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
Look at the mess it has created.... like acoustics, speaker design, electronics, digital processing, recording, microphone design, networks, midi. I think I'll stay lost in the past if that's true.

A forum for the discussion of ideas. String theory, superconductors... on Audiogon ??

Corona, no one seriously expects you to offer scientific proof, least of all here. Reread Zaikesman's posts if you need to grasp the issue. Discussion, real discussion, is fine.
Flex:
Is the one you are referring to?
"I think people basically *are* saying theoretical physics has nothing to do with great sound". I am not sure if he believes this or is saying that others do?
We believe it has everything to do with great sound that is why are so intrigued with "String Theory" because it is saying what we have experienced in the lab; there are no isolated events, all electrical phenomenon are interrelated.We are presently focusing on the relationship
between impedance and resonance. It does sounds strange!
IMHO & in my limited experience, I found that MOST powercords on the market is pure, unadulterated Snake Oil!! This has been confirmed to me by various audiophile friends many of whom use inexpensive Chris VenHaus Flavour X power cords after having tried several other expensive power cords.
I know that my pre (especially) & my power amp are sensitive to power cords. Searching for a power cord that has no sonic signature of its own within a reasonable price has been a tough assignment for me. I cannot afford an Elrod or an Electraglide or a BMI or any such $1000+ power cord! I'm presently using the ESP Essence cord & I find that it doesn't degrade the sonics of my pre & power. This I can tell you confidently. Is it "improving" the sound? No it isn't! I feel that it has practically zero sonic signature of its own.
Any time I hear or read that a power improves the sound, I'm leary of the claim. I believe that power cords cannot improve the sound; they can only change the tone i.e. colour the sound. All those believing that power cords improve the sound are listening to some form of distortion or the other that they perceive as "improvement". During the novelty period, it sounds diff. from what they are used to & it is mistakenly perceived as an improvement. Extended & critical listening reveals the flaws in the power cord & you see it for sale on Audiogon!
Electronics & Electricity will always be based on Physics (aleast on this planet!) & so equipment in these 2 realms will always have to honour these physics laws. Any improvements will have to be measureable. I'm convinced that if it's not measureable then one hasn't made any improvements or lateral changes or one doesn't know how to measure.
The money you can spend to lay dedicated lines to your wall outlets & to clean up the electricity coming to your mains from the grid will go far, far more than any power cord can. A power cord cannot fix what is broken (i.e. cruddy electric power) because it is a passive device. If you have a problem with your power, fix it at the source - that big breaker box located in your garage/basement.
If the power is clean, an inexpensive DIY power cable (VenHaus or Jon Risch type) should do just fine.
In audio, 95% of the stuff is TOTAL trash! Shifting thru this c*** takes a life time!
IMHO. YMMV.