Ching Cheng Power Cords

I'm not saying it's impossible that power cords matter,
just that their argument makes sense, and given limited
funds, I'm happy to settle on an adequate product. The
Ching Cheng power cords are not only less expensive than
the cheapest audiophile cords, they're also good enough
that Pass is willing to ship them out with $10,000 amps.
If they made equipment sound bad, that simply wouldn't be
the case.

At this point, faced with the option of only
experimenting with the absolute cheapest audiophile cords
and 1000+ different opinions about which cords are
good/real/fake/snake oil, I'm happy to settle on a known
quantity backed by a reasonable argument (made by someone
who should be motivated to say that the cable does
matter; i.e., a cable manufacturer). That said, if I woke
up every day with another $3k in the bank, I'd happily
experiment with some top end PCs.

It's funny that people attack such an attitude.

And here, to balance out the thread (for your reading
pleasure):

http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/powercords.html

I believe practically all manufacturers of high end gear, including Nelson Pass, put a basic power cord that meets all minimum safety requirements. It doesn't mean it's good enough.

That, and you needn't spend $3K on a PC to improve the sound. Based on my experience alone, if I spent upwards of $10K on an amp, you be damned sure I'd replace that stock, run of the mill PC with a better aftermarket one and it needn't be more than a couple of hundred. In fact, less.

All the best,
Nonoise

quoting Nonoise "I believe practically all manufacturers of high end gear, including Nelson Pass, put a basic power cord that meets all minimum safety requirements. It doesn't mean it's good enough."

Exactly true. And the argument that a hi-end manufacturer wouldn't include a power chord that would compromise the sound of their equipment is an old one which that particular crowd likes to use. You can experiment for yourself for not much cash. The VH Audio offerings are mostly under $200 depending on the length you need and they will satisfy most people.

The Ching Cheng power cords are not only less expensive than
the cheapest audiophile cords, they're also good enough
that Pass is willing to ship them out with $10,000 amps.
If they made equipment sound bad, that simply wouldn't be
the case.

Look at it this way too. If Pass decided the Nordost Odin PC sounded the best with those amps it would double the cost (11K for the Odin PC). Then that may not be the right cable to match with the rest of everyones system. Sales would plummet.

That said cables IMO should be the last tweak done to a system once you've settled on the best you can afford.

That said cables IMO should be the last tweak done to a system once you've settled on the best you can afford.

~~~

Thanks, that is exactly the point, and the tact that I'm currently pursuing. Go with something sufficient until the equipment is all settled down, and then when there's extra money and you need something to play with, experiment with cables.

And yes, I knew that I'd get the above arguments... clearly amp manufactures can't afford to also include exotic cords, but they're also motivated to ensure that what you open up out of the box sounds sufficiently good so that you don't regret the purchase.

Anyway, thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions. I'll come back to the thread and do some experimentation next time dropping $300-400 doesn't feel like it's taking a chunk out of the monthly income (unfortunately I have mono-blocks).