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In term of construction, what's the difference between cheap vs. expensive power cables

When it comes to interconnects and speaker cables, it is easier to understand the justification for the costs of these cables.  But when it comes to power cables, it is a little difficult to understand.

Some believe that as long as the power cable has enough gauge the that's all you need.  I've used some cheap power cables vs. some high price cables and there are clearly differences in sound, so the "gauge" of the cables is not the ONLY thing and it's a little bit more complicated than that.  

In speaker cables design, you can adjust the R/L/C parameters to achieve a certain kind of sound and it's easy to visual how these parameters will affect the sound.  For example too much C then the sound will lack leading edge.  Too much L then the sound will be brittle.  If too much R then the sound will lack dynamic.  Or if the cable has too much jitter, then the transparency will be affected.

But the power cable main job is to establish a DC source, it's not too clear how the R/L/C parameters will affect the sound the same way these parameters will affect the sound of the speaker cable.  Also I am not sure how jitter would affect a power cable either

So the bottom line is what's actually inside a power cable that make them so expensive?  Do they use fancy dielectric?  How about construction geometry?  

For a designer, I mean how do you fine-tune your power cable.  How do you know your power cable will sound good?
andy2

Showing 6 responses by pauly

pauly
1,012 posts
 
To me it blatantly obvious why good power cords improve sound.

The power supply has the job of converting the AC mains source into a ripple free DC source for the B+ rail. The more noise the PC can remove from the mains before it reached the power supply, the lower the noise on the B+ rail will be. The higher noise on the line that enters the power supply, the higher noise will end up on your B+ rail. 

Individuals who claim power cords cannot help obviously have no understanding of the challenges to turn AC into clean, ripple free DC and the lengths some designers go to to address the issue. 
pauly
1,012 posts
 
@nonoise 
harry is obviously the local troll that has been banned multiple times.

Clearly some gadfly's cannot take the hint ... 
pauly
1,012 posts
 
@nonoise 

I didn't say you made it up. You're hiding behind someone else's words.

Harry did make it up. At no point did Nelson Pass claim that his amplifiers won't benefit from a good aftermarket PC, and at no time did he allude that they wouldn't. As well as being ignorant, Harry seems to be a total liar also. Who would have thought right?


Go listen to a bunch of power cords on your system and let us know if you hear a difference.

I suspect Harry, or dletch2,  or whatever this tiresome individual decides to call himself is either as deaf as a post or simply posting to get attention. 
pauly
1,012 posts
 
@invalid - I nearly ruptured my spleen laughing when I saw your post.

@andy2 - When I was discussing my requirements with the folks at Wireworld they told me that the shortest PC they recommend is 2 mtr, and suggested I use 3 mtr lengths - which I did. I assume they dial in a little bit of capacitance in their PC’s, but have to hold back lest it causes issues with longer cords.

I compared a 1mtr silver electra to a 3mtr silver electra and the 3 mtr does result in an audibly better sound. It’s subtle but its there.
pauly
1,012 posts
 
Whenever I think our resident know-it-all has come up with the most ignorant comment, he proves me wrong by posting another. 
pauly
1,012 posts
 
I got a question for you guys. If we use silver speaker cables, the sound will tend to sound a bit on the bright side right.

What if you use a silver power cable, will the sound be bright as well?
My response is "it depends". I use pure silver IC's and SC and my sound is not bright. I think the brightness will depend on construction of the cable and how it interacts with the rest of your equipment. Silver is possibly more prone to brightness, but I think there are a number of other factors involved.

If your system leans towards being bright, it's probably wise to go for something other than silver. If you can get a trail period to test the cable before doling out the cash, then there is no reason not to try a silver PC.
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