Question for Atma-sphere, will expensive power cables improve your amplifiers?

based on what I have read from your posts and the exchange between you and jea48, would it be safe for me to summarise that you are of belief the primary and perhaps even only issue of the effect of a power cable on sound has to do with voltage drop across the cable and little else? Meaning, past a fairly low bar of voltage drop prevention, no amount of tinkering with the geometry, insulation, or detailed design of conductors in a power cable will change its effect on the sound from one’s speakers, everything else unchanged?

@kevn It would not be safe to summarize that at all and he never said or implied anything of the sort.

@soix it is for this reason my post has been phrased as a question and not a supposition - I am quite sure Ralph would be happy to speak for himself : )

in friendship - kevin

Manufacturer’s really hate getting into the power cord discussions.

Occasionally some consumers who argue against the benefits of changing out the power cord supplied with the amplifier like to quote Nelson Pass’ or Roger Russell’s comments from decades ago.

This comment from a recent Pass Labs amplifier manual is typically the most a manufacturer will state publicly regarding after market power cords: I think we can read between the lines

Pass Laboratories provides a power supply cord that meets all legislated requirements for the market in which the product was originally sold. If you choose to substitute an after-market product we urge you to choose one that is fully safety rated by the necessary local authority.

OP suggested Gryphon, here is what one of their manual states:

AC Power Cords:

Use only a dedicated AC power cord. Do NOT use loudspeaker cable or other wire not expressly designed to carry high current. Improper cable or cables of insufficient gauge will generate heat and the insulation may melt with disastrous results. Do not run, thin, coiled, extension cords. AC cords DO have an audible effect on sound quality, but experiments should be carried out with due consideration to safety.

And:

Choice of Cables:

Because your Antileon is a high-resolution Gryphon audio device, it will immediately reveal the characteristics and possible limitations of the other components in your system, as well as those of the interconnects and loudspeaker cables used to connect your system. Wiring should never be utilized as "equalizers" to correct errors elsewhere in the system. Instead, any error should be corrected at the source, so that interconnects and loudspeaker cables can be selected solely on the basis of sonic neutrality. For this reason, we employ Gryphon’s own range of interconnects and cables in every stage of the design of every Gryphon product. A very important Gryphon topology keypoint has always been the abillity to obtain near perfact phase response - the foundation for a realistic and stable soundstage - this requires wide bandwidth.

Cable warning: In recent years a number of cables have emerged on the marked that are manufactures with no or little consideration to the electronics that they are connecting, unfortunately there are no standards and some ”exotic” cables can create unstable working conditions, these cables are often coaxial speaker cables that may work fine with Tube amplifiers or other bandwidth limited constructions.

Cable warning: In recent years a number of cables have emerged on the marked that are manufactures with no or little consideration to the electronics that they are connecting, unfortunately there are no standards and some ”exotic” cables can create unstable working conditions, these cables are often coaxial speaker cables that may work fine with Tube amplifiers or other bandwidth limited constructions.

wtf does that even mean