# Explain to Me How Do Power Cords Make a Difference in a System?



## dj_mocok

Been using stock power cord for everything.
 Never really complained, but I am just wondering, how much do power cable can make a difference in your system? And how?

 I am not a believer (yet), and also not a non-believer, since I've never experienced an after-market power cable before.
 If it can really make a difference in my setup, I don't mind getting one.

 My current setup is : 
 NAD 542 ---> Audiogeek Nitrogen ---> SRM313 (stock power cord) ---> SR404

 Do you think upgrading the stock power cable of the Stax energizer will make an improvement, considering my setup overall?

 Given that my source is an entry level CDP, I wonder whether I could detect any difference if I upgraded the stock power cable that comes with the 313 with something else. (plus that I can't change the 542 power cable, so it will still always stock cable)

 And yet, if the "difference" is like a 1% improvement, I won't bother for it, especially if I had to spend like 100 bucks + for the power cable.

 I hope someone can give me a objective, non-biased answer for this. 
 Thanks.

 PS: I am not trying to ignite a flame-war between a power cable skeptics and the believers here, but just in case if a "discussion" happened, could we just talk about it civilly?


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## mjg

it was said here once before, though i can't remember how it was said, or who said it, but it's so true:

 How important is the power cable in terms of significant quality in audio? Without it, you wouldn't hear anything hehe..

 Well it's true, with an improved connection to the outlet, the amp will be more responsive, and the quality of the cable's conductors, geometry, connectors, and how well it's put together all contribute to the whole.

 With better power cables i've noticed increased speed and accuracy, reduced noise/anaomolies, and just over all improvements in general to be appreciated.

 I believe it has alot to do with the quality of the power supply, though even in some of the best power supplies a quality power cable will make a significant difference.

 Anyhow, it's really difficult to sell the idea to skeptics, you will have to try for yourself, a good start is with a signal cable magic power AC cable, or even a quail cable will do the trick... 

 Signal cable was my first upgrade power cable and alot of people love them for their price and quality. Should set you back about 45 bux, so worth it.


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## bigshot

And to provide the alternate viewpoint...

 What difference does three feet of fancy cable make when the wiring in your walls and the wiring all the way to the power plant are standard zip cord? If there was a conductivity problem, it would be in your walls, not the few feet of cable connecting the wall socket with the amp.

 A power conditioner is handy if you've got line noise from a refrigerator, xerox machine or A/C unit buzzing in through the power line, but for most applications a stock power cord and a fused power block is fine.

 Unless of course you sleep better at night knowing your power cord costs more than most people's entire stereo systems.

 See ya
 Steve


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## Edwood

At the very least, you need to have a minimum gauge power cord for more power hungry components.

 Some higher powered amplifiers actually require a larger cable to allow more current flow. Otherwise the cable can get too hot and cause a fire. Mind you this is beyond the realm of nearly all headphone amps.

 Without considering audiable improvements, I have seen power use go *up* slightly when using a thicker power cord "snake". This would indicate to me that a smaller stock cord was not supplying as much power as the thicker one was.

 Or it could be that the thicker cord has more resistance and makes my amp more inefficient. Heheh, you decide.

 -Ed


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## Jose Perez

I will say this, since this is the only way I could possibly believe that only changing out the power cable can make a sonic difference in your system:

 Until you take control of the power being fed into your system, any change you may or may not hear from changing out a cable or a wire or a cap or any such tertiary component is illusory at best. Because if you are counting on the local power company and all of their "lowest bidder" sub-contractors to provide clean power to your system then you are only fooling yourself. Once you install a true method for conditioning the power coming into your home, then you can start to make PREDICTABLE and DEPENDABLE changes and then and only then can you say that you truly hear changes from a cable change or some such thing.

 For the record I do believe that cables can make an audible difference, but like I said, only after you take control.


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## dj_mocok

I see. That's why I asked whether upgrading power cable will give a sound improvement in my setup, not in general.

 I don't have any dirty power here, or at least not that I am aware of. 

 I don't know how power hungry is the SRM313, but I guess, not that power hungry. 

 And if there can be a slight improvement, say upgrading the power cord, with my current setup, will I be able to notice the difference? (it's not high-end audio setup)...


 So what do you reckon?


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## bhd812

I have heard big differences in power cables on cdp's/dac's/power amps..

 My meridian is power cable lovin! anything I put in her she reacts differently, where as my RSA amps have made no difference at all..

 if your still using the nad542 I believe you can not plug in a aftermarket power cable so unless you want to hard wire something you have no choice there...either know I believe it would make a big difference in sound.

 You sm-313 might make a difference but I just dont know, I guess it depends on the quality of power supply inside that stax puts in...you might wanna ask stax owners if they heard any difference in any stax product..then go to a local dealer and take a loaner set of power cables and test it out.

 mostly every power amp or speaker amp I have tried power cables on make the biggest difference I heard froma cable yet...then again I didnt notice anything in your setup so I guess you need not apply....

 whats your setup again?


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## tyrion

I don't know any of the science behind the reason for any differences but I can say that I notice a bid difference going from a cheap computer pc to a Soundstring pc (others as well) with my xr-2 phono stage. I would never have believed it if I didn't hear it for myself. I can't say it makes a difference in all components but it did in the xr-2.


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## bigshot

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Edwood* 
_Some higher powered amplifiers actually require a larger cable to allow more current flow. Otherwise the cable can get too hot and cause a fire._

 

Wouldn't Underwriter Laboratories have already taken care of that for you?

 See ya
 Steve


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## markl

Power cables effect a system like IC swaps. What areas are specifically effected depend on the particular power cord you try, just as it would which IC you try. Swapping power cords effects the sound at about the same level as an IC swap. Some people find that effect non-existent, to all but undetectable, to others its a huge difference, and all points in between. If a person can't hear or appreciate IC swaps, they won't be wowed by a power cord, either.

 I didn't believe in power cord swaps either until I tried one on a lark a few years back with a return policy. I didn't send it back. Since then, I've now had at least 15 different power cords cycling through my sytem, and each one has its own unique character, just like an IC. Power cord swapping on a budget is incredibly frustrating. I'm having a heck of a time right now trying to find good sub-$150 power cords. I never should have sold the better cords I had. Oh well.


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## DarkAngel

AC cords can make a difference, but only as part of *balanced* spending allocation with overall cable strategy used in conjunction with *effective power isolation/conditioning* (many conditioners degrade sound which complicates things) 
 Also keep in mind some audio gear benefit less from upgraded AC cords because internal power supply design makes great efforts to clean/stabilize power inside unit.

*The miles and miles of cable rationale.......*
 Is misleading because between power station and your home the high voltage current/cable size is stepped down at several points to lower and lower voltages, the final step down is probably done on transformer a *few blocks* away from your home. Then the larger guage cable coming into your homes breaker box is divided into smaller gauge wire circuits to power different outlets.

 This is why many audiophiles that own home put special dedicated audio circuit from breaker box using high quality large guage wire to special audiophile outlets for audio system alone to use........not only controlling last 6ft of a AC cord but from breaker box to plug on audio gear is upgraded.


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## michaelhwolff

Quote:


 The miles and miles of cable rationale.......
 Is misleading 
 

If I may expand on what Dark Angel said:

 Here is a simple analogy: The water that is in the water main that services your local neighborhood is pretty much constant and indistinguishable with regard to quality, ph factor etc. etc. So that water has indeed traveled many miles to get to your water faucet. Now lets associate the water with the raw electrical power coming to your house. And, we are going to associate your audio gear in the same light as your mouth and taste buds.
 It's obvious that there are several factors which might change not only the taste of the water drastically, but how you react to it when drink it. Copper pipes, lead pipes, rusted pipes,,, and then filtration for the water such as carbon or reverse osmosis,,,,even the cup that you put the water in. Can you tell the change in the taste of water when it is drank from a paper cup?

 Assumption: So the power cord can change how your audio gear responds to the power just as your taste buds react to how the water has been changed.

 Since we have seen all the variables that can happen to the water in such a short length of time, how about those power cords. How do they change things. EASY to answer.
 Power cords for audio gear are made of everything from silver wire, silver ribbons, copper, platinum etc. They have different connectors which greatly impact the "flavor" of the electricity...Then power conditioners and so on and so on. The process becomes very easy to understand because of the water example. In its primal state the water is still water and the electricity is still electricity but they have been altered. Your audio gear, if sensitive enough along with your ears, are as sensitive to that change as your taste buds in your mouth are.

 Wheew,
 Hope someone agrees. 
 Regards,
 Michael Wolff


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## Welly Wu

DarkAngel and MichaelWolff have pretty much nailed it on the head. For your particular Hi-Fi reference system Dj_Mocok, I would say that it is not yet "there" in terms of considering an aftermarket power cord. I am not putting you or your Hi-Fi system down. I am simply saying that unless you either upgrade your source component to one that has a detachable IEC connector or modify your current NAD C 542 HDCD player as such, it would be a waste of money to buy a power conditioner or a power cord for now. My most solid reason is that your current system does not allow for the consistent application of both a power conditioner and aftermarket power cords so your results will be slightly unpredictable. The best time for considering a power conditioner and audiophile power cords is when you can utilize these products consistently for all of your components and after you have lived with the stock configuration for a very long while so as to be able to gauge the sonic differences -- if any -- by combining critical listening skills and musical enjoyment together. Again, I am in no way, shape, or form belittling you or your Hi-Fi system, but I honestly think that there is a right way and wrong way of doing things for everything and Hi-Fi is an expensive way to learn. I will close by saying that I wanted to be honest with you and I only wanted to help if I could.


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## dj_mocok

Yeah, 

 That is why I asked this question first before jumping in, I don't wanna spend money for something that doesn't change anything.

 Because as you said, the C542 doesn't have detachable power cord, so I am stuck with the stock power cord, and by changing the energizer power cord only whilst still using the stock cable for the main source, the CDP, I am not so confident with the improvement it will bring.


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## bigshot

Using the water analogy...

 Unless you control the pipes all the way from the source to the cup you drink out of, the water could become contaminated at any point from spring to dam to municipal water system to the pipes in your walls to the faucet you fill your cup with. Replacing just the faucet will only guarantee that one tiny step in the chain is clean, not the whole journey from source to you.

 That's why you get a reverse osmosis filter system to clean the water at the tap... or you get a power conditioner to clean the line you plug into.

 Line problems are usually a result of something introducing noise that's plugged into the same circuit (air conditioner, refrigerator, etc.) or fluctuations in line level from your power company (brownouts). Neither of these things are helped by getting an expensive cord. You'd do a LOT better to get a separate power drop to your house, wire it with cables as thick as sequoias into a line conditioner with a hefty buffer and plug into that. Then maybe... MAYBE a fancy power cord might make a microscopic difference.

 People buy into expensive cables because they are the cheapest aspect of assembling an audiophile rig. People say to themselves, "I'll never be able to afford a $5,000 CD player or $12,000 speakers, but I can afford a $200 power cord!" That's putting the cart before the horse.

 The truth is, that expensive cables are the least effective way of improving your sound... getting better speakers, a cleaner source or a better amp will always make MUCH more difference. Once you've done all of those upgrades to the ultimate degree, then you might as well go the extra few bucks to get nice cables to hook everything together. Perhaps it might make a tiny improvement in the sound... But for a midrange system, buying fancy cables is like throwing money in a hole.

 See ya
 Steve


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## michaelhwolff

Power conditioners may or may not be beneficial to you system. I would say that the majority of them are. So lets talk about the importance of the power cord that comes from the power conditioner to you CD player.

 You have gone to the expense of adding a power conditioner to filter, regenerate, and make your power as clean as you can get it. Then after that expense you put the stock cord back in place which has a crucial effect on the power that has just been cleaned or conditioned. 

 Back to the water analogy. You use reverse osmosis and carbon to condition the water as it comes out of the tap. Then for some unkown reason you drink from a cup that has coffee stains in the bottom which was used for breakfast. Hmmmm. You just negated the reason for having all the filtration.

 Does this help to understand that the power conditioner is just part of the link. I would say that any power cord used prior to the power conditioner would be where you might be able to use the standard cord. 
 But then you have to be a believer. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 Regards,
 Michael


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## PhilS

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *bigshot* 
_People buy into expensive cables because they are the cheapest aspect of assembling an audiophile rig. People say to themselves, "I'll never be able to afford a $5,000 CD player or $12,000 speakers, but I can afford a $200 power cord!" That's putting the cart before the horse._

 

 Some people may do that. Perhaps you have a friend or two who did that, and that leads you to believe what everybody does. On the other hand, I know a few "people" who bought expensive power cords for an entirely different reason. People do different things for different reasons, and you really can't put everyone into neat little categories.

  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *bigshot* 
_The truth is, that expensive cables are the least effective way of improving your sound... getting better speakers, a cleaner source or a better amp will always make MUCH more difference. Once you've done all of those upgrades to the ultimate degree, then you might as well go the extra few bucks to get nice cables to hook everything together. Perhaps it might make a tiny improvement in the sound... But for a midrange system, buying fancy cables is like throwing money in a hole.
_

 

 Depends what you mean by "expensive," "least effective," "midrange system," etc. But many people report significant improvements from upgraded power cords even though they haven't upgraded the rest of their system "to the ultimate degree," whatever that means. So like many other aspects of this hobby, what doesn't work for one person or doesn't yield an audible improvement to one person's ears in that person's system might have an entirely different effect in someone else's.


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## Sinbios

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *michaelhwolff* 
_Power conditioners may or may not be beneficial to you system. I would say that the majority of them are. So lets talk about the importance of the power cord that comes from the power conditioner to you CD player.

 You have gone to the expense of adding a power conditioner to filter, regenerate, and make your power as clean as you can get it. Then after that expense you put the stock cord back in place which has a crucial effect on the power that has just been cleaned or conditioned. 

 Back to the water analogy. You use reverse osmosis and carbon to condition the water as it comes out of the tap. Then for some unkown reason you drink from a cup that has coffee stains in the bottom which was used for breakfast. Hmmmm. You just negated the reason for having all the filtration.

 Does this help to understand that the power conditioner is just part of the link. I would say that any power cord used prior to the power conditioner would be where you might be able to use the standard cord. 
 But then you have to be a believer. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Regards,
 Michael_

 

I think the water analogy is pretty broken; the cup would be the equivilent of your phones/amp. However, the tap would be the equivilent of the power cord. Now, if the water has travelled through thousands of kilometers of rusted piping, do you think putting in a fancy chrome or silver piping will fix the problem? I think in your example, you are assuming that the thousands of kilos of piping is /good/, and that the water that travels through these pipes and arrive at your house could be contaminated by something /bad/ i.e. as you say, a stained coffee mug. However, this isn't the case with electricity; the thousands of kilos of wiring is plain and cheap; much like my rusty pipe analogy, will a fancy tap/cable at the end of the line fix the problems with the rusty piping/cheap power grid wiring? I'd like to think that a chain is only as strong as the weakest link; if the electricity has to go through a lot of "weak links" before reaching the amazing "strong link", will that prevent the chain from breaking?


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## bigshot

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *PhilS* 
_People do different things for different reasons, and you really can't put everyone into neat little categories.... what doesn't work for one person or doesn't yield an audible improvement to one person's ears in that person's system might have an entirely different effect in someone else's._

 

If what you say is true, all advice is worthless, because everyone's experience is totally different and no one's experience applies to anyone else. I'm sorry, I don't think the world is quite that random. Semantic and theoretical arguments don't interest me as much as logical and fact filled ones.

 See ya
 Steve


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## Len

As far as power to your gear is concerned, it really begins at the step-down transformer at your house (or arguably the circuit breaker). The miles of cable from the power plant is totally irrelevant. With that in mind, the electrical wiring of most houses is 14-12 AWG. Most equipment manufacturers provide you power cables that are only 18-16 AWG, with the worst offenders provding 22-20 AWG. The most important thing, IME, is feeding your amp with a power cable that can sufficiently channel enough voltage and amperage to your equipment. The secondary issue is filtering. For example, in one particular room in my house, I can readily hear differences between heavily shielded cables (e.g. ferrite impreganated) versus virtually uninsulated cables. YMMV.

 I own a bunch of expensive bontique power cables, but to be honest, I can't discern most of them from one another. So why do I own these cables? I own them because they are better then stock, because I can't DIY to save my life, and because I can afford them.


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## Len

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Sinbios* 
_I think the water analogy is pretty broken; the cup would be the equivilent of your phones/amp. However, the tap would be the equivilent of the power cord. Now, if the water has travelled through thousands of kilometers of rusted piping, do you think putting in a fancy chrome or silver piping will fix the problem? I think in your example, you are assuming that the thousands of kilos of piping is /good/, and that the water that travels through these pipes and arrive at your house could be contaminated by something /bad/ i.e. as you say, a stained coffee mug. However, this isn't the case with electricity; the thousands of kilos of wiring is plain and cheap; much like my rusty pipe analogy, will a fancy tap/cable at the end of the line fix the problems with the rusty piping/cheap power grid wiring? I'd like to think that a chain is only as strong as the weakest link; if the electricity has to go through a lot of "weak links" before reaching the amazing "strong link", will that prevent the chain from breaking?_

 

If the plumbing is thousands of KM of rusted piping, a reverse osmosis (or deionization) filter will make pure water (for all intents and purposes) in the last few inches of the chain of custody. The "strong link" in this circumstance, fixes nearly all the the problems of the links proceeding it. I think that was the point being made, though I'm not convinced power cables have as dramatic of an impact.


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## PhilS

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *bigshot* 
_If what you say is true, all advice is worthless, because everyone's experience is totally different and no one's experience applies to anyone else. I'm sorry, I don't think the world is quite that random. Semantic and theoretical arguments don't interest me as much as logical and fact filled ones.

 See ya
 Steve_

 

 Your first statement is completely illogical, insofar as it is a deduction based on what I said previously (and you accuse others of not listening to what YOU say?!), while your last sentence purports to state you're interested only in logic and fact. Hilarious.


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## Sinbios

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Len* 
_If the plumbing is thousands of KM of rusted piping, a reverse osmosis (or deionization) filter will make pure water (for all intents and purposes) in the last few inches of the chain of custody. The "strong link" in this circumstance, fixes nearly all the the problems of the links proceeding it. I think that was the point being made, though I'm not convinced power cables have as dramatic of an impact._

 

Indeed. Now equate the reverse osmosis filter with a power conditioner.


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## bigshot

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *PhilS* 
_Your first statement is completely illogical, insofar as it is a deduction based on what I said previously (and you accuse others of not listening to what YOU say?!), while your last sentence purports to state you're interested only in logic and fact. Hilarious._

 

One or two people you may have met might have agreed with you that my first statement was illogical, but that doesn't mean that others might not see it as perfectly logical. People believe things for different reasons, and you can't really put my comments in a neat little category like that.

 Of course, it depends on what you mean by "logic" or "fact". You might think that my last sentence is hilarious, whatever that means, but there are other people who wouldn't find it funny at all. So what might be humorous for some people, might have an entirely different effect on someone else.

 Can you see how meaningless this sort of argument is now?

 See ya
 Steve


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## PhilS

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *bigshot* 
_One or two people you may have met might have agreed with you that my first statement was illogical, but that doesn't mean that others might not see it as perfectly logical. People believe things for different reasons, and you can't really put my comments in a neat little category like that.

 Of course, it depends on what you mean by "logic" or "fact". You might think that my last sentence is hilarious, whatever that means, but there are other people who wouldn't find it funny at all. So what might be humorous for some people, might have an entirely different effect on someone else.

 Can you see how meaningless this sort of argument is now?

 See ya
 Steve_

 

 Yes, I do find that talking with you is usually meaningless, as you are incapable of seeing anybody's viewpoint but your own, and you excel at misdirection and mischaracterizing what others say. I'm sure you think you're quite clever. Judging from other threads I've read, I'm also sure I'm not the first one to get sick of your sophistic arguments. Ta ta.


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## bigshot

Sorry if I made you cry.

 Ref: http://members.aol.com/intwg/flamewars.htm
 Another Ref: http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/index.htm

 See ya
 Steve


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## Wmcmanus

PhilS and bigshot, I'm about to lock this thread because, as always with DBT topics, it has degenerated into a flame war, trolling, and a general disrespect for each other's points of view. 

 In the meantime, I'll let this thread stand and serve as a solid piece evidence as to why we have to live with the DBT-free policy that is now in effect.


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## aerius

How? I have no idea yet, but I now know it does make a difference. About 3-4 weeks ago I replaced the 18ga lamp cord on my amp with 14ga romex house wire. Shouldn't make a difference since my amp only uses 60-70W total and has pretty extensive power supply filtering. But it did. Had a friend over and did an A/B test along with some blind testing, differences were small but clear and picked up on every time.

 So I know they can make differences. How much potential difference I don't know, nor do I know how. Nor do I know what effects an expensive aftermarket cord will have.


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## michaelhwolff

And never the tween shall meet. I am always amazed that some people become enranged when others don't believe as they do.

 Me, I will never believe it is possible for a powered machine to fly through the air.


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## euclid

im sorry but these thoretical debates are shot, if you cant tell the sonic difference a power cord or interconnect can make then your ears are shot too. i honeslty think thats the difference, just like some people cant judge the contrast or sharpness difference between camera lenses, so they hate on those who can and preach that everyone is wasting his money.

 ultimately the haters are just cheap and even if some scientific proof did surface about which materials affect which audio frequencies they wouldnt buy the cables anyway. then the debate would twist to cost/benefit ratio not being worth it. fine with me, the more you know the less you talk.


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## bigshot

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Wmcmanus* 
_In the meantime, I'll let this thread stand and serve as a solid piece evidence as to why we have to live with the DBT-free policy that is now in effect._

 

What does DBT mean? Debate?

 See ya
 Steve


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## dj_mocok

Double Blind Test

 Or Debit in accounting.


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## nierika

When I owned a Gilmore Lite+PSU and a pair of Zu'd HD 650s, I bought a few budget power cords to see what the fuss was about (I was also using a rackmount Furman Voltage regulator). I picked up a used PS_Audio Prelude and a Zu Birth. I never really compared them back and fourth between the stock cord, but the differences between the 2 were more obvious than I expected. The PS_Audio made the HD 650s slightly bassier than the Zu (to a point that the bass would start to annoy me and I would switch back), and overall the sound was thicker and slightly slower. I decided that the Zu was a better match for my system and sold the PS_Audio.


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## bigshot

We were discussing "how power cords make a difference in a system", not discussing testing procedures. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm an adult, and my feelings aren't hurt. I don't need any policy to protect me from someone who disagrees with me. I'm just arguing on point.

 See ya
 Steve


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## skysaxon

I recently bought a wonderful-sounding Eastsound E5 cdp. It came with a Silver Raincoat AC cable. I loved the sound of the E5 but there was a slight harshness in the highs and mids that I could not cure by changing ICs. As a last resort, I substituted the SR AC with a DIY someone had thrown in on a amp deal a few years ago. Well, the harshness disappeared. In fact, the entire sound beefed up, the highs nice and smooth, and the fatigue I had been experiencing went away. To me, it still doesn't make logical sense for the improvement in sound, but it worked. That's all I care about.


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## boodi

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *skysaxon* 
_I recently bought a wonderful-sounding Eastsound E5 cdp. It came with a Silver Raincoat AC cable. I loved the sound of the E5 but there was a slight harshness in the highs and mids that I could not cure by changing ICs. As a last resort, I substituted the SR AC with a DIY someone had thrown in on a amp deal a few years ago. Well, the harshness disappeared. In fact, the entire sound beefed up, the highs nice and smooth, and the fatigue I had been experiencing went away. To me, it still doesn't make logical sense for the improvement in sound, but it worked. That's all I care about._

 

omg
 do power chords affect the sound that much ( curing the sound whereas ic can't ) ...

 I was completely unaware of this ..


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## jahjahjah

Being away from Hi-Fi for a couple decades, I am amazed at some of the things I am seeing now.  Quality of a digital cable such as USB or HSMI clearly cannot make a difference since the cheapest disposable cables virtually do not drop or change any bits.  These cables operate at a macro level.  Analog speaker cables are another matter because the timing and intensity of electron flow can be easily influenced.  Can an 8 foot speaker cable be worth $17,000/pr?  Of course not, that would be stupid.  Before your cables are broken in, there would be an $18,000 cable that is just so much better.  Nevertheless, a wealthy person with a finely developed ear may justify the wire without giving a thought to the millions of starving children in this country that have no speaker wire whatsoever. ( or old people that only have zip cord, oh God)
  
 So, expensive digital cables, *No*.  Expensive speaker cables and interconnects, *yep*, no conscience allowed.
  
 But what about these pesky A/C cords where a molded version comes on just about every audio/video component and computer?  Does the tainted water theory hold any water?  Sort of because you can pour water out of your faucet into the finest crystal goblet and it will still be the same brackish swill that came out of your faucet.  No filtration, same swill.  Furthermore, it won't come out any faster, volume wise, if you invert a funnel and put a nozzle on it.  So, if you decide to plug into an outlet that has 14 gauge aluminum wire strung through the push in connectors on the back of 8 other outlets before your chosen stereo outlet, you are basically going to get swill out of your outlet.  An A.C cable is a passive device being neither a filter nor a conditioner.  It will not stabilize voltage shifts or drop RF noise.  Actually a good cord will transmit those things very accurately. 
  
 Yet when an audiofile the likes of _Arthur Salvatore_ say they make a difference, you damn well better believe they do.  If the cord cannot improve the nature of your service, then how can a fancy cord be better than taking a 5 foot piece of 12 gauge Romex and putting good connectors on the end?  The assumption must be that the cables that come with equipment are so poorly constructed that 50 cents worth of Romex and 10 dollars worth of connectors, to maintain the "quality" of the in wall wiring, is dramatically better.  It appears that most listeners with high end equipment have line conditioners that come before the high end power cord and following them are high dollar distribution centers (read that power strips).  So you fix the swill as much as possible and then try to keep it pure.  That makes some sense but that brings us to another question...
  
 If a manufacturer of high end amplifiers and speakers, let's say Coincidence Speaker Technology for example, providing as they do. some of the best equipment in the world, just what do they give away with the A/C powered units?  They don't give away speaker cable with their speakers.  Can it be that they do not provide an A/C cable at all?  There web site, which is truly excellent by the way, does not mention what their equipment comes with.  They do sell a $450 A/C cord but when you read about people using there amplifiers, they usually have some other high end cord.  Now, Coincident makes a statement (no pun intended) that some of their items are manufactured to the finest degree possible.  "The build quality of the Statement Phono is the finest available. It was designed with no cost restraints and the highest priority placed on sonic performance".  I would be very interested to know if they ship their equipment without power cords.  I guess I'll find out when I order some.  It seems like if they sent their $450 cord with each item that that would be denoted in their literature and it seems that if they shipped without a cord that that would also be denoted.  After all, speakers do not ship with wires but the standard when you buy an A/C item is to get a damn cord with it.  Now, if Coincidence puts a cheap cord on their equipment, they should post a warning tag on it that it must be replaced or all their no restraint work will be wasted.  
  
 I liked the mention by another poster that people re-wire their homes and provide dedicated circuits for their audio gear, many of us have been doing that for 50 years.  
  
 Another good idea is to order 10 different high end cords and demand a 90 day return policy before purchase.  Then send 9 of them back after comparing them.  Really, with USPO flat rate shipping, this would be cheap.   Hopefully at least one of them will make a noticeable difference.  Make someone else swap the cables blindly or you will just be placeboing yourself.  Of course if you have been convinced that a 200 hour break in is necessary, then comparing cables is impractical.  If your equipment needs a multi-hour run to re-break in itself every time your drop the power from it, you are kind of SOL as well.
  
 The true fact is that you will never realize the true potential of your equipment.  Everything affects everything else.  It's entirely likely that when you have found your perfect A/C cord, you'll decide to change your turntable bedding or your cartridge or your speakers and guess what, that cord will no longer test the best.  All is lost if you change your amplifiers or house wiring, things directly connected to your spendy A/C cord.  Nope, you're stuck with your amplifiers and transports and DAC's forever once you buy that cord!
  
 JAH


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