Power Cords: A Skeptic Looking to Dabble...

Mceljo - one last tidbit

I tried 13, 12, and 10 gaude cables on my amp and although the details were pretty much the same, the bass response and dynamics improved as the thicker gauge cable was installed.

Would an 8 gauge improve performance any more? Probably, but I think the law of diminishing returns kicks in and the gains may not justify the expense - gotta draw the line somewhere :-)

What gauge to select really depends on the power supply of the amp and it's ability to address transient demands. It also depends the the design of the amp. Tube is very different from solid state and even the different tube designs differ immensely in their power requirements and transient handling abilities.

This is a key reason why so many people promote auditioning cables in your system.

In my case, I also found that the 10 gauge did not offer any improvements for any of my sources.

Someone mentioned how can the last six feet of cable make a difference. That is the one mystery I have not yet been able to figure out, but having tried a 10 gauge braided Romex cable and found the 10 gauge Furutech to perform better, I can only assume it has something to do with cable design.

FYI my dedicated line is a 20 amp 10 gauge romex with a Pass and
Seymour outlet running off a 200 amp service.

Good luck with your cables

Tls49 - I think you missed that my example included that the smaller diameter pipe had adequate capacity to carry "all of the available water" meaning that a larger pipe would never be able to carry more in reality because it simply wasn't available.

For example, if the water source was a water truck with a 6 inch outlet there would be a restriction at the source that would limit the benefit of having a larger hose attached. It's possible that having a hose that is larger than 6 inches might be an advantage, but at some point going larger would have absolutely no effect.

In audio, at some point a power cord will either be adequate to supply all available power (probably unlikely in reality) or it will be capable of handling an amount that is sufficient to supply everything that the power supply could ever ask. I think this is where Williewonka right on when he talks about dimenishing returns.

12-06-13: Mceljo
Jmcgrogan2 - In theory, if the goal of audio equipment is to reproduce the original signal as close to the original as is possible then it would be expected that as the various pieces of equipment get better and better the resulting sound should become more and more the same among different pieces of gear. A well designed pieces of gear where no expense was spared should have less room for improvement than a middle of the road piece of gear would.

Whatever dude, however your engineering, scientific mind wants to rationalize it. I just know through my experiences, that lower priced, less resolving gear has a more difficult time exposing differences in tweaks (cables, cords, etc.), than higher priced, higher resolution gear. As with all things in this hobby though, YMMV.

It sounds as if you are looking for reasons NOT to try a power cord. I would say by all means then, don't try them. If you like what you have now, don't tread any further. Just listen to the music and be happy. Many folks wish that they HADN'T heard differences. LOL! This hobby is MUCH cheaper if you do not hear differences, or better yet, you don't even attempt to hear differences. LOL!!

Mceljo - high-end components are able to reveal details that more modestly priced components are unable to.

Therefore, other posters are correct in their assertion that being able to hear the effect of "cable changes" is easier with hi-end gear - if you are listening for those details.

On a system that is unable to resolve this level of detail - you would have to listen for some other indicator of improvement.

However, even today's modestly priced systems are capable of revealing so much more detail if they are allowed to perform to their full potential - and this is where getting the right cables come into play

E.g. I have a Cambridge Audio 651p phono stage - cost $225
- it came with a wal-wart power supply
- it performed as good as it could - with that supply
- some people might upgrade to improve performance
- I built a power supply with quality cables and much better transformer
- the performance is now equivelent phono stages several times it price point and it reveals details never before heard.

However, it wasn't only the power supply & cables that allowed me to hear the improvements - it was everrthing else in the signal path
- interconnects, amp, speaker cables, connectors...

Even changing the RCA's on the interconnects allowed the micro details now being conveyed buy the phono stage to be heard.

So power cables are just one part of the puzzle

If you were to change a power cable and you didn't hear a change - it might not be the power cable - it might be the interconnect, or the speaker cable or one of the other components in the signal path

My first higher quality cable I installed was my speaker cable - at the time I didn't realize just how good it was - since that time I have replaced every component and every other cable in my system and each time the speaker cable has revealed the improvements of each of those changes

My cables and connectors have revealed details I did not know my system was capable of and I consider them the single best investment in my system - without them it would sound like - a stereo :-)

It's the hobby that just keeps on taking :-)

Mceljo, I didn't miss anything, and if you think the power available at your current wall outlet is adequate, then I agree with this recommendation,

It sounds as if you are looking for reasons NOT to try a power cord. I would say by all means then, don't try them. If you like what you have now, don't tread any further. Just listen to the music and be happy. Many folks wish that they HADN'T heard differences. LOL! This hobby is MUCH cheaper if you do not hear differences, or better yet, you don't even attempt to hear differences. LOL!!

You said the outlet itself might be an option, so why, all that is going to do is give you a better connection for the transfer of power. So think about this, what would be better if you had to plug the system in at your service panel?

1) 3,4,5 or more 14 gauge extension cords connected together to reach the system

2) A single 10 gauge extension cord to reach the system

Connections and distance are degrading to power transfer, and what has the greater potential for benefit with that upgraded power cord, 1 or 2?

I have had plenty of experience listening to systems before and after dedicated lines, one in particular that was even upgrading the actual dedicated lines. IMHO it is a very cost effective upgrade to achieve better sound when you are using quality equipment. Oh, but I forgot,

I'm not in this with the specific goal of improving the sound of my system, but rather to evaluate for myself the reality of sonic difference from a power cord with a secondary benefit of potentially improving my system.

Sorry, I just don't understand why anyone would have thoughts about spending additional money on a system, and not be looking to improve sound quality.

Nevertheless, good luck with whatever you decide.