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In term of construction, what's the difference between cheap vs. expensive power cables

When it comes to interconnects and speaker cables, it is easier to understand the justification for the costs of these cables.  But when it comes to power cables, it is a little difficult to understand.

Some believe that as long as the power cable has enough gauge the that's all you need.  I've used some cheap power cables vs. some high price cables and there are clearly differences in sound, so the "gauge" of the cables is not the ONLY thing and it's a little bit more complicated than that.  

In speaker cables design, you can adjust the R/L/C parameters to achieve a certain kind of sound and it's easy to visual how these parameters will affect the sound.  For example too much C then the sound will lack leading edge.  Too much L then the sound will be brittle.  If too much R then the sound will lack dynamic.  Or if the cable has too much jitter, then the transparency will be affected.

But the power cable main job is to establish a DC source, it's not too clear how the R/L/C parameters will affect the sound the same way these parameters will affect the sound of the speaker cable.  Also I am not sure how jitter would affect a power cable either

So the bottom line is what's actually inside a power cable that make them so expensive?  Do they use fancy dielectric?  How about construction geometry?  

For a designer, I mean how do you fine-tune your power cable.  How do you know your power cable will sound good?
andy2
williewonka
3,075 posts
 
@harrypaul - RE:

How does having space between conductors improve cable performance? Especially power cable?
It’s called proximity effect - google "proximity effect in cables" and you’ll find this link
Proximity effect (electromagnetism) - Wikipedia

It occurs in ALL cables and actually creates noise within the cables themselves.- power cables generate the most noise, then speaker and finally interconnects. However, both the signal and noise in Interconnects is amplified, so the impact is very noticeable

Using a geometry that allows for space between the conductors reduces that noise.

But - INSULATION is another source of noise
  • the insulation on a wire actually "holds a charge"
  • with an AC signal, as the polarity of the signal changes the charge held by the insulation discharges and then recharges in the opposite polarity
  • but at the point where the change in the polarity occurs, more noise is introduced into the "signal"
  • Using an insulation with the lowest Dielectric Constant will minimize that nose
Having two conductors side by side with no space between them exacerbates both of these conditions even further and since power cables carry the largest voltage of all cables in a system, they tend to generate the most noise of all..

That noise permeates throughout any connected circuit and impacts the performance of those circuits, which introduces distortions into the signal

However, let’s not forget we have left and right channels to consider,

The distortions in each channel are more of a "random nature" so each channel is impacted differently.

This "random noise" impacts the phase between the signals in both L & R channels, resulting in
  • a "smeared image"
  • layers within the music overlap and become less noticeable
  • details are impacted
  • dynamics are impacted
  • poor bass performance

Other articles you might find interesting...
https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-time-is-of-the-essence-part-1/
https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-time-is-of-the-essence-part-2/
https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-time-is-of-the-essence-part-3/

Hope that helps - Steve


felixa
34 posts
 
Power is 50 or 60 hz and filled with high frequencies dirty stray voltages. Good power chords provide an additional path to ground (capacitance of the cable) and / or additional resistance (inductance of the cable, ferrite cores) to clean the dirty fraction of the electricity. A good PC provides additional filtering, a further drop or bucket in the pool of good sound! 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
And...How does having space between conductors improve cable performance? Especially power cable?

There needs to be adequate space between conductors because everyone knows that noise is introduced when free-range electrons get to close together.  Unless your power supply has a filter in front of it to keep them out  the best way is keeping them far apart. Since electronics generate more of these rascals than would ever leak in from the outside I believe that's why UL and CE won't give  certification to electronics that don't meet requirements for filtering free- range electrons from leaking out of the component into the mains.  




pauly
1,012 posts
 
@nonoise 

I didn't say you made it up. You're hiding behind someone else's words.

Harry did make it up. At no point did Nelson Pass claim that his amplifiers won't benefit from a good aftermarket PC, and at no time did he allude that they wouldn't. As well as being ignorant, Harry seems to be a total liar also. Who would have thought right?


Go listen to a bunch of power cords on your system and let us know if you hear a difference.

I suspect Harry, or dletch2,  or whatever this tiresome individual decides to call himself is either as deaf as a post or simply posting to get attention. 
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,840 posts
 
I knew it was him. I just wanted to see how far he'd take it before getting booted again from this forum. 
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