Power cord? Why?


I see a lot of posts regarding power cords. I would like to know what sonic difference they actually make. Could anybody explain this in a simple way?

Thank you
cfmartind362
Due to the design of the Innersound amp, which is somewhat similar to the older Threshold's in terms of design theory for the active circuitry but not power supply, the amps will go into oscillation and self-destruct if you use a high capacitance speaker cable with them. That is, if you don't use Impedance Compensation networks with the high capacitance speaker cables. Roger does not like very high capacitance speaker cables and, from what i've been told, thinks that they are an "abomination" of some sorts. I've also been told that running very high capacitance speaker cables ( like Goertz ) with the Innersound amps will void your warranty. Sean
>
Audioengr:
According to Phelps Dodge research dept. continuous wire is more of an exercise in marketing than reality. Once the wire is bent it has as many fissures as any other copper wire. Remember, copper is a crystal and all crystal structures are brittle.
Does it make sense to use greater than 12 gauge for the power cord since the outlet itself to the breaker box is only 12 gauge? In most cases bigger is better. However, if the outlet can only give you 20 Amps then what's the point of using a 30 Amp power cord since your device is drawing less than 6 Amps anyway?

Anyone did A/B test with 12 gauge vs 10 or 8 gauge? I've compared 12 vs 14 and it doesn't make much difference. 12 gauge seems to give slightly better bass than the 14 but not by much. From my own A/B test, the difference is no greater than 2~3%.
S23chang: The longer the run, the more series resistance. The longer the run, the greater the voltage drop. As such, heavier wire will never hurt you ( other than the pocketbook ) and can only help. You have to remember that some people may have runs in their house that are 100 foot long or longer. To top it off, some product do pull way more than 6 amps of current, i.e. high bias power amps of good size. Couple these with low impedance speakers that are low efficiency and you've got an instant "power sucker" all ready to go. There are amps on the market that can drink everything that a 15 or 20 amp circuit can deliver when being pushed hard. Besides that, building for "worst case scenario" right now covers you for any changes made in the future. The difference in cost right now would be nothing compared to what it would cost to re-string new, heavier gauge wire at a later date.

14 gauge should be fine for any line level components. I would recommend at least 12 and preferably 10 gauge for an amp. Really big amps may benefit from 8 gauge, especially if you have a long run. If running everything from one dedicated line, use the heaviest gauge feasible. Sean
>
S23chang...Voltage drop aside (because that depends on how long the wire is) 12 gage wire is acceptable (building codewise) for circuits that draw 20 amps CONTINIOUSLY. This is based on the wire not getting too hot. It will actually carry much higher current, and even the 20 amp fuse or breaker that the 12 gage wire is supposed to have will carry 30 amps for quite a few seconds...and longer if it is a slow-blow or time delay type.