about to jump into the power cord foray

Just because you swapped out a component for another that someone says is better does not guarantee better performance. The whole system is just that...a system, and you can easily swamp some very likeable abilities with a component that has different atributes. Go back to where you enjoyed the music...that's the bottom line.

Rdylan
As to DIY cords… many are just that but we’ve missed calling them OPDIY… and just pony up the bucks for’em instead.

There’s a ton of power cords available for not much money… the key question remains though is it right for you and your system?

Given the expense, I guess it comes down to how you value your time and expertise in pursuing such an endeavor.

Try this link http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/archive/index.php/t-103597.html for some greater insights into power cords sonics from one perspective, it’s a review of 22 inexpensive power cords.

Carl109

Does having a much higher level system improve things, or render these poorer masterings even less listenable?

To answer you best I'm going to have to put it in my own perspective. Higher resolution can easily become the main thrust of a systems build. Been there and definitely ‘done that’. Yes, it severely limited my disc selection… and to some extent the times of day I could listen as well. I swore I’d not go that way again. I had all the analytical and sterile you could want… and darn little satisfying involvement to the musical recreation. tons of info but not much fun.

There is indeed a fine line between having a critical or analytical rig and owning a highly resolving musical system. Resolution and detail are required to retrieve ambient venue information, spaciality or dimensionality, if you will. In a word,’ Immediacy’ or another one could be ‘presence’.

There’s back ground who cares music, there’s the you are there! Type, and then there’s “They’re standing right there!” or as I call it “Could you make this out as to my best friend in the world?”.

The first two are way easier to be had than is that last one. I don’t get that last one with every disc but do on a good many… and that’s with tubes for power and preamplification.

The devil himself may well live in the details, for exploring details simply for their own sake yields lesser the involving experience if taken too far. IMO

A balancing act of a kind is required, contingent upon the whole of the ingredients. As 'Stringren' has just said here, it’s the whole of the gear being used, and not usually one item as a rule.

Pressing one’s arrangement of fine audio devices seems the way to go… extracting more of what’s in each component is done in many ways, but a safe and practical one is with external wiring. I’d say isolation follows, and acoustical treatments are needed too. Some however press on immediately to modding their gear. Some sooner, some later. Investigating the effects of power cords is a great place to start.

I have found when the resolution and detail becomes dryer, I’ve gone too far. When it becomes difficult to discern a performers geographical location, and/or the soundstage begins to darken up, or condense, I’ve gone too far the other way. There are other minutia, odds and ends, but those are the ones easily noticeable.

In audio, familiarity does not breed contempt, it breeds boredom… or so it would seem. It’s invaluable however. That well-known signature of your own stuff will lead you along and it is very honest in how it goes about telling you these things. It’ll pay you to listen to it more so than listening to others… when it comes to finding a ‘keeper’ cord or cable… or other component for that matter. I’ve found it very special to explore just what can be done with a certain device via isolation and cabling, rather than just pluggin’ in and out new gear if it doesn’t float your boat right off.

In the end those recordings which aren’t good, are sure revealed by high resolution systems. Will they go from so-so, or hmmm, maybe not tonight, to “Hey! Someone dial 911! I’ve gone deaf!”?

Probably not. It will sure make you a more discerning media buyer, I’ll grant you that much. In all, I can listen to everything I own on my main rig. How long and how often, is another issue altogether. It’s also why I have lesser systems at my disposal… though these others came more by way of trickle down effect, than a premeditated act. Well, that and the fact I’m a pack rat at heart.

So don’t be scared of high res rigs. Just ‘member, How high is high anyways, and ‘who’s high we talking about here?’

You’ll definitely know when you’re getting too much of a good thing, I assure you. The smile goes away, the knee quits bobbing up and down, and you start wondering what’s on TV.

Thanks gents, some very eloquent and thoughtful posts. Perhaps where I sometimes miss the point is by looking at my system as a collection of separate bits linked in a chain, when I need to consider the thing as a whole.

I suppose in some ways changing even a minor component (like an IC) is like transplanting an organ in a human body; it will still work as intended, but may have interesting, perhaps unexpected, effects throughout the entire body. By that I mean that even slight differences between two components become exaggerated once working within the whole system.

I know I will continue to raise a suspicious eyebrow at the extravagant claims and prices of many hifi components for years to come. But if I try to remember that like any 'machine', an audio system's performance has as much to do with the way the components interact with each other, as it does with the specifications of each individual part, my setup might not plateau quite so quickly.

Contact Virtual Dynamics. You cant find a better cable for your dollar.

Carl109

Being mindful or even skeptical isn’t a bad thing as it allows for caution and prudence. Don’t allow it to paralyze you however. There’s an amazing amount of pickiness involved in ‘audio nut-osis’. I feel it’s more the nut behind the wheel than it’s the desired component (s).

Not everything needs be done at once either.

There’s tons of stuff around which works quite well with other stuff. The items which require closer management and selection are well into the minority. Flea powered amps + high eff speakers, Passive preamps, and some SET amps need a mite more care be given to their selection and integration for a given system… and some speakerage is a bit more
Needy.

Racing, for me, is the parallel analogy to high end audio. Both arenas protest for greater performance. The former has a narrower aim in that regard than the latter yet both are appended by the same term. Racing, requires but a stop watch to determine a winner. In audio, the owner ALWAYS is the stop watch and judge.

12 second quarter mile times ain’t too difficult to come by. It takes some doing, and expense depending upon the starting rides own ‘go’ level… the 10’s takes some more doing and a bigger investment. Lots bigger. The 9’s? Well, that’s where things start getting exponentially pricey. You’re well past the point of diminishing returns if you get one of those 9 second time slips from the officials, I guarantee.

Nine second rides aren’t ‘grocery getters’ and require tons of maintenance routinely.

When it is no longer a hobby, and the fun isn’t in it any more unless the next ‘buy’ is amazingly good, I feel then I’ve crossed the line.

I also doubt seriously anything out there holds the title of "Best in the world" or "can't be beat". Those are usually the ones I'm most suspicious.

Pitch what you can, when you want, at your own rig, and have fun in the doing of it. That’s the real deal I think, and where the fun truly lives…. when it’s a ‘want to’ rather than a “need to”, thing.

Just about anything is gonna be ‘up’ from where you’re at now, so try whatever and hear for u self. Have fun and good luck.