AudioQuest NRG-Y3 Power Cable

NRG-Y3 Adds Silver-Plated Drains to the C13 Line

A power cable carries the last few feet of AC from the wall into a component. It can't add power a component doesn't draw, but a poorly shielded one lets noise ride in on that current.

AudioQuest's NRG-Y3 is the second rung of its C13 power cable line. It keeps the solid Long-Grain Copper conductors of NRG-X3 and adds silver-plated drain wires, at AudioQuest's second-lowest power cable price.

Long-Grain Copper With Silver-Plated Drain Wires

AudioQuest builds NRG-Y3 with solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC), which it says has fewer grain boundaries than ordinary copper. The drain wires, which carry radio-frequency noise away from the signal conductors, are silver plated, a step up from the plain copper drains on NRG-X3.

Semi-Solid Concentric Conductors and ZERO-Tech

Strands in the Semi-Solid Concentric geometry are packed tightly and never change position within the bundle, reducing strand-interaction distortion along the run. AudioQuest's ZERO-Tech design combines low DC resistance with zero characteristic impedance, so current transients are not constricted or compressed the way they are in many AC cables.

The Connectors, Explained

NRG-Y3 ends in an IEC C13 inlet plug, the common three-pin connector on most DACs, streamers, disc players and small integrated amps, and a standard NEMA 5-15 three-prong plug for the US wall outlet at the wall end.

Who Is This Power Cable Best For?

• You already own an NRG-X3 and want a clean step up — NRG-Y3 keeps the same C13 connector and adds silver-plated drain wires on the same LGC core
• Your component is a DAC, streamer, phono preamp or disc player — this remains AudioQuest's source-and-desktop-gear tier, one step above NRG-X3
• You want a C13 connector, the most common inlet on component-grade gear — NRG-Y3 is built specifically around the C13 IEC plug
• Your rack sits near a Wi-Fi router or other RF-noisy gear — the silver-plated drain wires help carry that induced noise away from the signal conductors
• You need a C7 or C5 connector instead of C13 — AudioQuest NRG-Y2 C7 or the NRG-X3 C5 cable match those inlets; check your component's connector before ordering

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Plug the female C13 end into the IEC inlet on the back of your DAC, streamer, phono preamp or disc player, and the male end into a wall outlet or power conditioner outlet.

Then power up the system as usual.

Pairs Well With

A power cable is one link in the chain from the wall to your gear. It usually joins these categories.

• Power Conditioners — filter the whole circuit; the cable feeds the last few feet after it
• Integrated Amplifiers — the high-current load most power cables are built to feed
• Stereo Amplifiers — another high-current destination for the heavier gauges in this range
• Digital-to-Analog Converters — a low-current source component that still benefits from clean, quiet AC

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does shielding matter on an AC cable?

AudioQuest builds its power cables to keep radio-frequency and electromagnetic noise from riding in on the AC line and reaching sensitive circuits. A ground wire without that shielding can act like an antenna, pulling in exactly the noise a power cable is supposed to keep out.

Do power cables wear out?

Every metal conductor oxidizes over time; it is unavoidable chemistry, not a defect. What varies is the rate. Denser, better-shielded conductors with quality plating oxidize far more slowly, so a well-made cable performs the same way for years instead of drifting.

Will this affect my system's ground safety?

No change to your safety ground. Every cable in this line keeps the full three-conductor path, hot, neutral and ground, exactly as building code requires. What differs from a stock cord is conductor quality and shielding, not the wiring topology.

Is there a step up?

AudioQuest NRG-Z3 is the next rung. It moves from Long-Grain Copper to Perfect-Surface Copper+, the purer conductor metal AudioQuest builds its higher tiers around.

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