Ideal power cord lengths?

I completely get why it’s tough to make sense of things when it comes to HiFi. I get it; I have an engineering background, and nothing in HiFi makes sense. In this hobby common sense does not apply, and is often inaccurate. The fact that a USB cable transmitting 1’s and 0’s can make difference is absolutely preposterous to me, even moreso than the fact that power cords matter. A system assembled through a practical, common sense approach will not get you far, in my experience.

To me this hobby is all about using your ears, preferably through objective, double-blind testing of one component at a time, on the right type of system that will reveal differences the component being tested makes, is what ultimately matters in this hobby. It is all that matters in this hobby. Other than your budget!

it is important to validate results through double blind testing if at all possible.  If not possible, I know enough to distrust my own perceptions enough to really question what I think I am hearing, and only make an assessment after many weeks of comparisons.  Many prefer to use a new component for weeks or even months, before going back to validate the difference it makes.  A/B testing is SO difficult because human auditory memory is absolutely terrible.  By the time you’ve connected a new component your perception of what you just heard before will absolutely have shifted.  It’s even worse if someone talks to you between tests.  That’s why double blind testing is so efficient and effective.  If you’ve not gone through this process, you are left only with common sense, and the rules that govern our world do not apply to HiFi.  Those who apply common sense will disagree, of course!

I remember reading an interview with an upmarket cord manufacturer. Asked whether high priced wiring really sounded better - he said 

"Yes, in the same way your car drives better after it has been washed and cleaned"

@oliver_reid +1

pennfootball71,  I change some of my AC Cable positionning, and your tests reveal me something, I wonder if the difference is not necessarely the brand, but also the lenght,  a 1.5 m is better than a 1 m on my power bar.  Thank you.

OK, so how about this: you bought a great amp from a reputable company and they sent you a power cord with it... HOW ABOUT just use THAT one? Would Marantz send an inferior cord with the Ruby? I don’t think so.

@curtdr The answer is yes, they would and do. You’re missing the fact that after retail markups including a better PC would add significantly to the price of a product. Plus, cables are also notoriously system dependent, so it’s possible that an expensive PC wouldn’t synergize with a customer’s system/tastes so they would’ve paid all that extra cash for nothing. Then there’s that more serious audiophiles often have their own preferences for PCs and would likely never use the cord that came with the equipment. For all these reasons it makes sense for a manufacturer to include a cheap cable that’s good enough to do at least do justice to the equipment and let the customer choose what PC works best for their tastes/system. If you were right then manufacturers would be providing better PCs with their products, but they don’t. I’m not aware of any that do and everything I’ve bought has come with the generic black cord. Have you ever seen a manufacturer at an audio show power their products with a generic black cord? I think not. They pay a lot of $$$ to have their equipment at shows, so if the generic black cord was their best option they’d use it to show their products at their absolute best, but they don’t.  Hmmm.