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If Power Cords Don't Matter...

First of all, I don’t own any high-end power cords, mostly because I can’t fit them behind my rack. Second, I am not trying to stir up controversy, as you will see from my question. I understand that the people who believe power cords make no difference argue that once the power gets into the component, the AC is converted to DC and the power supply of the component takes over completely. I think I have that right for the most part. So it that’s true, and it probably is from a traditional EE standpoint, why is it that I have not heard anyone say that power conditioners make no difference? I am not aware of anyone with a decent system ever saying that a Niagara or Triton or Audience teflon conditioner didn’t affect their sound, for good or for bad. So if the EE theory is true, wouldn’t power conditioners make no difference either? I have an Audience AR6T for almost 10 years and I think it made a big difference. BTW - I am not talking about Power Plants, which deal with voltage stabilization, which is a different topic.  Obviously, if your AC voltage is way off, it's going to cause problems.  
chayro
femoore12's avatar
femoore12
683 posts
 
For what it’s worth, I was firmly in the “how can cables make a difference” camp before I started trying different versions 6 months ago. A friend of mine who has an amazing system talked me into giving it a try. He told me to look at all the cables as a single component in the system.

Now the changes are not earth shattering, but it really has improved what is coming out of my speakers. My wife and my son both asked if I did something different with my system after making the changes. Are these changes measurable on a spectrum analyzer or an oscilloscope? I have no idea. Is it confirmation bias on my part? I thought that was a possibility until I had two people who knew nothing about these changes asked if something was different with the system.

If you have the flexibility to try different cables with your system I would do it. What do you have to loose?
holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 
For what it’s worth, I was firmly in the “how can cables make a difference” camp before I started trying different versions 6 months ago. A friend of mine who has an amazing system talked me into giving it a try. He told me to look at all the cables as a single component in the system. 

Now the changes are not earth shattering, but it really has improved what is coming out of my speakers. My wife and my son both asked if I did something different with my system after making the changes. Are these changes measurable on a spectrum analyzer or an oscilloscope? I have no idea. Is it confirmation bias on my part? I thought that was a possibility until I had two people who knew nothing about these changes asked if something was different with the system. 

If you have the flexibility to try different cables with your system I would do it. What do you have to loose?

Which one(s) did you put in?
I have an appointment at a shop on Tuesday.
femoore12's avatar
femoore12
683 posts
 
@holmz
I went with Synergistic Research Foundation power cables. The friend that convinced me to try new cables uses Shunyata Research power cables. I can’t remember which version he uses.

I live in an area without any audio shops. I have drive a couple of hours to get to one. So I try cables from the Cable Company. There is a fee, but it applies to any purchases from their shop.
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