2. cables
  3. 1381627696

Still mystified by mega expensive power cords

AC travels miles from the substation, enters my house, goes into a panel, then runs to my hifi equipment. Once inside the equipment it goes through whatever wiring the manufacturer used. I don't understand how the few feet from the outlet to the back of the gear can make some of the dramatic changes claim (low end goes down another octave, deeper wider soundstage, etc). My thought is that as long as the power cord is shielded so that it's not working like an antenna, properly grounded, and of sufficient guage so that you're not loosing juice to heat, and has contacts that make a solid connection, any power cable should sound like the next, especially since the AC coming in is rectified and smoothed.

I'm not looking for flames, but for those that believe in power cables, enlighten me. Or said another way, can that $11,000 plus power cable I saw today possiblet do more than fatten the manufacturer's wallet?
128x128zavato

Showing 2 responses by nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,544 posts
 
Thank you Astock for another great example of empirical observation. We can only rely on what we see and hear.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,544 posts
 
First thing to do is to not fall for the red herring. The red herring in this case being the argument that with all the miles it takes to get to your wall outlet, blah, blah, blah.

At first blush and without giving it a second thought it sounds plausible. It's what you use to get that power from the outlet to your amp that's important.
Power isn't being delivered to your abode with the intent of giving your amp a break. It's not a finished product yet. PCs that come with your gear just meet the requirements of not catching fire or melting. Great for power tools but not for audio (though I've seen what long lengths can do with power tools).

You don't have to spend a fortune to get great results and to hear a difference. If you set your goal on nothing over $200 you'd be surprised.

As others have said, read up on other threads and get a feeling for PCs and what they can do. Now, back to doing my Sunday thing: nothing really.

All the best,
Nonoise
More to discover