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Overwhelmed and under experienced...

This post is in regards to power cables. Hoping for a bit of insight.
I’m relatively new to "better" audio. 18 to 24 months at best.
My system consist of Oppo 203. A Marantz 7012 with Voodoo Vision Digital. A Monolith 5X200 RMS amplifier (unit power cable is in question for) with factory cable. Tekton Design Impact towers for front channels and PSB towers for rear channels. SVS subwoofer with a Voodoo Powerwave power cable.
I run Morrow Audio MA2 interconnects and SP6 speaker cables.
With the exception of the Monolith being plugged straight in to a Cruzefirst receptacle in the wall everything else is run thru a Shunyata PS8 connected to the wall using a Shunyata Venom HC power cable.
My system is used roughly 50/50 for music and home theatre. Music is 95% steamed from Tidal using a Supra Cat8 ethernet from router to the Marantz.
I am currently looking to replace the Shunyata Venom HC I had been using for the Monolith amplifier that was moved to the Shunyata PS8.
Lately I have come across an overwhelming amount of interesting options. Everything from an individual named Marcus Tunis on US Audiomart selling Black Shadow cables (4 runs of mil-spec silver over copper with Acrolink poly rhodium plated terminations) at $300 for 3 ft. to a Lessloss DFPC original at $275 directly from Lessloss. A customer return he stated. Also on the short list is a Shunyata Delta NR at $625 new from Thecableco (my customer discount price).
There have been many others that I have read about. To many to mention.
Question is, how does one choose? I know AWG size isn’t everything. Geometry matters as well. Would I really notice that much of a benefit from the extra money spent for the Shunyata Delta NRs noise reduction? 
I’m overwhelmed!



bgpoppab
doitwithlife's avatar
doitwithlife
51 posts
 
"If I were king" is how I'm approaching some of these issues.

We're all chasing something we want to hear out of our systems. Your frustration is pretty easy to understand. For every idea or opinion you come across you can always find a contrary view. Then finally it comes done to certainty yet it all depends on taste, room, equipment etc

I'm not in hurry and sort of cheap. Doing lots of reading of threads, articles, etc. Starting to find a few people that seem to have similar gear and tastes. Found someone that likes a cable I do for the same reason,  but they upgraded to something they liked more. I want to know more about all the other peices as i expect it might be a good fit for me.

So if I were king, there would be lots of pretty inpessive upgrades coming,  but alas I have more wants than means. 

I've narrowed down about 3 options for each upgrade and I watch for them. I'd love to get rid of my factory mono block power cords but this Saturday a stellar deal appeared on a Graphene PC that I could never afford. It arrives tomorrow and will go to the regenerator and that cord goes to the Dac. 

Have fun and take your time figuring out what is really gonna make a change in your gear. I want all my upgrades to be monumental not just incremental 
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david_ten
2,509 posts
 
@bgpoppab  I have the Shunyata PS8 and Venom combo and it does give you an uptick in performance.

1. Sideline it (use it somewhere else or sell it). 

2. Replace your stock outlets with Synergistic Research Blue outlets (or Blacks if you can get them at a discount).

3. Use either the Triode Wire Labs Digital -American or Seven Plus - American power cable.

Start with a single Blue Outlet and a single Triode Wire Labs power cord to keep you within your budget.

Option 2 and Option 3 are both Returnable, should you not be impressed with the results.

Evaluate and proceed accordingly. All the best.
itsjustme
91 posts
 
While I will allow that some people hear differences among power cables, I very strongly believe that the cost of high-end cables can always be better spent elsewhere. For example: better speakers, jitter reduction, an improved linear power supply for almost anything, etc.  The downside is that a few of these are as simple a modular change, as is a power cord. But the easy road is not always the best road.
In the realm of power I strongly believe in two things:  1) cleaning up power noise (vagarious options my fav being a great isolation transformer), and 2) ground which begins by digging a deep hole.  Unfortunately both of those suffer from the same problem they require real engineering and real effort.  But they also produce real results.
When most audiophiles hear my system and later realize there is 14 gauge lamp cord and fuses in it, they are shocked. I don;t endorsed that, but when (like me) you design and *by definition* have stuff that might blow up in and out daily, it's a wise choice, and it doesn't seem to keep me from generating some shockingly good sound.

G
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itsjustme
91 posts
 
Missingtime makes another good suggestion. Get a dedicated 20A circuit, and put in at least upgraded outlets, if not "hospital grade" - available at the home despot. Then get a GOOD outlet strip and run everything to that one point, eliminating ground loops.
G
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