It is still snowing in Colorado. They have had 3 feet of snow this month. May! Yep....global warming. |
What is wrong with the manufacturers of high end pre-amps, power amps, outboard DACs and disc/media players? Why do they continue to cripple us with lackluster power cables? Shame on them for being so chintzy. Could it be, maybe, that with all their R&D efforts, that they discovered that the power cable they provide with the equipment is as good as it gets? Maybe not.
Perhaps some podunk, no name bozo with a slick marketing stichk, extra thick cords and sparkly plugs can suck in that select group of self-proclaimed "audiophiles" who,while not lacking funds, do lack the ability to see a scam for what it is. A freakin' scam.
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bumperdoo: Those who really understand the science know that exotic power cords (and other glitzy wires and cables) fix "problems" that just do not exist. |
Pennsy: Throttle back, my friend. On this site you may challenge the thoughts/advise/comments of a poster but not attack him personally. Just bad form and completely inappropriate. |
Checked out the Audioquest power cord geoffkait mentioned above. The reviews are amazing!! Was going to buy a couple of these but stumbled upon Audioquest's Diamond 16m Braided HDMI Cable. It is a steal at Amazon's price of $13,499.75. Some might think this is expensive but, get this, shipping is free!! 10 are left in stock of the 11 that were manufactured. Think I'll pass on the power cords and get the HDMI instead. Can't wait for the mystical heaven my audio and video will be transformed into.
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Quite a dissertation. Trying to figure out that really applies to power cords that cost more than a power amp. Is it the science that makes them so expensive...or the marketing. 😆 |
decibell says:
"So far I experienced the most dramatic improvement when upgrading the power cord of my CD player. Analog-like liquidity, higher resolution, lower sound floor, more dynamic presentation, better dynamic differentiation and denser tone color saturation could be easily heard when swapping power cords.
I also upgraded umbilical cords of my preamp's and phono stage's power supplies and was shocked because the impact of this upgrade was even more dramatic than the simple power cord upgrade. The overall impact was so dramatic, that I am now replacing every inch of reachable power conductor inside my gear.
Is anybody out there smart enough to understand the physics behind these effects? "
The better question is if you believe that such extraordinary mind-blowing results actually occur after these mods, why do the original audio component manufacturers neither endorse such modifications nor build them into their award winning components? Only manufacturers/distributors/marketers of aftermarket cabling, paid reviewers and those "audiophiles" who believed the hype and took the expensive plunge, tout the imaginary phenomenons these type mods produce. There is a reason this is true.
"Analog-like liquidity"....really? That's a new one. Who makes up this stuff? |
Hey hddg:
I assume I am the uneducated "troll" you are referring to in your recent post. I do disagree with the premise that an expensive power cord is going to improve the audio performance of a component. I chose to state that opinion here. I believe that I have the right to politely disagree - without you, for no other reason than that I disagree, referring to me as a troll.
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I think what Randy and I and other realists are saying is that once some very basic and inexpensive length/guage requirements are met, nothing is to be gained by spending sometimes insane amounts on aftermarket cabling...wasting money on them is ludicrous. If better performing power cables were really necessary, audio component manufacturers would surely provide better cables with their equipment. To not do so would make no sense. I don’t know how many different ways there are to say this..."exotic" cables are designed, marketed and sold to fix problems that do not exist. |
"Mass hysteria" is a stretch, Todd. I'd opine that it is, instead, collective confirmation of imaginary phenomenons. |
rodman9999: I agree that phenomena is a more common plural form of the singular - however, both Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage list the possible plural forms as phenomena when the meaning is an observable fact or event but phenomenons when the meaning is an exceptional, unusual, or abnormal person, things, or occurrences. Thus my usage.
Steve (williewonka): Nicely written opinion but I do not agree. If I buy a $2500 stereo power amp and the manufacturer provides me a $9.00 (bulk wholesale) power cord, it is, I believe, because that power cord provides power correctly and accurately. If he found that a power cord costing 10 times as much provided the "eye-opening, jaw dropping" (or even subtle but definite) improvements as reported by "you guys," he could substantially upgrade the cord and the amp's performance for only a 3.5% increase in the retail cost (assuming he did not mark-up the additional cord cost). Who would not want their product (in my example a power amp) to perform dramatically better for so relatively little?
Please don't ask what aftermarket power cables I have tried because I have tried none. My system sounds so good to me, I don't feel a need to spend time and money putzing around trying to increase the "analog-like liquidity" (and all the other voo-doo magic terminology used here) of a perfectly good system. I have speaker cables by Kimber Kable and Wireworld RCA interconnects. They provided no increase in SQ over Monoprice products. Is it just me...my ears? Maybe. And if so, I am very fortunate. I can listen to music that sounds incredibly wonderful to me and will never have to spend an additional penny on cables, wire, cords, smoke, butterflies, rainbows and mirrors.
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decibel:
Please, please do not feel sorry for me. This thread is not about me...it is about power cables.
Though flattered that you took the time to review my previous posts, your opinion about whether my participation is or is not wasting my time has no place in this discussion. The discussion is not about me...it is about power cables.
I have a point of view...as you do. Your point of view, right or wrong, is welcome here. My point of view, right or wrong, should be also.
The earth is not flat? Was that comment about power cables?
I'd encourage you to, as we said in the Navy, "Stay focused and on target."
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I agree....+1 for kahlenz. Buying expensive power cables can make you happy for reasons other than an improvement in SQ! I have no issue with that.
I do take issue with unsubstantiated claims that might cause a novice audio enthusiast to read what is here and believe that he must upgrade all his wires, cables (even digital) and other interconnects in order to "improve" his system...and then fall victim to the persuasiveness of expectation bias. |
Xyzal is a placebo....it has no "real" side effects! :)
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kahlenz says: "I do not need a course in physics to buy a power cable. There are plenty of choices available in all price ranges."
Of course there are. As long as there are consumers who will pay more...believing that the more they pay the better their system will sound...the higher the price will go. I mean, really, a power cord for $6000? Really? Really?
That power cable only exists because someone entepenuer knew if he built it fancy, packaged it well and marketed it to the easily swayed, he could sell enough to make a killing. Good for him...the American way.
As someone said a long time ago: "Buyer beware!". But then you have to have a certain level of smarts to know to beware. |
This has been discussed previously. That there are those with hefty "budgets" that don't know what they are doing. They believe that everything (or many things) that have extreme price tags MUST be a better product. They are wrong. Some products sell at a high price because of the high price...at a lower price they might not sell as well. I'd opine that the $6000 power cord is one of these products.
Since Value is the result of the mathematical equation of Quality divided by Price, such a power cord is a serious poor value regardless of whatever incremental SQ boost it might provide or how fat you boast your wallet to be. High priced "exotic" items are rarely a good value and often exist merely because there are those that have no appreciation of that concept.
I'd also opine that the most successful people on the planet, who earned their own fortunes, do appreciate that concept and rarely waste money on poor values. |
stfoth: Well put: "...
fair criticism is of the fantastic claims..." I really have no issue with people spending their money any way they want - it is their money. My issue is, as you pointed out, with "fantastic claims" made by some here, subsequent to changing out power cords, ethernet cable,HDMI, speaker cables and other "wire." Those claims ("unbelievable," "jaw-dropping," " incredible analog-like liquidity") influence others that show up here and cause them to make the same bad decisions about how to "upgrade" the quality of their (as clearthink says) Music Reproduction System.
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Holy Crap! God has been introduced into this discussion. Are we talking about a "power cord" that is omnipotent? Or....maybe if, you pray hard enough your speaker cables will suddenly be jaw dropping transparent? Clearly, introducing God into this discussion changes everything. |
