Well, guys, here's the result of changing to Nordost Red Dawn power cords on my Bel Canto REF600M monoblocks. The cords are 1 meter and replace the longer (2 meter ish) stock cords.

I expected no change. What I got was....change. My first impression was that the system sounded more detailed and brighter! This is the exact opposite of the bass boost effect of this PC on my DAC/Pre.

The effect is small, but what I'm hearing is a little more detail, sharper transients, and tighter imaging. There is more of a sense of space and depth. Yes, more holographic.

Stranger yet is that I seem to have gone through a cable break in with these. Things were so bright for a while that I seriously considered going back to the stock cords, but I decided to give them more time. Now, things have settled down and the excess brightness is mostly gone. Some very bright recordings remain so, but well-recorded music sounds quite natural.

So, surprise. I heard a difference, albeit small.

Charlie

Hi, Charlie

Your experience is kind of similar to mine, with my 5 channel AT525NC amp. I didn't really notice a bass boost, varying between the stock cord, an AntiCable Reference 3, an AntiCable 2, and a Signal Magic. What I DID get was a difference in clarity, sometimes bordering on hardness, with the Reference 3 being the most clear but some hard, the Reference 2 less so, and the Signal Magic, for me, the best compromise between clarity and musicality. And the stock cord wasn't quite as clean/clear as any of the after market cords. Not huge differences, but noticeable. Again, a bigger difference with an aftermarket PC on the Oppo player or the Marantz AVR.

But, a good PC on an amp does SOMETHING to change how the amp performs. I guess I don't know either just what.

Rick

rjohn79395 wrote: But, a good PC on an amp does SOMETHING to change how the amp performs. I guess I don't know either just what.

Amen to that! It has been a very interesting experiment, and I have a feeling that the sound will continue to evolve for a while yet. It did with interconnect and speaker cable changes.

Charlie

Just a quick note here as my time is limited. I have had the same experience with the Nordost PCs. They are my favorite so far.

I have the Red Dawn cables on my amps as well as balanced interconnects for my two channel set up. I have their Heimdall PCs on my pre-amp and CD player. Charlie has shared some great points. The only thing I can add is that I have found that the lower the voltage of the signal on the component, the more important it is to have a good PC. The Heimdall PCs on my CD player and pre-amp have made a big difference. Same if I switch one of them over to my turntable.

If you are in the market for new PCs and can audition the Nordost line up, I would certainly add it to your demo list! I really like the Heaimdall speaker cables as well, but those come with a lofty price tag that I’m just not currently comfortable with. My Anticables 3 speaker cables come reasonably close for a fraction of the cost and that will have to do for now.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Thanks so very much T. Cobe to join in and share your opinions and observations.
I hope you can share more in the future.
We NEED you here!!!!

I am especially intrigued that you mention the lower the voltage of the signal the more benefit you get from the better PCs.
I hope I paraphrased that correctly. My attempt to copy and paste did not work at all.
I think you are talking about low level musical signals, BUT you are talking about Power Cords here.
SO, I am wondering IF I find differences in PCs much less audible and/or important over here where my power is double what you guys are working with, 220VAC??????
That may be a stretch, but any comments, ideas anybody?????
Charlie, this is more in your area of expertise, any thoughts?
God Bless,
Wayne

Wayne, if my theory that current is the thing that PCs are sensitive to, then by doubling your line voltage, you'll have half the supply current for any given component. So, MAYBE, you would be less sensitive to PCs.

Then again, maybe my theory is a crock.

T Cobe, thanks for your input on this. Makes me wonder what the higher level PC would do for my DAC/Pre.

Charlie