefer the copper, but gold or rhodium is available for a small upcharge.

Very easy cable to work with and there in a You Tube tutorial on how to wire.

A 2 meter cable will cost you around $80 and about 20 minutes of your time.

Dress up with Techflex and heat shrink if you would like.

[viggen]

you can try amazon "hifi" powercord.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081YFBRH8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

return it if you don't like it.  i have the above plugged into my dac.

[DaveC113]

I appreciate the response. I've gone ahead and taken the the plunge on some pre-made cables just to see, worst case scenario if they are not as expected perhaps one of my friends or family might want it as a freebie.

I think eventually I will go down the DIY route but not today. I also take heed on the fake parts, I saw a video that actually praised a fake over an original, while it was cheap in one regard it was better than an original in other respects, you just never know. Overall the original was better but the fake was not too shabby.

As long as there is any sort of improvement I'll be happy, that's why we tweak and are constantly upgrading gear, it's part of being in the audiophile community…

I wouldn't try using it on amps... if you do make sure it doesn't get hot. Worst case is it burns your house down and kills everyone in it.

[krustykat]

Question for Dave.  If one was to DIY a power cord for power amplifier and assuming inexpensive, quality connectors, would you recommend using a cable that is shielded and grounded at the male side, or an un-shielded cable with an advanced cable geometry?  Could the un-shielded approach provide better noise rejection? I realize there's 1000 other variables so     I assume there's pros and cons to each approach? 

[DaveC113]

Question for Dave.  If one was to DIY a power cord for power amplifier and assuming inexpensive, quality connectors, would you recommend using a cable that is shielded and grounded at the male side, or an un-shielded cable with an advanced cable geometry?  Could the un-shielded approach provide better noise rejection? I realize there's 1000 other variables so     I assume there's pros and cons to each approach?

For amps, unshielded, just try to keep IC cables a few inches away. 4-strand braids or star quads with ground spiraling around the hot/neutral wires works well.

[sunnydaze]

I am a fan of the Supra LoRad 12 AWG cable on Ebay.  Seller is Zendada.  The construction and design makes for an interesting read.  It’s about $22.00 / meter.

I use these from Amazon:

Viborg Hi-End US AC Power Plug Connector Pure Copper 10A/250V 15A/125V Audio Grade Power Connector

I prefer the copper, but gold or rhodium is available for a small upcharge.

Very easy cable to work with and there in a You Tube tutorial on how to wire.

A 2 meter cable will cost you around $80 and about 20 minutes of your time.

Dress up with Techflex and heat shrink if you would like.

Here it is already made up by the same vendor for only $18 more, shipped to your door:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPRA-LoRad-3x2-5-Power-Cable-2-meter-HI-FI-CHOICE-RECOMMENDED-Made-in-Sweden/154018620855?hash=item23dc39a5b7:g:faEAAMXQTZhR2e2y

[Escott1377]

Actually read poor reviews on the Supra receptacles. 

[sunnydaze]

Actually read poor reviews on the Supra receptacles.

Oooops sorry, my bad.  Didn't consider the different (inferior?) connectors.   

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Check out Cullen Cables-

https://www.cullencable.com/crossover-series/

I own a gold series but the crossover is supposed to be better.  They are well built and reasonably priced.

He can build the cables to thicker gauge if you want.

[SET Man]

Hey!

   Buying cables any type is a crapshoot to me. What sound great in my system can sound horrible in your system. And price tags mean nothing.

    As for power cables I have tried some especially back few years when the local NYC audio group was still active, members would bring some to try in my system. I don't really remember which brands or models but they were around $300-1200 for 2m long. I can hear the change with all of them, some are more than other.

   One cheap cable that I tried is the Pangea Audio AC-14. This was the rage back when it first came out. Although the bass sounded fuller but it lack sparkle and made my system sounded dull over all. Luckily it was cheap and now I use it in my TV system.

  At the end, I feel my system sound well balanced at least to me with my old homemade cable made from Carol 12ga 12/3 rubble jacket I got from Home Depot with Leviton Hopital grade plug and bottom of the line Wattgate IEC the other end. So, so I still want to try other power cable? Well, if I had money to burn and time, maybe. But right now once the music start I tend to forget about the system and find myself stare right in the middle between the speaker of where the sound of the singer hanging in the air there.

  If you are trying out power for the first time. I suggest if possible buy from a place where they will take it back or if you know any fellow audiophile in your area maybe you can borrow some to try in your system. Anyway, good luck.

Buddy

 

[Letitroll98]

Do try and remember that this is the Cheap and Cheerful circle.  $100 and over power cords are really digging into that $1,000 system limit.  I'm not going to institute any limits that take away from the fun of the circle, just a reminder to be mindful that Chi-fi $15 cords are a lot closer to C&C than $200 diy cords.  That said I think it's a great topic and I've been wondering about the plethora of chi-fi cables of all types.  Since I have boxes and boxes of excess cables I haven't been moved to buy anything, but I'm interested in member's experience.

[Jon L]

For amps, unshielded, just try to keep IC cables a few inches away. 4-strand braids or star quads with ground spiraling around the hot/neutral wires works well.

IME star quad geometry seems to work especially well for power applications, probably due to the low inductance.
 
Audioquest SLiP DB 14/4 wire is 14 AWG x4 star quad cable meant for in-wall speaker cabling and CL-3 rated.
It works out to be 11 AWG per leg of long grain copper, and an external ground wire can be added.
$14 for 5 foot length, add Viborg "red copper" plugs (about $28 from Amazon), and you got yourself a neutral, smooth, detailed cord with right amount of midrange richness without bloat and great treble and bass extension.  This avoids the often zippy sound of silver-plated copper in teflon and often dull, ponderous sound of heavy AWG finely stranded copper in thick PVC/rubber, in parallel or twisted.     

https://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AQSLIP144