I have done a lot of talking about the best speakers you can get for your turntable and guides on how to take care of your vinyl and get the best sound from your turntable. However, there is one area that I never usually weigh in on and that is the world of “do power cables make a different to turntable sound?”.
This is something I have looked at from afar and even after doing my own research I am still not 100 percent sure that my own personal ears are hearing a difference. But there are many people out there who swear that they do and that is cool with me. With that in mind, I decided to jump on Amazon and have a look at some of the best power cables you can get to potentially enhance your sound.
The 4 Best Audiophile Power Cable Reviews
These are the ones that are regarded by many as the best that are available right now.
- WAudio Hi-End Hifi Audio AC Power Cable
- Pangea Audio AC 14SE MKII Signature Power Cable
- WAudio 3.3FT AC Power Cable 10AWG HiFi Audiophile Power Cord
- Pangea Audio AC-14 Powercord
1.WAudio Hi-End Hifi Audio AC Power Cable
Pros:
- The asking price is more than fair
- Many people swear that they make a difference to the sound
- They give you a 5-year warranty
Cons:
- The cable is super thick so may take up more real estate than you would like
At 50 bucks this Pangea Audio AC 14SE MKII Signature Power Cable WAudio Hi-End Hifi Audio AC Power Cable Power Cord US Plug is certainly not going to break the bank. What I really like about this is that the way this is designed is with reducing and getting rid of any noise in mind. The nice and thick cable and the mylar foil shielding that they have used are there to make the sound as pure as possible. Even at this price point, they have not spared any expense.
Another thing that I like about this is that the people at WAudio want to take care of their customers. I say this because they give you a five-year warranty with this! Many companies will bitch and complain if you want to get a replacement or a repair 9 months into a 12-month warranty! So, these guys giving you a
What Customers Said
The customer review for this is overwhelmingly positive which I always like to see. Most people seem very happy with this such as this guy here who had this to say. “I was totally blown away by what I heard! The sound I was familiar with became completely transformed – and very much for the better!” so if you are interested in these, check out all the glowing reviews.
2. Pangea Audio AC 14SE MKII Signature Power Cable
Pros:
- I was very impressed with the overall build quality
- The cable is designed to get rid of noise
- The cable has a lot of flexibility to it
Cons:
- The 1M version is no longer available
Next up we have this Pangea Audio AC 14SE MKII Signature Power Cable which I have personally tested. The first thing to note is that this comes in different sizes. There is a 1.5 M (the one I have) that will cost you $64.95. They also offer a 2- and a 3-meter version with the 3 meter one being 99 bucks which I feel is a great price for a cable of that length. They have used 24 k gold contacts for superior connection, it also has silver shielding that is there to keep that nasty interference away.
Overall, I am quite impressed with this. While I used it for my turntable at first, I found out I could use this with other stuff as well like a Blu-Ray player which is cool. The cable is very flexible so I was able to get it just where I needed it to be. The cable is thick and solid, but not too much so that it gets in the way which I liked. In all, I am still not 100 percent if I can definitively say I personally notice the difference, but I know a good quality product when I see one.
What Customers Said
With over 100 customer reviews this is sitting at a 4 and a half star rating on Amazon. One review had this to say “everything got clearer and more defined, especially the highs. And it made it sound LOUDER. It makes no sense, but I wish I’d replaced it a long time ago.” Which is a great statement indeed!
3. WAudio 3.3FT AC Power Cable 10AWG HiFi Audiophile Power Cord
Pros:
- Designed with getting rid of external noise
- They give you a five-year warranty
- The overall quality is very high for 30 bucks
Cons:
- Some complain that it is not as thick as they would like
Here we have the WAudio 3.3FT AC Power Cable 10AWG HiFi Audiophile Power Cord which is a very popular power cable for audio. I think the reason for this is the fact that it costs only 30 bucks so it is not exactly a huge gamble if you are going to notice a difference in the sound quality. Again, getting rid of external noise is what this thing is aiming to do and that is something I can certainly appreciate.
It has a mylar foil shield like the other WAudio cable we looked at earlier and, in all honesty, this one seems very similar to that. Once again, you are getting that five-year warranty which I think shows that they clearly take a great deal of pride in their work. It is made so that it connects very snugly at both ends which is something I like to see.
What Customers Said
There are many positive customer reviews on Amazon for this which I liked to see. “It’s as nice as the 500$+ power cords some other companies sell…. I wasn’t going to blow 500$ for looks when it came to a power cable, but for this price why the heck not?” I think what this reviewer said pretty much sums up my feelings on this cable.
4. Pangea Audio AC-14 Powercord
Pros:
- It is built very well considering the price
- The cable is nice and flexible
- The asking price is more than fair
Cons:
- Does it really make that much of a difference?
I actually do like the Pangea Audio cable I purchased and this is another one from those guys. The Pangea Audio AC-14 Powercord comes in a few different sizes and this one I am looking at is the smallest at 1 meter. This is priced at 35 bucks so it is a nice affordable price and a price that makes taking a gamble on not that big of a gamble. Like the other cables we have looked at, noise reduction is the aim of the game here and that is always a good thing to read about.
The way they have manufactured this cable seems pretty darn solid. I like how they have made the cable a bit more flexible which is good as sometimes we have a really finite amount of space to get our cables in and having a bit of wiggle room is welcomed. The 24 k gold contacts allow for a really firm and solid connection which is great and in theory, should make a difference.
What Customers Said
Most of the customer reviews are very positive on Amazon so that is a good sign. “I heard a difference right away, there had been a buzz in my system that got significantly better.” I liked reading this as to me this sounds like the person was having some kind of interference and this power cable took care of that.
What Is The Best Budget Audiophile Power Cable?
Let me start by saying that I am still on the fence in regard to this power cable making a huge difference to sound thing. However, in looking at these power cables I can say that the one that I personally tested, the Pangea Audio AC 14SE MKII Signature Power Cable is a great quality power cable and considering the asking price I have no hesitation in saying that it is worth checking out.
When I have looked at these power cables, I have found very few negative reviews about them so there must be something here. While I can personally vouch for the Pangea Audio AC 14SE MKII Signature Power Cable I do also think that the others seem good too.