Powercord to tame brightness and add musicality

Yeah, what Warrenh said...

I wanted to say the same thing, but decided to try to offer a suggestion that might offer some help...if only marginal.

Bottom line is that cords will not cure brightness. Only finding components that do not exhibit brightness will cure what ails you. I know. I've tried the same thing, as have most others who have been in this hobby for at least six months, so you're not alone!

Still, the advice regarding dedicated lines (or line) holds. Do this before investing in expensive power cords (or different electronics).

I totally agree with Tvad and Warren. IMHO PC should not change the tonal balance of your components, nor should IC's or speaker cable. If they do its because they are not neutral (tonally) and are actually degrading the signal. They may superficially "sound" better, but when you eventually change out the component that is the cause of the problem you end up having to change out your cabling to match the new components. The only reason to change wire is for increased resolution. IMHO.

I've found that any cord (or wall receptacle) using silver has an inherent quality that I perceive as brightness, regardless of what position I use it in the system.

I also have dedicated lines but that didn't do anything for brightness; rather it helped reduce the background noise level & allows me to turn on the amp w/o tripping the breaker.

Spkrs can contribute to brightness as well as some components but I use cables to fine tune what I have, so in a sense I consider them tone controls.

You pick & choose what works best for you.

Well I agree that power cords should not be used as tone controls, one has to understand that the alternative is to change the equipment. I have used p/c's as tone controls on equipment that was a bit bright or harsh. Sure, the best thing is to sell the equipment, and buy equipment that better suits your taste. The p/c is merely a band-aid that can help you out until you realize that the gear has to go. I didn't feel comfortable telling Nickt to sell his Krell gear. Maybe he doesn't want to for ergonomic issues. I have found that a power cord can smooth out harsh equipment.

Whether the user wants a p/c that will smooth out his system, or to change equipment to more suit his taste is really up to the individual.

Regards,
John

The Paragon (Pure Note) pc seems to work for me on my KMA-250s (these are antiques now). It is a very quiet cord with no added brightness. I upgraded from the Sigma model which has been a popular choice for Krell gear (see searches). Price is right.

Bill