Any thoughts on using the supplied power cord for a PS Audio PWT vs. seeking an upgrade

tmaxon1956

My pleasure. I look  forward in reading more about your power cord(s) considerations.

Happy Listening!

Hi @jafant 
Thank you for the suggestion.  I will pursue this avenue as well . . .

tmaxon1956

P.S. Audio has its own Forums as well. Check it out to read what other PWT owners are suggesting. Once you have a frame of reference on cabling choices, let your own ears, guide. Have fun!

Happy Listening!

Jason,
"So maybe I need a power cord designed by that genius Ted Denney of SR, eh?"


That would certainly be a good place to start. I believe he has a money back guarantee as well. Make sure however to let it burn in for a couple hundred hours (it does make a difference) before any critical evaluation.  


All the best 

@jasonbourne52 You can buy a noise sniffer to test this in real time.  TVs are not as sensitive...so you won't notice much of a difference. (unless you try a much older T.V)

I did buy a $90 Pangea power cord to use on my BEL 1001 amp. It was lacking one. As the French chef said " No diffawrance!" So maybe I need a power cord designed by that genius Ted Denney of SR, eh?

Power conditioners are useful for audio gear. (and many other electronics)

High frequency switching noises and radio frequencies in outlets are common. This is due to shared power and many electronics plugged in.

https://www.visions.ca/product-detail/53063/austere_vii_series_8_outlet_with_omniport_usb_and_45w_us...

This solves the problem. They also have cheaper ones with less oulets. Monster power platinum is fine if you're looking to save money. 

600K guarantee if your gear is damaged...

I called out Michael Fremer on YouTube for touting a $6000 AQ power cord in his column in Stereophile. Claimed to bring him closer to Audio Nirvana than ever before! When will this cr*p ever stop?

The sound of an electronic component starts with the voltage and current from the power supply. NOT from the wire to the AC outlet! To believe otherwise is to think.that using a custom hose to fill your car's gas tank will improve its mileage and 0-to-60 time! And increase its trunk capacity! 

Hi mastering92,
Thank you for the advice.  Although I'm confident I'd be thrilled to death w a Perfectwave AudioQuest Thunder power cord (just saw one in real life this morning at a local Hi-Fi shop - it IS intimidating - plus the guy at the shop started to talk to me about power conditioning, so my head is really spinning now), can I trouble you to offer up a couple brand names and models for me to review? (as I am unfamiliar with hospital-grade power cords)

Do a blind test (swapping power cords) have someone help you. If you hear a difference, that would be interesting. I agree that stock power cords are made to the bare minimum spec..

1. Stock power cord 
2. AudioQuest power cord
3. Hospital-grade power cord

I have always used hospital-grade power cords. If they're good enough for sensitive medical equipment, then they must be fine for audio gear. 

Hi millercarbon,
Thank you for your thoughtful response.  I needed that.  And I suspected as much (WRT any benefit provided by the supplied power cord.)  Since the cord is for the PWT, looking to PS Audio for their recommendations might lead one to favor something like the Perfectwave AudioQuest AC12 for $699, or even the Perfectwave AudioQuest Thunder for $850.  What alternatives would you recommend, if any?

The first thing you should know is freebie rubber power cords are supplied for one reason and one reason alone, and that is so some day when you go to sell and you have all the original packaging you can say to the buyer buy with confidence I have all the original packaging including the freebie rubber power cord. The buyer knows there is no earthly reason to hold onto one of those things, therefore you are OCD and therefore reliable and you get more money. Ideally the freebie rubber power cord is kept wrapped tight in its plastic bag as that is the one thing they are designed to do really well. In a pinch they can be used to warm up and burn in but under no circumstances should you use them to listen to music as this alone will give the impression you threw away a mountain of money on a piece of crap when really it is just the POC power cord making your (possibly) good component sound like a POC.

This has nothing to do with demands on house current, or current demands at all. Better power cords sound better even on a phono stage or (shudder!) DAC where power demands are virtually nonexistent. 

The "weak link" philosophy is complicated. If you think of it in terms of the weakest link will prevent hearing what everything else is doing this is bunk. Everything I said about the freebie rubber power cord was just to get the point across how awful they are. You will still hear improvements made elsewhere even with the POC cord in there. So in this sense the weak link does not apply. 

Where the weak link concept does work is when looking to upgrade it makes sense to spend your money where it will do the most good. Since a rubber power cord is ground zero it costs next to nothing to upgrade. Anything will be better! Everything will be better! 

Go and listen. Read the reviews. You will see.