How can power cords make a difference?


I am trying to understand why power cords can make a difference.

It makes sense to me that interconnects and speaker cables make a difference. They are dealing with a complex signal that contains numerous frequencies at various phases and amplitudes. Any change in these parameters should affect the sound.

A power cord is ideally dealing with only a single frequency. If the explanation is RF rejection, then an AC regeneration device like PS Audio’s should make these cords unnecessary. I suppose it could be the capacitance of these cables offering some power factor correction since the transformer is an inductive load.

The purpose of my post is not to start a war between the “I hear what I hear so it must be so” camp and the “you’re crazy and wasting your money,” advocates. I am looking for reasons. I am hoping that someone can offer some valid scientific explanations or point me toward sources of this information. Thanks.
bruce1483
Before someone else jumps on it, let me be the one to respond to Redkiwi with, "That's because you expected it to sound bad. There's no way power cords can make a difference." Not because I believe it, but because the responses have become so predictable. Maybe this way we can get a chuckle instead of an argument out of it. Thanks for the insight, RK.
Yes RedKiwi: It is a shame that none of the power supplies have been properly designed in your otherwise stellar system.
Thanks for the advice guys. But Dekay, since it would invalidate the warranty if I fixed the incompetently designed power supplies in my components (no doubt mr702 could send me instructions, but not being of his stature I would no doubt fail to implement them competently anyhow), I intend to follow Fpeel's advice and have booked a session with a hypnotist. I am hoping said hypnotist can reinforce my deluded expectation that my system will improve every time I play a new disc (I shall call it the theory of infinite burn-in), but to also reinforce my expection that the system will sound worse whenever I try any piece of new equipment (which will of course be due to my expectation that it will never catch up with the burnt-in state of my existing components). If mr702's theories are correct then I should be enjoying musical and fiscal bliss very shortly.
R-kiwi, to follow up. I too have experienced numerous occasions of third parties commenting on audible difference --so, what can I say? I am suggestible, granted. What about the other persons?

Which brings me to the title question in this thread which, I think, hasn't been fully answered. I know of only one public acceptance of "differences" in conductors, both analogue & digital -- and explanation. This was made by the French PPC (I posted about that in another thread, a while back).
Gregm -

We're all suggestable to a very great degree. It's important to understand what purely AUDIBLE differences in components exist, and I really don't understand why people are so very reluctant to examine components in a sound-only context.

I proposed a listening challenge for power cords that was pretty much a win-only proposition for those willing to participate. So far, for whatever reason there are no takers although that likely is due to geographic constraints (I'm in the San Jose, CA area; some Southern CA folks indicated an interest and we're trying to set something up). Or it could be that people don't want to find out that the Emporer has no clothes.

That being said, if people enjoy their system better knowing that they have broken-in 4 gauge PCs, more power (!) to them, I guess.

Cheers,
JHunter