Why Expensive power Cables when Romex behind Wall?

It's true that some components are designed to be invariant of the power-line voltage. Some Linn equipment is like this, particularly when switching power supplies are used. However, in most amps, the linear power supply is not even regulated, and the capacitor bank is not infinite and the inductance from the cap bank to the output transistors is not zero, so they are sensitive to the line voltage, particualrly during high-current high-frequency transients.

I heard a rumor that the infamous Robert Lee @ Acoustic Zen is coming out with an inwall a/c powercable made of his Zero Crystal Copper to address this specific issue. I can't wait to try out some of that stuff.

Ok, here is my current thought train on this; Yes, I agree that I would not want to be "hooked up" in a hospital with lamp cord and a $1.49 plug. Fortunately for me, none of my gear came with such low grade pcs. I truly doubt that when Nelson Pass sits down to design military grade circuit boards for my equipment, that he is going to cut corners on the pc. I don't think top notch designers put cheap pcs on $3k+ amps or preamps, why would they? Sure, mid-fi and lower does not go to extremes, but then you are not paying the arm and a leg in the price for those extremes. So where do I think money would be well spent as far as power goes? Drop a dedicated line from your breaker box to your gear. Get a quality 20 amp breaker (hospital rated) and use hospital rated romex, carefully run the line without staples or cable nailers to your location, and then use a hospital grade outlet(s). I really can't imagine anything better than this other than buying a power rectifying device (PS audio, Threshold), which would nullify the need to do this providing it has the capacity to meet the demand placed on it. If you buy a power supply that is not big enough for the demand, you have gained nothing. The dedicated outlet is a LOT less expensive, but would not provide all the benifits that a well designed power plant would provide. In MHO, I would keep the pc's that came with good equipment, and do one or the other properly depending on your budget. If they want to use the pc off my Threshold gear on me at the hospital, I have no problem with that. Tom

Hi Meby,
You are mostly correct, as that is one of the concerns providing it is being plugged into a hospital grade outlet, that it will not arc. If you do not plug it into a well designed outlet, it still could. The other design approach is to limit the possibility of a short because wires can not come in contact with each other unless the cable is completely torn from the plug, and by then it wouldn't be live anyway (providing it was wired properly). Hospital grade really means nothing more than very well designed. Tom

If one thinks it makes an improvement to the sonics, of his system, then why not? If you have a $1000-$3000 to invest, to improve a $100,000 system, then it makes good sense. Where it doesn't make sense, in when that $300-$800, is spent on a PC, when it would make a much greater improvement, being spent elsewhere, in a $3500-$7000 system ie; room acoustics, dedicated lines, etc.