Affordable Power Cords

I've been playing around with some PS Audio cords (Plus and Prelude) and a couple of MAC cords (HC and Source). I have a very hard time hearing any significant difference between any of these on my Denon/PS Audio/BAT/Von S set up. Now I note that my system is fed by a dedicated line to which I attach a PS Audio PPP which regenerates a clean wave, so perhaps the power is pretty good by the time it feeds the cables to my components. I feel the MAC and PS Audios are a 'slight' improvement over stock and I could not distinguish between these two makes in the dark if forced, so I'd love to hear a cable that really was clearly noticeably better, cos I'd buy a half dozen of them --- but has anyone out there done an unsighted test on the cables they are using (please calm down before replying if blind tests irk you)?

Oscar44, your testing results aren't surprising. I've read many times of people that didn't receive any but marginal (or no) improvements from a particular power cord. Lesser PS Audio cords have often been mentioned in this regard. My experiments with DIY VenHaus "Flavor" cords were similar, only marginal improvements. The Cryo-Parts and Virtual Dynamic cords I've got were instantly producing very audible improvements in my system. Don't worry about double blind tests to validate your impressions. I doubt any power cord produces uniformly repeatable effects in a wide variety of systems. I'm a rational person by nature, but I also accept that there are things which contribute to improved sound which we don't understand fully. If you bought a half dozen of a particular cord that is universally praised for producing improvements, it's quite possible you'd not receive uniform improvements in all your components. I've heard far more variation in performance of power cords at given price point than has been the case with interconnects. Power conditioning is another example of similar product interactions. I and many others have used a given power conditioner and praised it's contributions to our systems while an equal number have found the same condioner to be lacking.

Oscar44, not to get off the subject of power cords but related. I found changing the wall outlet where you plug in your equiptment is where the magic all starts. as I experimented with many, the best sound for me was the Oyaide gold/gold outlet, they all do make a difference that you can hear.when you are happy with the change then you can experiment with your cords. I must warn you that the outlets need a long break-in period.

Interesting comments, Photon 46 and Jimman, thank you both. Let me react in kind, I hope, in the spirit of healthy discussion.

I'd never just buy cords that reviewed well, but if I found one that truly elevated my sound I would be inclined to replace the rest of the cords too. I accept that the results might not be uniformly better since it is conceivable that effects on amps are not the same, or of the same magnitude, as on cd players etc. However, I would think that the science that went into producing the original improvement should have some carry-over benefits to other parts of the system (and it may be that the designers understand the underlying science so well that they can produce specific cords for specific components (cable A for high power amps, B for tubes, C for digital etc) which I would need to take into account in purchasing the remaining half dozen). The alternative seems to be a view that each component in each specific system will react in such a unique way that general engineering improvements in cables are not possible - only custom designing for that system can work, and I don't believe any cable company would argue for this -- rather each believes it has some general design breakthrough that works for most uses.

My outlets are hospital grade but nothing fancier, and I agree that there might be some value in upgrading these since ultimately every component draws on the current flowing through here -- indeed, it makes some intuitive sense to me that these would be more important than changes downstream (GIGO) but again, if your stylus is dirty, clean it first, don't imagine conditioning the power or adding a new cord to the table will help resolve that problem.

I joined this discussion late and I gather lots of you are testing the VD products so please, let us all know what you are experiencing and what you are comparing it against. I am impressed that the company is willing to state simply what they think is happening with their designs but I am not so quick to disregard testing, there's a lot of evidence that people are less able to distinguish sonic differences in cables than is claimed but I don't imagine many of us have the time to set up real blind tests, they are a pain to conduct. But changing back and forth a couple of times with other people to bounce your impressions off can also be very helpful. I would like to learn though what you find changes sonically, and if the cable works better in some components or combinations than others.

Ultimately, here's to audio -- where would we all be without it?

Best

I have only attempted a Zu Birth and nothing more expensive than that and am curious to hear what others have to say about the Power 3's. I have heard about pc differences but have not yet heard any improvements myself. I realize that I have not looked at any high end cables, but I have held back, because i have a hard time with why they would make such a big difference(not here to start a debate). If I hear enough positive's here I will go and give them a try. If I do where would one want to try it first, pre-amp, amps, source?