If Power Cords Don't Matter...

Maybe you should explain how voltage is analogous to physical water pressure.

Gravity and pumps create water pressure and it is held back by a valve. On the other hand electricity does not need to be held back as there is no "pressure".

I can think of a lot of ways pedroeb, but this is the one I want to try. Since you think voltage is not pressure, I will put both hands across a 12v car battery if you will hold your hands half an inch above a 12kV panel. Since voltage isn't pressure and you have to complete a circuit you should be okay with doing this. When I am fine and you are fried we will see who still thinks voltage isn't pressure. Deal? 

If the cord is really better, then one would suspect that all the untoward frequencies are sneaking into the device would vanish?

Yeah, by magic, I guess. Remind me, weren’t you the one making such a big deal about taking alternative views seriously? That what you call this little outburst?

And one would also suspect that the 50 or 60 Hz would be booming out of the device if its power supply was not removing it.

Another one.

But most of the power supplies are supplying DC.

No, all of the power supplies are supplying DC. So?

What happens is, incoming AC is converted to DC via diode rectifiers. These devices allow current to pass one way only. AC being alternating this means the diodes must constantly switch on and off. This never happens perfectly smoothly. You want measurements, you can find measurements of exactly how fast and smooth diodes do this.

Their DC output then gets stored in the power supply caps. Because all components draw power in very fast transient surges, but we want them to get the same power no matter the surge, so we store it in caps. Caps are also often times called smoothing caps, because they smooth out whatever varying current is going through them.

Remember the diode switching smoothness? Turns out even a lot of capacitance cannot ever completely eliminate this. There is always ripple on the DC output. Another one you can measure.

Or you can do what those of us in touch with reality do, and try it and hear for yourself. Then you will know what you are talking about and not be reduced to schoolyard taunts.

“Detached” sometimes is followed by the phrase “with reality”

You said it. The one thing you got right. Never too late to try and get in touch with it.

$749 World Class 6’ power cord compares to the competition at under $10,000.00 Yeah! Really 

Yeah, really. $749 is "under" $10k. So is $50. So is zero. "World class" merely means compared to all free power cords made anywhere in the world. "Compares to" means "compares to" not better, just that you can compare them.   

The ad in other words says absolutely nothing. All it does is play on the readers susceptibility to emotional appeals.   

The "placebo" canard plays on fears just the same only different. Try and be a little more detached, and I think you will find the logic easier to process.

4 ga is stranded wire. Snip off strands until what is left will fit, and tighten down.

Fortunately I run 4ga all the way from the panel to the conditioner. So I got that one covered. And springs. Whew. What a relief. 

troidelover1499-

I am not understanding what you are saying in your posting below. In high school physics we learned that voltage is analogous to physical water pressure, and current is like water flow in volume. So what you are saying is losing me.

I’m losing you because you’re missing my sarcastic sense of humor. Mr EE lectured us on how electricity is "not like that at all." There are important differences. But instead of taking time to explain any of that he shows off with his clever little insult. I get accused all the time of talking down to people but here we have a guy who starts right off with people "who don’t have a background in EE think electricity is like water, but that is a wrong analogy." Sheesh! 

Wrong. It is an imperfect analogy. But it for sure is not wrong. As my witty little reply makes painfully clear.

I even swapped around gauge of wire with diameter of pipe. The analogy is darn near perfect. Voltage is exactly pressure. Just like water. We even call amps current.

Even getting into math, the analogy continues impressively well. V=IR is voltage equals amps times resistance. Substitute pressure in lbs/sq in for voltage, liters per minute for amperage, pipe flow resistance for ohms, the analogy is almost one for one. Far from wrong.

Imperfect? Certainly. Wrong? Not even. Item #269 on the list of why we would all be better off to ignore credentials and learn to think for ourselves.

PS- troidelover, did you spell it wrong or was triodelover already taken? ;)

Right. The gauge of the pipe isn't at all like the diameter of the wire. Voltage isn't pressure. Just because we call amps current, forget all that.

I understand that the people who believe power cords make no difference argue that once the power gets into the component, the AC is converted to DC and the power supply of the component takes over completely. I think I have that right for the most part. So it that’s true, and it probably is from a traditional EE standpoint, why is it that I have not heard anyone say that power conditioners make no difference?

You are right to point out the illogic. 

The power supply does indeed convert AC to DC. The way this works, a power supply transformer first converts the line voltage, whatever it is, to the voltage the component requires. This first step is why some components can be changed to run on 120 or 240 or whatever. All they do is use different taps off the same transformer. The quality of this transformer has a big effect on performance, which is why so many manufacturers of top end gear brag about their transformers.

Then next AC is converted to DC using rectifier diodes. These devices allow power flow only one way. So after rectification we have DC. But here again the quality of the rectifiers has a big impact on sound quality. Fast smooth switching diodes yields a nice deep liquid sound. Cheap ones flat and grainy. The difference is easy to hear.

After rectification power supply caps are used to store the power for use by the circuit. Here again both the quantity and the quality of the caps has a huge influence on the sound.

The power supply theory the PC deniers rely upon is that since the power supply is so perfect nothing upstream can matter. But we have just shown nothing about the power supply is perfect! Not the transformers at the beginning. Not the diodes in the middle. Not the caps at the end. None of it. Not one single bit of it. 

If they were consistent they would insist nothing matters. But they know enough to understand this is a non-starter. So they fall back on, well some things matter but not this. For which there is no basis. 

There you have it.