eBay

Cables Matter

October 30, 2018

by Paul McGowan

Oh boy. I saved this and the next Fact or Fiction for last. This is a real viper pit of a question and those loyal readers of this blog know my answer before I even write it. Of course they matter, but only if we’re a bit open to proving that to ourselves.

I suppose we’ll begin with the most reviled of them all, power cables. Tomorrow we’ll tackle signal cables.

I am told our company loses credibility amongst the professional engineering crowd whenever we suggest power cables matter to sound quality. And, here’s my answer to that. I am sorry, but that doesn’t change the facts—nor am I incentivized to soften my stance. That the idea power cables matter makes little sense to someone who believes they have the electrical world figured out is something I won’t waste anyone’s time defending. If you firmly believe this to be true—that with your wisdom and knowledge you’re convinced it cannot be true—you should skip today’s post because you’ll be simply wasting your time.

The biggest head scratcher for people is this: if there’s several hundred feet of copper wire between the power pole and your equipment, what’s another 6 feet of expensive wire going to matter? As we’ve seen so many times throughout this Fact or Fiction mini-series, how you phrase the question makes all the difference in the world. Posed in the standard way I just described it makes no sense whatsoever. How could it? Let’s try asking it another way. In an AC circuit is the interface between the middle noisy load important? Now, our answer might look a bit different.

The notion in most people’s heads is that the powered equipment is at the end of the long copper power chain. This is actually wrong because it’s in the middle of the AC circuit (think of an AC circuit like a loop where the equipment is in the middle, the AC source at the opposite end). Furthermore, our equipment is both inductive and noisy. In fact, chances are good the point where the AC comes out of your home’s wall is the noisiest environment in your home—an environment hostile to good sound. This is why shielding your power cables is so important.

Here is what "Nordost" say:

The most important cable in your sound system is the power cord. At the risk of stripping away any magic from your tunes, the music enjoyed from your hi-fi system is little more than AC power, transformed by components to reproduce a melody. The quality of this reproduction is directly determined by the caliber of power cord which is facilitating this transfer of raw electricity to the equipment. By simply upgrading the AC cable in your set up, the audible difference is remarkable. Unlike other cables, a power cord does not transmit a signal: It conducts AC power. The success of this cable is gauged by its capacity to deliver a sturdy, instantaneous current as well as its ability to reduce the effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequencies (RF) coming from outside sources. A poorly constructed AC cord will actually attract EMI and RF, or noise, to your current, affectively polluting the raw material feeding your system and raising the source impedance of the AC supply. An optimally built power cord, on the other hand, is designed to be less prone to, and reduce, any EMI and RF influences resulting in a faster rise time in the 50/60 Hz cycle.

Rating

- 15A 125V / 10A 250V

- < PS >E JET:15PJET086

- USL /CNL Listed:04CA26110

Features

- Unplated Phosphor bronze α (Alpha) Conductor

- Earth (Ground) Jumper System

- Nylon/fiberglass front body, polycarbonate shell

Specifications

- Specified for cable diameters of 6.6mm to 16mm (With a longer screw up to 20mm)

- Dimensions: Body length 48.2mm x 38mm diameter x 74mm overall length

- Rated: 15A/125V 10A/250V

Cables Matter

What is the most important cable in your set up?