Why do I need power management if I have a great power cord?


Isn't it kind of unnecessary to additionally add a power conditioner if I have an expensive audio file grade Power cord connected to a component?

So you buy a Power conditioner from a hi-fi store and they say oh, you need a really good power cord to go with that and then another one to go from conditioner to the component. Do you need it all and why? Seems the last couple of feet before the component should be more than enough.

jumia

@piaudiol 

I've been trying to understand what you are saying. But first of all, respectfully, I think the relationship of the size of conductor to resistance involves a square and a determination of output impedance is more complicated that just being the product of LCR. I am not an EE so I struggle like many others with the complexity of electrical circuits.

But it sounds to me like you are saying that the benefit of a short, fat wire (a bespoke power cable) connected to a long thin wire (the household romex) carrying AC current is that it acts kind of like a capacitor in that it stores up current as a reserve in instances when the amp needs more.  My problem with this vision is that in an amp's power supply the AC is converted to DC and if the amp has a linear power supply built into it (and here I am thinking of a solid state class A amp, in fact I am specifically thinking of a Pass Firstwatt F6 which I am currently building) then it includes a generous bank of capacitors and resistors specifically to smooth out the dc current after it has passed though the rectifier that converts it from the AC into DC. I believe that same capacitor bank also acts as the current reserve for the amp. I suspect this reserve is much, much larger that what could be conceivably stored in a 3 or 6 foot length of power cable.  So it seems to me that either I am mistaken or you are mistaken about how this all works. I tried searching for a more definitive answer on the net but I suspect I just did not know how to phrase the "fat wire, thin wire" question correctly.

For what it's worth, I don't know if you have ever had the chance to look inside an amp, but the wires carrying the current as well as the outgoing signal are pretty thin. Also while reading up for this amp building project I recall Nelson Pass, a man for whom I have great respect, making a comment regarding wires to the effect that he has nothing against nice wires and if people give them to him he uses them but beyond that he seemed not too concerned.

 

A Class A PASS XS300 monoblock will dump 48A on demand.  You need two of these.  See where this is going?  

@piaudiol 

This seems really unlikely!! Giving the amp the benefit of the doubt, and assuming it can double power into 2 Ohms, it would be making 1200 watts. If it can do that the current would be about 24 Amps. To do 48 Amps, the amp can would drive 1 Ohm with 2400 Watts (that would be 48 Amps of current) and I just don't think so. The math is against it.

You might want to read this:

http://www.atma-sphere.com/en/resources-common-power-amplifier-myths.html

Whomever you got your information from was misinformed, IMO.

Abruce19

You missed my point. I am a proponent of large gauge dedicated wiring runs from ythe service entrance to the system... NOT thin gauge romex.

Power cables do not store energy, at least the good ones don’t.

I built my first amp when I was 13 - 61 years ago. I have built over 30 amplifiers in my lifetime including an F6 for a friend of mine. I grok amplifiers.

atmashere

I've read that link several times in the past.  BTW, I like your amps!

The quote came from Nelson Pass.

@piaudiol  So we would agree there is no point to have a heavier cable between the wall plug and the amp than what is behind the wall plug running to the circuit breaker?