power cables 14awg or 10 awg better
default -- Sun, 12/28/2008 - 05:41
I am currently looking to upgrade my power cables,from shunyata to potentially transparent cable power link MM or power link xl...but power link mm is 10 awg and xl is 14 awg... whats the main difference? does anyone has any experience with transparent power cables?
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1999 - 2011 NextScreen. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
I suspect the difference is in their gauges (thicknesses)
While in some situations replacing power cables can and does make a difference (especially in regard to their noise shielding capabilities) My own experience is that the Shunyata is very good in this regard. My own tests using a known noise generator (an early LD player) and these AC cables (and filter boxes) demonstrated that they did provide noticeable AC noise rejection.
I have not used the other brand you mentioned but I would encourage you to conduct a similar test before concluding that it is better.
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
thanks for the reply Steven,
I currently use the Shunyata anaconda series and am very happy. but also i use the transparent cables IC and speaker cables in my system and am very happy with those as well.. I am a true believer of the system harmony and was wondering if I would benefit from Transparent cable through out the system. but looking at the web site I saw that the top lin e power cable has 10awg where some levels lower has 14awg... and i am not familier with the technological term to understand the difference. i.e shunyata anacondas are 8 awg? I agree with you that shunyata is really good with the noise shielding. but is there something better is my conquest
AWG stands for American Wire Gauge, and is a measure of the amount of conductive material (wire thickness) in the cable. The lower the number, the thicker the conductor. For example, lamp cord is AWG 18.
I wouldn't base a purchasing decision on whether one AC cord is AWG 10 or AWG 14. Other factors are more important in performance. Nonetheless, very high-power amplifiers driving low-sensitivity speakers might benefit from thicker conductors in the AC cord supplying them.
My take on the cabling is that you have to plug them in and try them at home. In my system/home, Valhalla power cables worked better than the Shunyata, but your mileage may vary. Haven't tried the Transparent power cables, but I am using a Transparent Ref XL interconnect to good effect.
shunyatas are very good...in my system...and they are coming up with a new line in the upcoming CES...but its almost impossible to find what you are looking for at the time you want to plug in and try in your own system..I am using Transparents Opus MM2 through out the system and cant be happier..thats why i am itching to give transparents power cables a go!