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Let's talk power cords

Does a upgrade really make a difference over a stock cord?
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willemj
1,036 posts
 
Jond,
I am busy right now but I shall try to dig up the details. What it amounts to is that the law in most EU countries in one way or another does not allow deception in sales. Here was a chain of audio stores that claimed that the cables they were selling were sonically superior. So the UK Consumer Protection Agency (I think it was them) took the stores to court because they could not prove that claim. I think expert witnesses were also called in.
Other groups could have done the same, like consumer organizations (they often do) or consumer tv programs that name and shame.
The store had to withdraw its claim, and without that claim there was little point in selling such expensive cables. Unfortunately this does not mean that things like this will not happen again, and many cases may remain under the radar, but it does mean that sellers have to be very careful with what they claim.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
RE UK cable dealer fraud case. Turns out it was just the usual audiophile goat rope in which the very well known audio dealer Russ Andrews was accused by some magazine of "hyping" some audiophile cables that were claimed to arrest RFI/EMI. As far as I can determine there was no real court case, just a nasty article in the magazine. The usual, in other words. There was the little tidbit at the end of the article I ran across on line, which is a quote from Russ Andrews,

"We’re told... Your correspondent’s brief career as a sound professional was curtailed when it emerged he has "no ears", and thus isn’t qualified to comment."

So it goes. 😀

Reminiscent of The Amazing Randi fiasco in which the well known reviewer of Stereophile magazine was the subject of a Million dollar challenge. The challenge was to hear the difference between Monster Cable and a $20,000 high end cable in controlled blind tests. What could go wrong with that, right? Same old, same old.
bondmanp
1,820 posts
 

IME, power cords can make a difference. I think, and I am no engineer, that most of the beneficial effects result from rejection of EMI and other noise. Poorly shielded wires are basically antennae. The argument that how can the last few feet compensate for the lengthy power supply chain that preceeds it is a poor argument. Added noise and EMI is cumulative, so any place in which it is possible to reduce these things shouild be addressed. Also, I bet that some electronic gear is more sensitive to the a/c power they receive. And if a system is not very resolving, I doubt differences will be dramatic. Yet another variable is how clean or dirty your power is to start with. So, there is no one absolute answer to the OP’s question. "Depends", as they say.


But, for the OP and others who are skeptical, why not try some power cords that are appropriately priced for the rest of your system from a retailer who will take them back if you do not hear a difference that is worth the expense to you? IOW, why believe us, when you can hear for yourself?
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mroihp
3 posts
 
Are there any blind studies on this issue??  You can find glowing reports from people claiming magnets on their wrists cured their arthritis. Such reports are as convincing as the reports here from listeners that such cords have an impact on their system. I have YG Anat 3s, Chord Electronics and a DSX processor and I have never been compelled to buy such aftermarket cords because the science is snake oil. Sorry guys your ears are easily fooled. 
Show me some research that is compelling that such power cord could and does make a difference both in the function of the downstream electronics and more importantly that when listeners have no idea what cord is being used and all other variables are controlled they can hear the difference. Until then this is snake oil. I want to be convinced.
jl35
4,036 posts
 
with gear that good I would think you would want to do your own double blind test with your own system. that's what I did...it was actually fun and didn't take very long, and improved my system for minimal cost...
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