2. cables
  3. 1071276890

Power Cords Snake Oil ??

Having been a long time audiophile living with countless high end compnents I have to wonder about the theory and practicality of high end power cords.

I have yet to hear the difference a power cord makes. Ive owned, synergistic, Shunyata, BMI and cardas. I in no way can detect any sonic signature or change. Give me a pair of interconnects and I imeadiately notice a difference somewhere in the sonic spectrum. Not the PC though. I have accomplished 4 blind tests with my friends. 3 out of the 4 they did not know their cord was replaced. All 4 were using a stock factory supplied cord. Each of the 4 tests were done on different components. Amp, CDP, Preamp & dac.

My electrical backround tells me that provided you supply the component with its required voltage bet 110vac or 220/240vac its happy. Now, change the incoming frequency from 60hz to say 53hz and watch how quickly your soundstage collapses.! This is often the case during the summer months when home air conditioners are in use and the utility company power output is taxed to the max. A really good power conditioner should however take care of the frequency fluctuations. But 110vac is still 110vac regardless of the conductor it passes through as long as its remains 110vac when it reaches the intended circuit. Does your 8k amp or preamp know the difference of the path the voltage took to reach it ? Many an audiophile will use a dedicated 20amp circut for their equipment.That is a good idea as voltage & frequency fluctuations will occur in the home circuit to to other loads on the main breaker panel but again, A power cord simply is the means of transporting the voltage from the wall to the component. IF there is a clean 110vac @ 60hz at the wall socket, no matter what the medium is to go from the socket to the component, it will still be 110vac @60hz.

Could somebody expand on this a bit more. I just dont understand it. ??
jetmek

Showing 6 responses by kt_88

kt_88
242 posts
 
I haven't bothered to read all the posts, becuase if I recall there was a similar psot like this. But I will say Jetmek, if all you did was a quick A/B test I doubt I would notice either. It has been my experience that electronics ( especially power cables ) need to sit stationary, and have AC ran through them continously for about a week to reach a good performance. So did you do this first, before your blind tests?

I will agree that the money some of companies is asking for these cables is ridiculous. I don't think they are worth it, I think if you upgrade to a hospital grade plug, and a 12-10AWG cord you will be fine. You can do this for about $50, $15 in you live in China :) Of course I haven't tried everything out there, but I have tried a few.

just my 2 cents worth.....
kt_88
242 posts
 
Hey I got an idea. Why don't we forget about strings, cable, and maybe even circular things. And just listen to our music, and forget about what pc we are running. That is the point of this hobby, isn't it????

Somtimes I read these posts and I want to throw mine equipment out and go buy a Sony boom box. What was that Bob Harley said a few years ago? " You should be able to enjoy the music, no matter what quality your equipment is "

What do you say Jetmek?
kt_88
242 posts
 
Breaking the stride for a moment, and getting back to the original question......... If power cords are so very important, and my amp, preamp etc needs that $1000+ cord to make it sound that much better. Then can somebody please tell me why Conrad Johnson is still installing " FIXED " PC's to their equipment? Surely a company with their expertise and knowledge would be installing IEC connectors on their equipment if they thought it would make a great sonic improvment?

But then maybe they haven't heard of that rope theory yet :)
kt_88
242 posts
 
Corona,

I'm assuming your referring to the good folks at Conrad Johnson when you made the statement below?

"Circuit heads" don't "get" physics. I deal with these guys all the time; "

Conrad Johnson is not my favorite audio gear, but I have listened to enough of their equipment to know... They are much more intelligent then to be referred to as " circuit heads " They build high quality audio equipment, and they have sold a ton of it? Why don't you call Conrad Johnson and ask them if you can come and prove your theory to them? I'm sure they will be jumping for joy! But in the mean time perhaps you shouldn't bad mouth a very reputable audio company.

Get back to me when your stringy cable has accomplished half of what Conrad Johnson has accomplished.
kt_88
242 posts
 
Corona,

As I said before, you can contact CJ and see what they think of your stringy cable. Who knows? Maybe they will rename their company " Corona Conrad Johnson " Well maybe........... since your cables are so great, the will completely drop their name and rename the company " Corona "

Yeah, get back to me when you can design " AND SELL " as much quality equipment as CJ.

Hey, aren't you forgetting something? Without the amp, pre, source, your cable is bumming. What good are tires without cars to put them on?

Power cords snake oil? No I don't think that is a correct statement. A snake would never try to sell you it's own oil. The snake needs that oil to stay alive! A snake will sucker you into something it doesn't need, and also you don't need, or even something ( half as good ) to replace what you already have.
kt_88
242 posts
 
Corona,

I'll worry about the beer later. In the mean time..... why don't you tell me how much quality audio equipment you have designed. And then call CJ and tell them how wonderful your cables are. And then get back to me.

Slappy,

Yes I suppose no matter how big a snake is, there is always a bigger one lying in wait of some unexpected passer by. And in the case of the one found in Indonesia, they found it, before it found them. I guess when a snake grows to big, it becomes quite obvious to all. It has no place to hide.

This is my final post in this thread. So Corona, you have the last opportunity to knock me out with your words. But be careful, if you miss perhaps the wind your words will knock you out.

I think at this point my time is better served listening to me music.
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