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Power Cords Snake Oil ??

Having been a long time audiophile living with countless high end compnents I have to wonder about the theory and practicality of high end power cords.

I have yet to hear the difference a power cord makes. Ive owned, synergistic, Shunyata, BMI and cardas. I in no way can detect any sonic signature or change. Give me a pair of interconnects and I imeadiately notice a difference somewhere in the sonic spectrum. Not the PC though. I have accomplished 4 blind tests with my friends. 3 out of the 4 they did not know their cord was replaced. All 4 were using a stock factory supplied cord. Each of the 4 tests were done on different components. Amp, CDP, Preamp & dac.

My electrical backround tells me that provided you supply the component with its required voltage bet 110vac or 220/240vac its happy. Now, change the incoming frequency from 60hz to say 53hz and watch how quickly your soundstage collapses.! This is often the case during the summer months when home air conditioners are in use and the utility company power output is taxed to the max. A really good power conditioner should however take care of the frequency fluctuations. But 110vac is still 110vac regardless of the conductor it passes through as long as its remains 110vac when it reaches the intended circuit. Does your 8k amp or preamp know the difference of the path the voltage took to reach it ? Many an audiophile will use a dedicated 20amp circut for their equipment.That is a good idea as voltage & frequency fluctuations will occur in the home circuit to to other loads on the main breaker panel but again, A power cord simply is the means of transporting the voltage from the wall to the component. IF there is a clean 110vac @ 60hz at the wall socket, no matter what the medium is to go from the socket to the component, it will still be 110vac @60hz.

Could somebody expand on this a bit more. I just dont understand it. ??
jetmek
slappy
903 posts
 
this is something im skeptical on, i have no experience with high end power cords. I can see the logic in a dedicated outlet, however there is one thing about the high end power cords that make me dubious.

with high end power cords, you are merely changing the quality on the last 3-6 feet of electrical path. So, it would make sence to me, that your power cord will only be as good as the electrical cable bringing the power to the outlet. So if the cable from the power box is crap, then spending a buttload of money on a power cord wont make a difference.

Its like crawling through 20 feet of crap and putting on a tuxedo on the end. The presentation is better, but yer still covered in crap

thoughts?

Like i said, i have no real experience with the high end power cords, but changing the quality of the last few feetof the electrical path seems like it wouldnt make a big difference.

Funny thing, is im sure i will be hooking one of those garden hoses up to my amplifier as soon as i get a good amp

hehehehe

wait a second, Ok, here we go. On the same train of thought, why have a cable at all? why not run the power from your powerbox directly to your amplifier? Wouldnt that be the ultimate power cord?
jetmek's avatar
jetmek OP
10 posts
 
Slappy, You're right on track. Who knows what garbage is being fed from the breaker panel and there is little one can do to correct it anyway (within reason). As you said you'll probably hook one up just the same. I'm currently using a BMI whale and yeah...It looks cool snaking its way from the amp to the wall but I know damn well it aint doin a damn thing. In fact,I again installed the cheesy factor cord and no difference at all. My wife still believes that its using twice the electricity "well its quadruple the size" she says. Eh, I love her just the same.

Think about it. How can you possibly spend 2k on a power cord and not believe that it adds that magical mystical final tweak that your system needed. ??

Levinson, Cary, Sonic frontiers, Krell...blah blah blah. I hear no difference in presentation. Could the slight difference that bigkidz hears with speakers be due to the fact that the components involved are at the very least momentarily turned off then on again to interchange a different power cord ?

So, who among us knows anyone with cryo'd,silver plated,shielded, electrical wiring from their breaker panel to the wall socket. The only possible advantage to a big dollar cord might be the lower resistance to current flow it provides due to the larger conductor. In the end though...you still either have 110vac @ 60hz or you dont.

My next cord purchase will be the cheapest cord I can find that looks good. Unless of course one of you out there can convince me otherwise ;)
slappy
903 posts
 
Honestly i think some of them are worth it alone for the presentation they show.

The fiancee and i are debating buying a new house or the one we are renting. If we buy a new house, ill be in a position to be able to do alot of nice electrical work for my system. Im gonna make sure i got real good cable from the box to the outlets. Maybe then i will be able to hear a difference?

Who knows. They definatly make yer gear look aot more burly though.

I think im gonna go read Sean's post he was talking about. im curious about this.

Hey sean,
you certainly do know yer stuff, no doubt about it. What are your opinions on the issue of the quality of cable from the power box to the outlet? Do you think that few feet of high end PC would still make a difference? I would really like to hear your insight on this, you manage to point out things that alot of people miss.

Has anyone ever heard of somone doing a direct connect from thier amp to the power box with no outlet? Wonder what effect that would do.

I know if i had a rig like say.. Brainwater, i'd be making damn sure my stuff was up to par all the way to the electrical plant.
hahahahahha
jdombrow
371 posts
 
Sean, I'd love to see the charts you're talking about. There has been a raging debate on TalkBass.com (a discussion forum for bass guitar) about power cords, and everyone is asking for measurable proof.

jd
drubin
3,277 posts
 
Slappy, your comment about the last 3-6 feet is exactly what each of us has asked himself. Ditto with hardwiring your components. The thing is, I think, you have to think about it a little differently. The high-end PCs--some of them at any rate--don't simply provide better signal transfer for that last 3-6 feet, because--as you say--who cares? Rather, they DO SOMETHING to the power before it enters the component. What they do varies and is beyond me, but I think that's what's going on. Think of it not as an extension of the Romex in your wall but an enhancement or filter or whatever to the signal just before it gets to the component. I'm technically unqualified to give any sort of explanation, but this "theory" of how it works helps me make sense of the clear differences I hear with some cords. I wish it weren't so.
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