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Power cords

Is there any truth to the following which, as you can tell from the quotation marks, is not my brainchild (my brain is childless...). I picked it up from the site of a well respected amplifier manufacturer and trust I am not committing some sort of legal or moral transgression by reproducing it here:
"When you plug your power cord into the wall outlet you are in 'SERIES' with all the wire on the other side of the wall all the way back to the power source. The small length of power cord from the wall to the amp is insignificant compared to the miles of wire it is connected to. As long as the power cord can deliver the current and voltage required to drive the amplifier to full power it is as good as it can get."
pbb

Showing 4 responses by sugarbrie

sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
If this amp manufacturer in their literature brags about the quality of the transformers they use, and how well built their power supplies are, which results in a good sounding amp, then they are clueless. Their power supply design is meant to take the outside power and convert it for the amps use. The transformer on the light pole or underground by your street is doing the same thing for your house. And if it is of poor quality, or not operating in top form, it will affect the power the transformer in your amp is converting, just like a poor power supply in an amp results in poor sound.

Look what poor power does to a computer. Why do companies install all kind of power equipment to keep their computers in top form, if it really does not matter?

Would you trust a hospital if they did not control the quality of the power running the machine keeping you or a loved one alive while they are getting well? Would you be happy if they said, it is just power and does not matter?

If "hospital grade" power cords, plugs, and power conditioners matter for the quality operation of delicate medical equipment, and matter to heavy computer users, then they must also matter for transparent, revealing audio equipment.

No rocket science explanation required.

sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I agree you need to find out for yourself. And if you're happy with your system with $10 interconnects and OEM power cords that is fine. It does seem though that a lot of the unbelievers have never really seriously tried. If you do try, ignore the price. I recently replace a $1600 cable with a $250 between my preamp and amp simply because it sounds better to me.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I can't see (hear) where scientific measurement matters. For example: This thing has gone on with string instruments. People have made hundreds of scientific measurements and made perfect copies of Stradavari instruments. They still don't sound as good even though scientifically on paper there is no reason why they shouldn't be as good. If they could reproduce them, they would be massed produced by now in China, and be available for 5 easy payments of $19.99 on the home shopping channel.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
An interesting article where an army of scientists and experts cannot figure out if a certain Strad is real is at: http://www.metropulse.com/dir_zine/dir_2001/1107/t_gamut.html

Another different article at: http://www.maestronet.com/wwwboard/messages/3565.html


The thing that puzzles scientists is it should be easy to make a Strad copy with today's technology, but somehow it never seems to work. Remember, even all Strads do not sound the same.

As far as cables, I have on more than one occassion purchased more than one of the same cable, and they all do not sound the same either.

The one thing never measured or questioned is the hearing ability of the particular listener. Maybe they just can't hear a difference or don't know what to listen for. In some ways you save a lot of money having average hearing.

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