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Do power cords really matter?

I'm sure this has been discussed ad nauseum in the past, but while reading an ad for a power cord, I've had a very simplistic thought on which I would enjoy hearing other's opinions.
Case in point : The idea of dedicated lines appealed to me, but as we will be moving in the not too distant future, I just grabbed a left over roll of 14-3 Romex and strung about 60 ft. through the basement, and terminated in a box w/ a couple of audio grade duplexes. I did run the ground wire directly outside to a separate ground rod. (I realize for optimum performance I should have several runs to separate amp, digital, analog, etc.) My question is this: am I really to believe the last 6 ft. of power delivery can be that critical, when it has already traveled a much greater distance in ordinary wire. As we use outlets for convenience only, why not just terminate a 6 ft piece of Romex w/ high grade connectors? Are we just buying eye candy? Have we been duped w/ the hype?
Without having studied power conditioners, perhaps they can actually "clean" the raw power electronically?
Thank you for enduring my Sunday morning musings - all opinions cheerfully received.
Best regards,
Tom
tburn
sean
6,231 posts
 
Will, if i get my act together here ( i'm working on it ), i'll soon be doing some testing that should be able to document the differences amongst power cords. Once i can do that, i should be able to come up with a design that is a more effective "filter". If the filter action is high enough and someone has enough "junk" coming into the line, the cord should be able to make an undeniably audible difference. Sean
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brianw
373 posts
 
Many of us do believe that power cords make a difference. Some of us believe that they make a huge difference. My suggestion is that if you are truly interested in knowing/hearing the difference, try borrowing power cords from a few of your audiophile friends. Listen for yourself, then decide. (I'm assuming, of course, that you are unbiased enough to give it a try).

In my humble opinion, they make a huge difference.
bmpnyc
713 posts
 
Tburn, you don't have much to lose by tryng a few different brands. There are some very good quality pc's around here at Audiogon at very reasonable prices which can easily be sold if not to your liking. You stand to gain an improved listening experience. Bishop, have you ever tried a few different power cords?
I don't "believe" they make a difference, they do. It is simply a matter of trying a few and unless your a poor listener or have a crappy system you will notice a difference. I really don't care anymore about the science behind this. There are many scientific explanations for why they make a difference, and hundreds of opinions to the contrary. I'm a musician and have better things to do than debate the obvious with a bunch of sourpuss pseudo scientist objectivists. Every method of testing has its flaws, trust your ears. Good luck.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
A lot the talk about cables uses terms like "hospital grade". Would you feel safe if you were in a hospital ICU, hooked up to a respirator that is keeping you alive; and all it had was a two prong toaster cord?? Yes, cords do matter.
bobgates
535 posts
 
I seriously believe that power cables make more of a sonic difference than interconnects and speaker cables. I'm especially impressed with power cables utilizing the WattGate IEC connectors and power connectors.
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