how can a line cord affect frequency response ?

Ultimately, no. But there are lots of theories which are probably individually insufficient to explain it. There's skin effect, where electrons move faster on the surface of the wire than inside it. There's consistency of material (e.g., long vs short metallic crystal structures) that minimize interference of the signal. There's inductance and capacitance effects of the material and the interaction with the insulator and the other wires in the cable. There are noise reduction designs based on how the wires are wrapped and how they can cancel out inherent noise. There's radio wave and other high frequency interference (all wire is an antenna) which can ameliorated through insulator design or the introduction of a dc current. It goes on and on. The truth is, we know a lot but we probably don't know more. Be happy your ears are sensitive enough to hear the differences -- that means you can also pick up the nuances of the music we all love ;-)

Hi Mrt.

Since AC power cords seem to have kind of become my latest fascination, I'll chime in here.

As important signal carrying cabling is, I've come to the conclusion that AC cords are a cabling system's foundation. Very good reason for this...think power supply. All the music you listen to is the power supply being modulated and controlled by all the other circuitry.

In a nutshell, the reason power cords can have such an impact on the music we hear has to do with their power delivery characteristics. Counter to what many think, big gauge/low DC resistance is way down on the list of design priorities...with our AC cords anyway. Almost all aftermarket cords suffer from power deliver characteristics that are not optimized and as such, most cords act as euphoric coloring devices. The electrical parameters of these different cords are all over the place. The result is as you've experienced...some cords sound big and warm and some sound detailed but lean.

I don't think that to strike a balance between big and warm / detailed and lean is really the issue or should be the target. What does the power supply need to be able to respond to all the complexities of the playback software should be the target in our view.

When the power supply's demands for meeting it's task are met, it's really quite amazing what you'll hear. Details from top to bottom that were previously buried suddenly become apparent and can really reveal the vitality present if good care was taken in the recording.

So, hope this gives some insight Mrt.

BTW, I'll shamelessly put a plug in here...more so 'cause I'm simply very excited 'bout what's going on here. The Poiema!!! AC cords have been a great choice for those wanting a cord that doesn't perform coloring duties. The Alethias AC Cord is just around the corner and, as our top shelf offering, it's freakin' killer!

Kind Regards,
Robert
RSAD

Robert,

Always glad to hear your thoughts on the subject. Based on our previous discussions, I also suspect a device like the Z-der block, in conjunction with a properly designed power cord, provides an even greater capability for a components power supply to operate optimally. I know mine has performed nicely on my preamp with a Virtual Dynamics Nite II, and now a Virtual Dynamics Master power cord plugged into it.

BTW - the Volume II sampler is wonderful. Thanks so much.

Mrtennis, I'm just glad you hear the difference and are enough of a thinking man to wonder why.

Some people say line cords don't matter and argue for pages, but never stop to listen.

Thanks for listening, regardless of which one you prefer.

What is a Z-der block?