[_scotty_]

I own a ZR1600 and the power cord makes a big difference, however, I make my own from a parts list supplied by Stan Warren from Super Mods. Here it is:

1.  10 AWG Thhn Stranded - Available at Lowes or Home Depot
 
2.  Marinco IEC Connector - Available at Parts Express
 
3. A good hospital grade plug. You can buy these from Parts Express,  however, I often find them on Ebay for a fraction of the cost.  

4. I wrap it with a plastic cable wrap that I get from Radio Shack. Other cable wraps are avail ...

JCC, You might get even better results by using the speaker wire receipe
found here http://www.harmonicdiscord.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8660
for power cords.They should be slightly more dynamic and spacious.They are however a bigger pain to make.

[Agisthos]

some people have found a company that imports what looks to be the same product from china, same hospital grade connectors, same outside design and it cost 2.99 us per cord.

To this date nobody has dared to split open the Absolute and the other cable and compare the gauge/stranding patterns of both.  Why?

My Jena Labs cryo'ed Absolute bested the $650 BMI Shark.  Once you have proper power delivery/noise control you'll find out the expenive power cords are unnecessary.  I strongly suggest having the Absolute properly cryo treated.

Yes you are right nobody had actually split it open and I am always willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

Could you explain to me exactly what cryo treatment is and who does it?

People seem to like those power cords by Venhaus?

[Tonto Yoder]

http://www.jenalabs.com/pages/cryo1.html

[beat]

Scotty wrote:
 Even though the highest field intensity lies between the + and - conductors, there are still field "lines" that extend outside. These fields are affected by high-dielectric-constant materials because these materials tend to store energy from these fields and release it slowly when compared to low-dielectric-constant materials. This can result in a smearing effect (Dielectric absorption)....

 
this has been a good thread, I'm trying to devise my own design here. Scotty, is this to say that braiding would/could cause unwanted capacitance? I just created what I felt may be a winner amp cable as even though it is not burned in yet it sounds wayyyy better than the 12awg belden people also rave over. For reference (if it makes a diff) This has only been tried on my tube amp for not even 24 hours. I cant wait to see what happens after if burns in.
thanks guys

[_scotty_]

this has been a good thread, I'm trying to devise my own design here. Scotty, is this to say that braiding would/could cause unwanted capacitance? I just created what I felt may be a winner amp cable as even though it is not burned in yet it sounds wayyyy better than the 12awg belden people also rave over. For reference (if it makes a diff) This has only been tried on my tube amp for not even 24 hours. I cant wait to see what happens after if burns in.
thanks guys

beat, Buy an inexpensive digital multi-meter at RadioShack or somewhere else that the price is right and be sure it has a capacitance measuring capability.A tight helical twist generally has a higher capacitance per foot
than a braid. The braid has more air between the wires and usually a lower capacitance per foot.In this case capacitance is our friend as it helps balance out the wires' inductance. A balance of these two parameters is what we are looking for. I would build the cable both ways or at least 2 ft.
of each and measure the capacitance and use the design which had the
highest capacitance per foot.    Have fun,Scotty.

[beat]

Thanks Scotty,
I'm giving it a shot using my multimeter..which is actually pretty decent. How come the numbers jump around so much when I'm measuring for capacitance. It jumps from 2 to 18 to 1 to 17 to 5 etc...?? I cant get a steady reading.

[_scotty_]

Thanks Scotty,
I'm giving it a shot using my multimeter..which is actually pretty decent. How come the numbers jump around so much when I'm measuring for capacitance. It jumps from 2 to 18 to 1 to 17 to 5 etc...?? I cant get a steady reading.

Your reading should be in pfd,picofarads.This is a very small unit of capacitance, the leads on your meter can affect the reading if they move relative to one another. Very good meters sometimes have a special set of leads that are stablized and do not affect your readings.Do the best you can.Basically nothing should be allowed to move when you are measuring.
this might help.You could also contact the technical service dept. of the manufacturer of your meter for advice on how to make accurate measurements of capacitance with their meter.

[beat]

Ok, I figured it out. The braided cables I made have next to no capacitance compared to the twisted ones I'm workin'on. The reason they sound better than the stock belden is probably just because they are super fat. I'll try a fat twisted type and compare.