Once I was reading about a modification to the crossovers in my speakers. The author explained that one of the inductors in the crossover was attached with a metal screw that changed the inductance of the circuit; and removing this screw and replacing it with a plastic one would have a great impact on sound quality. I removed the screw, and was amazed at the sound improvement. Weeks went by, and I couldn't beleave how such a small thing could make such a big difference.
Then it hit me; I had disconnected that part of the circuit months earlier, and the inductor was not even connected. So much for my highly trained golden ears!
What I learned from this exercise is that sometimes I hear improvements that are real; and sometimes I hear improvements that I expect to hear because of changes I make to my system - but they are all in my head.
As for power cords, perhaps they offer some RF/EMI filtering which is of some benefit in certain applications. Perhaps they are like the screw I removed from my crossovers. A power cord looks kind of like a snake. Perhaps there is a correlation..
Then it hit me; I had disconnected that part of the circuit months earlier, and the inductor was not even connected. So much for my highly trained golden ears!
What I learned from this exercise is that sometimes I hear improvements that are real; and sometimes I hear improvements that I expect to hear because of changes I make to my system - but they are all in my head.
As for power cords, perhaps they offer some RF/EMI filtering which is of some benefit in certain applications. Perhaps they are like the screw I removed from my crossovers. A power cord looks kind of like a snake. Perhaps there is a correlation..