Power Cord for Power Conditioner

When I started out in this hobby I would read the reviews and if something was on my wish list I made apoint of travelling to a shop that would allow me to listen.

I can't say my impressions were as glowing as most of the reviews, but then as I started to get more experienece I started to tune in some of the things they were talking about, and with some mentoring from some more well healed and knowledgeable audiophiles, I began to separate the mumbo from the jumbo.

Much the same with power cords, lots of mumbo jumbo.Much has been written about their effects and yet there's still a few folks who say they can't make any difference.
Have they tried them?
Usually not,they just know better than to waste any money on them.

Now I've even read that the molded power cords are superior because they won't corrode as fast, hence degrade the sound.

Ever look at the inside of the cheap molded power cords?
Not a pretty sight, nor do they make the best case for quality materials or workmanship.

Sorry I'll take a bit of corrosion that I can clean and see before a plug with hidden innards of dubious quality.

I don't know how air tight my Shunyata Annacondas are, or if they have degraded over time from inner corosion.
Perhaps someone from Shunyata could shed some light on this latest bit of paranoia.

What I do know and not believe is that they sound better than any of my previous power cords,and that includes the molded ones and any of my DIY power cords.

And in a direct comparison of Shunyata power cords using headphones,as I moved up the line, the better the sound got.

I heard it and once heard, I couldn't go down the line.
If there were no differences I could have saved a bundle and stayed at the entry level.

I didn't configure my entire system with them for any other reason other than that they made the system sound better than without them.

Everything has a sonic set of strengths and weaknesses.
You like some more than others, to say that a power cord is just a tone control is only partly true and there's no shame in that if the power cord lets the all tone thru and doesn't hinder it, as so many mediocre molded cords do.

If a power cord adds sparkle or adds more meat,that's not to say that it's a fault of the power cord, just proof they can all interact differently with what they are plugged into.Proof they are not the same, and nice to know that we don't have to settle for whatever "colour" the molded ones are giving us.

If stock power cords are fine for you, then use them, they cost you nothing, they were free, they do the job of bringing your gear to life, they will allow the music to play.

But if you can afford to spend a little or a lot more for some aftermarket power cords, the sky is the limit to what music is yet to be heard.

I know a few folks who stay on the merry go round and swap out amps all the time and are never satisfied with the new amp purchase.

I wonder if the reason lies with the stock molded power cord they refuse to part with and insist is perfectly suitable for the job?

Hi all ! Well said once again , Lacee . I have stopped wondering much about how any component sounds ,especially amplifiers . I can pretty much make it sound anyway I want it to with cords and feet , etc . I still find it pretty amazing guys spend all this money on components and can't hear the difference a power cord makes , then they argue and call it snake oil.

"A removable power cord simply makes components easier to package and install."

It also makes it allot easier to ship worldwide to places that use a different style plug in the wall - or else each unit would need to be constructed for the specific country it is going to.

Hi all ! It does also make the component tunable .Many owners manuals talk about replacing the stock cord with an aftermarket cord . Hint : It isnt because the component manufacturers and the cable manufacturers are sleeping together .

Hmm, noticed that Lacee's favorite power cable manufacturer was using a Yokogawa oscilloscope for some development work.

I've got the same scope in our shop at work (and its big brother) and they come with a low cost detachable power cord. Depending on measurement location ours are often also tied to a really long extension cords, sometimes even a string of two or three.

I guess that since power cords change the output of quality electronics, all of the scope measurements are meaningless unless referenced to a specific power cord?? Weird that manufactures of measurement equipment for industry and medical services & etc don't know this stuff.