A challenge to the "measurement" camp

You really don't understand this concept of isolation or even what the noise sources are in an audio system do you?  Other than converting voltages, the primary function of a transformer is ELECTRICAL ISOLATION.  I know, pretty tough concept to understand.


If the primary and secondary of a transformer didn't allow power to transfer across the ISOLATION BARRIER, then you would have a hard time getting your audio equipment to work wouldn't you?  You don't want to isolate frequencies that are necessary to make your equipment to work ... be rather pointless.  But fortunately, most transformers have somewhat limited bandwidth which is good, so they act as pretty good ISOLATORS to harmonics on the AC line, mainly due to leakage inductance which may be parasitic or may be intentional.

Because of the ISOLATION BARRIER, transformers are also very good at ISOLATING the output from common mode noise, i.e. from other noisy items on the AC line, and/or EMI/RF injection. Parasitic capacitance in the transformer will allow some of that to cross the isolation barrier, however that is why better transformers will include electrostatic shields to ISOLATE the primary and secondary winding from parasitic capacitive effects. Depending on the winding construction, they may even have several electrostatic shields.

What's sort of funny is neophytes like you assume AC power cords that are good at passing high frequencies must be best to handle "power peaks", but that is not the case, and even some (many) experienced designers make that mistake in their thinking. Ideally you just want 60Hz (or 50), which gets rectified which implements a modulation function and gives you guess what ... 0Hz = DC, and if you sufficiently filter the incoming AC, you get closer and closer to that, but switch mode supplies in this regard can be much better.

Sorry to be so verbose, but I figured you could use the lesson so you didn't look like someone who just regurgitates things they read on the web.

OK, where did you "copy and paste" from?  You don't even understand what you're posting.  I am telling you david there is no such thing as "isolation".  You are just using layman language for electrical engineering that is not even accurate.  

You can google all you want, you know how to use Google right? Google all you want, you will never find that text anywhere on the web because I just wrote that quickly off the top of my head. May want to clue in at some point that one of us knows what they are doing .. It’s not you.

"layman language" ... hardly. Inaccurate? ... hardly. Which is really rather hilarious as you wouldn’t know if it was or not.

Atadavid, do this simple experiment.

Why don’t you do build a transformer and try to capture energy from the AC power line in your backyard. You will get arrested because you will cause fluctuation in power on the main line. What you do in the secondary line will affect the main line. They will find out you are stealing the power.

There is no isolation. You just copy and paste from somewhere without understanding.

May want to clue in at some point that one of us knows what they are doing

Did you get called out for not knowing the meaning of "rectification"?  But it seems like you do now finally.

Given they have 3% or more losses locally or more, I could likely tap into the power lines, but given the lines here are buried, they generally frown upon digging without a permit.

You parroting of power transfer without realizing all the functions of isolation that a transformer provides, not to isolation of the high frequencies from intentional power line filtering, leakage inductance, and frequency dependent hysteresis of the core, etc.

What's totally weird is your incessant need to justify the bad engineering of the PS Audio product and/or their exaggeration w.r.t. to the cable.

As someone pointed out on another thread, and it makes a good an obvious point, lab power supplies, of which we have several Agilent models, can maintain output voltages perturbations in the millivolt range on somewhat noisy AC lines without any issue, and it uses a standard power cord... yet an expensive AC regenerator needs an expensive power cord to work.