Worth replacing "standard" power cable for new P5?

Power Components
1

I have a typical 3-prong NEMA 5-15P to IEC-C13 18AWG power cable connected from the wall to my P5. I also have an unused 3m PS Audio Prelude (power cable) that I bought about 7 years or so ago.

Is there any functional benefit to my gear and/or the P5 to using the Prelude vs the “typical” 18AWG power cable?

I believe there “should” be, but would like to know from someone who has the experience of actual measured data.

Thank you.

2

Try it. Only you can determine if there is any benefit in your system.

I am certain no one has actual measured data.

3
Elk said Try it. Only you can determine if there is any benefit in your system.

I am certain no one has actual measured data.

I'm pretty sure PS Audio has taken such measurements, and can provide an experience-based recommendation as to whether the Prelude would benefit the P5 and thus my equipment.
4

Have you tried?

If not, why not?

One would expect it to make an improvement. Find out if it does in your system.

Others have found it to be a nice cable. Perhaps it will provide positive benefits for you as well.

5

+1. Power cords do matter with PowerPlants but how much they matter depends on, the cord, the environment (e.g., how noisy) and the connected equipment, among other things. My guess is the Prelude would help but, like Elk said, the best way to find out is to test it in your system.

6

Plug it in, I bet you’ll leave it plugged in! I’ve been using PS Audio power cords on my components for years. . . presently my main system has PerfectWave AC-12s everywhere. Made me poor, but musically happy!

7
lonson said Plug it in, I bet you'll leave it plugged in!
:)
8

Thanks, all. Yes, it should help. If I do swap, I’ll likely leave it for no other reason than because my rack is meticulously cable-managed, and running any new cable in the rack is time-consuming.

I know it helps to use quality power cords for everything from the Power Plant, but what about going to the Power Plant. I searched the Power Products forum, and found nothing from Paul (or other Administrator) stating this. How would a higher quality power cord (with more/better shielding) help the Power Plant?

Didn’t have my grounding pin in my Prelude, but PS Audio sent me one (several) and just received it today. Will replace my standard cable with the Prelude in the coming days, but don’t expect to hear a difference. How would I know? Even if I were to play a 20 second piece of music, run to the rack, swap cables at the wall and P5, re-queue the same music and listen, 100 seconds or so would pass, and how would I remember what I heard? I think that amount of time would invalidate any accurate AB listening test. The placebo effect would come into play a great deal.

That’s why, my original question was, should a Prelude help. If so, that’s good enough for me. I’ve just never read anything from PS Audio saying that a better cable coming… wait

Well, I feel like a ma-roon. From the P5 instruction/user/manual:

“We strongly recommend the use of a PS Audio PerfectWave AC Power Cable (such as the AC-3, AC-5, or AC-12) with your Power Plant 5. In addition, a PS PowerPortTM AC receptacle will be very beneficial to the overall performance of the Power Plant 5. For more information please visit: www. psaudio.com for a complete list of our AC Power Accessories, including those mentioned above. While the supplied power cable and a regular duplex receptacle is adequate for the task of feeding unadulterated AC into your system, it is not going to provide pinnacle performance. Choosing any PerfectWave AC Power Cable and/or an upgraded receptacle will affect significant performance improvements”.

There we go! Good enough for me! I’ll be swapping to my Prelude, and will be happy whether I hear a difference or not.

Thanks again to all for your inputs.

Ron

9

So did you hear a difference?