Do powercords make a difference? A Test.

Well, I had this crazy idea that I could record the noise coming out of my speakers to evaluate different power cords in terms of noise reduction. Really simple and really stupid actually. I mean, if one powercord has more noise than another then maybe there's a difference.

I know a lot of people swear by the differences they can actually hear when adding an aftermarket powercord. And perhaps that's true, for some people. I have a hard time really telling the difference, though.

So here's what I did. And like I said it's really simple and really stupid!

I have a high end microphone and a USB preamp. I positioned the microphone tip like a half inch from the right channel tweeter. I then hooked up a basic powercord to my amp with no source components powered on. My DAC goes to a passive pre-amp and then from there to the amp. So I just kept my DAC powered down - no big deal, at least I think.

All I did was turn on the amp and record for about 5 seconds. I did this several times with multiple combinations. I tested a PS Audio Lab Cable, a Pangea AC-9, and the basic free cord we all have stored on a shelf somewhere.

So, what did I find? To my surprise you can actually hear the difference. But get this, the cheap power cord and the Pangea AC-9 are almost identical! I was not expecting that. And the PS Audio Lab Cable is by far the least noisy of what I've got.

I know this is not the typical way these cords are measured but how else can one really know what works and what doesn't? It's all about noise right? And the idea is to have less noise. Isn't that right?

Anyone else try this?