Which Cable Makes the Biggest Impact?

"Interesting. Re power cords, how is it that after that electricity is generated at the plant it goes through numerous wires, transformers, taps, circuit breakers, cables, wires, meters, protections devices, etc. before it gets to your house and then somehow a power cord cleans all this up and upgrades the sound?

I'm not denying a power cord makes a difference just trying to understand the rationale. I would believe a power conditioner of some sort would have an effect but a power cord, I just don't see the logic.

regards, David"

Wireless200,

I share your logic, or "logic-gap" on this. My answer is that I think there is something going on in the back of the average stereo system with EMFs set up around our cables and the circuits in our equipment that makes delivery of clean power from the wall or power conditioner, and a clean signal from one box to the other a much bigger challenge than we might at first appreciate.

The better the equipment (larger power supplies, greater current delivery, larger capacitors, higher sampling rates, etc.), the greater the potential EMF "pollution" in the vicinity of our rigs. So it is a catch 22, more powerful and sophisticated gear makes for a more challenging environment for signals to pass into and out of our gear undisturbed, while at the same time providing much greater ability to resolve and detect line hash and other electrical interference in the signal path that can ultimately affect what we hear out of our speakers. Perhaps why the folks with the best equipment report the largest improvements from different power cords.

So after market power cords don't "upgrade the sound", really good ones prevent it from being degraded further in a very challenging EMF environment.

Douglas,

From your post: (and not to get into a pissing match)

"It really does seem counter-intuitive, but I wholeheartedly subscribe to the "Front End Influence" theory that high quality power cords must be used if one is going to have a fighting chance at reaching Hi-Fi."

So, based on that thought, all the tens of thousands of dollars that (we) spend on equipment isn't "reaching Hi-Fi" because we didn't invest money in a 6 foot power cord?

Without good PC's, our equipment isn't much better then Circuit City type of equipment.

That doesn't seem logical to me.

Without good PC's, our equipment isn't much better then Circuit City type of equipment.

That doesn't seem logical to me.
Zippyy (Threads | Answers)

I hope you and Douglas won't mind if I comment. Zippyy, I agree that it doesn't seem logical. However, I am certain that if your system is capable, and if your listening perception is acute, then you will hear the benefits of good after market power cords. Because of the ever elusive system synergy concept, some experimentation by you will be required, and I would not expect the first, second, or even third cord to produce the "Ah-Ha!" moment. But, the right cord will do it for you.

Debating the concept here will only result in hundreds of keystrokes.

Only by trying for yourself will you be convinced.

Thanks for everyone's comments. I was hoping that this thread would not turn into one of those battles about how the last six feet of a power cord to a component can possibly make a difference. I'm sure everyone is tired of those threads. Frankly, I don't care about the technical aspects of how a power cable is supposed to make such a big difference, but in my system it does!

I've been at this audio hobby for over 30 years. During that time period, I have had three Ah-ha moments as Tvad suggested; these are those times when you discover something in your system that takes your listening experience to the next level of performance. I was never a believer in interconnects, power cords, or speaker cables. I always upgraded components first. Sure, my system sounded better; with each progressive upgrade in components, I got better sound....tighter bass....cleaner sounding treble...more coherent midrange. I thought my system was sounding pretty darn good. I didn't think that my system could be improved much more without revamping it entirely (and winning the lottery to pay for it!). I was wrong.

My first Ah-ha moment! Upgrading from a Denon transport/Meridian DAC to an Arcam CD92.

My second Ah-ha was buying my first power cord for my Arcam CD92. This one simple step of buying my first used power cord (a Harmonic Technology Pro AC11 for $120) made my speakers disappear.

My third and most recent ah-ha: Upgrading my last power cord to the Purist Audio Dominus Ferrox for the analogue portion of my power conditioner. Wow! More of everything...period!

I agree that one may not hear the improvements that cables can bring about if their components are not at a certain level of performance. All I can say is that if you have not tried an upgraded power cord before, try it. Circuit City to true Hi Fi might be a stretch, but you can move forward one big step in my opinion!

calgarian

Zippyy, Yes, we can be cordial. No skin off our backs, eh?

I agree w. Tvad that we could spend thousands of keystrokes. I'll add about 100.
Your comment:
So, based on that thought, all the tens of thousands of dollars that (we) spend on equipment isn't "reaching Hi-Fi" because we didn't invest money in a 6 foot power cord?

My response: It's entirely possible. That is, the entire chain might be held back by a bottleneck at the source. Once that bottleneck is cleared, I would assert that you or anyone else who hears the difference would think that they've attained a much closer result to "Hi Fi" than ever before.

You said:
Without good PC's, our equipment isn't much better then Circuit City type of equipment.

I reply: That depends. You haven't listed your system. ;)
Seriously, I'm not trying to spit on people's rigs. I just find it incredible that people would spend thousands on components and use a stock cord, or a Home Depot cord!

You're not talking to someone who has not tested these things. Years ago, I went and made my own Home Depot cords. Straight up, a waste of time. They made a very marginal contribution, not even close enough to merit the time and money. Almost any manufactured PC I used sounded better, and I tried four or five different ones against it. My philosophy regarding upgrades is very simple: If it doesn't make an IMMEDIATELY perceptible, large difference, then it's a waste of time. For me, there must be a sizable change or else I'm not wasting my time on it, because later I'll grow dissatisfied again. If it's a huge difference, then I'm moving ever more speedily toward my personal vision of what Hi Fi should sound like.

Who among the naysayers have gone out and made cords? Who's bought five or six used cords and set them up to critically assess them? If you've never done it, how can you comment definitively as though you have? Are you simply relying on heresay? Why not go and DO IT, then come back and report what you've found.

Again, look at my MIT review in Dagogo.com; it's very telling that I was able to ascertain the impedance of the component without looking at the manual, but based solely on listening to the changes wrought by the settings on the IC's! You'll understand when you read it. I have not seen too many better tests to demonstrate positively the benefit of cabling. You won't find a more honest critique of efficacy of IC's and speaker cables in toto than that review.

ok, 400 keystrokes