Introduction
Power cables on some home audio components are replaceable so cable manufacturers have started to produce replacement power cords of superior quality to the OEM units. Bettercables.com is a Virginia based on-line only mid to high end cable manufacturer that makes cables to try and appeal everyone. They are backed with good technology, high-end looks and are very reasonably priced (in comparison to some other high-end prestige brands).
Features and Build
The PO…ER 8 features a hospital grade AC plug and a Wattgate IEC 320 equipment plug on the other end. The cable is 13 gauge pure copper utilizing Bettercables patented HMCC Technology (Heated Mold Continuous Casting) which produces Single Crystallized Copper for the purest copper possible. The POWER 8 has dual Mylar and braided Annealed Copper shields and is UL approved and CL3 rated. The build quality is amazing, this is a very well built and durable cable that once purchased would never need replacing.
Performance
Over the years I have heard astonishing differences between interconnects and components, skepticism has kept from running out and buying new power cords for all my gear. So with an open mind I sat down to have a listen, I replaced the power cord on my existing receiver and threw on some music. Depending on the music that I listened to I have to admit that I did hear improvements. This seemed to be most dramatic when listening to music with lots of bass or wide dynamic swings. The improvements that I heard where; much tighter bass and less muddiness in the midrange as well as somewhat improved treble response. Sound staging and imaging improved moderately as well. One other thing to note as well is I did notice drastically improved FM reception.
Final thoughts
The ultimate question for me when reviewing a product is, would I buy it for my own system. Despite the fact that I did hear a difference when using an improved power cord this is still a tough call. If I replaced the power cords on my receiver, CD player and DVD/SACD player I am looking at a $990 bill to improve the performance of 3 components. I can not help but wonder what would happen if instead of replacing the power cords I purchased a voltage regulator (like the Monster Cable AVS2000) for my system. The bottom line is I did hear a difference and with Bettercables.com’s guarantee of “If you don’t agree that this is a great performing cable…we’ll buy it back!” you can check it out for yourself hassle free.
Screenshots
