why do power cords make a difference with transpor

I too am not surprised that the cord made a bigger difference on the transport, considering that's where jitter originates, and you're talking about a component not necessarily optimized for its functionality as a pure transport or with the greatest of care concerning its digital output.

Sean, I would love to possess the confidence to take what you're saying about DIY to heart. I have reason to believe that my '98-vintage VTL MB-185 Sig. mono's could be made better by modding, but the factory wants big bux (plus of course the cross-country shipping costs and risks involved) to do a coupling cap upgrade alone. But I wouldn't feel comfortable, with no prior experience worth mentioning, in mucking about inside a high-powered tube amplifier. I plan on checking around with some local tech guys, but I can't be sure they'd know all the best things that could be done with these. Maybe it's time I started learning something about this stuff, but it seems daunting to an electrically-challenged ignoramus like myself.

Zaikes...Check out http://www.greatnorthernsound.com/home.htm

It seems they make a living out of modding gear. I have no experience with them, but am planning on buying a Sony (yes, a Sony:/) XA777ES and hear when modded, the redbook playback is much better.

just my $.02.

Matt

My guess is that it is not that the transport benefits from the better power supply, but that the other components benefit from a reduced amount of noise injected back into the power supply by the transport. The key is isolating the power supply of the rest of the equipment from the transport.

Seandtaylor99: You bring up a valid point. It is probably a combination of garbage creeping into the machine and garbage seeping out of it. Electrically filtering it via the cord or outboard AC treatment device would help to minimize both aspects of "system contamination". Sean
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Thanks Sean ... I think that there's merit in the ideas in your post, and the ideas in my post. I guess my previous post suggested that noise FROM the transport was the dominant effect, and that's a bit too sweeping. However I have an old transport that actually interferes with my TV if I have it plugged in on the same circuit. Putting a couple of ferrite rings around the (very cheap, stock) power cord reduced the interference, leading me to try discover that it also improved the sound of the hifi (which initially surprised me).

I have to admit though that this is an ancient transport and it's quite possible that some of the large electrolytics in the power supply are not very healthy and contribute to noise being modulated onto the supply lines. If I didn't have an 18month old sapping all my time and energy then I might swap them out and see what difference it makes.

I like your point about cables being a patch for a poor component ... I entirely agree.