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Still mystified by mega expensive power cords

AC travels miles from the substation, enters my house, goes into a panel, then runs to my hifi equipment. Once inside the equipment it goes through whatever wiring the manufacturer used. I don't understand how the few feet from the outlet to the back of the gear can make some of the dramatic changes claim (low end goes down another octave, deeper wider soundstage, etc). My thought is that as long as the power cord is shielded so that it's not working like an antenna, properly grounded, and of sufficient guage so that you're not loosing juice to heat, and has contacts that make a solid connection, any power cable should sound like the next, especially since the AC coming in is rectified and smoothed.

I'm not looking for flames, but for those that believe in power cables, enlighten me. Or said another way, can that $11,000 plus power cable I saw today possiblet do more than fatten the manufacturer's wallet?
128x128zavato
astock
30 posts
 
I want to apologize for a typo that, once made, carried through my post found above. The Oyaide GPX-R power cord is manufactured using P-004 connectors. I had mistakenly identified them as P-001, thankfully a model number Oyaide does not use. All else remains the same. Sorry.
ptmconsulting
1,000 posts
 
Yes, some manufacturers price their products in the stratosphere, probably because they work as advertised (but not always) and they compete at that price point (a healthy laugh here but there is definitely a healthy market for high priced products).

My advice, just purchase a Triode Wire Labs power cord, at a reasonable price point and with very healthy and positive reviews, and try it for yourself. They have a money back guarantee, so how can you go wrong.
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Got mine at 50% off don't pay full list!!
rja's avatar
rja
2,371 posts
 
It's hard to argue with Phusis, $11,000 could buy a nice pair of speakers, a great DAC, turntable, pre or amp. I would definitely consider any of those before plopping down that sum on a PC.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,303 posts
 
Different power cords may well make a difference in sound as a result of their build quality and electrical properties.

But my mindset on this is that this part of getting good sound is not rocket science, and most differences are splitting hairs. Just get a good quality power cord from a reputable vendor, not necessarily and audio "boutique" or high end audio specialist that talks about "the sound of their wires" as if that is anything that you could bank on, and you should be in pretty good shape. SHould not cost very much. Then move on to bigger fish to fine tune the sound as needed. Other power tweaks may or may not help as well but the results are hard to predict, so address the things that are known to result in good sound first, and deal with the bigger gamble factors later.
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