Power Cables and Wall Sockets

@clearthinker … “Like many others you say the last six feet of passive cable can make a big difference.  How?”

Like a lot of things in audio… my brain says it shouldn’t matter and when I make a change the sound difference is quite striking. So experience says with absolute certainty, it does.

I have read a lot about why. I remember there is a video… I think by the founder of Shunyata explaining how to look at power… not as hose from the generator but as a tap from a lake. I’ve read quit a bit… honestly I just am not that interested to know. I am sure lots of folks here can point to references.

My dealer dropped an AudioQuest Variable Power cord (~$1.5K) the other day. I replaced my Cardas Clear Beyond with it. Wow… a startling difference… quieter background improved details without any loss of warmth. This isn’t the one made for power amps… damn… looks like I am going to be buying a $5K power cord.

Thanks @ghdprentice 

Like many others I am inclined to put even quite large perceived sound differences down to subjective hearing and listening issues, mood swings and expectation bias when they are engendered by changes of passive components like power cable, fuses, cable lifters and the like.  I am made more sceptical by the fact that such changes invariably are percieved to improve the listening experience rather than diminish it.  Not like a virus mutation at all, which is random and just as likely to ameliorate the effects of the virus than worsen them or, perhaps, to ameliorate some and worsen others.

But please let me enquire more into your experiences if I may. I am guessing most of your positive perceptions arise on changing the power cord of electronic components such as CD players, DA converters and amplifiers?

Some say they have perceived positive changes on switching power cords to an LP turntable.  Have you?

Or power cord to an electrostatic speaker?  My Martin Logan CLX Anniversaries came with very exotic expensive lookin cables - quite long too, about 10 feet,  Am I getting value for what I paid for those?   Electrostatics don't pull down much current, especially once the initial charge is completed and they are just being 'topped up'.  Thinking about that, could the electricity supplied by the exotic cable to power up the speaker initially continue to improve the sound afterwards?  But that situation is analogous to that in a big monobloc.  The amp draws power on switch on that is stored in a huge capacitor.  Once stored can it really retain the enhanced character that it acquired from the 'high-end' supply cord?

I have a pair of old Audiostatic speakers that are powered by fixed manufacturer supplied cords not much heavier than bellwire.  But the speakers sound pretty good.  I had them 20 years or so before buying the Martin Logans.

I am beginning to become intrigued enough to power down the Martin Logans, let the charge die away over a week or so, then power them up again with such bellwire and see if the sound changes once they are fully powered up again.

Down the rabbit-hole......

What do other people think?

An electrostatic and a large monobloc amplifier are not analogous. The PSU in an Electrostatic is there to supply a polarising voltage to the diaphragm - which charge does build up on the mylar of the diaphragm. The caps in a power amplifier (or any linear PSU) don't just store charge on startup - they are continually being discharged and charged as the amplifier makes power. I would expect that power cords would have less influence on an electrostatic than on components where the current draw is more dynamic. But if you do experiment, please share the results!

Don’t have much to add to what has already been said, except adding a dedicated circuit (20A), a high quality receptacle, and a power cord can’t hurt. Also, a power conditioner is a good idea, even if just for surge protection, but I’ve found that it does help quiet things down a bit. You only have to buy this stuff once, pretty much. Alternatively, If the benefit of all this stuff is purely psychological, you could go to a hypnotist and have him/her convince you that it has all been done already. Probably cheaper to just actually do it. 

...power cables can only be as good as the in-home wiring coming to the wall socket.

This is not entirely correct. The main culprits negatively affecting your hi-fi gear are devices plugged in in close proximity, so the power supply of your CD player is affecting your amplifier ( and vice versa) more than your kitchen appliance that may sit on a different circuit. The more hi-fi gear you have plugged in the same or near socket, the more cross contamination you get. And all your hi-fi gear is closely interconnected through, you guessed it, the power cables.

The upgraded wiring/dedicated high quality circuit is of course a big improvement in most cases, but it depends on the quality of existing wiring/supply.