Power Cord Part Sourcing and Building Techniques

4-2-7

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I have been wanting to change a lot of my power cords for a while now as I have had issues with cheap and miss match ones.

Between all the power amps in my system, my Martin Logans and sources I need a lot of them. I'm always hesitant in buying ones that I want to afford because I don't know the quality of the wire and shielding.


Needs
Very good looks
Superior Shielding and isolation
I guess they all need to handle 15 amps or more?
I would like them to feel good and be able to flex and lay flat.

As far as what I think looks good is black and or dark color. The end result would be elegant and not flashy hot rod tacky colors.

s-l1600.jpg

And with this one you can see a added wire coiled around the cable for added shielding.

s-l1600-1.jpg

I would need good quality and looking plugs.

I will need cable and it doesn't matter what that looks like as it will get covered. But want quality and very good flexibility, but not springy and will lay flat.

I will need the net type covering, again not to plasticy more like ballistic material that flexes nice.

I have a store with and heat shrink I need
 
BTW
I would like to stay under $125 a cord.
I need about 6 of them to start with at 6 foot long.

Because I don't like spending my time with more work. Other than not knowing what the wire and shielding is in a lot of pre-made cords, there is lots of them under this cost.
 
I've made several cords using this recipe that would fit the budget. It uses Belden double shielded 12 gauge 83803 and Marinco connectors available from Parts Express. They also sell TechFlex.

The wire, however, is pretty stiff. While not quite like the Harmonic Tech cables I use with the VTL amps that hold a shape, they have a bit of memory as well.

I use mine with an Emotiva XPA-5 amp, Hypex NC502 amp and an Audio Research SP20 preamp.
 
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BTW I do have this extra speaker cables maybe I can use?

The one single Kimber Kables speaker wire that'a around 12'

Tara Labs Time and Space Quantum is a set but they are 24 feet each. These look like 12 gauge extension cords.

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I made 2 of these
2015_08_03_14_57_27_OneShot.jpg
Using this
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Aucharm-top-four-square-HIFI-fever-power-audio-cable-4N-oxygen-free-copper-copper-3-x4.jpg
But i know russ andrews makes his power cords from kimber speaker cable so i see no reason not to use your kimber cable.
 
BTW I do have this extra speaker cables maybe I can use?

The one single Kimber Kables speaker wire that'a around 12'

Tara Labs Time and Space Quantum is a set but they are 24 feet each. These look like 12 gauge extension cords.

View attachment 1238147 View attachment 1238148 View attachment 1238149 View attachment 1238150 View attachment 1238151

I have a couple of power cables that originally sold for $100 or so, so it's not that I don't believe that power cables can make a difference, but I personally feel they would make less of a difference than speaker cables. So using expensive speaker cables as power cords seems like kind of a waste to me.

My hesitation with using any nice speaker cables (Kimbers or the Tara Labs Space and Time) as power cables is that they go for a fair amount as is as speaker cables. If not to you because you have something better, then they likely have value to some other audio guy who wants to upgrade from more modest cables.

So my feeling is, if you're not using them, you're better of selling them as is and getting the $. Then apply those $ as desired on power cables - whether you get the raw materials and DIY or buy something already made.
 
I have been wanting to change a lot of my power cords for a while now as I have had issues with cheap and miss match ones.

Between all the power amps in my system, my Martin Logans and sources I need a lot of them. I'm always hesitant in buying ones that I want to afford because I don't know the quality of the wire and shielding.


Needs
Very good looks
Superior Shielding and isolation
I guess they all need to handle 15 amps or more?
I would like them to feel good and be able to flex and lay flat.

As far as what I think looks good is black and or dark color. The end result would be elegant and not flashy hot rod tacky colors.

View attachment 1237512

And with this one you can see a added wire coiled around the cable for added shielding.

View attachment 1237513

I would need good quality and looking plugs.

I will need cable and it doesn't matter what that looks like as it will get covered. But want quality and very good flexibility, but not springy and will lay flat.

I will need the net type covering, again not to plasticy more like ballistic material that flexes nice.

I have a store with and heat shrink I need
For your consideration http://www.iceageaudio.com/audiophile-power-cords.html .
 
My hesitation with using any nice speaker cables (Kimbers or the Tara Labs Space and Time) as power cables is that they go for a fair amount as is as speaker cables.
Hi Eric thanks for your post.
Quiet a while back I got a bunch of kimber kables, speaker and RCA at an estate liquidation. The guy was a big audiophile so I bought a bunch of stuff like my martin logan speakers, a ML center channel speaker, the velodyne sub. I asked them if they had IC for a table they where selling, so they brought out a big box of cables. I then filled a small box to buy, but since I was buying a bunch of stuff they only charged me $20 for about $2000 of kimber kables. That kimber speaker cable is a single that matches the bi-wire set I'm using, and the past owner must have used it for the center channel ML. So it's an odd ball as I don't even have the center channel anymore.

The Tara Labs Space and Time are 24 feet long each and I got them free with the VAC mono blocks you like. They are way to long for a normal home or unless you like your speakers 50 feet apart. With cables if you cut and reterminate them they really are not a desired cable to outhers, they now just become wire. Plus the fact these things a so fat that do put strain on binding post, they are like a heavy duty extension cord.

I just thought the might be useful, Tara Labs used the same wire for AC cords.

Maybe I'll just shorten them to ten feet and I can use the pant leg boots and make them look factory. That will also leave me with two 14 foot lengths or a 4 foot and 24 foot.
 
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Hi Eric thanks for your post.
Quiet a while back I got a bunch of kimber kables, speaker and RCA at an estate liquidation. The guy was a big audiophile so I bought a bunch of stuff like my martin logan speakers, a ML center channel speaker, the velodyne sub. I asked them if they had IC for a table they where selling, so they brought out a big box of cables. I then filled a small box to buy, but since I was buying a bunch of stuff they only charged me $20 for about $2000 of kimber kables. That kimber speaker cable is a single that matches the bi-wire set I'm using, and the past owner must have used it for the center channel ML. So it's an odd ball as I don't even have the center channel anymore.

The Tara Labs Space and Time are 24 feet long each and I got them free with the VAC mono blocks you like. They are way to long for a normal home or unless you like your speakers 50 feet apart. With cables if you cut and reterminate them they really are not a desired cable to outhers, they now just become wire. Plus the fact these things a so fat that do put strain on binding post, they are like a heavy duty extension cord.

I just thought the might be useful, Tara Labs used the same wire for AC cords.

Maybe I'll just shorten them to ten feet and I can use the pant leg boots and make them look factory. That will also leave me with two 14 foot lengths or a 4 foot and 24 foot.

Nice! So you're playing with house money on the cables. :) Will be interested to see what you do and how it sounds. :thumbsup:
 
Nice! So you're playing with house money on the cables. :) Will be interested to see what you do and how it sounds. :thumbsup:
My main goal is reduction of noise with all the wiring I have. While I never get noise and humming in my mac amps using the factory ac cords. The VAC amps seem to be more susceptible to a quality or bad AC cord.

When I first got the VAC mono blocks you can read about a issue I was having here.
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....ower-mk-ii-monophonic-power-amplifier.768672/

The short story is one of the generic AC cords where making one of the amps hum. Leaving the AC cords plugged in and moving the amps, I got the hum in the amp with the same cord. I finally figured it out even with low quality generic cords. I'v also had this issue with cords on my ML speakers. The thing is generic cords that might cost us $13.00 each we don't know what they are made of and how. They can be fine in our system or cause noise, but how many do we need to buy before finding one that's not on the extreme harmful end or we at least don't notice anything. And even if we don't notice anything can it in fact be better with a little more care and quality in the making of a cord.
 
Thinking out loud and to try and figure out what I need to order. It will be nice to have all the same power cords built to the same quality and knowing they are not aluminum wire.
3 turntables 3 AC lines
2 preamps 2 AC Lines, McIntosh C100 & D100
Digital recorder 1 AC line, Maranz PMD580
7 power amps 7 AC lines, McIntosh MC501s & MC275s, VAC Mono Block & VAC Stereo Amp
Martin Logan speakers 2 AC lines, Sequel II

3 LED Lights 3 AC lines
Pump for Air bearing tone arm 1 AC line
Audioengine WiFi receiver 1 AC line


Looking at my gear, the red will be taken care of with LoRad MKII 2.5 Screened Mains Flex Power Cable, Techflex 1/2" Clean Cut Sleeving, Black Heat Shrink.

I would like satin black plug like these that I'm see in pairs of 10 bulk buy, but they have to ship from china.

s-l1600-1.jpg s-l1600.jpg s-l1600-2.jpg

I will swing by a nice electronics parts store this morning, I have to get the heat shrink there and I'll see what they have in some of this stuff.

Will be interested to see what you do and how it sounds.

Eric, I don't know if you know of this store close to my house but it might be helpful to you.
San Mateo Electronics
http://smelectronics.com/
https://www.yelp.com/biz/san-mateo-electronics-inc-san-mateo-2

They have been around my whole life and I remember my Dad taking me there, he would test TV tubes and buy replacements. They still have tubes and the big testing machines. They have caps, diodes, DIY housings what ever one might need in building something.

o-2.jpg o.jpg o-1.jpg

 
2 preamps 2 AC Lines, McIntosh C100 & D100
Digital recorder 1 AC line, Maranz PMD580
7 power amps 7 AC lines, McIntosh MC501s & MC275s, VAC Mono Block & VAC Stereo Amp
Martin Logan speakers 2 AC lines, Sequel II


I'm thinking 5 foot cords for most of these, 4 foot always is kinda short and with bulky wire and connectors it strains the plug insert in the box. Six foot and over is a bit to long.

12x 5 = 120 feet

Actualy 4' will be fine for the MLs, and mono blocks, The center rack and stereo amp will get 5', that puts me at 100 foot.
 
I like sjoow, 10 gauge if you want to be excessive. I think the Southwire stuff is better than the Carol. Put it inside some techflex from eBay for looks.
 
I like sjoow, 10 gauge if you want to be excessive. I think the Southwire stuff is better than the Carol. Put it inside some techflex from eBay for looks.
I'm going to see what I can get locally, even the plug ends.
I want everything to look nice and clean and get cords uniformed. The main goal is to have quality wire and connectors that are practical. In fact I'm starting to think a little less bulky of the female plug end.
 
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