When a power cord could obviously affect SQ

@erik_squires  Frank is correct about the cathode being directly connected to the AC if he is using AC filaments. A 2A3 is a directly heated tube, so the filament and the cathode are one and the same.

@richardbrand  said:

I’ve quoted your entire post because it should be mandatory reading!  You have provided direct evidence for the theory that it is EMI coming from your component that could make a difference. 

For years that was the reasoning for installing at least two dedicated branch circuits to feed an audio system. One for analog equipment and one for digital equipment. There was an electronics EE on AA that would say the reason was to decouple digital power supplies from analog equipment power supplies. If fed from one shared branch circuit the digital crap from the power supply of the digital equipment goes back out on the power cord to the same outlets on the shared branch circuit and travels into the analog power cord to the analog equipment power supply(s).

Today there are very good audiophile, grade, power cords for digital equipment that shield EMI/RFI from going out on the power cord to the wall outlet and onto the AC branch circuit wiring, that does not, use a traditional braid or foil shielding.

Braid, and or, foil shielding may have improved in resent years. From my      experimenting, listening, with them years ago, at least on my audio equipment, they sucked the air, life, openness, from the music.

Presently I am using WyWires Digital Power Cords Juice II Silver Series (6ft) that control EMI/RFI, in both directions, on my digital equipment. They do not use traditional braiding or foil shielding. And, they don’t suck the air, life, openness, from the music. 

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@jea48 

Presently I am using WyWires Digital Power Cords Juice II Silver Series (6ft) that control EMI/RFI, in both directions

Good information there.  Do you know how they work?

Could they be using the principle of unshielded twisted pairs?

Cheers

@invalid

Well, shut my mouth!! 

@richardbrand 

It’s proprietary. I couldn’t find any official info on the construction of the WyWires Digital Power Cords Juice II Silver Series. So I finally turned to AI.

Here’s what I got...

I first asked,

How does WyWires shield their power cords from EMI and RFI?

I got this answer.

QUOTE;

• Asymmetrical Litz Wire: All of their cables—including the Power Cord Juice II—use custom Litz copper conductors, which reduce skin effect and proximity losses. This geometry is designed to prevent external interferences from passing into the cable. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• Air-Dielectric Design: WyWires prioritizes "air over dielectric" and uses natural materials like cotton, which minimizes capacitance that can cause transient masking and time-delay smearing. This passive approach relies on optimal geometry to naturally block interference without adding synthetic mass

END OF QUOTED MATERIAL.

/   /   /   

Then I asked this question:

Can you provide a wiring illustration of the design of the digital juice II silver series power cord?

I got this answer.

QUOTE:

• Conductors (Hot & Neutral): 10 AWG total gauge standard asymmetrical Litz copper bundles. Rather than a single fat conductor, each pole is comprised of multiple varying-gauge, individually insulated copper strands braided to suppress the skin effect. [1, 2]
• Grounding Wire: 14 AWG ground conductor, geometrically decoupled from the main current-carrying bundles to prevent high-frequency noise bleeding. [, 2]
• Dielectric Layer: A "pure air" primary dielectric where the Litz copper strands are wrapped loosely in organic, unbleached cotton. This leaves microscopic air pockets around the strands, pushing the capacitance down to a very low 8.1 pF per foot (at 60Hz). [, 2, 3, 4]
• Shielding Strategy: 100% Unshielded design. The Silver Series explicitly omits heavy braided copper or Mylar foil shielding wrappers to avoid the energy absorption and time-delay signal smearing they cause. Instead, the asymmetrical braiding geometry acts as a passive noise rejector. [1, 2]
• Outer Sheathing: Finished in a flexible, recognizable gray/silver textile outer mesh jacket." [1, 2]

*End of quoted material.

AI Link

    /       /      /      / 

It sounds like multiple Litz copper conductors are braided together for each Hot and Neutral conductor. That’s pretty common construction now days. Seems it is more effective in controlling EMI than just twisting the hot and neutral conductor together.

I’m pretty sure after braiding multiple Litz wires together, making an equivalent wire gauge of  #10awg copper, the conductor is then covered with a suitable insulating covering material. Might be 300V rated or 600V rated. ???.  

AI doesn’t say, (at least I didn’t see anything), are the two current carrying conductors then twisted together??? One way or the other I imagine they are intertwined in some fashion. I am pretty sure the actual hot and neutral Litz conductors are not braided together with one another. I wouldn’t trust the thin Lintz insulation covering the bare copper wire.

It is possible groups of litz wire are braided together then covered with a suitable 300V or 600V insulation. Then the made up groups, that make an equivalent wire gauge of a #10 for each Hot and Neutral conductors groups are braided/woven together.  

I just scratched the surface on how the cable might be made. 

And,  Audiophiles wonder why audiophile Power Cords can be so expensive.

/ / /

The Late Alex Sventitsky.

WyWires with Alex Sventitsky, Zesto and TAD

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Labor intensive?  

Have you read this white paper?

Iconoclast Cable TIME...  

Here’s a great Youtube video interview with Galen Gareis formerly of Belden Wire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tgi7njiRSM   

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