Good-looking power cable

[mycroft holmes]

Hello forum,

I recently bought a Topping P50, and I needed a well-built power cable; as a bonus, it should be decent-looking.
So -brutally explicit- I'm not looking for a power cable that will "improve" the sound, or open up the soundstage, etc.
I just need a cable built from pure copper, with some shielding (?), possibly not thin as a hair.

1) From reading other forum posts, I see that so-called "audiophile" cables, e.g. AudioQuest NRG, do not *add* anything to the sound -as they claim- and they are pretty much a waste of money. But are they decently built?
e.g. let's say I can get one for 1% of the price: should I buy one or is it actually harmful?

2) Eventually I picked one of these on offer for ~40usd.

https://www.newegg.com/p/1B9-058H-01C00

but I didn't find any technical review and the brand is not listed anywhere (I think they don't have a website).
also I'm not too happy, the cable is quite heavy and the plug partially obstructs the usb ports.

3) I was tempted to return the Waudio and buy one of these:

Powercord C13

OehlbachH® universal mains cable with IEC cord connector that uses highly pure oxygen-free copper (OFC) as the inner conductor. Many different types of electrical and multimedia devices may be connected to the mains with this reliable cable. This cable –…

www.oehlbach.com

from reading the specs, they look like ordinary looking but professionally built.

Do you have any advice?
thanks
MH

 

[muslhead]

What was wrong with the cord that came with the P50? Did you lose it or was it broken?

 

[tonycollinet]

You are correct not to worry about sound differences - shielding is also unlikely to make any difference.

You've also found one of the problems of expensive cables - their size.

If you just want a pretty cable then it may be worth paying a 3 or 4 10's of $ for. However, the second one you link to doesn't look any different from stock cables, and won't perform, or be built any better as long as you are purchasing cables with safety certifications.

 

[mycroft holmes]

What was wrong with the cord that came with the P50? Did you lose it or was it broken?

I could not use the cable that was in the box, because the plug was angled, I needed a straight one.
Also for personal reasons, I wanted a cable with the "audiophile look"

 

[Keith_W]

Quite a few years ago there was a Chinese website that sold replica cables for very cheap. As in, not much more than a decent quality cable that you buy in a pro audio store cheap. At the time I was struggling with the ethics of buying one - I want nice looking cables, but I do not want to put money into the pockets of shysters who are selling you way overpriced cable with magical marketing claims. Is it ethical to buy a pirated Chinese product which copies products sold by shysters?

I never did get around to buying any cables from them so I can't vouch for the build quality, but as a minimum I would have disassembled it to make sure everything was electrically sound and there are no dodgy soldering jobs which might cause a short circuit or worse.

If you want a good looking power cable and you have settled the ethics of this kind of piracy for yourself, you could do a google search for "replica audiophile cable". You should find quite a few on AliExpress.

 

[mycroft holmes]

You are correct not to worry about sound differences - shielding is also unlikely to make any difference.

You've also found one of the problems of expensive cables - their size.

If you just want a pretty cable then it may be worth paying a 3 or 4 10's of $ for. However, the second one you link to doesn't look any different from stock cables, and won't perform, or be built any better as long as you are purchasing cables with safety certifications.

thanks for the reply.

but I'm curious, specifically about "audiophile" cables: for example, I could get this (I think - I'm not an expert)

https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-NRG-X3-Power-Amplifiers-Conditioners/dp/B086H3XZYP/

at roughly the same price as the WAudio.
Would that be ok?
So, apart from the price, are these cables worse/identical/better than a stock cable?

 

[tonycollinet]

Quite a few years ago there was a Chinese website that sold replica cables for very cheap. As in, not much more than a decent quality cable that you buy in a pro audio store cheap. At the time I was struggling with the ethics of buying one - I want nice looking cables, but I do not want to put money into the pockets of shysters who are selling you way overpriced cable with magical marketing claims. Is it ethical to buy a pirated Chinese product which copies products sold by shysters?

I never did get around to buying any cables from them so I can't vouch for the build quality, but as a minimum I would have disassembled it to make sure everything was electrically sound and there are no dodgy soldering jobs which might cause a short circuit or worse.

If you want a good looking power cable and you have settled the ethics of this kind of piracy for yourself, you could do a google search for "replica audiophile cable".

If so though - worry about certifications. If they are not worried about plagiarising cables, they're probably also not that worried about forging safety certs.

 

[Keith_W]

So, apart from the price, are these cables worse/identical/better than a stock cable?

They will perform exactly the same, PROVIDED they are electrically sound. If you are buying from Amazon you should be able to return them if they are not. I would disassemble and check if I were you before plugging them in.

 

[tonycollinet]

thanks for the reply.

but I'm curious, specifically about "audiophile" cables: for example, I could get this (I think - I'm not an expert)

https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-NRG-X3-Power-Amplifiers-Conditioners/dp/B086H3XZYP/

at roughly the same price as the WAudio.
Would that be ok?
So, apart from the price, are these cables worse/identical/better than a stock cable?

Identical.

 

[mycroft holmes]

as a minimum I would have disassembled it to make sure everything was electrically sound and there are no dodgy soldering jobs which might cause a short circuit or worse.

Exactly, you got the point: I just want a cable with "no surprises".
Ideally I don't want to disassemble a cable myself. I would prefer to pay a bit more and get a "guaranteed" cable

 

[RayDunzl]

I bought some cables to length here years ago.

14AWG is as much as you need for a 120V outlet.

Americord.com nema-5-15p-to-iec-320-c-13 14/3

These computer power cords with a NEMA 5-15P plug end to a IEC-320 C-13. These 14/3 gauge cords are 15 amp in a variety of jacket types and lengths. These power cords are usually in stock and ready to ship in 1-2 business days. Only @ Americord.com

www.americord.com

Rohs & Wee Compliant | UL/CSA Approved

Beauty was not a consideration.

I haven't thought about them since.

 

[tonycollinet]

Exactly, you got the point: I just want a cable with "no surprises".
Ideally I don't want to disassemble a cable myself. I would prefer to pay a bit more and get a "guaranteed" cable

If you buy from a reputable seller and it has safety certs marked on it then no need to disassemble - it will be fine. If it doesn't, then also no need to disassemble - don't buy it (or return it if already purchased)

 

[fpitas]

What Tony said about safety. A lot of the "special" cables we see here have no certifications. That's kind of alarming.

The only time I've wanted special AC cables was to neaten the back of my 19" rack. Shorter ones, mainly. I would have paid extra for some color coding too. It gets complicated back there.

 

[Rednaxela]

Dating an audiophile OP?

Careful with that. Especially the types that casually mention cable lifters on the first date.

 

[fpitas]

Dating an audiophile OP?

Careful with that. Especially the types that casually mention cable lifters on the first date.

Next thing you know, her Kimber cables are laying on your cable risers. Hopefully it's all worth it when her veils are lifted!

 

[sq225917]

If you just want a no nonsense, good looking cable built using well regarded parts that will outlast you, then Mark Grants power cables are a thoroughly sensible choice.

They won't sound different to any other cable though.

Mark Grant – Black Series DSP 2.5 Dual Screened power cable – Mark Grant Cables

www.markgrantcables.co.uk

 

[Speedskater]

For any small linear power supply, any AC cord with the correct connects is way more than adequate.
An 18AWG cord is all it needs.

 

[fpitas]

For any small linear power supply, any AC cord with the correct connects is way more than adequate.
An 18AWG cord is all it needs.

I'm sure one needn't pay over $5000 for one that's just fine.

/

 

[mycroft holmes]

If you buy from a reputable seller and it has safety certs marked on it then no need to disassemble - it will be fine. If it doesn't, then also no need to disassemble - don't buy it (or return it if already purchased)

So summary of the discussion:
1) be careful when dating an audiophile
2) basically all cables are sort-of identical (except for pricing): stock cable, oehlbach, waudio, audioquest...
3) all these cables are "generally ok" in build quality (as they have a brand who has a reputation and/or has some certifications)
4) if a cable has a build problem, I may not notice immediately

did I forget anything?

 

[tonycollinet]

I've never (literally never in my 60 odd years) seen an IEC cable with a problem.