Power Cords - Just Say Yes

Well said Donjr.
The power cable is the 1st replacement step towards musical bliss!

11-04-12: Jaxwired
Doug and Don,

The problem is that our ears can trick us. Look at the systems on audiogon and it doesn't take long to find systems with every tweak in the book employed.

That's a non sequitur and a gross generalization. That some A-gon systems feature several tweaks in no way proves that "our ears can trick us." Since we're audio enthusiasts for the way things sound and the way the music makes us feel, then whatever "evidence" you have that "our ears can trick us" is irrelevant. You are advocating for an alternate reality--the artificial reality of spec sheets and jury-rigged A/B tests trumpeted at Audioholics vs. the personal realities of what we hear--over time enough to eliminate wishful thinking and imagination--on our own systems in our own houses with our own music.

Nobody wants to be a sucker. I do have an upgraded power cord for my amp, but I spent less than $100 for it so I figured, it can't hurt. But some people spend thousands. I just think everyone should balance common sense with listening assessments.

What are you, the expenditure police? What's next? Are you going to cruise the Hamptons to inform people that they spent too much for their houses, cars, or boats?

For me, if the product fails the common sense test, I don't necessarily rule it out, but I sure as hell limit my spending to the budget arena. And make no mistake, power cords fail the common sense test.

We're not in it for common sense. We're in it for the joy of music and the discovery of ways to connect with reproduced music in our homes. If you want to preach common sense to audiophiles, why not grab a lance and tilt at a few windmills?

Any audiophile that refuses to beleive that his ears can trick him is going to find himself separated from a lot of money with dubious results.

OTOH, maybe the real sucker here is the one who's so quick to believe the pronouncements of Peter Aczel and the minions at Audioholics vs. what he can hear with his own ears. And really, isn't audiophilia all about what you can hear with your own ears, and which combination of components and tweaks does the best job of evoking an emotional response similar to the one we feel when listening to live music?

I would say the first step would be to upgrade what's behind the wall. Like in plumbing, you start with bigger pipes and you go down in size when you reach your fixture. So if you use a bigger gauge power chord and the wire behind the wall is a smaller gauge you won't get the full potential of the power chord.

There are a few people on audioigon who have extensive experience and backgrounds in electronics and audio equipment. I have noticed that they are not the 'true believers' when it comes to wire. I would suggest you check out their systems, then stop and think for a moment. One member, who's opinions and advice I would wager is the most respected on this site, has stock power cables on all his equipment except for a $90 power cable on his CDP. My 2 cents.
Cheers

Has anyone ever tried a slightly longer run of wire terminated with an IEC plug (panel>breaker>wire>IEC plug>component) instead of the usual situation where the wire is terminated at an outlet (panel>breaker>wire>outlet>plug>aftermarket cord>IEC plug> component)? It seems a little "crazy," but you'll have a few less connections and no need for a different type of wire than what is already in your house.