Power Cable for a Bass Amp Question

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally posted by pkr2
If a blind test ever takes place,I will be truly surprised. I can assure you that Tara will NEVER sanction such a test. I doubt that they will stand still for Cable Guy to do so either.

I don't believe any of the claims by Tara Labs or any other purveyor of fancy wire, but to Cable Guy's credit, he told me he has no objection to our doing ABX testing or measurements. That is truly unique, to say the least. Most cable brands seem to go out of their way to avoid such scrutiny.

 

[Mark Reccord]

Originally posted by Bob Lee (QSC)
I don't believe any of the claims by Tara Labs or any other purveyor of fancy wire, but to Cable Guy's credit, he told me he has no objection to our doing ABX testing or measurements. That is truly unique, to say the least. Most cable brands seem to go out of their way to avoid such scrutiny.

That is really interesting for sure, as the mere mention of ABX testing usually sends the proponents of esoteric cables into fits. Maybe they're actually onto something.... I remain quite skeptical, of course.

rcz;
I'm genuinely interested in what you have to say about the cable issue, but I won't be able to get into any meaningful discussion for a while because exams are next week....
For the record, I didn't say it was 'impossible' for an AC cable to make a sonic difference, although I do believe it is rather improbable. Also, while I am an EE student, I also have 12 years experience in sound engineering, both live and studio.

 

[mrcrowUK]

Originally posted by soularis
Thanks guys! I appreciate your prompt responses. I'll use computers cable then to get by.

i use a computer cable...its just a power cord...i use it because it is longer than the one which came with the combo...
your amp/combo probably has a slo blo fuse onboard at 1 or 2 amps so you are protected
...the power cord may have a 13 amp fuse fitted..uk that is and for 110 volts would be around..30 amp??
power cords can run kettles and up to 3kw loads..
and as stated the cable is rated domestic so that has factor of safety of 4-6x insulation wise.

 

[metron]

A good amplifier design will be unaffected by normal amounts of noise in the power line. (abnormal being things like lightning strikes).

This is true.

Amplifier performance is not affected by the presence or absence of noise, for a decent amplifier design. And most noise in power lines does not come from, neither is it somehow filtered out, by a two meter power cable. Noise comes from things like SCR lighting dimmers, or air conditioner motors, or other sources that put hash into the AC power line via their own connection to the power grid. The power cable cannot eliminate this noise. It also does not "pick up" this type of noise, so one power cable instead of another won't have any effect here.

Indeed

Some EMI/RFI noise does get picked up by the wires; they act as an antenna. There's many feet of wiring in the house, though, so even a shielded power cable isn't going to improve the "antenna effect" of picking up EMI/RFI. Since this noise is easily eliminated by the amp's power supply section, it's not an issue either.

In other words, it's scientifically implausible for a cable to make an improvement in the amp's sound.

I believe nashvillebill has hit the nail on the head.

 

[throbbinnut]

Originally posted by mrcrowUK

...the power cord may have a 13 amp fuse fitted..uk that is and for 110 volts would be around..30 amp??

We don't need no stinking fuses in our plugs! Here in 'Merica we just wing it and rely on the 20Amp circuit breaker at the breakerbox. Christmas lights now have plug-fuses just like you Brits have on all your plugs, though. This just started in the last few years.

Don't you guys also have switches on your outlets? A Brit I knew in college said when his dormroom next door neighbor was playing his stereo too loud, he would take a piece of wire adn shortcircuit the plug on the shared wall, then flip the outlet switch to kill the guy's power.

It's weird how Europe in general is usually "safer" about their electrical service in every aspect except the fact that they pipe 220V to every device in the house! Man, over here 220V is only used for the stove, clothesdryer, and air conditioner - just the big stuff.

Chris

 

[JMX]

Originally posted by throbbinnut

It's weird how Europe in general is usually "safer" about their electrical service in every aspect except the fact that they pipe 220V to every device in the house! Man, over here 220V is only used for the stove, clothesdryer, and air conditioner - just the big stuff.

Chris

It's even 230V (16A), for the stove it's 380V (3 phases).

 

[throbbinnut]

Originally posted by JMX
It's even 230V (16A), for the stove it's 380V (3 phases).

You guys have 3-phase at your house? Man, some countries have all the luck!

Chris

 

[parrott]

Originally posted by JMX
It's even 230V (16A), for the stove it's 380V (3 phases).

Am I right in thinking you guys on the continent (Europe) only have two-pin plugs? And America too?

What about an earth connection?

 

[JMX]

The plugs for smaller devices have two pins and no earth:

Invalid Link Removed

Bigger devices, two pins and two inteconnected earth contacts:

Invalid Link Removed

 

[JMX]

,

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally posted by mrcrowUK
power cords can run kettles and up to 3kw loads.

Yeah, yeah ... when I visited Shure Distribution in Tottenham back in October, I was quite impressed by the two 3 kW kettles they had in their break room for making tea. Man, they boil water fast!

I'd fill one of them with water, set it down on its pad, go to the men's room next door to make some room in my bladder, and by the time I get back the water's boiling.

Speaking of power, here's my bonehead move of the year:
About a week and a half after I got home from Europe, my Philips electric shaver died one morning after shaving only the right side of my chin. Its LED indicated a full charge, but the shaver would stop within a second after pushing the button. The thing's about 2 1/2 years old, so I figured the Ni-Cd cells were shot. I had made my old Norelco last about 18 years by replacing the cells every few years when they wore out.

So I bought a pair of replacement Ni-Cd's, opened the shaver up, unsoldered the old ones, soldered in the new ones, put it back together, and set it in the charger. Instead of the green LED that normally indicates charging, the LED glowed amber. I'd never seen that before. Maybe it'll go away, I thought. Several hours later, it was still amber, so I thought maybe the charger itself was toast.

Well, I thought, at least it didn't expire during those two weeks in Europe.

Hmmm ... Europe ... wait a minute ... I distinctly remembered setting the switch on the bottom of the charger to 220–240V before I plugged it in when I was in England, but I don't remember if I switched it back to 120 after I got home. So I checked the switch. Sure enough, it was still set on 220-240. Yes, that would explain why it wasn't charging both before and after I replaced the cells. <slaps self on the head>

I told this to one of my co-workers. He laughed and said, "And you're an electrical guy ... you're an engineer ... so I guess no one's safe!"

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally posted by parrott
Am I right in thinking you guys on the continent (Europe) only have two-pin plugs? And America too?

What about an earth connection?

In France, the earth (ground) pin is not part of the plug, but the outlet, and it inserts into the opening in the plug. In JMX's photo of the white plug, you can see the metal earth contact on the left side, but the opening for the pin is hidden by the upper mains pin.

 

[pkr2]

Originally posted by Josh Walsh
Good to see ya pkr2!

Hi, Josh. Good to see you,too.

 

[xyllion]

Who else is amazed that this topic has resulted in 248 posts? Who else has been amused by this thread? BTW, I work for a company that makes most of its profit selling cable, but we do it by selling miles of coax for security systems.

 

[rockindoc]

Originally posted by Bob Lee (QSC)
Yeah, yeah ... when I visited Shure Distribution in Tottenham back in October, I was quite impressed by the two 3 kW kettles they had in their break room for making tea. Man, they boil water fast!

I'd fill one of them with water, set it down on its pad, go to the men's room next door to make some room in my bladder, and by the time I get back the water's boiling

...Not so impressive if your prostate is the size of a grapefruit

 

[ihixulu]

BTW, I work for a company that makes most of its profit selling cable, but we do it by selling miles of coax for security systems.

So will my house be safer if I order the Tara labs cable upgrade?

 

[Munjibunga]

aaahhhh ... ahhhhhhhhh ... AAAHHHHHHHHH ... HMBOOLSHT!

 

[Petebass]

Originally posted by Munjibunga
aaahhhh ... ahhhhhhhhh ... AAAHHHHHHHHH ... HMBOOLSHT!

Bless you. Here, use this tissue. It's made from silk spun by free-range, organic silk worms housed in diamond encrusted containers. It contains electromagnetic partlicles that disgourage mucous production. It has been blesses by high priestess witches and guarantees greater health, longer life, and will make you irrestable to the opposite sex.

 

[Munjibunga]

Originally posted by Petebass
Bless you. Here, use this tissue. It's made from silk spun by free-range, organic silk worms housed in diamind encrusted containers. It contains electromagnetic partlicles that disgourage mucous production. It has been blesses by high priestess witches and guarantees greater health, longer life, and will make you irrestable to the opposite sex.

Mmmmmm. My favorite, and it absorbs more snot, too!


Sorry ... especially since somebody back on Page 9 said they respect my opinion. I just can't help it.

 

[Petebass]

Originally posted by Munjibunga
Mmmmmm. My favorite, and it absorbs more snot, too!


Sorry ... especially since somebody back on Page 9 said they respect my opinion. I just can't help it.

.. what the.. get outa.... no no I don't want it back...... keep it. That's one's on the house. But the next one will be at the low low price of $175.

PM me for the testiminials. sorry, no specs at this time.