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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. ??
128x128jetmek
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
This is one of the more ridiculous ideas in audio, but, to help our nation's economy, I won't discourage people from buying $2,000 magic wires.

However, the suggestion that the power line frequency changes from 60 Hz is completely wrong, and if it were it would have no effect on the DC voltage generated from it. The power transformer might get warmer. No power cord could have any effect on frequency. Power companies maintain tight tolerances not only on on frequency, but also phase, even when the voltage sags due to problems. This is necessary so that different generating facilities can be tied together in a grid, and because many kinds of electrical equipment (eg: clocks) rely on the frequency for a time reference. Actually, once a day, usually around midnight, the power companies go through a brief procedure where the frequency is very slightly modified for a short time as necessary to have the exact number of cycles in one day (5,184,000). If they didn't do this electric clocks would gradually loose or gain time.
danlib1
819 posts
 
The only thing that matters is what YOU hear.
If you try one and notice a difference with high-end power cords, then you might want to buy some. In my system different cables make a difference- some for the better, some not.

This notion that people can't hear the differences rendered when changing cables has always puzzled me. I can clearly hear differences when swapping interconnects, and often power cables as well. Am I a "Golden Ear"? No. I'm just very familiar with my particular system. That intimate knowledge, I believe, is the key to hearing any improvement or degradation in sound quality when experimenting with cables.
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
Sync to grid that is, Eldart!
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
If you don't think they matter, than don't buy one.

My Dad likes his Bose headphones. He thinks they are top of the line. I won't waste my time telling him otherwise.

He also thinks a Honda Accord EX is a technologically superior car over an Accord LX; when in fact all Accords are exactly the same; the EX just has more gadgets on it.
nrchy's avatar
nrchy
2,124 posts
 
I can share my experience, but I can't verify anything with measurements.

I was a longtime subcriber to Stereophile till about ten years ago. I did not cancel because of the number of ultra-highend reviews, but because of all the discussion about powercords. I just could not buy into the theory that they could make such a big difference, and besides I was happy with my system.

About five or six years later I got a card from someone saying I could resubscribe for about $10.00 a year, and I thought, what the heck...

They were still talking about powercords!!! I decided to take a chance and see if there was anything to all this hype. I went down to the local audio emporium and snake oil dealer and bought one Transparent Audio powercord. It cost about $120 which I did not consider to be too outrageous.

I did not know what to expect in my system with the new cord so I didn't really have any expectations. From the time I plugged it into my amp I heard a very noticeable difference. The mid to low bass was much more pronounced and the soundstage seemed to come from a more quiet background. I was so surprised that the next time I got paid I ran back to the snake oil dealer and bought another powercord. I used this one on my pre-amp and heard more of the same thing as I did with the first cord.

Since then I have replaced all of my PCs with DIY versions of the old Chris VenHaus PCs with great satisfaction.

I certainly am not suggesting that anyone who did not experience the same thing as I, is wrong in their conclusion. I just want to point out that I was extremely skeptical about the virtues of aftermarket PCs, but based on experience have become a believer.
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