"Audiogon is the only place I know of where the majority seem to encourage spending money on fancy power cords..." Oh no. There are even-more PCs-make-HUGE-differences people on Audio Asylums.
On the sound of powercords, I believe that EVERY change to a music-reproduction system changes its sound. Those changes can vary in degree from 'audible to anyone with ears' to VERY subtle and audible to only the most-golden of GEAs.
But I have 2 objections to the way people talk about these differences. My first gripe is to the folk who believe that if THEY can't hear or especially measure it, a difference doesn't exist. They laugh VERY loudly at my second group, those who use terms like huge and even Hellen Keller could hear it. I believe that differences that are subtle enough that MANY of us can't hear them are by definition NOT huge or anything of the sort. (I also believe that many members of the 2nd group have never CAREFULLY compared the sounds of PCs. IOW, I believe that their comparisons are highly faulty, unreliable, and not repeatable. Notice that I didn't accuse ANY OF YOU nice folk of that, so pls don't yell at me.)
Frankly, I suspect one would get more aural benefit from using IEC connectors that grip more tightly, or perhaps from the use of a contact enhancer, than from expensive cords.
I've spent my money for aftermarket PCs, but mine cost $7 and $10, being Volex-brand shielded 14g. cords from Carlton-Bates Co. E-mail me at jeffreybehr(at)cox(dot)net for the part numbers; sometimes they're tough to find there.
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On the sound of powercords, I believe that EVERY change to a music-reproduction system changes its sound. Those changes can vary in degree from 'audible to anyone with ears' to VERY subtle and audible to only the most-golden of GEAs.
But I have 2 objections to the way people talk about these differences. My first gripe is to the folk who believe that if THEY can't hear or especially measure it, a difference doesn't exist. They laugh VERY loudly at my second group, those who use terms like huge and even Hellen Keller could hear it. I believe that differences that are subtle enough that MANY of us can't hear them are by definition NOT huge or anything of the sort. (I also believe that many members of the 2nd group have never CAREFULLY compared the sounds of PCs. IOW, I believe that their comparisons are highly faulty, unreliable, and not repeatable. Notice that I didn't accuse ANY OF YOU nice folk of that, so pls don't yell at me.)
Frankly, I suspect one would get more aural benefit from using IEC connectors that grip more tightly, or perhaps from the use of a contact enhancer, than from expensive cords.
I've spent my money for aftermarket PCs, but mine cost $7 and $10, being Volex-brand shielded 14g. cords from Carlton-Bates Co. E-mail me at jeffreybehr(at)cox(dot)net for the part numbers; sometimes they're tough to find there.
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