A certain online retailer asked me for a review of Pangea power cords..

As both an audiophile and technician for 40+ years I have a VERY hard time with the idea that either a fancy outlet or power cord can or should make ANY audible difference in your or my system. If they really did, why wouldn’t most, if not all, of the better manufacturers include something of the sort with their expensive gear??? If it made their gear sound better, they’d be all over it. Why not? It would be a cheap selling point. AC is AC, it doesn’t do anything except deliver power to your gear. I don’t pretend to know everything, but that seems completely logical to me.

A better outlet may grip your plugs tighter, not a bad thing, I’ve replaced a few sloppy ones myself. If the attached power cord can comfortably handle the current demands of what it’s supplying, it can do no more. A gold plated/Rhodium/Sasquatch approved outlet is still just an outlet. I can't get drunk enough to believe otherwise :)

Keep your power lines away from your signal lines, sure. Install a dedicated high current line for your system, sure. Spend a hundred bucks on an outlet or hundreds on a power cord?? .............Your money. If it makes you happy, spend it.

I’m not saying that some folks don’t "hear" differences, or at least think they do. Your experience is not for me to question. I simply think it’s more the power of suggestion than reality. If you paid good money for a tweek and BELIEVE it will sound better, it probably does, at least to you.

Elizabeth

Love your posts madame.  Clearly you have good taste and relatively deep pockets.........No disrespect intended, this is a discussion.......Give me one real reason that an ultra power cord and/or magic outlet can and/or should make any difference to your amp/pre/cdp/TT..cat or dog.......Please don't say "because it does".....The stuff coming out of the wall is pretty consistent, a bit dirty perhaps, more so depending on where you live. When it hits your gear, which in your  case is very nice.....mine ain't so bad either......it gets filtered and regulated to the extent that the manufacturer deemed appropriate to GUARANTEE that his equipment will perform as designed for a given price point using the generic wall juice. Pretty much all high end gear is very well filtered and regulated because it's IMPORTANT and they know it..........If including, even as an option, an expensive power cord "upgrade", don't you think they'd be first in line? Come on Lady, I'm sure you're smarter than that. High end gear is ALL about sound.........and eye candy beyond a certain point. If an upgrade PC made any real or meaningful difference they'd ship it with one. Any of YOUR very nice gear come with a $500 PC or list of recommended outlets> I'm betting NOT.....if it MATTERED, it would have.

If YOU think you hear a difference and it makes you happy, it's your money and gear. Do what makes you happy, I do :)

I consider this, as well as any topic, simply a discussion and sharing of experience and opinions. It is not, nor likely ever to be, my intent to "dis" anybody, regardless of whether I agree with them or not..............A friend of mine has a favorite saying........."Nobody has a monopoly on the truth"....I respect that.

Hard to find two people who agree on much of ANYTHING in this hobby......maybe that's one of the reasons it's fun.

Glad you're happy, it's what it's about.

I'm too old and too smart to think that I know everything, nor have I tried everything. I'm open to the fact that while something may not make any technical or marketing sense to me............as stated above, it may still make an audible difference in some applications. I don't question anyone's personal experience. You and I could sit in the same room listening to the same system and hear different things.......Perhaps when I get bored one day I'll get a or some loner PC's and give them a listen............Maybe I'm wrong........I have been before :)

I do believe that IC's can sound different in different systems and that some people use them to tune their gear...............That said, an IC, like a PC, should do NOTHING beyond transfer power or signals from point A to point B.......If it has a "sound", it's either poorly made or intentionally made to behave in a certain way at certain frequencies.

If you do or think that you do, hear a favorable difference using "X" PC or IC, by all means buy it and enjoy. My opinion is just that, my opinion. 

I enjoy these discussions and I usually learn something along the way. Not here to dis anybody or slay someones sacred cow. It's your cow. If you like it, ain't up to me to stick a knife in it.

A good day to all :)