If Power Cords Don't Matter...

troidelover1499-

I am not understanding what you are saying in your posting below. In high school physics we learned that voltage is analogous to physical water pressure, and current is like water flow in volume. So what you are saying is losing me.

I’m losing you because you’re missing my sarcastic sense of humor. Mr EE lectured us on how electricity is "not like that at all." There are important differences. But instead of taking time to explain any of that he shows off with his clever little insult. I get accused all the time of talking down to people but here we have a guy who starts right off with people "who don’t have a background in EE think electricity is like water, but that is a wrong analogy." Sheesh! 

Wrong. It is an imperfect analogy. But it for sure is not wrong. As my witty little reply makes painfully clear.

I even swapped around gauge of wire with diameter of pipe. The analogy is darn near perfect. Voltage is exactly pressure. Just like water. We even call amps current.

Even getting into math, the analogy continues impressively well. V=IR is voltage equals amps times resistance. Substitute pressure in lbs/sq in for voltage, liters per minute for amperage, pipe flow resistance for ohms, the analogy is almost one for one. Far from wrong.

Imperfect? Certainly. Wrong? Not even. Item #269 on the list of why we would all be better off to ignore credentials and learn to think for ourselves.

PS- troidelover, did you spell it wrong or was triodelover already taken? ;)

Charyro is correct.  With respect to say  amps and preamps, if your AC supply voltage is grossly correct and consistent, boutique power cords and power supply conditioners are unnecessary because the amplification devices, tubes or transistors, use DC current which your amp or preamp produces from its power transformer, rectifier and in some cases, its voltage regulator.  So if you want to improve the quality of current presented to these amplification devices, you would have to optimize components within the amp or preamp, the power transformer, rectifiier or voltage regulator, not add on external tweaks like boutique power cords or power conditioners.

The problem is that it is not plain resistive load for 60Hz voltage.  Typical LPS draws current in very short spikes of extremely high amplitude (5 fold or higher).  These current spikes have high harmonic content (narrow squares), making cable's frequency response very relevant.  In addition all the energy delivered to load comes on the outside of the wires in electromagnetic field.  I'm not even sure if cable should have very low inductance and capacitance to preserve harmonic content of these current spikes, or should have medium inductance and capacitance to provide some filtering of it.  Gage of the wire should also be adequate to 5 fold current.  Also, there are extremely narrow spikes created by rectifier that, when backward polarized, is too slow to respond conducting in reverse direction, to rapidly snap back.  Transformer filters some, but portion of it gets out, I'm sure. 

I'm not saying I know why power cables make a difference, but it is not as simple as I = E/R  (Indian sees Eagle over Rabbit).

Caelin Gabriel takes the view that  the component sits between two power conductors: the hot and the neutral. AC power oscillates (alternates) back and forth at a 50-60hz rate. So power does not pour into the component at all. The component’s power supply is within a complex network of wires and connectors. Due to their obvious proximity, all of the wire and connectors can and do affect the performance of the component’s power supply.

From his view the power cord is not the last 6 feet, it is the first 6 feet from the perspective of the component. The further a noise source is from a component, the less of an impact it will have on the components power supply. The high-frequency noise sources that have the greatest impact on audio and video performance are the system components themselves

Actually you’re going to have to replace all of the wiring from the power station to your house because the polarity is off by 13.438°. Sorry.