Power Cables diminishing returns

Brownsfan's comment +1.

The importance of those benefits of upgraded power cords that are technically explainable (low resistance, good shielding against both noise pickup and noise radiation, noise cancelling geometry, perhaps minimization of resistance to abrupt changes in demand for current) are clearly dependent on the designs of the particular components in the system. Many are also dependent on the AC line voltage and AC noise conditions at the particular location.

Also, most or all of those particular benefits are readily obtainable at prices that are relatively low by audiophile standards, as well as at higher prices.

And to the extent that power cord upgrades may provide benefits that are speculative and/or not technically explainable, what basis is there to assume that what is being paid for in the upper parts of the price spectrum is not overkill, that provides no benefit relative to lower priced alternatives?

Finally, keep in mind that an ideal component power supply design, were there such a thing, would have zero sensitivity to reasonable variations in the characteristics of the incoming AC, and would feed zero noise back into the AC line. Perhaps it is too much to expect, but it seems to me that a more expensive component design should approach that ideal more closely than a less expensive component that performs a similar function. And therefore it should be less in need, not more in need, of the benefits that an expensive cord might provide.

IMO. Regards,
-- Al

But Schubert, if how this stuff works can't be technically explained, or can only be partially explained, upon what principles and upon what basis do the designers of the power cords design them?

The likely answer, as I see it: Upon some combination of trial and error, using a relatively limited number of systems; pet theories, whose applicability across a wide variety of systems is unproven; and, perhaps most significantly in the case of expensive power cords, by overkilling every parameter that the designer considers to possibly be relevant. With the degree of overkill increasing as the price of the cord increases.

Implicit in my earlier post in this thread is the thought that the system and component dependency of those effects that ARE technically explainable, as well as the fact that those particular benefits are obtainable at relatively low cost, can be expected to loosen the correlation between power cord performance and power cord price. Each of the three approaches to power cord design and development that are listed in the preceding paragraph can be expected to further loosen that correlation.

Regards,
-- Al

Just like prescription medications which cost six cents a pill to make and sell for $700 for 30...

I wouldn't draw any parallels with power cords, though. According to this article in Forbes research and development expenditures by a dozen major drug producers, from 1997 to 2011, divided by the number of their drugs that were ultimately approved and brought to market ranged from $3.7 to $11.8 billion dollars per approved drug.

Regards,
-- Al

The more resolving, ie better, a system is , the easier it is to hear differences ...

This assumes that the designs of the components in the system that is more musically resolving are such that the system is also more sensitive to AC differences. IMO the two kinds of resolution do not necessarily go hand in hand. Many technical factors could be cited that can contribute to sensitivity to differences in power cords or other cables, that have nothing to do with the ability of a system to resolve musical information.

With all due respect, IMO it is a common misconception among audiophiles, at least in the case of systems that are of reasonably decent quality, to assume that a strong correlation exists between sensitivity to differences between power cords, cables, or other hardware, and the ability of a system to resolve musical information. And as a corollary to that it follows that an inability to hear hardware differences does not necessarily say anything negative about the quality of the sound that the system provides. Or about the listener's hearing, for that matter.

Regards,
-- Al