How to Save Money When Buying signal cable vs power cable

I know, I know. Talking about cables is a sure fire way to start a protracted &#; and unruly &#; discussion among audiophiles. The subjectivists write flowery prosaic descriptions while those of use who prefer to trust facts and science report the science and move on. That regular posts about cables continue to appear on various Facebook audiophile group pages shows just how unsettled the topic remains among the uninformed. Yet here I am writing another blog on cables &#; power cables &#; to be exact. Is there really anything left to be said?

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The catalyst in this instance is a recent review I read over at Positive Feedback, a site that features the motto &#;A Creative Forum for the Audio Arts&#; &#; creativity being the key word in that phrase. My reaction to many of the articles/reviews I&#;ve found on this site confirms their tilt towards the creative with a total disregard for the facts. But it was the review of the Cardas Audio Clear Beyond Power XL cable that eclipsed anything I&#;ve read for quiet a while. And guess who authored the review? The same gentleman that booted me from the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society last year because I dared challenge his unwavering support for the myth of power cables with documentary proof during a meeting here in SoCal! Click here if you would like to read that very popular post. More about his ridiculous review in a moment&#;

A few days ago I had to remove my Oppo BDP-203 from the rack and I happened to notice that it had a couple of screws bouncing around inside. As a former electronics technician and builder of more than my share of HeathKit products (receivers, guitar and amplifier, test equipment etc.), I&#;ve always enjoyed peeking inside audio gear. I&#;ve done a few mods on another Oppo player and a power amplifier in the past, so simply removing a few screws would be a piece of cake. However, inspired as I was from reading Bob Levi&#;s effusive prose in the PF review (&#;A liquid elegance and fleshy musical beauty emerged from a previous coolness and thinness.&#;), I decided to take a look &#; and some photographs &#; at the cabling inside the IEC power connector on the rear panel of the Oppo. See below:

I&#;ve been through this exercise before but let me restate the facts once again. The power reaching your duplex outlets comes through your home wiring through 12 or 14 gauge copper Romex wire depending on the amperage required (usually 20 or 15 amps) and costs about $.22 per foot. And inside your equipment is more 12 or 14 gauge stranded wire &#; generic wire that probably costs about the same. Designers of expensive IEC power cords would like you to believe that the 6 foot piece of cable they sell you which may contain &#;hundreds of the purest copper strands, each and every strand is coated with single poly nylon and only touch each other electrically at the final connection point&#; is going to magically transform the analog &#; or digital &#; signals passing between your components. For someone to claim that power cords &#;often make extraordinary differences&#; in the fidelity of your system is like saying that delivering that cord in a velvet bag inside of custom crafted box with dovetail joints has an impact on the sound! It&#;s just crazy! And anyone that would write such a thing and any website that would publish it should have their &#;bona fides&#; revoked. I know I wouldn&#;t trust anyone that would write something so ridiculous &#; and easy to prove incorrect.

That&#;s what I did with a very expensive power cord that a gentleman sent me some years ago. I used the regular IEC power cord recommended by my friends at Benchmark with their DAC 2 HGC and then swapped it out for the $ cord, which did come in a velvet bag inside a wooden box. I captured the analog output when using both cables and did a null comparison. To the utter amazement of the vendor in Atlanta, they both produced exactly the same output. Now some high-end audio manufacturers would have you believe that if two signals are identical that they could produce different sonic signatures &#; but that&#;s also utter nonsense!

I guess if you&#;ve got an extra $ dollars that&#;s burning whole in your pocket then throwing it away on a single 6-foot power cord is up to you. But if improving the fidelity of your system is among your priorities, then save your money and ignore the recommendations of people like Bob H. Levi and websites like Positive Feedback.

Feel free to read the review yourself. Every paragraph contains prime examples of why audiophile &#;experts&#; are not always the best sources of information and why audiophiles as reviewers is also not a good idea. Here&#;s a few gems from the review:

&#;Top-tier power cords are the best way to tweak a state-of-the-art system for maximum realism and definition. After tube rolling, cable selection and matching, suspension tuning, final equipment selections, speaker adjustments, and room acoustics, you may not quite have that timbral naturalness and background blackness that brings the system to life. For that final adjustment, try different power cords to bring out those important nuances&#;.

It&#;s actually hard to read paragraphs like the above without laughing out loud &#; yet many audiophiles accept these fantasies as facts.

&#;The Cardas Audio Clear Beyond Power XL in combination with the V12 Amplifier yielded one of those unforgettable, you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me moments an audiophile never forgets! The XL was easily 25% more detailed, produced a blacker background, was smoother than my already smooth reference, and captured timbral realism beyond my ability to describe in English. Like the fictional Red Violin, maybe George has captured DNA and infused it into this power cord such that it reveals not just a great recording, but a great performance just a few feet in front of you. I had to remind myself, this was just a power cord change, not an additional super widget component. The resulting system improvement in realism and mellifluousness with just one Cardas Audio Clear Beyond Power XL was fantastic and unassailable&#;.

One final anecdote before I post this blog. Before I was kicked out of the LA & OC Audiophile Society (for telling the truth about cables!), I attended one of their regular monthly events. Bob was always very kind to allow me to sell my book (Music and Audio: A User Guide To Better Sound) during meetings. He even gave it a very positive review but I&#;m guessing he didn&#;t read the chapter on cables. Anyway, a local vendor was doing an A|B comparison. He was elevating the hard drive attached to his laptop with an isolation pad ($250) between playing back the same digital music selection. He went back and forth a couple of times to make sure everyone could hear the difference (there was none!). I was sitting close to Bob along one side of the ballroom and heard him announce to a couple other members of the society what a huge improvement he experienced with the isolation pad in place. Only he made that pronouncement when the pad was removed NOT in place &#; he got it exactly reversed.

My father once taught me that integrity is something that is very difficult to establish &#; but very easy to lose. How much integrity is present in audiophile reviews? From my perspective &#; not very much.

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FSW supply professional and honest service.

My younger brother is in need of some help. This isn&#;t the place or platform to relate the details of his current situation but I know some of you might consider making a contribution to the GoFundMe campaign I started for him once you read the narrative I authored. In fact, since I posted this a week ago, many readers have given generously&#;thank you!

I wouldn&#;t make this appeal if I didn&#;t feel his circumstance was compelling and the person worthy. If you want to read more, please click the link below and consider making a contribution.

To thank anyone that makes a donation of $100 or more, I will send a signed copy of my &#;Music and Audio: A User Guide to Better Sound&#; (with Blu-ray Demo disc) AND a FREE copy of the latest AIX Records sampler&#; a $25 value. If you contribute $50 &#; $100, I&#;ll send the eBook, downloadable files, and the AIX sampler. Finally, for a donation of $25 &#; $50, you&#;ll receive the eBook and demo files.

I will cover all shipping expenses for domestic orders. International shipping will be additional.

Click here to be taken to the GoFundMe page.

Please do not share this link. Thanks for your consideration. And thanks to those that have generously contributed to the GoFundMe campaign!

When it comes to buying power cable, many people think that they can just go to any store or supplier and purchase any cable they need, regardless of price. However, this is not always the best idea, especially if you are selecting your cables based on price. In fact, if you want to make sure that you are getting a quality product, you should be buying your cables from a reputable cable supplier. There are many knock-off cables out there, and they can often be very dangerous and end up costing more money in damage control than you'd save going the cheaper route for cables.

A reputable cable supplier, like Eco-lite cable, will have stringent safety measures and requirements in place, ensuring that you are getting a quality product. When it comes to your business or home network, you don't want to take any chances - make sure you are buying your cables from a reputable supplier.

At Volts energy Incorporation, we have strict quality control measures in place, so you can be sure that the cables you receive will meet safety standards as set by the government and other regulating bodies. Our suppliers have certifications to show they adhere to the highest standards, and almost all products we sell are ROHS compliant. A poorly manufactured power cord or data cable can create serious havoc such as overheating, data loss, electrical fires, and reduced uptime because of poor speeds and connection.

Another reason to buy your cables from a reputable power cable supplier is support. Just as not all cables are created equal, not all projects require the same cable either. You will want to make sure that the product you order, especially if it is a custom cable, is exactly what you need for that particular use. Should something not work out or it's not right for your needs, you'll want to trust that the return policy is easy and fair. Only reputable cabling companies like Cables.com stand by their products with fair and easy return policies, as well as support staff available to assist you with your cabling questions.

A very important feature that reputable manufacturers have that discount stores and suppliers don't have is the capability to create specific custom cables. Custom cables at Cables.com can be designed for your specific specs, lengths, and even color. This allows for data and cabling spaces to be organized and free of cable and wire clutter. Custom cables are ideal when creating a clean-up for your cabling space. If you don&#;t see it on our site, contact us and we will make it happen.

Choosing the cheaper option can cost you more in damages and replacements than the money you'd save going the cheap route. However, a quality cable does not always need to be expensive. Reputable cable suppliers like Cables.com offer high-quality cables at an affordable price.

When it comes to your business or home network, don&#;t take any chances - make sure you are buying your cables from a reputable supplier. At Cables.com we have the knowledge to help you with your specific cabling needs, be it technical or customer support, we pride ourselves on offering the most honest prices, and most of all, the largest collection of the highest quality power and data cables available. We have been in business for over 20 years and have extensive knowledge of cable products and safety measures...and that is why our customers keep coming back for all their power cord and data cable needs.

Are you interested in learning more about signal cable vs power cable? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!