Power cords and soundstage

Newbee, what evidence do you have that phase IS a potential answer to the sonic changes when the man says he replaced/moved two power cords and heard a difference?

What cables are you using in your system? You have excellent gear. I don't see any cables listed for your rig. Just curious.

Jylee, you are not crazy at all. You're quite sane. The distinctions you observe are quite achievable with good PCs. Congratulations! It appears you and your wife have good ears (and a lovely audio system!).

Douglas, I have no evidence. I'm only going from my knowledge of audio set up and recordings and Jylee's description.

Now since you have implied, if not said directly, that the major sonic changes heard by Jylee were actually caused by a PC change, perhaps you would like to describe the mechanics of it all. Your perception of the pre-PC change sound, the post PC sound, and how a different PC brought about the effect. The mechanic's please. Not just a testimonial. BTW, once again, I'm NOT arguing about the efficacy of different PC designs. This is more about what thay can v can not do, and if known, why. So tell us what you know. I'm all ears.

By the way, since you are also well informed about phasing/polarity issues, take a moment to inform us about what their effect might be as heard by a listener in a good triagulated 2 channel set up. Does anything that Jylee said in his before and after description of the sonics NOT remind you of phase/polarity issues. If not, what other than PC's do you think might be responsible for the original sonics as well as the changes.

I'm really curious because I was never totally in touch with Jylee's discription, and could not offer a ready explaination of why he experienced such a change. You seem not to have had any problem with diagnosing the problem and realizing that changing a PC was the solution. Or so it seems.

A properly designed power cord(ie: Teflon dielectric, counter-rotating geometry, etc) will reduce or eliminate intra-conductor interactions that add noise and distortion to audio signals. The right geometry will cancel unwanted magnetic interaction. The same technology is used in many interconnects, but is even more important in a PC, given the much higher currents and stronger fields dealt with there. Most high-end cords will have an EMI/RFI trap built in also. The bottom line is the same as the benefit of a good power conditioner: cleaner, quieter power to your system, which lets you here more of the info on your source material(more apparent detail/better focus/greater ambiance retrieval).

If you want to learn what different power cords can do in detail, see my reviews on Dagogo.com of the various cables I have used. There is plenty of technological information explaining how they operate. In my experience conductor, geometry, and total gauge are the primary influences of what a cable will do.

I appreciate your being candid: "I'm really curious because I was never totally in touch with Jylee's discription, and could not offer a ready explaination [sic] of why he experienced such a change."

Here's an explanation for you regarding total gauge, just one variable in cables which comes into play. Typically a PC with higher total gauge will clean up, tighten up the bass very nicely, so well that it's easily discernible. Solid core conductors are better at this than stranded. Geometry also influences how well this works. I have found that multiple smaller conductors in their own dielectric, yet having large total gauge, yield the cleanest presentation and highest detail (This also was true of the exceptionally flat sheet conductors that Magnan Cable uses).

(Now I'm sure someone somewhere has a funky cable that doesn't operate that way; I'm not interested in debating it with you as well! This is the typical result from increased gauge, only one variable in PCs)

There's only one thing I need to say about phase, and that is when the rig is out of phase the sound is more indistinct, more fuzzy, less refined, a bit expanded and disjointed - the exact opposite of what Jylee explains. He consistently discussed more detail and sharpening of the sound. If we are agreed that PCs do not change phase of a system, then the influence in this case can't be the phase from merely switching two PCs.

I perceive Jylee's description as that of the PC cleaning up the signal so as the bass has less bloat (perceived size), better phantom image (less width) and deeper sound stage. These are all quite possible with PC changes. If the two PCs he changed are not identical then he will not know what the effect of each is. If he had two of each then he'd likely know quickly which he prefers. If a person has a mix of stranded and solid core conductors they will never know what they really have in terms of sound of their cables.

I have argued that two power cords were changed, and stated that they can produce such differences in sound. Now I have provided the link to my writings that people can read about the technology which influences such differences. Possibly the Wire World article will be the most helpful.

09-19-08: Douglas_schroeder
Jylee, you are not crazy at all. You're quite sane.

Thanks. Just what I needed to hear after a few days of watching the roller coaster ride in the stock market. Now I'm going to pour myself a glass of wine put on some music.