Power Cords - Just Say Yes

11-04-12: Jaxwired
Doug and Don,

The problem is that our ears can trick us. Look at the systems on audiogon and it doesn't take long to find systems with every tweak in the book employed.

That's a non sequitur and a gross generalization. That some A-gon systems feature several tweaks in no way proves that "our ears can trick us." Since we're audio enthusiasts for the way things sound and the way the music makes us feel, then whatever "evidence" you have that "our ears can trick us" is irrelevant. You are advocating for an alternate reality--the artificial reality of spec sheets and jury-rigged A/B tests trumpeted at Audioholics vs. the personal realities of what we hear--over time enough to eliminate wishful thinking and imagination--on our own systems in our own houses with our own music.

Nobody wants to be a sucker. I do have an upgraded power cord for my amp, but I spent less than $100 for it so I figured, it can't hurt. But some people spend thousands. I just think everyone should balance common sense with listening assessments.

What are you, the expenditure police? What's next? Are you going to cruise the Hamptons to inform people that they spent too much for their houses, cars, or boats?

For me, if the product fails the common sense test, I don't necessarily rule it out, but I sure as hell limit my spending to the budget arena. And make no mistake, power cords fail the common sense test.

We're not in it for common sense. We're in it for the joy of music and the discovery of ways to connect with reproduced music in our homes. If you want to preach common sense to audiophiles, why not grab a lance and tilt at a few windmills?

Any audiophile that refuses to beleive that his ears can trick him is going to find himself separated from a lot of money with dubious results.

OTOH, maybe the real sucker here is the one who's so quick to believe the pronouncements of Peter Aczel and the minions at Audioholics vs. what he can hear with his own ears. And really, isn't audiophilia all about what you can hear with your own ears, and which combination of components and tweaks does the best job of evoking an emotional response similar to the one we feel when listening to live music?

11-11-12: Amarquis
I would like to know from a technical point of view why silver wire sounds different from copper. If not, why is silver used so often in audio applications.

For starters, silver is 8% more efficient conductor than copper. That means it's faster and is capable of more extended bandwidth. The extended bandwidth has at least two effects: 1) Rise time of all waves are at least 8% faster. This rise time difference has an effect on everything, especially the leading edges of notes and how quick and fully formed they are. 2) Whereas cupric oxide (oxidation of copper) functions as an insulator, silver oxide (oxidized silver) is at least as efficient a conductor as silver itself. This means that silver wire's conductivity and speed should remain intact as the metal ages and oxidizes. As copper oxidizes it gets worse.

Well, really, what's the point of listening to anything at all if we can't trust our
ears?

Should we instead simply rely on double-blind listening tests conducted and
published by people hostile to subjective evaluation, or just skip right to
Jaxwired's pronouncements and listen only through what he approves as
practical and cost-effective?