question on pwr cords

Newbee,
I'll agree with Tvad, the power supply of a component won't prohibit if from being affected by it's power cord, although it does have some effect IME. I've had components with 2Kva transformers that were practically 'transparent' to sonic signatures of PC's, and mass-market stuff that only likes the cheapie PC that came in it's box.
In the very first iteration of my system, I tried a couple of PC's (TARA labs and Virtual Dynamics) and didn't hear enough of a difference to convince me I was hearing anything at all. The biggest sonic difference between that system and my current setup is the quality of the bass and mid-bass, and the quality and quantity of midrange dynamics. That early setup was pretty poor at differentiating bass notes, and most of it's dynamics were heard as upper-midrange harmonics, focused on the leading edges of notes, and weak on the follow-up. My current setup is better in all those respects, before any AC 'enhancements' are employed, and far, far, better after.

I wanted to mention just a bit of what I hear with power cord changes.

On digital gear, I tend to notice lack or presence of grain, which also means etch, and harshness. A great power cord will be grainless, and will produce the cliched "black background".

On amplifiers, I tend to hear the effect of power cords manifest in dynamics. A great power cord will make the system sound louder. I'm guessing this again is attributable to lowering the noise floor...but that's just my guess. Also, I notice power cords' affect on bass reproduction...insofar as they contribute to tight, well defined bass, or to a more bloated presentation.

I actually recently experimented with different length power cords.

Having several Virtual Dynamics david power cords in my system I decided to let my ears determine if some longer Davids would have sonic improvments to shorter Davids.

I took the 5 foot Davids that where on my cd and amp and swapted them out with the exact same Davids (all bought and made at the same time) that where 7 foot and where on my subs.

I heard a nice improvement. The sound was more focused and better positioning of instruments when going to the 7 foot for my cd and amp from the 5 foot.

I just talked to Rick Shultz of Virtual Dynamics yesterday and told him my results. Now Rick's power cords have resonance control inside the cable and he told me that the couple extra feet added extra vibration control to the signal. I am sure theres other reasons for the change in sonic be it for better or worse, though in my system with Ricks cables it was for the better.

Rather than start my own thread on what I need, I think this is an appropriate place: I have Harmonix Studio Masters on both my SET pre and cdp. My SET amp is right in front of the outlet. I need only .5m at the most. Any suggestions? Flexibility is important at such close proximity. I suppose I could move up to a 1m if the power cord is very flexible. I can't spend the $$ on this power cord like the Harmonix. At least, not with this wife. I know, I know, but I love her. thanks guys. warren :)

For something that short, the only really important thing is good stranded 10 AWG copper (twisted) and decent plugs (AC and IEC) If I were you, I'd make one myself with parts available from one of the many PC mnufacturers here on Agon that provide DIY parts.
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