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  3. 973062414

The fallacy of ac treatment

I see a lot of threads related to managing and tweaking the ac powerout end of electronic systems. Much has been said about dedicated wiring, termination and even the right kind of extension cords to use. I work for an electric utility; and that's the extent of my credibilty here. The majority of you will no doubt be far more erudite wrt music hardware. Just a thought, though: domestic ac distribution goes thus: power station-step up-city-step down-subdivision-final step down. As far as the utility is concerned, you and all your neigbours are collectively the load for the step down tranformer. Any inductance/capacitance created by your neigbour running motors/tubelights, etc is felt by the lot of you. Additionally, the voltage frequency will almost always move around a tolerance from 50hz as the whole country turns on the air, off the lights - changes all the time as peaker plants ramp up etc. Nothing can change that- the frequency of the grid supplying your city is the frequency in the mains at your house. So what's my point? Well only that how much difference can the last 10 feet of cabling, etc make when the other hundreds of miles are outside of your control? And more importantly, frequency is one of the most imp parameters for measuring electricity quality (your expensive hand-coiled toroids are entirely subject to the f in the primaries) and nothing other than running an f generator can shield you from that. Methinks all the improvements you see from ac cord treatments are pyschosomatic. But that's cool.
snobgoblinf669
carl_eber
1,425 posts
 
I agree with Redkiwi. i've tried many power cords, and they all sound different. If anyone else does the same, and they do not sound any different TO THEM, then that's fine. Just don't tell Redkiwi, or me, what we are hearing, or not hearing. I COMPLETELY AGREE that the order of difference when changing a powercord, approaches that of changing a speaker cable. I suspect that most anyone could hear this difference, providing that they are listening to their system and it's effect on the reproduced recording of the music, and NOT to their listening room functioning as some kind of echo chamber, where such changes (as AC cords or cabling) get drowned in the sea of low resolution. I've heard this in most of the systems I've visited, and in all the ones where there was not proper room treatment.
bmpnyc
713 posts
 
In the highest resolution systems, it makes sense to use the better quality PC's. Snobgoblin, why do we have to "draw the line somewhere"? If I spent $60,000 on a high resolution system, I sure as hell would want to maximize it at every level. If you have an open mind (and ear) then perhaps some of the more "reasonable" PC's might work better than the most expensive PC's, but as a consumer I am glad that I can hear the more expensive gear at a dealer as a reference. Also, IMO most of the "luxury" brands produced, be it cars, luggage, furniture, whatever, began as an intense labor of love by a passionate designer, and I think that the amount of "love energy" put into manufacturing carries a lot of weight for a long time, and is the reason why some brands (Tiffany, Porsche?) are still around. Why limit the process that brings innovation and ultimately trickles down to a reasonable price level? The research and production costs behind $2500 power cords will be available at 10% of that price at some point. The people buying those expensive cutting edge products are not by and large "suckers", they are just enjoying spending their money, and why not?
mikem
260 posts
 
I have the 20amp Equitech ET2R with the "Q" option. and a digital isolation circuit. It runs totally cool and quiet even under full load. I am not puuting much of a load on it.. There is lots of headroom available and I have never heard any compression or constraint due to p=lack of power. The transformer is HUGE. I have it on a dedicated line I ran. The differences using this unit was not subtle. A much lower noise floor provides more contrast and the music emerges from blackspace. mike
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,137 posts
 
I'm currently using the PS Audio P600 model running from a dedicated power circuit. In the past I've used API and Versalabs products. Each of these products has made a noticeable difference in sound quality. I don't use any specialty power cords, IMHO they are not a good value (at least within the context of my $35,000 system). What upsets me in reading some of the above postings is how ignorant, and defiantly proud of their ignorance, some of the posters are. The fact is electromagnetic theory and its effects are really, and I mean, really well understood. If you want to use power cords -- go ahead. If you think they make your system sound better -- I'm honestly happy for you. I live in a free country where you can do anything you want with your money. What I cannot abide is the assertion that somehow the use of these products is somehow outside the realm of understood science. Trust your ears, but don't be ignorant.
redkiwi
1,092 posts
 
Onhwy61, I am not sure I am understanding your point. You seem to be pooh-poohing specialty power cables and saying that the claimed beneficial effects defy "understood science". But surely the understood science would include such concepts as the effects of shielding and common mode rejection - two of the most common strategies used in specialty power cables. You don't mention whether you hold this view, not only because of understood science, but also by having tried specialty power cords. My experimentation with trying these various products tells me a $35,000 system ought to not be using stock cords, and that specialty power cords (for me at least) have a more beneficial effect than power conditioners and filters. I really don't care whether it is voodoo or understood science (neither concept do I trust) that makes this so.
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