Power Cords Snake Oil ??


Having been a long time audiophile living with countless high end compnents I have to wonder about the theory and practicality of high end power cords.

I have yet to hear the difference a power cord makes. Ive owned, synergistic, Shunyata, BMI and cardas. I in no way can detect any sonic signature or change. Give me a pair of interconnects and I imeadiately notice a difference somewhere in the sonic spectrum. Not the PC though. I have accomplished 4 blind tests with my friends. 3 out of the 4 they did not know their cord was replaced. All 4 were using a stock factory supplied cord. Each of the 4 tests were done on different components. Amp, CDP, Preamp & dac.

My electrical backround tells me that provided you supply the component with its required voltage bet 110vac or 220/240vac its happy. Now, change the incoming frequency from 60hz to say 53hz and watch how quickly your soundstage collapses.! This is often the case during the summer months when home air conditioners are in use and the utility company power output is taxed to the max. A really good power conditioner should however take care of the frequency fluctuations. But 110vac is still 110vac regardless of the conductor it passes through as long as its remains 110vac when it reaches the intended circuit. Does your 8k amp or preamp know the difference of the path the voltage took to reach it ? Many an audiophile will use a dedicated 20amp circut for their equipment.That is a good idea as voltage & frequency fluctuations will occur in the home circuit to to other loads on the main breaker panel but again, A power cord simply is the means of transporting the voltage from the wall to the component. IF there is a clean 110vac @ 60hz at the wall socket, no matter what the medium is to go from the socket to the component, it will still be 110vac @60hz.

Could somebody expand on this a bit more. I just dont understand it. ??
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Showing 4 responses by drubin

Slappy, your comment about the last 3-6 feet is exactly what each of us has asked himself. Ditto with hardwiring your components. The thing is, I think, you have to think about it a little differently. The high-end PCs--some of them at any rate--don't simply provide better signal transfer for that last 3-6 feet, because--as you say--who cares? Rather, they DO SOMETHING to the power before it enters the component. What they do varies and is beyond me, but I think that's what's going on. Think of it not as an extension of the Romex in your wall but an enhancement or filter or whatever to the signal just before it gets to the component. I'm technically unqualified to give any sort of explanation, but this "theory" of how it works helps me make sense of the clear differences I hear with some cords. I wish it weren't so.
Z: "...I'm congenitally allergic to overweening hyperbole."

Alex, you are a treasure!
Has anyone listened to Corona's Sahuaro cables? I'm curious, is he onto something?