Why does better power = better sound?

Bryon, it only seems absurd to the folks who are content with the kind of sound they get with stock fuses, no power conditioning,dime store multi plug outlets and everything plugged into a one buck wall receptacle.

They laugh at what we spend to improve the power, yet they aren't getting the sound from their gear that they paid good money for.
They would rather flip amps and gear on a continuing basis,never having really heard the gear they own running the way it should.

I was fortunate to hear the results of power upgrades in my friend's system, and then followed suit with the same results-improved sound with the gear I already have.

I didn't have to spend another 10 grand for a new power amp, I made my old one sound like the ten grand amp for a lot less money.
Why spend thousands when all you have to spend is a few hundred in the right places.

That's absurd to me.

"They laugh at what we spend to improve the power, yet they aren't getting the sound from their gear that they paid good money for.
They would rather flip amps and gear on a continuing basis,never having really heard the gear they own running the way it should."

Agree clean power only helps and it can be a very cost effective tweak.

I would not go so far as to say that all power related tweaks are necessarily good nor cost effective though.

Like everything involving technology, usually, the devil is in the details. Many may not understand what works and what doesn't when it comes to clean power and shy away. Others that are more educated on the topic probably do.

Buying and selling used certainly can help take a lot of the risk out of trying something just to see even if you have no idea what to expect.

Lacee-Well said!!! The power cord/conditioning/outlet debate should have been settled years ago.

I agree with you, Lacee. I'm a big believer in improving the quality of AC power. IME, it can have a wide range of positive effects on sound quality, including lower noise, larger dynamic range, greater resolution, more realistic instrument timbres, better imaging focus, etc.. The improvements can be summed up as greater "naturalism."

Bryon

IMHO, there is no denying that cleaner power = better sound, the question comes to how far one is willing to go. I went to a fellow audiophiles home to buy an amp and he was kind enough to show me his various systems. WOW!! The most incredible setup I've ever seen in my life!! It made my $100K system feel modest by comparison.

He had even gone to the trouble of installing commercial grade isolating transformers in his basement. These puppies weighed over 500 pounds each!! He claimed that after he installed these he could no longer hear any sonic differences between power cords. Hmmmm.

His analog setup is a story for a whole other thread.