Any feedback on break ins on power cords? When I put the Venom 3's on the T2's, the effect seemed immediate, I.E. the sound, especially bass, got tighter and more authorative right from the start. On the 3rd cord on the AVR, the mid range and up got cleaner out of the gate ,but the bass maybe even lagged some.

I just played a BluRay DVD I'm very familiar with: Roy Orbison and "Black ad White Night". The mids and trebles were so clear, but the bass seemed timid. I almost put the old standard power cord on just to see what was changing, but decided to play the DVD further as is. Well, the bass just kept blossoming. I even went back to the first songs, and the bass got better on the replay. ????

I keep reading on the internet about power cord break in, and the "experts", who don't agree on much, talk about insulation dialectrics needing to get saturated, dissimilar metals needing to get electron balance, foofoo dust needing to get settled in the ether (I made that last one up). Hmmmm.

I'm looking for REAL WORLD experiences (anthem? others who have posted about power cord break in?). Does what I just described resonate with anyone?

The connection between "science" and what we hear seems a tad fragile.

Rick

Hey Rick: if you purchased your venom 3's through music direct, they have a 60 day money back guarantee. I believe they sound their best on day 61...ha-ha.

All kidding aside, I personally have never experienced a change in the sound of a power cord. Subtleties in sound, at least to me, are heard in the equipment itself. I have never listened to a particular piece of music continuously to see whether a power cord is changing its sound characteristics, nor do I have a photographic memory of how a particular piece of music sounded after other selections have been played. When my Venom Digital arrives later this week, I will concentrate fully on what it does and doesn't do to the music. Critics are saying it is supposed to blacken the back ground and bring out each instrument more clearly.

If you're hearing changes that you think are because of the power cords, jot down your listening experiences from day to day, and report back. We are always excited to hear what others are hearing or not hearing.

Great post, Anthem! While I admit that electrical equipment may change with time due to the change in the numerous components, I feel most of the "breaking in" of any component is on our end as the listener. It takes time for us to interpret subtle changes and of course, we are vulnerable to the power of suggestion.

Power cords are very basic and straight forward. Sure, marketing departments and sales staff can make up fancy explanations about saturating dielectrics and balancing of electrons, but that is easy to see through as Rick has illuded to. It certainly may take time and switching between configurations to hear the difference, but again, that's on your end as the receiver of the information. I would not bet on any change in the cord over time that would be perceptible. Anyone that argue's the contrary would need to present the data for me to be convinced.

On of my local managers at a high end dealer is very well educated in electronics. He is an instructor at a local tech school and has been very reliable in my experience. He explained that power cords act as a sort of filter and it takes a bit of trial and error with each piece of equipment to find the right filter. As filters would change the sound, it's a matter of preference if that change is better or worse.

As usual, take my comments with a grain of salt. I have yet to experience the benefit of upgrading a power chord. I still have too many other equipment changes and purchases to make to get into investing any serious money into cables. Thanks, Rick and Anthem, for sharing your experiences. I'll learn from your trial and error and use your results as a starting point when I'm ready to take the leap. Enjoy the journey!

Cheers,

T Cobe

Thanks, all. Re bass and power cord break-in, I decided to go back to basics, and listen to one of the same songs on a Blu-ray DVD that I heard last night (Only the Lonely from Black and White Night) with the Venom 3 power cord attached, and then the standard power cord. Then I did the same with some streamed 16 bit music (Royals by Lorde, because it's got lots of bass). I did this numerous times, at the same volume each time.

Well, the bass portion sounded pretty much the same with either cord in both cases. Not sure if that means the Venom 3 is "broken in", or just that this was a more fair comparison of the two cords, by playing the same music multiple times at the same volume, and switching cords between each playing to hear any subtle differences. I suspect the latter.

So, I'm back to my original observation, when I first tested the Venom 3 vs. the standard power cord on the the receiver: I hear some improvement in how clean the mid range and up sounds. Is that the "blackening of the background" affect that anthem talks about? I don't know. The Venom 3 will stay in place as the power cord of choice for the receiver. I'll advise if I detect any other differences with continued listening.

anthem, I'll be waiting to get your impressions of the Venom Digital and your thoughts on how it compares to the Venom 3.

Rick

Rick,

Thanks for the update! Does that mean that you'll keep a Venom 3 on each T2 AND your receiver? Have you tried a Venom 3 on your NAD stereo amp? Still plan on running stock cables on the T1s? Thanks for running and reporting on your listening tests.

Cheers,

T Cobe

T Cobe wrote: Rick,

Thanks for the update! Does that mean that you'll keep a Venom 3 on each T2 AND your receiver? Have you tried a Venom 3 on your NAD stereo amp? Still plan on running stock cables on the T1s? Thanks for running and reporting on your listening tests.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Hi, T Cobe

Yes, I'm keeping all three Venom 3's. The two on the T2's do improve clarity, bass tightness and punch. Makes sense, since it's the powered sub in the T2's that is directly affected. I don't know if if I can really detect any changes above the 160 HZ crossover range. I also don't know if the affect would be as great if the T2's were powered by an external amp as the T1's are.

Re trying a Venom 3 on the NAD amp powering the T1's, I didn't detect a significant difference between cables, nor did I when I tried the Venom's on the T1's directly. I don't know why . Does using an external amp already provide so much improvement that the added affect of a power cord's contribution is smaller? Are the T1's that much more refined electrically that the affect is less noticeable, harder to detect? I don't know.

As it stands now,I'm not planning on getting any more Venom 3's. But, I'm waiting to get anthem's impressions of the Venom Digital cord and how it compares to the Venom 3, and if there is yet another step up, then I would consider trying the Venom Digitals on the T1's and amp.

Rick