Power Cables

aalenik: I appreciate all the input. Learned alot from both sides. Just quietly observing this thread.  

@wmarkhall - I’ll attempt to address your questions in order, but some answers overlap...

what part --specifically-- inherent to the "advanced" power cable enables it to allow more power from the station / to the pole / over the lines / into your home through the walls after going through its own short run of wire?

An advanced power cable is generally constructed by using the best possible quality copper or silver plated copper
- this provides better conductivity, which improves the dynamic perofrmance of the cables.
- it allows for a faster response to the components "request" for more current
- a component’s circuitry draws current and when it cannot get enough current to satisfy it’s requirements the circuits internal voltages dip and distortions in the signal occures

And (b) what part of the PSU system within the component senses and allows more current than what it is specified to engage

The PSU senses nothing - it simply tries to deliver the amount of current requested by the internal circuitry of a component, as it tries to accomodate the demands of the ausio signal - and transient spikes are the most demanding.
- Again - if the transient spike requires more "power" (i.e. current) than the PSU of the components can deliver, the voltage dips and the reproduction of that transient spike is less than optimal and sound quality is effected.
However, the PSU tries to draw that excess power required from the mains supply via the power cable.
- An advanced PC will assist in that transfer
- a standard PC will not be able to convey the current in a "timely manner"

a timely conveyance of it, as you say, to increase audio transients?

If you can build "the perfect power cable" it would allow a component to process a transient spike completely.
- if the cable is not capable of conveying the power (i.e. current) required frpom the mains, then the amplified transient spike will look and sound quite different.

Finally (c) what makes this wire magic so expensive that it is not within the cost/benefit analysis parameters of the manufacturers to include it with their mid to higher priced products if the difference is so easily heard?

Modestly priced components are designed/built to a specific "price point" - they get the cables that the company feels "does the job at the price point"

More expensive audiophile components come with "reasonable" power cables, but the companies that make them believe that the customer will simply replace the included power cable, because that is what many audiophiles do - so why bother investing the time and energy when according to the consumer there is a better power cable out there.
It would be silly to pack an 18 gauge power cable with a McIntosh, so they get a cable that at least "looks the part" and maintain their credibility

But n addition to your questions I would like to address the geometry of the cable again, because this is the area that is currently being investigated by cable manufacturers...
- most conventional power cables are noisy
- it’s what happens when you place three conductors in parallel inside a sleeve - noise is induce into the neutral, and vice versa when the polarity changes.
- Most of this noise is dealt quite effectively by large power supplies, that’s why large power amps sound so good.
But in components with less than optimum power supplies this noise has an impact.

Of the simple geometries I have tried/built...
- braiding, because the three conductors are not in parallel, their ability to induce noise between them is reduced and sound quality improves by about 40-60%,
- the Helix design - where the neutral and ground conductors are almost at right angles to the live wire - the result is very little noise and much improved sound quality is achieved.

If you have a really noisy mains power supply (i.e. from the street) - then a good power cable will will simply convey that noise - but with more precision.

Another interesting point - people look at the mains supply and figure "it’s just 50/60 Hz - why would I need power cables capable of conveying the entire audio spectrum"
- I thought about this when I first read it posted here on audiogon
- Granted the voltage has a frequency responce of 50/60 Hz

BUT - what about the current that is drawn???
- as the audio signal is processed the component draws just the right amount of current to process it.
- if a loud bass note is processed a large amount of current is drawn
- if a quiet passage is processed much less current is drawn

So based on that - isn’t it reasonable to assume that the current drawn (i.e. over time) would in fact resemble the audio signal ?
- most of the time the components power supply does an adequate job of satisfying the demans of the connected circuit, but when those large transients come along, most power supplies will not deliver the required current in a "timely manner"

If that is the case, then for me, power cables with high quality conductors (as in the rest of your system), makes perfect sense.

I hope this answers your questions

BTW - I have no actual proof that any of the above actually happens - it’s just my early electrical education being applied in areas it was never really meant for and it’s also based on my "experiments" with different cable geometries over the last 5 years

Regards - Steve

Great. Now that you've written all of that, explain to us how this makes a single iota of difference when in an amplifier's linear power supply the current through the mains is only directly in use 5 to 10% of the time since the power supply system's inherent design is to fill capacitors that provide smoothed and constant direct current for the supply rails that ultimately amplify the signal. Unless your contention is that the current provided by a scant meter or less of cable has somehow conditioned the wall current in such a way for storage in the system's res capacitor(s) that it is improved in some way that impacts what exits the system to be reproduced by cones. That's one magic sonic loogey you got there!

Considering you can get everything you need to build a custom 2m, highly conductive, heavy duty power cable, including high grade, 10g or 8g pure copper, insulated cable and quality silver or gold plated ends, for about $45.00, from any of several industrial, electrical supply companies - the idea of spending $2,000.00 or even $200.00 for a power cable seems a bit ludicrous
The idea that manufacturers like ARC, Ayre, Cary, VAC, etc, etc would build $10,000. amplifiers that wouldn’t/couldn’t sound really good unless the buyer replaced the stock fuses and power cord with special blue fuses and a magic $2,000.00 power cord - is even more ludicrous......Jim