2. cables
  3. 141153-122613

Why Power Cables Affect Sound

I just bought a new CD player and was underwhelmed with it compared to my cheaper, lower quality CD player. That’s when it hit me that my cheaper CD player is using an upgraded power cable. When I put an upgraded power cable on my new CD player, the sound was instantly transformed: the treble was tamed, the music was more dynamic and lifelike, and overall more musical. 

This got me thinking as to how in the world a power cable can affect sound. I want to hear all of your ideas. Here’s one of my ideas:

I have heard from many sources that a good power cable is made of multiple gauge conductors from large gauge to small gauge. The electrons in a power cable are like a train with each electron acting as a train car. When a treble note is played, for example, the small gauge wires can react quickly because that “train” has much less mass than a large gauge conductor. If you only had one large gauge conductor, you would need to accelerate a very large train for a small, quick treble note, and this leads to poor dynamics. A similar analogy might be water in a pipe. A small pipe can react much quicker to higher frequencies than a large pipe due to the decreased mass/momentum of the water in the pipe. 

That’s one of my ideas. Now I want to hear your thoughts and have a general discussion of why power cables matter. 

If you don’t think power cables matter at all, please refrain from derailing the conversation with antagonism. There a time and place for that but not in this thread please. 
128x128mkgus
mkgus's avatar
mkgus OP
324 posts
 
So far I haven't heard any compelling explanation. Lots of experts and savants with different opinions but no plausible reason for the perceived effect.

I hadn’t either which is why I started the thread. Just so we’re on the same page, just because there is no plausible explanation doesn’t mean the effect doesn’t exist. That would be like saying “I don’t believe the sky is blue until we understand why it could be blue,” which is what I hear a lot of cable-naysayers saying. 😅
Post removed 
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,906 posts
 
So here I am questioning how in the hell a cable that isn’t even in the signal chain improves the sound
Says who? That’s cherry picking. Remove the power cord and nothing happens. Rectification done after receiving power from said power cord is rarely done correctly (look at all the different ways it’s done: there are those who will always find fault in anyone's design) and fully so it’s going to mess with signal. Rectifiers impart tone. It’s not pure and perfect after the power cord delivers the power. Never is and never will be.

All the best,
Nonoise


Post removed 
n80
2,133 posts
 
@mkgus: "Just so we’re on the same page, just because there is no plausible explanation doesn’t mean the effect doesn’t exist."

I agree completely.

But lack of a plausible explanation remains a valid reason for questioning the effect. Especially since among observers there is no consensus. So the sky analogy would be more appropriate if you included than some people found it to be a different shade of blue that many if not most people could not see. In that regard lack of plausible explanation takes on more power as a defeater. Not proof, as you say, but still reasonable evidence.

The paradox is that at some level we are talking about a technical phenomenon with no good technical explanation. That is yet another reason to question the effect.
More to discover