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Thread: Do mains cables make a difference??

  1. #101
    Join Date: Apr 2018

    Location: South East Cornwall

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    I'm Dominic.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    There we disagree then, which is fine, as it's all about opinions.

    Marco.
    I like disagreements and contra opinions because they can be very fertile thinking grounds provided they are discussed rationally with an end purpose

    There is no argument from me that the average domestic situation can contain all sorts of undesirable 'radiations' like wi-fi, mobile phone signals, cordless phones and mains borne crap from central heatng and washing machines, etc., but the average wi-fi system operates at milliwatt levels, so too does cordless phones and my thinking says they would have to be many hundreds of times stronger to actually energise a mains cable with 240 volts AC already residing there. I do get buzzing noises from the hi-fi if I leave my mobile phone on the rack, but still sceptical that the mains lead is the entry point of that interference.

    As for mains borne noise from washing machines and such-like, I fail to see how three straight lengths of wire can actively eradicate that.
    CD player = Marantz CD6006
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  2. #102
    Join Date: Aug 2008

    Location: Suffolk, UK

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    I'm Paul.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    The joy of anything subjective (like perceived sound quality) is that it doesn't matter that you are fooling yourself, unless fooling yourself makes the experience worse.

    I tried putting those little washing machine feet under a solid state power amp once. Simple, cheap tweak. I quickly took them out again, I was convinced that the sound was subtly worse. Convinced enough to get up, walk the length of the room and remove them. Then I was convinced it sounded better without them. And I mean I was convinced. However at the same time I also know that feet in or out it is not affecting the performance of the power amp one jot. There is zero rational explanation for there being a real effect. Yet I could not help hearing the sound subtly change for the worse with the feet in situ.

    And bear in mind this was supposed to be a positive tweak, albeit a silly one. My expectation was that I would hear no difference.

    It isn't the hobby that is mad it is our brains. They do their own thing. It's scary but it is true.
    You could well have caused a detrimental effect by the addition of the feet. You may have put the amp or something in the amp to a point of resonance where vibrations much stronger than before where being caused by transformer vibrations or by the music. Vibration can effect electrical components, especially those that rely on physical distances, such as capacitor plates, or components close to magnetic fields.
    ~Paul~

  3. #103
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

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    I'm Martin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Primalsea View Post
    You could well have caused a detrimental effect by the addition of the feet. You may have put the amp or something in the amp to a point of resonance where vibrations much stronger than before where being caused by transformer vibrations or by the music. Vibration can effect electrical components, especially those that rely on physical distances, such as capacitor plates, or components close to magnetic fields.
    An interesting conjecture. I suppose it is not impossible but it does seem very unlikely to be true. Whereas the psychological explanation is highly likely to be true.
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  4. #104
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: Wakefield west yorkshire

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    I'm James.

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    Well I'm with Jez on this
    novafidelity x40 music server/pre/dac, Arcam A39, roksan k3 power amp,Monitor Audio Monitor 50, Dali spektor 1, van damme interconnects and speaker cable, roskan k3 CD player

  5. #105
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Seaford UK

    Posts: 1,861
    I'm Dennis.

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    Perhaps HI-FI is a disclosing agent/litmus test for the insanity of the human condition.

  6. #106
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default Do mains cables make a difference??

    Would think the connections will be the main issue here. The more superior the fittings and their tolerance will cause better responses, and fuses will come into this side of things.
    Hard wiring will be best followed by best of above. Clean, stable mains is next, although filters can cause more issues than they solve dynamics wise

    These 2 issues are linked closer than you may think
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  7. #107
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Birmingham

    Posts: 6,767
    I'm James.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bigman80 View Post
    Seeing as we're discussing this topic, I decided to see whether the same improvement was possible with other equipment.

    I plugged the power cable into the DAC and whilst I do feel the soundstage benefits from it being in over the standard cable, I don't feel the improvements are as great as when I put it into the phonostage.

    There's an improvement to the bottom end which sounds cleaner and better defined but other than that it's really not a discernable difference.

    I really do think it's down to the sensitivity of the equipment in all honesty. I'll build a cable for the DAC because It has made a small difference.

    Also checked my plug socket and yes, I was using the LH side anyway. Good stuff.
    Now to send you really round the bend with this subject. Try a 4mm sq mains cable on your power amps and your preamp, then swap the preamp to a 2.5mm sq mains cable (shielded of course) and listen to the difference. My preamp sounded worse with a 4mm sq cable than a 2.5mm cable.

    What's going on there?

  8. #108
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

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    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    An interesting conjecture. I suppose it is not impossible but it does seem very unlikely to be true. Whereas the psychological explanation is highly likely to be true.
    That's fair enough. At which point though, do you simply trust your ears and believe what you heard was true, lest you go through life in a permanent state of doubt, shunning the existence of everything that can't be 'proven', and as a result learning nothing new?

    All that does is stifle progress.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

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    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

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  9. #109
    Bigman80 Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    Now to send you really round the bend with this subject. Try a 4mm sq mains cable on your power amps and your preamp, then swap the preamp to a 2.5mm sq mains cable (shielded of course) and listen to the difference. My preamp sounded worse with a 4mm sq cable than a 2.5mm cable.

    What's going on there?
    Lol, I've ventured far enough into this rabbit hole. £60 for a mains cable is about as far as I'm willing to go so I'm going to trust your findings implicitly

  10. #110
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    I've no doubt that some of the differences I have heard in interconnects or speaker cables have been imaginary. But it is possible for those things to sound different, you can deliberately make them sound different. Not only that but plenty of people have passed ABX tests on these items.

    They are conveying the signal that you are eventually going to hear, the mains cable isn't. You are comparing apples and oranges.
    Not really. In my experience, *everything* in a hi-fi system matters (and therefore potentially makes a difference), so I'd no sooner use 'freebie interconnects' or bell wire, than I would a poorly designed and constructed mains lead, which for me isn't fit for purpose.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


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