BREAKING NEWS: Shynyata Research discovers... Ohm's Law!

[Steve Eddy]

I'm tellin' ya, some cable manufacturers simply have no shame.

Under banners of "NEW TECHNOLOGY" and "REVOLUTIONARY DTCD ANALYSIS," Shunyata Research presents...

Power Cord Measurements! (http://www.shunyata.com/Content/DTCD.html)

Basically, they claim to have some gizmo that's capable of delivering a current pulse of some 275 amps. They show a graph giving the baseline current of the gizmo along with current plots for both a "standard black cable" and their Venom3 power cord.

The graph shows some 235 amps through their Venom3 cord versus some 135 amps through the "standard black cable."

They go on to say that the "standard black cable" has a voltage drop of a whopping 15 volts compared to the Venom3 with its voltage drop of only 5 volts.

All of this is just a fancy way of stating Ohm's Law for voltage, i.e. E = I x R. We can restate this using Ohm's Law for resistance, i.e. R = E/I and determine the resistance of each cable which will be about 0.111 ohms for the "standard black cable" and 0.021 ohms for the Venom3.

So basically all Shunyata is saying with their "NEW TECHNOLOGY" and "REVOLUTIONARY DTCD ANALYSIS" is they've managed to discover that two power cables have different resistances.

That'll show those ignorant "skeptics who point to a lack of measurements as proof that no real difference can exist"! They never could have conceived that two power cables using different gauges of wire could possibly have different resistances!

Shunyata Research has proved it with their advanced, revolutionary new technology and ground breaking measurements!

*sigh*

Of course no amp is going to be drawing 135 amps out of the wall let alone 235 amps, so those 5 and 15 volt voltage drops they mention are absolutely meaningless.

How do these people sleep at night?

se

[Techno Commander]

Of course no amp is going to be drawing 135 amps out of the wall let alone 235 amps.

se

30 amps 3 phase (http://www.aetechron.com/7796.html) is the most I know of.

[Reid Malenfant]

30 amps 3 phase (http://www.aetechron.com/7796.html) is the most I know of.
The Krell MRA will top that :eek:

16,000W RMS into 1/2 ohm continuous :mental: 230V single phase..


Actually there is something that we appear to be forgetting here. All power amps (apart from those fitted with power factor corrected SMPS) will only draw current from the mains on the mains peak voltages. Therefore they are going to draw pretty massive peak currents if only for a short time while the diodes in the bridge are forward conducting.

These currents can be massive, so it makes sense to employ decent thickness mains conductors :)

[DSJR]

Naim amps used to draw plenty - the old 48V lamp in the power switch could easily be modulated by a music signal.

I understand the expensive Naim mains lead has very high current capacity wires. it wouldn't surpise me at all if the difference this cable makes is mainly in the gauge of wire, rather than the decoupled plugs fitted - if IEC plugs are rubbish, do away with them! US amp makers use a heavier current rated IEC plug and socket in any case..

[Steve Eddy]

Actually there is something that we appear to be forgetting here. All power amps (apart from those fitted with power factor corrected SMPS) will only draw current from the mains on the mains peak voltages. Therefore they are going to draw pretty massive peak currents if only for a short time while the diodes in the bridge are forward conducting.

These currents can be massive, so it makes sense to employ decent thickness mains conductors :)

Sure, if you've got a big-ass power amp with an obscene amount of reservoir capacitance, perhaps wouldn't be too bad an idea to go with a bit more copper in the cord.

But the main point is that in spite of all the "NEW TECHNOLOGY" and other breathless claims, Shunyata's not bringing anything new to the table here.

se

[Steve Eddy]

I understand the expensive Naim mains lead has very high current capacity wires. it wouldn't surpise me at all if the difference this cable makes is mainly in the gauge of wire...

There's nothing to indicate otherwise.

And there's nothing showing that the difference is even meaningful where it counts; on the DC side of the power supply.

se

[Techno Commander]

When I need heavy duty power leads for my hi fi, I make my own.

Apex Jr (http://www.apexjr.com/wire.html) sells PTFE insulated 10AWG (5.2mm sq) silver plated copper wire for a measley $0.50 per foot. Three lengths braided together and fitted with a braided sleeve allows you to produce a high quality mains lead for peanuts. :)

Remember you will need 1.5 times the length you need to allow for the braiding process.

[Steve Eddy]

Yup!

se

[Marco]

Hi Steve,

I think it's about time we gave you a trade account, dude. You made a reference to it when you first joined, but then the notion got somewhat 'waylaid'.

What's the full name of your company? :)

Marco.

[Marco]

Hi Andy,


When I need heavy duty power leads for my hi fi, I make my own.

Apex Jr (http://www.apexjr.com/wire.html) sells PTFE insulated 10AWG (5.2mm sq) silver plated copper wire for a measley $0.50 per foot. Three lengths braided together and fitted with a braided sleeve allows you to produce a high quality mains lead for peanuts. :)

Remember you will need 1.5 times the length you need to allow for the braiding process.

I agree to an extent, but in my experience, it's often the connectors used on power leads that make most of the difference, and good quality IECs and mains plugs will generally cost more than the wire itself used on a power lead.

Have you read about Mark Grant's cables on the forum? His power leads are fantastic and very competitively priced for a commercial cable manufacturer. They're also 'foo-free' and simply based on solid engineering principles.

I use his DSP 2.5s throughout my system, fitted with (non-standard) Furutech connectors at either end:


http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/3126/dsp25furutechfi1363fi50.jpg (http://img840.imageshack.us/i/dsp25furutechfi1363fi50.jpg/)


They smoke so-called 'hi-end' power cables from well-known manufacturers at many, many times their cost!!

:)

Marco.

[Techno Commander]

I agree to an extent, but in my experience, it's often the connectors used on power leads that make most of the difference, and good quality IECs and mains plugs will generally cost more than the wire itself used on a power lead.

:)

Marco.

Totally, good connectors and good cable preparation are essential. However, if you wish to invest a little time, you can make a jolly good mains lead for less than £20. I certainly dont think you would get better unless you spend at least £50 on a commercial item.

[Steve Eddy]

I think it's about time we gave you a trade account, dude. You made a reference to it when you first joined, but then the notion got somewhat 'waylaid'.

What's the full name of your company? :)

The full name of my company is: Q

Thanks! Looking forward to being "official." :)

se