I use a Markus Tunis Black Shadow power cord with my PS 5 and it works well. I thought it was an improvement over the stock cord in my listening environment.
One Cord To Rule Them All
I'm seeking advice for a power cord to go from the wall outlet to my PSA P10 power regenerator. It needs to be 1.5M / 5 ft. and have the ability to pass 600 watts for many hours per day. My current PC is a Pangea AC-9, and my budget is about $200 to $300. The candidates I have so far are: Pangea AC-9 SE Mk ll, Audio Envy Ocean 3, or a PS Audio AC10 (used for about $300). Any thoughts? ... Thanks
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Yes, for interconnects and speaker cables, but I believe solid core wire is not recommended for power cables due to the higher potential for breakage due to repeated bending. There have been a couple of folks who have discussed that, in their opinion, Romex would actually sound pretty good as a power cord but is not recommended because of the safety issue. I have never tried it. |
Here is my thoughts. I went from a Shunyata Research Anaconda Alpha Cable to a Pangea AC-9 and then to a Pangea AC-9 SE Mk ll. The Pangea AC-9 SE Mk ll is a 7awg cable as appose to a 9awg. I found out from my system that these cables are better than the stock cables and of course adds a better look to your system. IMO don’t break the bank on power cables. The price difference between the 3 doesn’t outweigh the difference you will hear. Don’t be fooled. I feel the cable you already have, is plenty and will continue to do the job. This is just my opinion and my experience of owning these 3 different cables plus others not needed to be mentioned. I hope this helps. |
koestner OP What about Anticables? I’m not trying to come up a rebuttal, but they’re in my price range, and also solid core I think.They are stranded, according to Anticables’ website. |
@OP - By all means, experiment to your heart's content. I'm all for trying things out. As you may have noticed, I am skeptical of power cord improvements, especially to a component that is itself designed to improve the power quality. Unfortunately, there seems to be no dearth of silly advice. One poster suggested a 7 or 9 gauge cable from the wall. That cable can't carry more current that whatever is in the wall, so using any larger gauge than your household Romex is like connecting a firehose to a garden hose. The firehose can't put out more than the garden hose can deliver to it. Someone else suggested hospital grade cable. The hospital grade refers to physical characteristics unrelated to the current such as resistance to flexing, strain relief, connector strength, impact resistance and so on. Nothing at all to do with current. In fact, most hospital grade cable is 16 or 18 gauge. See here: https://www.cablestogo.com/learning/library/standards-specs-certs/hospital-grade-power-cords Good luck in your quest and let us know the results. |
Oh boy! Some people have no idea how power cords work for an audio component. Like this comment above: ——-One poster suggested a 7 or 9 gauge cable from the wall. That cable can't carry more current that whatever is in the wall, so using any larger gauge than your household Romex is like connecting a firehose to a garden hose. The firehose can't put out more than the garden hose can deliver to it——— I am copying here an article from Caelin Gabriel, who actually makes power cords for a living. And has all the education credentials and experience to know “a bit” more than some armchair quarterback: ——- Misconception #1: AC Power is like water coming from a large power tank, flowing through several 10s of feet of power hose into a component. This implies that the component is at the end of this system. "Some power cords use capacitors, inductors, or ferrites in an attempt to control the electromagnetic fields around the audio component. The success of such an approach is completely dependent upon the specific design and the reactance of the power supply of the component to which the power cable is attached.” "A primary source of audible sonic degradation is caused by the power supplies in our audio/video components. Most components use FWBR (full wave bridge rectifier) power supplies that generate an incredible amount of transient noise when the rectifiers switch off. The design of a power cable can significantly affect the reactance of these signals within the power supply. The power cable is effectively part of the primary winding of the power transformer. The transition between the various metals used in a power cable and its connectors can cause electromagnetic reflections and diode-like rectification of the noise impulses as they propagate away from the power supply. If the power cable presents a high impedance to these signals they will be reflected back into the power supply where they will intermodulate, thus increasing the high frequency noise levels of the component. Most power supply filters are ineffective at blocking very high frequency noise components and much of it is passed through to the DC rails. The sonic effects of this include: high background noise levels, blurred or slurred transients and a general lack of clarity and purity of the sound or visual image.” "As long as power supply design is based upon FWBRs or switching supplies, the power cord will always be significant.” Answer: “There are some power cords that ARE designed this way. Some even insert capacitors within the cable to further increase capacitance. This approach has some positives and many negatives including the reactive interference with the way many power supplies are designed. "Capacitance alone cannot account for the differences in a power cord's performance. There are some high-end power cords that are very effective that have virtually immeasurable levels of capacitance. These cables are usually designed around hollow tubes with the conductors inside. The conductors are several inches apart and cannot significantly affect the capacitance of the power circuit.” "A speaker cable conducts an audio signal from the power amplifier to the speaker. The distance is quite small, on the order of a couple of feet to several feet. The quality of a speaker cable is determined by how well it can transmit the signal from the amplifier to the speaker without alteration. "A power cable on the other hand is not transmitting a signal. It is conducting A.C. power and its sonic superiority will be determined by its ability to deliver current (steady-state and instantaneous) and its ability to deal with the EMI effects of the components to which it is attached. "Since a power cord is composed of a hot and neutral wire that the component sits between, a change in the length of the cord will increase the size of the "buffer" around the component. In general, I would not recommend a power cord that is shorter than 3 feet or 1 meter in length. But subtle degrees of audio performance are not the only consideration when putting together an audio system. Esthetics is also important especially when the system is located in a beautiful home. I just point out the performance differences so that people can make an informed decision when determining the optimum length for their cables. "There is much more that can be discussed about power delivery but for the sake of brevity I'll cut it short at this point. On a personal note I would like to say that I was an audiophile long before I was a manufacturer of audio products. Before Shunyata Research I designed high speed networking devices and can tell you that there is a lot more money to be made in the computer industry. Like many of the manufacturers of high-end audio components, I design my products for myself and for the love of music. If other people like what I have created - great. If after trying our product you prefer another - great. There is a wide diversity of preference and subjective perception among individuals. Thank goodness there is also a wide diversity of manufacturers that create products to serve a variety of tastes.” Caelin Gabriel |
And for those that only look at the measurements and demand measured proof: http://www.theaudiobeat.com/visits/shunyata_visit_interview.htm And here is the updated piece on misconceptions: https://shunyata.com/2016/06/27/power-cord-misconceptions/ MISCONCEPTION #3: There is up to a hundred feet of wire in the walls, so the last 6 feet of power cord can’t possibly make any difference. Answer: The PC is NOT the last 6 feet as stated in #1 and the local current and EM effects directly affect the sonic performance of the component. The power cord is not the last 6 feet, it is the first 6 feet from the perspective of the component. The further a noise source is from a component, the less of an impact it will have on the components power supply. The high-frequency noise sources that have the greatest impact on audio and video performance are the system components themselves — which are usually all in close proximity of one another and all emit radiated fields of high-frequency noise. A well designed power cord can act as a noise-isolated extension of the primary winding of a component’s power supply and will help isolate the power supply from the fields of radiated RF and EM noise energy that is ever present in all electronics systems. |
Thanks for the article links @thyname I always enjoy opportunities to learn something from folks who actually research these things and build stuff. Using larger 7awg power cords did make a noticable, audible difference/improvement when used to connect my 650 wpc monoblocks. Each amp is connected to a 20A dedicated electrical line, wired with 10 awg romex. As explained in one of the articles, power supplies pull current in pulses, not steady state. Power cords that are better at allowing/transmitting larger instantaneous current pulls can conceivably perform better. |
Interesting article. Caelin Gabriel moved out here to Bremerton back in the 90's to be near my great mentor Stewart Marcantoni who played a key role in helping launch Shunyata. Caelin even came over one night and did a demo of some of his new Powersnakes for a bunch of us. His Cobra is still on my Melody. His comments about diodes and their switching noise is insightful and mirrors what I have been saying for a very long time now, diodes are really important and contribute (or detract!) a lot to sound quality. The idea of the power cord as an extension of the power transformer and power supply is the kind of thing that happens when you devote whole decades of your life to something. |
“Once someone introduced to me the concept of power cord being an extension of the component’s power supply, the first few feet, not the last, it was much easier for me to explain rationally what I was hearing.” @thyname, Exactly! I always believed, power cables are the most important cables in your system, followed by speaker and interconnects. At the end of the day, they all make a difference in a well put together systems. |
I signed up to respond to one thread, but I was amused enough by this thread and the very long copy and paste marketing speech by one of the cable companies. I am sure you feel very strongly about cables, Mr. thyname, but perhaps before cutting and pasting a long marketing blurb by a company whose bias can not be ruled out, you should ask yourself, am I qualified, to review this information, as posted, and be confident that it is correct, and does not present false of misleading information. I do not honestly think you can state that. I have no doubt you were impressed by Caelin Gabriel wrote, however, I expect that electrical engineers and physicists, not to mention the odd audio component designer is shaking their head. To me, what he wrote, is predominantly word salad, often technically contradicts itself, and in many points is outright wrong. I find even its technical presentation of "electricity" points to perhaps a flawed understanding of power transfer and even circuits. Honestly, some of the things he wrote made me just shake my head, and not because I did not understand the topic, but I question whether Mr. Gabriel does. After reading this article, I was curious about Mr. Gabriel's qualifications. I found what is written below, on 6moons, in his own words. Having interviewed hundreds of technical personal, I have my own take. Equivalent to an EE degree is not an EE degree. I suspect he lacks some of the courses in fundamentals that make the difference between engineering and technician/designer. The other thing I note is the lack of specifics. When I talk to accomplished technical staff, they don't make statements such as "I was involved with", they make clear statements about their roles and accomplishments in what they were involved with. It is how you tell the performers, from those that were just part of the team. You are of course free to keep believing in the gospel according to Gaelin, but I suggest being more selective of those you worship. I was physical sciences major in college but couldn't quite finish my degree. Money issues. I then entered the military. They don't care about credentials at all. They just test you - thoroughly. They were duly impressed with my abilities and decided to send me to a secret Navy cadre. I obtained the equivalent of an electronics engineering degree and was assigned to a military division of the National Security Agency. The NSA is the governmental information-gathering agency, with the world's most elaborate high-speed computers and signal decoding equipment. We were involved with intense R&D of ultra-sensitive data acquisition systems. |
Mr. Thyname I have noticed following these forms for a while that when anyone challenges you you resort to childish insults and attacks on their character. Perhaps there is some trauma in your past or unhappiness with your present situation that causes you to do this. However it does not advance your position and I suggest a more mature approach. With regards to my qualifications I am well qualified to make the comments that I did with respect to what was written. I would expect most electrical engineers and physics students to recognize some of the technical errors. I would not expected of people not skilled but that is why people who are make the comments that I did. |
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Credentialism is bunk. All a degree means is you know all the same stuff everyone else with the same degree knows. So you can build the same bridge, or the same circuit, everyone else with the same degree can build. Instead of Smurf Level 4 you are Smurf Level 3. Big whoop. People like Caelin, Ted, Eric, Krissy, Max, are not Smurf Level anything. They are doing stuff no one has ever done before. Since no one has ever done it then of course there’s no one to teach you how to do it. You just have to learn by doing. There was a saying back in the day, "Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach." So true. What it means, those with credentials learned from those who don’t actually know how to do anything. Something to ponder next time someone flaunts their credentials. |
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millercarbon Credentialism is bunk. All a degree means is you know all the same stuff everyone else ...It’s worse than that. Here, most users post anonymously, which is their prerogative. But that also means there’s no way to verify anyone’s credentials and as a result users make all sorts of claims. The only was to ascertain expertise on Agon is to judge a user’s posting history. "New" users who debut with a flurry of critical posts usually aren’t new at all, but previously banned users posting under a different name. It’s pretty obvious.. |
@thyname Oh, boy. Someone needs to take a few deep breaths and recite some mantras; I clearly pushed a button which apparently turned off their brain and made them forget what was being discussed. The OP asked for advice regarding a 5ft power for a very expensive power quality device that acts something like a UPS without the battery backup component. It converts the power to DC then back to AC, and puts AC at nominal, with a perfect sine wave and without power quality distortions such as voltage fluctuation. Furthermore, the OP specifically mentioned the criterion that it be able to handle 600W continuous. Someone else wrote that a 7 or 9 gauge cable would be sufficient. All I said was that the 5’ 7 or 9 gauge cable is not going to have any noticeable impact on current delivery. C-u-r-r-e-n-t d-e-l-i-v-e-r-y. I spelled it out since using all the letters together didn’t work the first time. Notice please that we are NOT talking about audio components. We’re talking about current to a power regenerator. That is the thing, you know, that fixes all the power problems, or at least the voltage-related ones (sag, swell, transients) and waveform distortion, i.e., harmonic distortion. I would just posit that if such a component were itself to have its performance lessened by waveform distortion and/or voltage fluctuation then we need to have a completely different discussion about PS Audio and its technology. Consequently, none of the subsequent litany of “misconceptions” is in any way relevant to what I posted. As for Caelin Gabriel, I read the DTCD Measures Up” paper. Really interesting and I recommend it; it’s provided good food for thought. And what’s even more interesting is that he lives in the same tiny town (Poulsbo) as my former boss. Their two companies were in the same industrial park! I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew each other, having both worked with the Navy and being in similar fields. Anyway, in this paper he talks about the how different power cords deliver and respond to a transient burst of current over very short periods of time (50 microseconds). A cycle is 1/60 of a second, the equivalent of more than 330 of these small bursts. He is trying to simulate the way that power supplies draw current in very quick pulses. To this end he has developed a measuring device called a DTCD (dynamic transient current delivery) Analyzer. He takes lots of interesting measurements showing the differences that cable size and type, as well as connectors, can make over a short (3') length of cable. He claims to be able to measure a difference if the cable length is changed even just an inch. It’s a very well written interview by Michael Fremer, and what CG says makes sense. It’s all about current delivery - a LOT of current delivery - over tiny intervals. In his graphs he’s measuring instantaneous current peaks of up to 300A. Remember that a standard residential service in the U.S. is 200A total. 300A is a crapload of current. The OP’s 600 watts is just 5A at nominal voltage. A typical 20A circuit breaker can handle a current peak of 125% before it trips. I have to wonder what a realistic instantaneous current draw is for a piece of audio equipment. And I admit that I don’t fully grasp the significance of such short interval current draw. Caelin talks about switched mode power supplies (SMPS) and full wave bridge rectifiers. SMPS use pulse-width modulation (PWM) to regulate the voltage in intervals of a cycle. PWM is used in amplifies, dimmers, and all kinds of controls systems where changing the voltage regulates some kind of output. But even a 1% interval in a cycle (which is very small) is still more than three times larger than the entire 50 microsecond interval that CG is graphing with his cool device. I just don’t know enough about the intervals that amps draw current at to draw theoretical conclusions about an associated impact on sound. The fastest amplifier I’ve ever read about is the Sansui AU-X1, which has a rise time (the time it takes the waveform to get from 10% to 90%of its final value) of 0.5 microseconds - an order of magnitude below what CG is measuring, and a slew rate (rate of change or slope of the signal waveform) of 260V/microsecond. The Krell Evolution (just to pick something completely randomly) has a slew rate of 120V/microsecond. Rise time isn’t published. This leaves me with lots to think about. But I still don’t see how an expensive power cable is going to make any difference to what comes out of a well-designed, high end power regenerator like the PS Audio. |
Very good write up @lostinseattle! It's up to the OP. He can either 1) read all the technical white papers he can find in the Internets, even better, get an engineering degree while at it, or 2) try a PC for his power regenerator. I suspect #2 is easier. At least for me. Especially if it involves no risk (i.e. lending library from the Cable Co.) |
@cleeds
The only way to ascertain expertise on Agon is to judge a user’s posting history.Mostly true but another way to help understand a poster's perspective is to take a look at their virtual system. For example, I use inefficient speakers and big power amps so I am certainly not the person to listen to regarding high efficiency speakers and single-ended triode amplifiers, other than I have said I wish I had started out with more efficient speakers. It is both interesting and informative to look at the virtual systems here, and fun too. While I have no problem with people who do not post their virtual systems, when they do that information sometimes helps me understand where they are coming from. |
Right. It does help to understand where people are coming from. It also helps to try and understand what the heck they are saying. Lost wrote a long one, that someone thinks is good, in spite of the fact the whole thing has already been answered. The conclusion: I still don’t see how an expensive power cable is going to make any difference to what comes out of a well-designed, high end power regenerator like the PS Audio. Was answered back on page one of this thread: Because nothing ever is perfect. Obviously. So no matter how good a conditioner, regenerator, or power supply, until and unless it is perfect then it will always matter what is done upstream. The power cord coming into the regenerator will matter for the simple reason the regenerator converts the AC to DC and back to AC in real time. As long as it works this way then there will always be some ripple or artifact from the original power source. The only way to avoid this is to use AC to charge a battery, disconnect the battery from AC, and run the system off battery power. Anything else, any scheme whatsoever that relies on the unit remaining connected to AC will always inevitably pass some amount of that AC variance on to its output. I won’t spell it out because it does no good. People either understand plain English or they do not. This happens because no power supply regenerator or otherwise is perfect. |
lostinseattle @millercarbonFollowing your logic, perhaps the OP should buy another regenerator to deliver power to his other regenerator. Heck, maybe shove a third one in there, just to be safe. Logic is right. Rock solid air tight logic. Which raises the question, where in any of it does it say to spend 3X repetitively like that? If you really are in Seattle, and can find your way over to the Eastside, you are welcome to come and experience for yourself just how far a high end audio system can go. Come and hear for yourself. Any time. |
Many apologies; I got the quote wrong. He said, "If it measures good and sounds bad, it's bad. If it measures bad and sounds good, you're measuring the wrong thing." Recklinghausen was the chief engineer for HH Scott back in the day. His long of audio accomplishments is here: http://hhscott.com/vonrecklinghausen.htm |
Millercarbon I am in Seattle and I greatly appreciate your kind offer to hear your system. I am sure it better than mine, as I am still working on the room to set it up in. Will PM you with contact info. I am simply saying that worrying about the power cord for a product whose purpose is to improve the power quality implies a lack faith in that product's ability to do its job. And I'm sorry, but I don't see any logic in your statement. You talk about a ripple or artifact from the original power source (the utility I presume) being carried through the AC/DC and DC/AC conversion unless you disconnect AC power and run it on a battery alone. That's just not true. A voltage regulator in the circuit will eliminate ripple current. I am sure the PS Audio device has something like that. This could be easily determined by testing the regenerator on a O-Scope. In any case, no power cord is going to eliminate ripple current. |
I have tried three reasonable priced PC in the past year. They are Iconoclast BAV 10AWG, Audio Envy Ocean 3p, and Anticable 3.0. My personal favorite is Anticable and Audio Envy comes in 2nd in my system. I ordered Cullen PC but they will take three weeks to make. I also have some more expensive PC and they do sound better in general. |
Lostinseattle: the cable lending library from the Cable Co. is available to anyone in United States. They are located in Philadelphia, but they can certainly ship to Seattle. Other ways to try some cables with no or little risk: borrow / exchange from local friends, local dealers that are willing to lend you cables to try (it may require existing business relationships with that dealer). Or buy used from here at discount prices, so that if not liked can be sold with little loss. Glupson: thank you for your service |
lostinseattle, The problem with lending/borrowing is that, in case you find no difference in cable performance, you may need to bow and admit you did not "break/burn" them "in" long enough. Even if you use them for a week, it may not be enough if the result is not what it has to be. In cable threads, you either accept what you do not notice, or you are called cable-hater by people who mistakenly escaped being removed from public fora. In any case, I somehow have the feeling you may be more objective here so I am hoping you do post your findings at some point. As far as Shunyata research findings you mentioned earlier, it is not surprising they had found something to talk about and present numbers that can get pulled to whatever side convenient. I do not doubt (too much) in credibility of those findings. However, in another part of any manufacturer’s practice it is called marketing and may need to be approached as such. |
After 30 years of trying different power cords and reading reviews written bye professionals,I found the most balanced and wonderful sounding power cord I have ever listened too,the Triode Wire Labs Obsession NCF.It is sold at a very reasonable price of 1495.00$ I believe.This pc sounds great on every component I have listened too it on.One of the reasons I think it sounds so wonderful is the Furutech FI50 NCF plugs.These plugs are in my impression,the very best plugs you can buy hands down.They impart all the details and holographic textures one could hope for in a power cord,simply amazing.I have never read a complaint about these cords anywhere,ever.If you try one,you will buy more,I guarantee it. John |
Glupson: I promise this is the last time I will respond to you. I have all the subsequent email sent to Tammy. So I know what is going on, and your involvement in all this. Don’t worry about your friend. He will come back again, I am pretty sure, under a new username. Like he had done at least four times in the past. Enjoy your life. Whatever turns you on |
@Glupson Fortunately, though I care deeply about many things, being labeled a "cable hater" is not one. I am capable of performing a double blind listening test, when I care to. I could also run a couple tests if I had an O-Scope. I also don't/won't care if someone thinks I didn't do it right, just as I'm certain they won't care if tell them that electrical/electronic component burn in used to detect early failures due to manufacturing faults, was undoubtedly conducted before the component got in their hands, and is unlikely to change any performance metric of said component. That said, I will never tell someone what they heard (or didn't) because I can't experience something the way they do. And also because I have met people whose hearing skill is far more refined than mine. I can usually tell when something's "off" but I won't be able to say what; but I know people can make a few adjustments here and there and voila!, the music sounds 100% better because their hearing so well trained. I will treat skeptically claims by people I don't know who haven't done a real blind test. I was actually impressed with the CG interview. Sure, Shunyata wants to sell their stuff - and it's not cheap - but he was doing real research. Now whether any of it provides an audible improvement, I can't say. If I ever get around to really playing with cables I definitely post any results here. But I can assure you that I won't start with power cables because I would expect greater improvements from speaker cables, then interconnects. |
koestner-
The candidates I have so far are: Pangea AC-9 SE Mk ll, Audio Envy Ocean 3, or a PS Audio AC10 (used for about $300). Any thoughts?I think nobody answered your question. The way to choose between these (or any) power cords (or anything else for that matter) is to read listener impressions and select the one you think is the best match with your personal preferences. So if you prioritize air and extension choose the one people say has air and extension. If you prize imaging go for the one with a deep and wide sound stage. Or if you want great bass, etc. This is what you do because contrary to conventional wisdom power cords (or anything else for that matter) do not "match" with other components. They work and sound just the same no matter what they are used with. I have one right now, a guy sent me to evaluate. It has really outstandingly good image focus, palpable presence and detail, quite good midrange, a lot of top end extension (a little too much, tipped up) and weak bass. When I told him this I was a little surprised to hear him say his focus with building this was really good imaging. So he knew it had good imaging. From listening to it with his system. Which is entirely different than mine. So these things do perform the same regardless of where they are used. No amount of repeating the same false contrary opinion will ever change this simple fact. This works because the idea that nothing upstream of a power supply matters is bunk. Clearly, obviously, bunk. The power supply in virtually every component out there, virtually every component ever made, consists primarily of some caps and diodes. The diodes convert AC to DC and the caps store the DC. The idea being the caps store so much power they can never be drained and so will provide an absolutely perfectly stable and steady source of power. This never happens. Oh, it gets pretty close. It is real easy to measure and say it varies by only some microscopically tiny amount. Problem is, virtually all our sense of exactly what and where something is comes from the most delicate fine details. Such fine detail is easily lost. This is why no matter how big or great or fine the power supply caps, the difference in diodes is easy to hear. Super easy. Freaking obvious! First electrical mod I ever did, $8 for diodes, blew me away! Power cords are no different. Power supply caps don't result in perfect power, so we can hear diode changes- and also power cord changes, power conditioner changes, AC outlet changes, AC wiring changes, breaker panel changes, on and on. This is by now so obvious and well known there really are only two kinds of people who still waste time arguing about it: those who haven't bothered to try and actually hear, and those who have but did so with either crap systems or crap comparisons. I have seen examples of both. So I don't even have to resort to the third alternative, that people can't hear. Everyone in my experience can hear. Have yet to find the exception. They sure do in my system, which is so fantastically resolving you have to hear it to believe it. And they do with my comparisons, because I know from experience which are easy for anyone to hear and which are close enough to call for my skill level to discern. The way I do A/B it is simply not a problem. Come and listen. You will see. |
@lostinseattle, I perceive some healthy skepticism percolating below the surface which is perhaps why you found the article by Caelin interesting, but perhaps some thing gave you pause, which they should. The article was written in a vacuum, and was not accurate in many regards. Was this intentional? I don't know. He claims extensive experience so if we take him at this word he was not truthful. Perhaps the untruthful statement is his experience. Linear power supplies do draw power in peaks 120 or 100 times a second. Some switch mode power supplies do as well in addition to their switching. Some do not. A false statement made was that restricting power\current delivery is bad. This is simply not the case. Almost every power supply intentionally restricts current delivery. I will state that again. Almost every power supply intentionally restricts current delivery. The ones that do not would probably fail EMI testing, and would have noisy outputs. Big transformers in linear supplies are excellent current filters all on their own. Their inductance and the magnetic properties of the materials they are made with naturally filter high frequencies. That is often not enough, so high quality power supplies may add in choke (inductive) filters which provide additional high frequency filtering and soften current peaks. Filters are put around diodes to soften their turn on/off. Every switch mode supply has EMI inductors to soften the current spikes. Caelin made a device that measures the high frequency performance of power cables. He conveniently ignores all the wire before the power cable will limit current delivery, as it must, but does not show, other than by making a false statement, that this correlates into better audio. One could argue based on his statements and knowledge of audio equipment, that it would make things worse. |
