Monstrous power cables

Power cords make a big difference in sound… that is the why. It is best to think about plugging into your outlet as plugging lake, as opposed to plugging into a 14 gauge “hose”. I think the founder of Shunyata uses this analogy. Power does not work like a hose.

Various companies use combinations of insulators and conductors… of various size and composition. Over my 50 years of pursuing high end audio I have had a number of jaw dropping experiences with digital interconnects, speaker cables and power cords.
 

The most recent when I changed my the cord on my amplifier from an expensive Cardas to a AudioQuest Hurricane. The difference was profound. It did exactly what I needed to the overall tonal balance. The stock cord was well balanced but not as quiet and hindered the dynamics of the music, the Cardas really improved the midrange and bass… but did not improve the details as much… basically tilting the sound towards the too warm side (in most systems this is great). But the Audio Quest equally improved the details… so maintained the balance. The Hurricane was only $1,700… honestly the improvement in my system would have been worth $5K… a good value… as it should be. So, when I can I will be upgrading to the Dragon… I think $5K. I suspect it will be worth the improvement… but I’ll see. Will not happen this year.

I find generally, cables, cords, and interconnects typically make noticeable and important differences in the sound quality and occasionally huge differences. I have not been able to predict which is going to be huge. I have a number of very fond memories of jaw dropping changes… equivalent to a component upgrade.
 

The noticeable and important changes are additive… so the small important difference in a single set of interconnects is very significant when applying to all components. Also, closer to the source tend to be more important for interconnects and higher power for power cords. But it depends. Direct lines virtually always make a very important contribution.

@1971gto455ho

Just so happens that I was a practicing scientist when I began my pursuit of high end audio… before graduate school. Within a year I realized that the published technical parameters were grossly insufficient to account for most of what we hear in electronically reproduced music. It isn’t that this is beyond the realm, companies use science and engineering as a foundation to producing good sounding equipment. It is that the number of variables become overwhelming quickly. So, many variables quickly send designers to experimentation quickly… basic material science.

This is something I know something about. I worked as an inventor (electrical mechanical engineer) after college. I was given the task of designing a new system. The first few days I used physical and chemical properties to design. Then, realized how I would need computer simulation. I just went out and bought dozens of materials and used them in a prototype to see how they functioned. Hundreds of time more efficient.

Basic science is fantastic when using a few variables… but throw in dozens or hundreds for the sake of creating audio components and it become too time consuming.

Let me suggest you forget your vendetta against all of us stupid gullible people that will spend $5K on speaker cables or interconnects. Just go out and listen to some insanely expensive systems. Forget the price. Just listen. If they don’t sound fantastic to you. Great, go home and enjoy your system. If they do sound amazing… like they did to me… start investigating why.

I did. What I found is that they are systems and every component matters. You can find a good sounding system with just great components, but you will not find great sounding systems without every aspect carefully chosen and optimized. If you simply put together “good measuring” equipment like ASR is likely to recommend you will have yourself a very poor sounding system.

@12many

I would refer to Shunyata… the founder has a good video on the subject. The point is that power is like a lake not a hose. The reality of us that have experience is that a high end power cords are the most effective at improving sound… the second is to replace low quality Romex with a 10 gauge direct line or better. Depending on your power grid, a power conditioner can be at the beginning or end of the list.

One thing to notice is that great sounding audio equipment invariably has a large amount of technology and weight dedicated to power… it is the foundation of high quality sound.

OP,

Learning to listen takes time. It is a big challenge. Music is constantly changing… instruments, notes, timing, etc. one’s mind focus workes by concentrating on one thing at a time… but with music, that is constantly changing and our memories for sounds are not that good. So, this creates a difficult problem when comparing equipment. If the difference is big… not a problem, but if subtle it is much harder.

With experience, one learns the nomenclature of describing sound, and as you perceive and understand sound you can then be able to discern greater and greater subtlety.

Professional reviewers take notes because they are able to discriminate among dozens of variables. It’s like the number of terms Eskimo have for kinds of snow (true or not). Novices have a hard time discriminating and describing sound. What ever it takes to get your arms around different equipment is part of the learning experience. This relentless pursuit to understand sound reproduction is what allows you to master it. Keep at it, you are doing great.

For me. After a brief listen, which helps me identify any major different characteristics, I just listen to whatever it is for a week. Then switch, for a week. I know what my system sounds like. I listen to it 3 1/2 hours a day… every day. The more subtle characteristics come out over time.. they are processed by my subconscious… the more powerful side of your brain. A good way to look at your mind is the elephant and the rider… the elephant is your subconscious and the rider is you conscious mind (the dialog in your head).

Anyway, I know a number of very experienced audiophiles. We can very quickly identify differences between components with complete accuracy in minutes… blindfolded or not, since most of us close our eyes when we listen anyway. There are people that can hear, identify, and characterize I will never hear or understand. The more you try the better you get. 

@audiodwebe 

You can easily post photos under your UserID… virtual systems. Just create one called power cord.