Can POWER CORDS really make that big a difference?

You wrote: "Why is it that every darn thread on power cords there has to be someone who has to voice an opinion that they are clearly a waste of money?"

I refer you to the original poster's first question: "Can a power cord really make an audible difference in a system?" Maybe there are some who honestly feel that they do not - should they not post?

I was referring to situations such as PCs with too-small a gauge, extreme amounts of RF noise, etc. Sean's suggestion of the power-line conditioner would fix the latter problem, although I suspect (haven't tested, though, so only suspect) that this approach may only be rarely necessary.

Also, someone with damaged hearing may be less able to detect audible differences, where they exist. Are you implying that this holds for anyone in particular? Your use of "you" (". . . if you don't hear . . .") could be interpreted that you feel I suffer from some sort of hearing deficiency. I hope that I'm reading your post incorrectly.

Cheers,
Hearhere

Hearhere, none of my post was aimed at anyone in specific. There are tons and tons of people that either don't believe in or are on the fence about power cords. As such, my post was meant as a "generalization" to everyone out there but was speaking to them as an individual. As i've said before, "you" really need to try something out in "your" system to see if "you" like it or not. Know what i mean ?

As to being a "believer" in power cords, i was a "non believer" up until a year or two ago. I was of the same school of thought that you were, i.e. too small of a conductor, poor connections, etc... making the biggest difference.

I had to change my mind when i started experimenting for myself. In all honesty though, i did NOT like the results of the first cord that created a noticeable difference within my system. Swapping that one cord in and out of the system was like flipping a light switch. The effect was either there or it wasn't. As such, i became a believer but one could say i was still "leary" due to the initially negative outcome. I have since tried quite a few different power cords on different compnents with varying results.

Like they say, experience is the greatest teacher of all. That is why i encourage as many people as possible to find out for themselves what they do or don't like within the confines of their system. You don't have to start out expensive and you can even "DIY" ( Do It Yourself ) with great results. Sean
>

It has been my experience that power cords make a difference. I have used many different power cords and each have produced different results. There are some addordable power cords that can produce good results.

A little story from an audio-methusalem: It was in the time of the Fulton cables and those of Mark Levinson the man. I happened to be at my audio dealer's here in Zurich, when a little man turned up in a delapidated Trabant, two stroke, from Budapest behind the iron curtain with his boot full of , yes, power cables, which he was trying to sell. The dealer and I thought, that he was completely nuts but he talked us into fitting Swiss plugs to some, which he soldered himself and to try them out. We couldn't believe our ears, sceptical as we were, it was hardly a case of autosuggestion. In fact, we refused to believe it, trying system after system, where in every one of them it made a difference. What I remember, was a distinct increase of dynamics and better base rendering. Well, the dealer bought the whole boot full at the end and made a small fortune with those cables....and that was years before the cable craze started in the US, not to speak of powercords. I still use some of them today. The Hungarian's secret was shielding, bigger diameter, double strands, twisting at the ends and very careful soldering. (It certainly wasn't 99.9999 pure copper and the dialectrics must have been common run, Eastern Block ) All the same, he must have been a pioneer of what now is common knowledge. Wonder what has become of him....