Power Conditioners vs. Power Cables

Hi Stehno - Better, as you'd expect for the money. I'm not done evaluating it yet, as my system is still only partially up'n'running at the moment - and this more than I really wanted to have to invest (though I suspect it's justified at the preamp if it's justified anywhere) - but it meets my functionality needs and seems like it stands a good chance of sticking around for a while. When I'm prepared, mentally and system-wise, I might think once again about whether I feel like bothering with getting an equally-premium tube pre in here to compare against.

To get back to the original question for a sec, and also try to answer the one Warren raises, there are 2 basic reasons often given as to why an upgraded PC could and frequently will give an improvement even after a line conditioner:

1) The in-wall wiring is typically much heavier in guage than stock power cords, so this helps explain why an improvement could be realized by replacing the last 6 feet with something heavier.

2) The greatest need for EMI/RFI shielding is in the immediate vicinity of the audio system's components themselves - due to their intrinsic radiation of same - and stock power cords are usually unshielded, so this helps explain why an improvement could be realized by replacing the last 6 feet with something shielded.

Then you've got your better connectors, high-purity conductors, exotic dielectrics, optimized geometry, mechanical damping, and even built-in filtering on some. But why should any of that stuff, which is usually associated with interconnects and speaker cables - in other words, cables in the signal path - make any difference with cords that are simply carrying the 60Hz wall power to the component?

Because the output signal of any active component is not simply a 'magnified' or 'converted' version of its input signal; it's a brand new signal, derived from or modulated by information contained within the input signal, and created out of the power being fed that component - drawn from the wall and modified by the power supply - as its raw material, which is why power cords (and power supplies, and receptacles) can and should legitimately be thought of as being in the signal path. Although this viewpoint may not be as satisfactory as the above two factors in helping to explain why it is that the last 6 feet of cable - after miles of cable which presumably ignores most of these considerations (or at least the hundreds of feet of cable connecting your service's local power line transformer to your house's breaker box) - could make a positive difference, it does help explain why a cheap stock cord which also ingores these considerations (and maybe to a greater degree) could only make things worse.

Warren and Whknopp, I am with both of you when it comes to not having tried - or wanting to - any $K PC's. But I'm the same way with all my wires - that's just not the level I can play this game on, especially with as many components to plug in as I have. But on my gear which can accept aftermarket cords, all of which is plugged into an API PowerWedge Ultra PLC (which passively filters the line, transformer-isolates sources, and provides balanced AC for sources, as well as offering a degree of protection), I can hear some kind of improvement using upgraded cords, so the PLC is not rendering this factor passe. Even my new-to-me Levinson 380S preamp, which many dealers told me used such a great built-in line filtration system of its own that it doesn't need a PC upgrade (something many owners apparently don't pursue with ML pre's, due to their need for right-angle plugs to fit underneath the unit), has shown subtle but worthwhile benefits from switching out the stock cord (I have had to raise the unit up in order to fit normally-terminated cords under it for testing, pending getting something fitted with the correct plug). Is it worth the money in the end? I'll tell you when I finally get all my components fitted with upgraded cords, but I'm assuming the effects are additive.