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How can power cords make a difference?

I am trying to understand why power cords can make a difference.

It makes sense to me that interconnects and speaker cables make a difference. They are dealing with a complex signal that contains numerous frequencies at various phases and amplitudes. Any change in these parameters should affect the sound.

A power cord is ideally dealing with only a single frequency. If the explanation is RF rejection, then an AC regeneration device like PS Audio’s should make these cords unnecessary. I suppose it could be the capacitance of these cables offering some power factor correction since the transformer is an inductive load.

The purpose of my post is not to start a war between the “I hear what I hear so it must be so” camp and the “you’re crazy and wasting your money,” advocates. I am looking for reasons. I am hoping that someone can offer some valid scientific explanations or point me toward sources of this information. Thanks.
bruce1483
jadem6's avatar
jadem6
1,071 posts
 
Steve, Thank-you for your fine critique of my writing, it means a lot to me.
In answer to your question, no I believe Science and experimenting from hobbyists worked hand and hand to develop audio to where it is today. I also believe that is how it will grow beyond this point. To bad 702, and a few others choose not to work together with us to move forward, but have taken the tact of blank denial.
As far as the rest of your post...................
.......... any one who must try to pump up his chest feathers by letting us all know of his extensive professional experience so we accept his view, must in deed be a weak player. (Please see the past couple months of Mr. 702 postings This man has too often shoved his "knowledge" and "experience as ..." down my throat that yes, I am choking. The way he has chosen to separate himself from the hobbyist only strengthens my "attack". J.D.
redkiwi
1,092 posts
 
I just want to report I took out all my good power cords and located the power cords supplied by the manufacturer for each piece of gear I had, and put them in. I then let them burn-in for three days. The sound was horrid - excruciating amounts of grain, hardness, thinness. If all you wanted from a high end system was power and attack then you might have liked it. But if you wanted Ella's voice to sound like Ella, you would stop listening and go out and listen to Josephine Bloggs at the local Jazz Joint. I put the good stuff back and there it shall stay. That is my sole contribution to this post. Since the object of our hobby is enjoyment of music, the only meaningful dialogue here for me is how to improve this enjoyment. All else is RHUBARB!
fpeel
446 posts
 
Before someone else jumps on it, let me be the one to respond to Redkiwi with, "That's because you expected it to sound bad. There's no way power cords can make a difference." Not because I believe it, but because the responses have become so predictable. Maybe this way we can get a chuckle instead of an argument out of it. Thanks for the insight, RK.
dekay's avatar
dekay
2,959 posts
 
Yes RedKiwi: It is a shame that none of the power supplies have been properly designed in your otherwise stellar system.
redkiwi
1,092 posts
 
Thanks for the advice guys. But Dekay, since it would invalidate the warranty if I fixed the incompetently designed power supplies in my components (no doubt mr702 could send me instructions, but not being of his stature I would no doubt fail to implement them competently anyhow), I intend to follow Fpeel's advice and have booked a session with a hypnotist. I am hoping said hypnotist can reinforce my deluded expectation that my system will improve every time I play a new disc (I shall call it the theory of infinite burn-in), but to also reinforce my expection that the system will sound worse whenever I try any piece of new equipment (which will of course be due to my expectation that it will never catch up with the burnt-in state of my existing components). If mr702's theories are correct then I should be enjoying musical and fiscal bliss very shortly.
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