power cables - not in the signal path?


According to popular wisdom the AC power is not in the signal path and therefore a power cord, AC conditioner or similar should have zero audible effect.

In a don quixotesque attempt I'd like to turn this perception around: the AC is 100% in the signal path - more so that the actual low-level signal that gets amplified, and I think I found the simple words to clarify this.

The low-level signal is actually only modulating the high-voltage (high-intensity) signal produced by the transformer. Those electrons from the transformer are the actual electrons we "hear". The low-level signal is simply lost in translation. In a simple example, a 0.1V peak-to-peak sine signal gets amplified (say) 10x by a 10 V continuous (transformed) DC. The output is (say) a 1V sinusoid oscillating back and forth in time. If the 10V continuous is NOT actually exactly 10V (but is actually has noise) - then the noise will directly reappear "riding" on the 1V output.

Hence the need to keep the AC noise-free.

(Of course I purposefully neglected for simplicity the other effects (need for instantaneous delivery of power, etc..) for which I did not find a simple enough description (without reference to I/V curves and impedance / capacitance details, that is).

Does is make sense?

Thanks
C.
cbozdog
Geoffkait - no. EM radiation is produced when electrons move (and radiates away from the source that produced it). Such EM radiation decays rapidly with distance but can influence (make them move a bit) other charge carriers (electrons) nearby (for example, those in another cable). Such EM radiation is carried by photons with energies in the RF range, I think.
Almarg - sure, the signal path is that which carries the information. Nothing is in the signal path until it is. The signal changes many hands (digital, analog, sometimes back and forth) - each time is actually physically converted into something else. In that sense, even amplification is a conversion (to a higher-intensity signal). For the purpose of this example, is might be viewed as taking clay from a jar (AC, or a rectified version thereof) and molding a faithful reproduction (or encryption) of the original.

Blah, this came out too poetic - sorry.
C, offset determines point of quiescent operation or stand-by or zero signal.
Czar - if that's what you were gonna say next... you probably stopped in time in the first place. My bad.
Cbozdog, thanks for the response. I suspect we are pretty close, I am pretty sure ALL electromagnetic waves are actually photons, including Gamma Rays, RF, x-rays, and music signals. RF waves! to take an example do not attenuate much over distance, traveling at the speed of light or close to it.