Do power cords matter?

[Rhinodriver]

I need a 10 ft power cord for my 1959slp. Should I just use any old iec cord laying around or buy a 14g Mercury magnetics cord. While I’m at it should I spring for the 12g?

Yes! I have a 59SLP as well and wanted a backup power cord. An amp tech suggested I try a heavier gauge cord made by Cutthroat in Coeur d Alene Idaho. The physics behind it really made no sense to me, so I was very skeptical. That cord has made a very noticeable difference in the tone and nuance of my plexi. My old Marshall cord is now my backup.

 

[kilroy]

12 gauge would be ideal ,as to match the Romex rating in the walls. 14 g also fine. 16g is thin.
10 g would be overkill.

that 12 gauge romex is designed to handle the power for your amp.... and a hair dryer, a laptop, a TV and two desk lamps. With room to spare. Your circuit breaker should trip long before that romex becomes a problem. A 12 gauge power cord is absurd overkill. Standard IEC C13 power cords are typically 18 gauge and can handle 15 Amps (as in amperage, not 15 Marshall amplifiers ), and that's all that's needed

 

[DreamerDeceiver]

that 12 gauge romex is designed to handle the power for your amp.... and a hair dryer, a laptop, a TV and two desk lamps. With room to spare. Your circuit breaker should trip long before that romex becomes a problem. A 12 gauge power cord is absurd overkill. Standard IEC C13 power cords are typically 18 gauge and can handle 15 Amps (as in amperage, not 15 Marshall amplifiers ), and that's all that's needed

One man's floor is another man's ceiling

Funny how someone who doesn't say 10 words in a 13 year span comes out of the woodwork to reprimand me .

Feel better fella

 

[BrianK]

As someone posted above, ALL the power comes thru the wall Romex. You CAN'T do better with a larger/thicker cable than that. So 12g is a match but not even necessary.

It's hard to find a power cord that won't do it correctly.

 

[Dogs of Doom]

One man's floor is another man's ceiling

Funny how someone who doesn't say 10 words in a 13 year span comes out of the woodwork to reprimand me .

Feel better fella

I don't think he was reprimanding you... remember text doesn't capture inflection of tone. I read a bit of sarcasm, for the subject, but, I read it as more he was piling on, to what you said, & what is being said in this thread in general...

 

[Dogs of Doom]

but, one thing is for certain...

Kilroy was here...

 

[Rokinroller]

For those of you who are poo poo'ing the "cork sniffery" idea without doing a valid test, you are showing your ignorance. I too didn't think it would make a difference until I had the opportunity to AB test it for myself. On multiple amps (Carr, Bogner, Marshall, etc) I couldn't explain the improvement in frequency presence of a cable from Analysis Plus and a standard EIC cable (16,14 or 12 gauge). I immediately became a convert. I auditioned the Analysis Plus Pro Power Oval MK II Cable and Pro Power Oval 10 Cables. The Pro Power Oval MK II Cable I felt was a definite winner. But if you're using a cable on stage, I don't think you're going to really hear the improvement. Live sound is just a cluster-f&ck anyway. But in the studio is another matter all together. FYI 15A/115V rated cables only require 14 gauge. Most amps don't draw anywhere near 15 amps anyway.

Wow , amazing ! But neither can I explain what "frequency presence" would be or sound like . Some have even said that they hear a difference in the batteries they use in their pedals .... amazing . I had a chick once that claimed only duracell batteries would give her the best max climax from her toy . Amazing .

 

[Xoph]

Power cords make an enormous difference.
Unplug one and your tone gets weak and tinny.
A very short one limits where you can place the amp.
A particular color makes it hard to match particular other colors.
A very stiff one is hard to bend into a sharp-cornered pentagram shape.

 

[rolijen]

A5 is my favorite power chord... ...

You beat me to it!

 

[10kDA]

When you're gigging, how many times are you fortunate enough to plug directly into a wall outlet? We have 3 x 50ft 12 gauge contractor type weatherproof 4-outlet extension boxes to get power where we need it. I have 12 ga power cables on my amps FWIW but whatever works for you is good.

 

[NoelH]

I use medical grade IEC's. And on an amp I own that has an old school AC cord, I put a large ferrite bead on the amp end of the cord.
Why? I (literally) know what dirty AC looks like. I'm in the Radiology Engineering group for a huge world-famous hospital. I've seen what dirty AC does to an ultrasound image. I kid you not. Two weeks ago, an ultrasound machine was plugged into a network jack and the AC outlet it was plugged into was a foot or so away. We had to switch it to WIFI in order to get rid of the artifacts on-screen from the AC power. So, YES! It matters.

 

[alexmansman]

Dave Friedman recently said on Tone Talk that powering your amp with any old IEC from Walmart vs some high end one would yield no difference. This is not at all something I would invest time or money into. It's getting absurd

 

[Masker of Puppets]

Yes! I have a 59SLP as well and wanted a backup power cord. An amp tech suggested I try a heavier gauge cord made by Cutthroat in Coeur d Alene Idaho. The physics behind it really made no sense to me, so I was very skeptical. That cord has made a very noticeable difference in the tone and nuance of my plexi. My old Marshall cord is now my backup.

did the new cord come with Ferrite clamps?

 

[Masker of Puppets]

I use medical grade IEC's. And on an amp I own that has an old school AC cord, I put a large ferrite bead on the amp end of the cord.
Why? I (literally) know what dirty AC looks like. I'm in the Radiology Engineering group for a huge world-famous hospital. I've seen what dirty AC does to an ultrasound image. I kid you not. Two weeks ago, an ultrasound machine was plugged into a network jack and the AC outlet it was plugged into was a foot or so away. We had to switch it to WIFI in order to get rid of the artifacts on-screen from the AC power. So, YES! It matters.

I bought a Tripplite isolated medical grade power source, the 4 outlet box you see on ekg carts. They use them for slot machines as well. It worked good once a grounded it to the plumbing.

 

[mark123]

Here. You’re welcome.

Nordost Valhalla 2 Power Cord

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[msgdp]

Lekato Wireless WS-50 -- the best $58.13 I ever spent.

 

[Rokinroller]

So , I have to buy expensive medical / military grade power cords to get better coffee , toast and oven performance ? Let the games begin ! I'm all in ... yay !

Hey , we learn great new sciences here on the Marshall forum .

 

[Rokinroller]

Power cords make an enormous difference.
Unplug one and your tone gets weak and tinny.
A very short one limits where you can place the amp.
A particular color makes it hard to match particular other colors.
A very stiff one is hard to bend into a sharp-cornered pentagram shape.

Those are undisputable FACTS right there !

 

[cozmacozmy]

Long debated topic. To me, as long as you have a cord with wire AWG the same or larger than what’s in the wall then you’re as good as you can easily be.

And what guage wire is inside of the amp the IEC connects to.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

For those of you who are poo poo'ing the "cork sniffery" idea without doing a valid test, you are showing your ignorance. I too didn't think it would make a difference until I had the opportunity to AB test it for myself. On multiple amps (Carr, Bogner, Marshall, etc) I couldn't explain the improvement in frequency presence of a cable from Analysis Plus and a standard EIC cable (16,14 or 12 gauge). I immediately became a convert. I auditioned the Analysis Plus Pro Power Oval MK II Cable and Pro Power Oval 10 Cables. The Pro Power Oval MK II Cable I felt was a definite winner. But if you're using a cable on stage, I don't think you're going to really hear the improvement. Live sound is just a cluster-f&ck anyway. But in the studio is another matter all together. FYI 15A/115V rated cables only require 14 gauge. Most amps don't draw anywhere near 15 amps anyway.

As long as cable is transmitting the power I do not see the relevance. Usually at gigs one is running through an extension cord.
The wall power in most places fluctuates enough to make the cable the least of the worries. Especially tonally.
I think it is placebo effect but of course one is free to spend extra on AC powwr cables if it makes you feel better. I won't and if my live tone suffers, who will know?