Power cord replacement! Is it worth it?

[boubou]

I read a lot about those expensive replacement cords and was thinking replacing mine on my Anthem MRX500 receiver. What do you guys think?

[AlienTech]

Depends... what other tweaks do you have, line conditioner? quality of interconnects? quality of speaker cables? etc. Some people notice the difference power cables make, I didn't BUT I did notice significant differences in my interconnects.

Another question... are you "unhappy" with some aspect of your setup/sound? if yes, it's best to try and define what it is you don't like or are concerned about before throwing stuff at an undefined problem/issue.

[Suave]

I would imagine that most people upgrade cables in their audio/video system because they want to experiment and see what sonic or visual benefits a higher quality can bring on board.

boubou - in my experience, I find that power cables can bring the most improvement to a system and it can be very significant. Interconnects are next in line. With that being said, I've mostly experiemented with replacing power cables and interconnects in two-channel music systems (with dedicated amps and preamps).

Were you thinking of a specific brand/cable model to upgrade your MRX receiver with?

[Mike Osadciw]

You really need to try it. I have tried some power cords from local dealers who were interested in carrying a new line. They trust my ears and on my system I have heard some that do offer changes and some that do not. You need to decide if the changes are indeed improvements or just "changes." I'm not sure about how the science behind it works, but there is more than a placebo effect going on.

I swear by the sound of the Transparent PowerLink Super...

All I know is that you can most likely improve the sound of your receiver. Since power is such a major thing to get these components going, I would go as far as ensuring that all things power from your panel box to your outlet is good.

[Suave]

Mike does raise a good point - when upgrading cables in your system, you should be able to observe whether the new cable(s) introduces a change or an actual improvement to the sound of your system. Many cables I've heard in the past introduce their own sonic signature into the system, rather than actually improving the system's performance. The idea is to find upgrade your system with cables that are transparent (meaning that they don't introduce their own sonic signature) which will help to reproduce the music more faithfully than before.

And yes, the entire power line, from your electrical panel to the outlet on your wall, will make a big difference in the way your system sounds. I ran all new, dedicated power lines from the electrical panel to the various audio and video systems in my house to ensure that these outlets are not shared with any other devices.

BTW - I've moved this thread to the appropriate section

[boubou]

I'm actually very happy with the sound i'm getting now, compared to my old DENON AVR3300 receiver. Many customers of mine were asking the question too.

[boubou]

I'm not at the point to check a specific brand. Do you have one in mind?

[boubou]

When i renovated my HT room we ran dedicated lines to my audio rack and also plasma TV.
They are both connected to Monster power line filters. All A/V connections are Monster HDMI's. I will check for this Transparent Powerlink cable.

[Suave]

Sorry for the late reply boubou. I'm glad to hear that you also ran dedicated power lines to av gear - this makes a tremendous difference in the quality of the sound and video that you're getting.

Of the various brands of cables that I've listened to, Nordost is definitely the one that made provided the biggest improvement in sound. I'm actually thinking of upgrading the power cables in my systems to Nordost in the next few months (particularly my 2 channel system).

[Suave]

Sorry for the late reply boubou. I'm glad to hear that you also ran dedicated power lines to av gear - this makes a tremendous difference in the quality of the sound and video that you're getting.

Of the various brands of cables that I've listened to, Nordost is definitely the one that made provided the biggest improvement in sound. I'm actually thinking of upgrading the power cables in my systems to Nordost in the next few months (particularly my 2 channel system).