Why do I need power management if I have a great power cord?

My system has all digital sources and each time I've upgraded the power conditioner the improvement in detail, soundstage, resolution and especially the bass performance has been significant.  I suspect that the cleaner AC power allows the DAC to perform better.

I've also bought high end interconnects and power cords, and when I deployed higher-end interconnect, I enjoyed better sound quality, but the resulting improvement wasn't as great as the improvements from upgrading the power conditioner.

I can't speak to vinyl-based systems, but for digital sourced systems my vote would be "yes" for upgrading the power conditioner.

@hilde45 People who say it’s all snake oil raise two questions for me:

1. Do you think that these cords and conditioners have just been fooling everyone for decades? And they are too stupid to realize it and too deluded to know that they are not hearing a difference? If your answer is "yes" then you have a very low opinion of thousands of audiophiles.

My answer is yes to your first question, but your own conclusion is incorrect. It doesn’t require a detailed knowledge of logical and/or formal fallacies to understand why that may be so.

I think that using the word stupid isn’t very nice, by the way, but using careless reasoning is disingenuous . Anyway, cords and conditioners, being inanimate, can’t fool anyone. People can, and do.

+1 hilde45
The video comparison with "black background" rings true. Same principle applies in framing pictures. Or plant a rose garden in an empty lot -- you may think it looks fine until you surround it with a hedge of dark yews. Now you see what you've been missing, with sharper resolution of both form and color. Similarly, lower the noise floor in an audio system and your resolution improves.
 
Not saying any particular change will be noticeable in OP's system. Just that the principle is valid as applied to hearing as well as seeing (and to other sensory appreciation too, well beyond the scope of OP's question).

@hickamore Agreed. Mileage varies, but the thing about calling it all BS is that the denier gets the relief of emotional closure. Not denying them that pleasure; the problem emerges when their closure is proffered as empirical proof for a more general claim. That's where they go wrong, though others seeking closure like to pile on to support their faulty reasoning.

noske, I asked of deniers, "Do you think that these cords and conditioners have just been fooling everyone for decades?" For the record, your answer is "yes."

I’ll agree we should remove the word "stupid" and let the person who thinks *everyone* has been fooled *for decades* use their own adjective to characterize so many people buying useless gear -- or just forego attaching any adjectives at all. This is a hobby. Let people have their audio kabuki!

There is nothing careless about that reasoning. Thinking so is reasoning carelessly.