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Power Cords Snake Oil ??

Having been a long time audiophile living with countless high end compnents I have to wonder about the theory and practicality of high end power cords.

I have yet to hear the difference a power cord makes. Ive owned, synergistic, Shunyata, BMI and cardas. I in no way can detect any sonic signature or change. Give me a pair of interconnects and I imeadiately notice a difference somewhere in the sonic spectrum. Not the PC though. I have accomplished 4 blind tests with my friends. 3 out of the 4 they did not know their cord was replaced. All 4 were using a stock factory supplied cord. Each of the 4 tests were done on different components. Amp, CDP, Preamp & dac.

My electrical backround tells me that provided you supply the component with its required voltage bet 110vac or 220/240vac its happy. Now, change the incoming frequency from 60hz to say 53hz and watch how quickly your soundstage collapses.! This is often the case during the summer months when home air conditioners are in use and the utility company power output is taxed to the max. A really good power conditioner should however take care of the frequency fluctuations. But 110vac is still 110vac regardless of the conductor it passes through as long as its remains 110vac when it reaches the intended circuit. Does your 8k amp or preamp know the difference of the path the voltage took to reach it ? Many an audiophile will use a dedicated 20amp circut for their equipment.That is a good idea as voltage & frequency fluctuations will occur in the home circuit to to other loads on the main breaker panel but again, A power cord simply is the means of transporting the voltage from the wall to the component. IF there is a clean 110vac @ 60hz at the wall socket, no matter what the medium is to go from the socket to the component, it will still be 110vac @60hz.

Could somebody expand on this a bit more. I just dont understand it. ??
128x128jetmek
ostensible_constituency's avatar
ostensible_constituency
76 posts
 
Selective ALL CAPS in a sentence is "emphasis" in the absense of text editing functionality. I suppose I could have said *do not* instead, but there are other platforms that interpret asterisks differently.

Back on the subject, I’m glad you asked:

https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/feature-article-blind-test-power-cords-12-2004.html

Oh, and did I forget to mention that I also base it on my years of listening to audio equipment, the fact that I have an EE degree and that I've designed both switching and non-switching power supplies - including the type that would be used in audio components? 


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ostensible_constituency's avatar
ostensible_constituency
76 posts
 
@elizabeth:

That’s also known as the placebo effect. Enjoy it. It’s a free market society and you can spend your money on whatever you want. When you acquire the fortune necessary to do so, you might also reach out to your electrical utility and have them rewire the transmission lines, transformers and junction boxes in the path to your audio equipment so that your sound will improve even more! In the mean time you can also replace your breakers and every fuse in the circuit shared by your audio equipment. That might really push your system over the edge - you' likely be able to hear the photons strike the cymbals in the recording studio or the number of cigarettes Mick Jagger smoked the night before he recorded "No Satisfaction." 

Or you could get a $5000 power conditioner. But you still wouldn’t be hearing any actual difference between your Pangea and a UL listed Tripplite heavy duty shielded power cable with at least 14AWG on any properly designed amplifier or other audio equipment you might own.

To all the people who are offended and/or hurt by scientific rebuttals, please continue to enjoy your mains cable "tweaks" and don’t bother to do any reading about electrical or electrical engineering concepts. Trust your ears. LOL.
ricred1
2,053 posts
 
I'll keep repeating, if you don't think power cords make an audible difference when you insert them in your system, don't purchase them. If you think they do make a difference when you insert them in your system, purchase them. Pretty simple. Who am I or any of us to tell someone what they do or don't hear. Moreover,  who are we to tell someone what to spend their money on.
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cleeds
5,971 posts
 
ostensible_constituency
Back on the subject, I’m glad you asked:

https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/feature-article-blind-test-power-cords-12-2004.html
So your claim about not being able to distinguish between power cables power cables in a blind test is based on someone else's 14-year-old test?

Oh, and did I forget to mention that I also base it on my years of listening to audio equipment, the fact that I have an EE degree and that I've designed both switching and non-switching power supplies - including the type that would be used in audio components?
No, you didn't mention that, which is the logical fallacy of a call to authority. Please tell us: Have you ever conducted an actual blind test to substantiate your belief? Have you ever participated in such a test?
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