Power cable confusion

[gpkoo]

Hi all,

I've been lurking here for a while but something unexpected happened the other day and I'd like some advice.

I have an Almarro A318B amplifier, Reference 3a de capo i speakers and an Allen Wright modified Sony SACD player. I have also been using a PSC audio power cable.

After reading something on the Sonicflare site, I decided to swap out my power cable and put a stock power cable in its place. And wouldn't you know it, I think it sounds better! :confused:

It's not better in terms of noise floor, it's still a bit looser when it comes to imaging, but it just seems more natural, especially vocals.

I can't explain it as in the past with my Almarro A318A and Sonic Frontiers SFC-1 the power cord made a much more significant difference.

What have your experiences been?

Anybody found a good power cord that they like with their Almarro?

Cheers

Gary

[RichPA]

Hi, Gary, welcome to AK!

Here's my theory on this - power cables have their effect by filtering out high-frequency garbage riding on the power line, and the nature of this filter varies with power cable construction/geometry. And this will interact with the filtering built into your component's power supply. So, different cables, different gear, different results. In an ideal world, components would have power supplies good enough that power cables would have no effect.

Don't have an Almarro, so I can't really answer your last question. Maybe someone else with chime in with their experience or to shoot holes in my theory :)

Rich

[wingzz]

would a power conditioner take care of the issue of noise induced by the power cable??

I just bought a PANAMAX M5410 Pro Series to try and prevent the same type of thing and am wondering if it is a good purchase or not.
I picked it up second hand for $200.

[GaryP]

would a power conditioner take care of the issue of noise induced by the power cable??

I don't think so.... but I don't know for sure. The power conditioner will filter out junk before it gets to your gear. So if the "questionable" power cable is between the power conditioner and the gear than the answer has to be "no".

Did I say that right?

Gary (always nice to see another "Gary" around here! :D ) I've had the same experience. I tried the Cardas "Twin Link" (IIRC) power cable on my Sony XA777ES player and it intoduced some harshness into the music. The stock power cable did not have this harshness!

Yet I know some "audiophile" types with some very nice gear that love these power cables. So perhaps the answer you are looking for is "system matching". The power cord you were using is not a good match for your system.

Now I am using a different power cord.... it's much better than the stock power cord!

[gpkoo]

Hi Gary, it is always good to see another Gary around.

Here in Australia the name has almost disappeared. There's almost no-one under the age of 30 called Gary.

The name only appears on anti-smoking ads and as a brand of flavoured milk!

Cheers

Gary

[GaryP]

Flavoured milk?!? Weird....

I think there are about three Gary's on this board - maybe we should ask for a "Gary" forum! ;)

Let us know how your power cord adventures shake out! :)