Power Cable Lifts/Risers, etc.

Rocoa

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Oct 17, 2018
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Me too. Combined with Synergistic Research UEF performance elevators and Furutech NCF Booster Signal.
Great improvement in musicality’s flow.
 

Chops

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Apr 27, 2016
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I use 80 to 100+ year old porcelain insulators off of old decommissioned telegraph poles along side railroad tracks. The "original" cable risers/isolators.

 

hongkongfoufou

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Mar 3, 2018
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I have tried many cable lifters, and some home-made solutions worked as well as much more expensive products on the market, so it is certainly worth experimenting. I've heard of successful attempts of toilet paper rolls being put under speaker cables ;) But this is not something you would like to look at while listening to your favourite music hah :) Of course, there is a question of the degree of changes that cable lifters actually introduce. My all-time favourite is Furutech, but, for example, the best result under my amp power cord is from a boomerang I got in Australia :) However, it is the original thing, made of an extremely hard Australian wood, not a Chinese product from a souvenir shop. The difference with and without the boomerang is stunning! Nothing can beat the boomerang here. It's not that you should use boomerangs as cable lifters, as it might even be a little offending to the native inhabitants in Australia, but I'm including the example as a hint to what actually matters in cable lifters. To sum up, it's definitely worth experimenting :) Blocks of hard wood come to mind as the most cost-effective solutions. The cable in the photo is a Furutech Nanoflux NCF powering my tube amplifier.
I have the same Furutech Nanoflux NCF for my amplifier too. It's a good choice.
 
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Ron Resnick

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The difference with and without the boomerang is stunning!

Thank you for this interesting report!

"Stunning" suggests a big sonic improvement. Would you please describe for us in detail the differences in sound you hear with and without the wood boomerang lifters?
 

hongkongfoufou

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Mar 3, 2018
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Me too. Combined with Synergistic Research UEF performance elevators and Furutech NCF Booster Signal.
Great improvement in musicality’s flow.
I use only Furutech NCF Booster and Furutech NCF Booster NCF...
 

BruceD

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Dec 13, 2013
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My all-time favourite is Furutech, but, for example, the best result under my amp power cord is from a boomerang I got in Australia :) However, it is the original thing, made of an extremely hard Australian wood, not a Chinese product from a souvenir shop. The difference with and without the boomerang is stunning! Nothing can beat the boomerang here.
Hmm , Well I'm leaning towards Piotr pulling our chain;)--I tried all three suggestions and the Boomerang I rememberedI obtained during a drunken purchase in Oz way back failed miserably here--with my Gabon Ebony blocks being "slightly better" than the Cable Insulators although I use both on P Cords and inters/Spkrs/etc.

I gather these killing items the Boomerang, that is what it is designed to do--will not work if the local headman has pointed the Bone at it--maybe mine is neutered:eek:!

Yes well ---

BruceD
IMG_2266.jpg
 

Piotr_905

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Oct 28, 2020
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Thank you for this interesting report!

"Stunning" suggests a big sonic improvement. Would you please describe for us in detail the differences in sound you hear with and without the wood boomerang lifters?
Hallo, I'm sorry for getting back so late, I must admit I haven't logged in here for a long time. "Stunning" meant rather "surprising" than "big" an improvement. I had some friends in, we were listening, and all of a suddent the boomerang fell to its side and the sound instantly became less clear, the top of the sound spectrum became less clear. I admit I may have exaggerated with "stunning", it's just that everybody was surprised with the boomerang falling and the sound worsening. But it's an effect of the moment. You continue listening and things are OK without the boomerang... It;s like many small things in audio, they improve the sound in direct comparison but if you don't try you won't feel like you're losing out at all.
 

Puma Cat

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Feb 20, 2011
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Hallo, I'm sorry for getting back so late, I must admit I haven't logged in here for a long time. "Stunning" meant rather "surprising" than "big" an improvement. I had some friends in, we were listening, and all of a suddent the boomerang fell to its side and the sound instantly became less clear, the top of the sound spectrum became less clear. I admit I may have exaggerated with "stunning", it's just that everybody was surprised with the boomerang falling and the sound worsening. But it's an effect of the moment. You continue listening and things are OK without the boomerang... It;s like many small things in audio, they improve the sound in direct comparison but if you don't try you won't feel like you're losing out at all.
"Stunning" does mean suprising, not "big" ("magnitude", per se). Def: "causing astonishment or disbelief", so your use of it is actually correct and accurate with respect to it's definition.

Etymological concerns aside, my first experience with cable lifters was similar to yours. I was skeptical of their benefit, until I inadvertantly did a controlled experiment.

Reference back to my post about this. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/power-cable-lifts-risers-etc.35563/post-860272

I became convinced of their benefits after auditioning the Omega QR power cord. The Omega PC comes with a set of three of the DF-SS for use under the power cord. Acc. to Shunyata, they are important for power cords as for speaker cables. So, I put 'em under the Omega PC per Shunyata's guidance while I had it in-house for an audition .

When I removed the Omega power cord to go back to my reference Sigma XC PC, I moved the DF-SS out from behind the rack and placed them under the R channel speaker, and forgot about 'em. A few days later, when I fired up the system and sat back to listen to it. WTF? The R channel had a notable improvement in clarity, resolution, bass definition, and "openness" compared to the L channel speaker.

Then I noticed that the R channel speaker cable was resting on the DF-SS cable elevators, and the L channel speaker cables were simply resting on the floor. Being the scientist I am, I performed the orthogonal control experiment, and moved the DF-SS under the L channel speaker, with the R channel cable now lying on the floor. Sure, enough, the notable improvement in clarity, resolution, bass definition, and "openness" moved over to the L channel speaker and R channel sounded "darker, muddier and more compressed". That's when I became convinced of their benefit. So, I ordered another set for the other channel.

Turns out that placing the power cords on these also provides the same level and type of improvement. When I bought my Omega QR-s PC, it also came with a set of three DF-SS. I was initially skeptical of using it under the PCs until I had done the experiment with them under the speaker cables and on the guidance from Shunyata that it was also important for power cords. So, now I have 'em under all my power cords as well. This lesson taught me that if Shunyata provides guidance in their "application notes" (e.g. using cable elevators for SPs* and PCs) for using their products, I just follow their guidance. They've done the R&D and know what actually works...

Cheers.

*SP–SPeaker cables
 
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wackerd

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Jul 28, 2023
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"Atemberaubend" bedeutet überraschend, nicht "groß" ("Größe" an sich). Def: "Erstaunen oder Unglauben hervorrufen", also ist Ihre Verwendung in Bezug auf seine Definition tatsächlich korrekt und genau.

Abgesehen von etymologischen Bedenken war meine erste Erfahrung mit Kabelhebern ähnlich wie Ihre. Ich war skeptisch, was ihren Nutzen anging, bis ich versehentlich ein kontrolliertes Experiment durchführte.

Verweise zurück auf meinen Beitrag dazu. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/power-cable-lifts-risers-etc.35563/post-860272

Ich war von ihren Vorteilen überzeugt, nachdem ich das Omega QR-Netzkabel ausprobiert hatte. Der Omega PC wird mit einem Dreier-Set des DF-SS zur Verwendung unter dem Netzkabel geliefert. Laut Shunyata sind sie sowohl für Netzkabel als auch für Lautsprecherkabel wichtig. Also habe ich sie unter Shunyata's Anleitung unter den Omega-PC gestellt, während ich sie für ein Vorsprechen intern hatte.

Als ich das Omega-Netzkabel entfernte, um zu meinem Referenz-Sigma XC-PC zurückzukehren, holte ich die DF-SS hinter dem Rack hervor und platzierte sie unter dem R-Kanal-Lautsprecher und vergaß sie. Ein paar Tage später, als ich das System startete und mich zurücklehnte, um es mir anzuhören. WTF? Der R-Kanal hatte im Vergleich zum L-Kanal-Lautsprecher eine bemerkenswerte Verbesserung in Bezug auf Klarheit, Auflösung, Bassdefinition und "Offenheit".

Dann bemerkte ich, dass das R-Kanal-Lautsprecherkabel auf den DF-SS-Kabelaufzügen ruhte und die L-Kanal-Lautsprecherkabel einfach auf dem Boden ruhten. Als Wissenschaftler, der ich bin, führte ich das orthogonale Kontrollexperiment durch und schob den DF-SS unter den L-Kanal-Lautsprecher, wobei das R-Kanal-Kabel jetzt auf dem Boden lag. Sicher, genug, die bemerkenswerte Verbesserung in Bezug auf Klarheit, Auflösung, Bassdefinition und "Offenheit" übertrug sich auf den L-Kanal-Lautsprecher und der R-Kanal klang "dunkler, matschiger und komprimierter". Da war ich von ihrem Nutzen überzeugt. Also bestellte ich ein weiteres Set für den anderen Kanal.

Es stellt sich heraus, dass das Anbringen der Netzkabel auch das gleiche Maß und die gleiche Art von Verbesserung bietet. Als ich meinen Omega QR-s PC kaufte, wurde er auch mit einem Satz von drei DF-SS geliefert. Anfangs war ich skeptisch, es unter den PCs zu verwenden, bis ich das Experiment mit ihnen unter den Lautsprecherkabeln und auf die Anweisung von Shunyata hin gemacht hatte, dass es auch für Netzkabel wichtig sei. So, jetzt habe ich sie auch unter all meinen Netzkabeln. Diese Lektion hat mich gelehrt, dass, wenn Shunyata in seinen "Anwendungshinweisen" (z. B. die Verwendung von Kabelaufzügen für SPs* und PCs) Anleitungen für die Verwendung ihrer Produkte gibt, ich einfach ihrer Anleitung folge. Sie haben die Forschung und Entwicklung durchgeführt und wissen, was tatsächlich funktioniert...

Prost.

"Stunning" does mean suprising, not "big" ("magnitude", per se). Def: "causing astonishment or disbelief", so your use of it is actually correct and accurate with respect to it's definition.

Etymological concerns aside, my first experience with cable lifters was similar to yours. I was skeptical of their benefit, until I inadvertantly did a controlled experiment.

Reference back to my post about this. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/power-cable-lifts-risers-etc.35563/post-860272

I became convinced of their benefits after auditioning the Omega QR power cord. The Omega PC comes with a set of three of the DF-SS for use under the power cord. Acc. to Shunyata, they are important for power cords as for speaker cables. So, I put 'em under the Omega PC per Shunyata's guidance while I had it in-house for an audition .

When I removed the Omega power cord to go back to my reference Sigma XC PC, I moved the DF-SS out from behind the rack and placed them under the R channel speaker, and forgot about 'em. A few days later, when I fired up the system and sat back to listen to it. WTF? The R channel had a notable improvement in clarity, resolution, bass definition, and "openness" compared to the L channel speaker.

Then I noticed that the R channel speaker cable was resting on the DF-SS cable elevators, and the L channel speaker cables were simply resting on the floor. Being the scientist I am, I performed the orthogonal control experiment, and moved the DF-SS under the L channel speaker, with the R channel cable now lying on the floor. Sure, enough, the notable improvement in clarity, resolution, bass definition, and "openness" moved over to the L channel speaker and R channel sounded "darker, muddier and more compressed". That's when I became convinced of their benefit. So, I ordered another set for the other channel.

Turns out that placing the power cords on these also provides the same level and type of improvement. When I bought my Omega QR-s PC, it also came with a set of three DF-SS. I was initially skeptical of using it under the PCs until I had done the experiment with them under the speaker cables and on the guidance from Shunyata that it was also important for power cords. So, now I have 'em under all my power cords as well. This lesson taught me that if Shunyata provides guidance in their "application notes" (e.g. using cable elevators for SPs* and PCs) for using their products, I just follow their guidance. They've done the R&D and know what actually works...

Cheers.

*SP–SPeaker cables
Do you think that the positive effect on sound quality is determined by the special DF-SS lifter (which I could not find out what technical reason is behind the lifter) or would you get the same improvement by simply lifting up the cable with wooden or plastic lifter for example?
 

Puma Cat

Well-Known Member
Feb 20, 2011
243
362
970
SF East Bay Area
Do you think that the positive effect on sound quality is determined by the special DF-SS lifter (which I could not find out what technical reason is behind the lifter) or would you get the same improvement by simply lifting up the cable with wooden or plastic lifter for example?
The importance of the cable riser is to prevent imparting floor-borne (and also, intrinsic "cable-borne"; see comment below) vibration into the cable. The room's floor vibrates when the room's air is pressurized by the loudspeakers. This is true even with concrete slab floors (concrete can actually "ring like a bell" in the presence of vibration-inducing factors), and this vibration imparts triboelectric noise into the dielectric of the cable. The impact of this noise factor is clearly audible.

I used to use a cable riser that was 3-printed in plastic. However, in side-by-side controlled experiments (and, I know how to design a controlled experiment because I worked as a professional scientist my entire career), the DF-SS cable risers are audibly better. The Zr-CA material in them also effectively dissipates the static e-field that is created when lifting a power or speaker cable off the floor (this is measurable using a static e-field gauge), and the benefit of dissipating that is clearly audible.

Look, here's the deal: the guys at Shunyata don't make recommendations just to "sell you something". They make them because...they're actually IMPORTANT. I learned the hard way that when Shunyata makes a recommendation, it's not marketing "frou-frou", it's the real frickin' deal. By way of example, when I first read their recommendations for the importance of elevating speaker cables, and then, much to my even-greater skepticism, power cords, off the floor, my initial reaction was...."Yeah, right". Moreover, I stupidly disregarded that guidance for...years. And, man, did I learn the hard way how wrong I was on both those fronts.

I'm now using their new Möbius cable elevators, which are even better than the original DF-SS, because they not only damp floor-borne vibrations, they damp vibrations traveling along the body of the speaker or power cable itself.

 
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exupgh12

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Jul 30, 2019
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I use the Cardas multi blocks cable lifters, I didn’t find fancier cable lifter doing better job for me.

 
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exupgh12

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Jul 30, 2019
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What other ones did you try?
I have tried synergetics UEF Performance Elevators and Audioquest FOG cable lifters, both didn’t gain any performance over the Cardas blocks.
 
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Republicoftexas69

Well-Known Member
If you are on a slab with engineered wood floors there is zero, that is 0 benefit to cable risers.
I have tried almost every brand available in North America and there was zero difference in sound.
Thankfully I was able to return them all. Other than making easier to Swiffer the floor they are not for me.
 

hongkongfoufou

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Mar 3, 2018
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I use Furutech booster signal.
Better with than without.
 

BillK

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Aug 25, 2015
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I use the Cardas multi blocks cable lifters, I didn’t find fancier cable lifter doing better job for me.


On carpet, I think the porcelain "Cable Elevators" are more stable than the Ayre/Cardas blocks but similar audibly.

 

exupgh12

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Jul 30, 2019
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On carpet, I think the porcelain "Cable Elevators" are more stable than the Ayre/Cardas blocks but similar audibly.

i agree with your comment, however, my are sitting on ceramic floor, the carpet is in front of the speakers were cables are behind it.
 
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Kodak805

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May 10, 2023
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I have a few power cables that are heavy and leaning down due to their weight. The IEC ends that plug into my gear.

What are people using to support their cables? I know Furutech makes a riser but I'm not sure I want to send that much. Of course if we spend crazy amounts of money for cables, what a few hundred more for cable supports I guess :eek:
I have a few power cables that are heavy and leaning down due to their weight. The IEC ends that plug into my gear.

What are people using to support their cables? I know Furutech makes a riser but I'm not sure I want to send that much. Of course if we spend crazy amounts of money for cables, what a few hundred more for cable supports I guess :eek:
I use fingertip towel rings. There is no way for the cable to fall off the support because it it threaded through the rings.. The base is weighted so it will not fall over. The weight of the cable makes it self stabilizing as well.
 

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