Power cords (1 Viewer)

[DaveAr]

Looking for a sub power cord longer than 10'
Already tried Parts express and Rat Shack.
Please don't give me a site that has the Mother of all power cords for 300.00.
I just saw one on Better Cables, too short though, for 249.00.
249.00 for a power cord? I don't get it!!!

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Find an extension cord suitable for a small appliance and try that. It'll be cheaper than the expensive cables. Or you can try and find the type of plug used on the sub amp and build your own out of some good quality 12-gauge wire.

 

[John Garcia]

Most places are going to sell the typical length cables. For a 10 footer, you are probably going to have to make it yourself or use an extension. PE carries all the parts to make one for a decent price. How much more than 10'? You are going to need a pretty heavy duty cable for more than 10' for a big sub, IMO.

 

[Chu Gai]

Give Newark Electronics a call. Kevin Brown, I believe, recently purchased some fairly inexpensive, shielded, heavy gauge cords that were UL listed. Much, much less than $50.

 

[DaveAr]

Found some. Turns out Belkin makes the Pro Series Computer AC Power Replacement Cable in 20' lenght.
Price: 8.97 + shipp 8.96 Total= 17.93 delivered (cable galaxy):b

 

[DanaA]

The ones that I'll link you to here are sensational, reasonably priced, and very nicely constructed. A lot over at Club Rotel felt that the 1066 pre-pro comes with a PC that is not the best. In a thread, many tried this one with great success. And, besides, the owner of the company is a very nice man to do business with. And, yes, at least with the Rotel, many, myself included, noticed a nice sonic difference. As I stated in a thread over there, I went in a huge skeptic and came out a believer.

Here's your link:

Click here

 

[DaveAr]

Thanks for the info.
But I'll stick with the Belkin for now, hell at under 18.00 for 20' of power cord can't do bad.
Besides, someone please explain how, why justification can be made to purchase a 300.00 "power" cord?
Hell, a $3000.00 computer doesn't even come with one.
Maybe it's me but I'd be hard pressed to shell out 200-300 for a power cord.

 

[Brian OK]

I just made a 9.5' cord from my Bolder power strip to my DVD player.

Used VH Audio 12AWG twisted pair cryo'd wire, a Hubbell AC plug and a Wattgate IEC. It was his Flavor 3 design, I believe, but I ran the groung wire outside his rubber hose and only connected it at the AC end.
Also used his Heatshrink over Techflex and it looks pretty damn good to my eyes :^)

It was fun too... and less than $50. You can find pretty much all you need at his website. Easy to order up and Chris is a very nice fellow to deal with. I spent around $158. for the whole order, but I have enough for numerous cords of varied lengths.

BOK

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Dave,

Found some. Turns out Belkin makes the Pro Series Computer AC Power Replacement Cable in 20' length.

As John noted, if you have a substantial sub this cable won’t be suitable. Generally those cables are no larger than 18ga. If your sub cable is 16ga. or more you run the risk of starving your sub for amperage and consequently maximum power will drop.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[DaveAr]

Thanks for the input, and info.
When I inquired as to the power cable, John over at Stryke Audio, who is making the sub told me it is just a standard power cord he uses in his subs. The sub in question is the Mini-Thunder.
Unfortunately his is only 4 or 6' in lenght.
I will recheck with John.
What I could not believe was the price of some of these "power cords". Almost as much as a receiver. Sorry I can't buy into all that. I saw them for almost 300.00. How, Why, Who, can justify this expenditure?
I guess I don't get it, or I'm just a cheap bas...d!!:b

 

[Shane Martin]

Why do people "upgrade" their exhaust system in their Corvette? You'd think for $50,000 I'd get the best and have no reason to "upgrade". FWIW, I've seen cords cost alot more. People are always looking to push the envelope in regards to audio performance. When it comes down to it, enjoy what you have and let others "waste" their money if they want.

 

[Tom Grooms]

I saw them for almost 300.00. How, Why, Who, can justify this expenditure?

LOL, $300 is not that expensive for a nice powercord.

 

[DaveAr]

Okay, maybe it's just me.
But then again I can't see dungarees costing 200-300 per pair worth it either, or a cup of coffee for 3.00, etc.
Supply and demand, and a naive society all spell big bucks for the suppliers. But whatever floats your boat. That's why I come to these places to be better informed, and make an educated decision, I HOPE!
Okay, I'm old school, what can I tell ya.
Later, best to all!!:b
PS Shane , i know alot of people w/ vettes and haven't seen one of them run out and change their stock exhaust on a brand new Vette. And that includes some mechanics I know. But these are adults, I can see many kids doing this thanks to the movies. Disposable income my friend, that is the name of the game. Most family adults do not have this.
Later/Peace

 

[Andrew Testa]

If your sub cable is 16ga. or more you run the risk of starving your sub for amperage and consequently maximum power will drop

Wayne is very much correct in this. You need to match the wire size with the intended current. How many watts will the sub amplifier be drawing? Figure your current from

i=watts/voltage or

i = watts/120V

if you'll pull 1KWatt of power, you'll draw 8.3 amps (neglecting phase lag in AC)

Then go to this web site that lists AWG wire size and acceptable power transmission

The table show that to safely pass 8.3 amps, you'll need to use 12 AWG wire.

For a typical plate amp that puts out 250 Watts, then 18 AWG is fine for the 2 amps max that it'll draw.

It's a handy site for making sure you've got enough wire for your power draw. If the size is too small you'll end up generating a lot of heat.

Andy

 

[Mark All]

For about $80 a 10 AWG power cord is available here in a ten foot length:

Signal Cable

Looks pretty nice to me. In fact, I may buy a couple in shorter lengths. Could make my own for a little less I suppose, but I'm lazy.

 

[Shane Martin]

PS Shane , i know alot of people w/ vettes and haven't seen one of them run out and change their stock exhaust on a brand new Vette. And that includes some mechanics I know. But these are adults, I can see many kids doing this thanks to the movies.

how many kids do you know that can afford a $40,000 car? Younger adults maybe but there is a performance difference to be gained. Its just down to if you are willing to pony up the dough much like this is(though some will argue there isn't any performance to be gained). Keep also in mind some folks just want to drive their car so I don't expect them to be switching out exhaust setups.

As far as Signal Cable goes, try them out. A friend of mine bought all his wiring thru them and has been very happy with the results. His pricing is very reasonable IMHO.

 

[DaveAr]

I think the wire reads 16 awg.
That from the photo.
Is this acceptable?:b
Still waiting to hear from the maker of the sub

 

[Andrew Testa]

Dave,

16 AWG is good for up to 3.7 Amps conservatively, so as long as your sub amplifier doesn't draw more than that on a more or less continuous basis, or ~440 Watts (may be less if current-voltage phase angle is large) you're ok.

Remember, this is the current or power consumption of the amp, not the output. Check the specs for max power consumption in watts or volt Amps.

Andy

 

[Chu Gai]

I take it the sub amp has capacitors? If so there'll be a momentary large draw of current but I'd expect your current draw on an average basis to be only a few amps.
What do you make of the NEC requirement that 14 gauge wire is suitable for 15 amp circuits Andrew?
As far as a performance difference with regards to 'upgraded exhausts' that's highly dependent upon how that particular engine has been tweaked to get the power out of it. It's not unusual for there to be no net gain in either HP or torque. In fact, losses are not uncommon. Of course, that means bringing dyno testing in and all that.

 

[GeorgeJM]

Changing the exhaust on a new car for performance gain is very different than switching from a $10 power cord to a $300 power cord. In the case of the exhaust, it's very easy to determine if the change was indeed a performance gain -- it's called a track.

In the case of power cords, cabling, speaker wires, etc. it's almost always a subjective evaluation. People, almost always the ones who ponied up the dough for the cables or wires, report that it's more "airy", "less-veiled", and other highly subjective terms. Blind testing? Double-blind testing? Never.