Why power cable effect overall syste sound?

We tried upgrade power cords on the Pioneer Elite and Sony XBR to find no difference in picture quality.We use isolated transformer power conditioners on our gear and keep the power cords away from the other cables.I imagine this helps out quite a bit since we get some nasty power from our utility provider.Of course others will have different experiences.

Has anyone ever taken the time to go back and compare their chosen after market power cord to the origial power cord after extended listening? Sometimes we can hear a bigger difference by going back.
As I have said before, I have tried numerous power cords and I hear the difference. However, I prefer the original power cords everytime.
There is no doubt that manufacturers select power cords. I owned a 200 watt Levinson amp that came with a huge power cord. The power cord on my Quicksilver Silver 90 monos had a very small power cord similar to a lamp cord. So, it is obvious these products are voiced with the supplied power cord.
I have owned a lot of older Audio Research gear and I love it because their cords were all hard wired. There was no chance of mixing up power cords and another questionable connection is eliminated.
So, when you are doing maintenance and cleaning connections on interconnects and speaker cables do you clean your IEC sockets too?
Most of the supplied power cords on the equipment I have owned were Belden cables. Belden is a large company and wire is their specialty. They have all of the sophisticated equipment you could possibly imagine for testing and evaluating wire and the materials it is made of. Compare this to some guy in his garage producing a power cord that he covered with a braided jacket and finished off with fancy connectors. What equipment do you think he has to ensure his cable is properly manufactured?

Gtfour45, Wow! I didn't realize you are in charge here and all the way from Australia.
What I do realize is that I am in fact entitled to my opinion too and I will post my opinion anytime I feel it is necessary.
It seems we have really hit a sore spot with you. Do you manufacture cables? Do you sell cables?
I am in my 60s and I have a life time of experience in high end audio. I have owned many many systems that would be considered the best in the world. I know the family sound of all of the best known high end brands.
I have recently noticed there are many newcomers to audio and I feel the need to give them straight answers.
On the other hand, you have no feedback here, so, I assume you don't buy anything and you don't sell anything on this site, therefore you are a noncontributor and you have no right to tell Schipo, vernneal, myself or anyone else that we are not allowed to voice our opinion about anything.
Have a nice day.

Rrog,

The examples you provide were amplifiers. Do you find the same phenomena with digital front ends? My experience has been that quality aftermarket cables really improved system performance across the board. Amplifier performance was changed by aftermarket cables, but involved more trade offs and was harder to find the right balance.

I am sympathetic to potential cable fatigue as they do act as "tone controls" and there are so many possible options and they can be so expensive that finding the ones that work best in your particular application can be quite draining.

With that said, this thread is focused on "Why power cable effect overall syste(m) sound?" Your post is sincere and well received. Other indignant but unsupported comments from non-believers are as annoying in this context as the noise we are all trying to suppress in our audio systems. Sort of like an atheist attending theology class and preventing the group from productive study of the history of religion. Analogy well chosen, annoyance with bomb throwers is sincere.

I suggest naysayers start an alternate thread about "Why power cable doesn't effect overall system sound." And they can have a civil and self-reinforcing discussion on all the reasons they feel that way, empirical, theoretical, political and spiritual. I promise I wont harass any of you. (Subtle change in punctuation at end of suggested thread title also carefully chosen.)

Rrog,

I can appreciate your POV and comments. It good to see someone toss in some intelligent context instead of kindergarden size tomatoes--which is what I think the other poster was referring to. I would simply add a few points having read your opinions.

ARC no longer hard wires their electronics and openly endorses some aftermarket power cord designs. They also use aftermarket cords in the testing and development of their electronics, as do many major electronics and speaker manufacturers--the list is very long. These same companies also use aftermarket power cords at major trade shows. There are also countless film and recording studios at the top of the food chain who relentlessly test every facet of the systems that provide their living--and have selected aftermarket power cord products. Bob Ludwig's use of Transparent Audio products is one of dozens of examples.

Belden manufactures standardized power cords in many types and sizes to suit major accounts considering the fundamentals of safety, various connection types, wire sizes and current rating. They maintain great testing and science labs to ensure failure proof designs that will qualify for UL rating. They do not address EMI/RFI rejection or minimize impedance ratings, reactance levels or anything that could be considered performance rather than safety oriented.

I do get the point though that some may find that too many high-end power cords do too much to alter sound rather than improve it and go back to Belden out of frustration. To posit that power cords make no difference however is a difficult position to maintain given simple scientific explanations for their function and thousands of credible experiences. That was what all the dust was up about in this and many threads like it.

And as far as "some guy making cables in a garage" as your comparison, sure there are outfits like that. This is in part what makes life difficult for people choosing products of any type--- especially cables and power products. Anybody can make cables and start a business so its up to the end user to use common sense in his selections for trial.

There are more than a few companies with massive scientific infrastructure, testing labs, US factories and brilliant science minds behind power cord products that are performance oriented and also have UL ratings. It is no easy feat to get into and stay in such a competitive small market for any length of time without making products that hold some intrinsic and broad value.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and has a right to share them, especially when thoughtfully explained. You are thankfully one of the few that doesn't toss poorly constructed epithets and run away like they are playing a neighborhood game of ring and run.

Regards,

Grant
Shunyata Research