Still mystified by mega expensive power cords

Just replacing the molded connectors with something better usually results in better sound.
So it's mostly the fault of the cheap connectors,the wire is mostly OK, so this is a cheap fix and a small investment for those who maybe on the fence.

The difference good power cords, or improved power cords can make isn't hard for most folks to hear.

BUT...if you can't hear any difference doing this, then no amount of money spent on a pricey power cord will make a difference to you either.

If you do hear an improvemnt after a bit of DIY, then move on to the manufactured stuff and try them out.

Arguing about the why and how's of power cords making a difference can go on forever.You have to make the effort to try them for yourself and decide.

Until you do you'll never know for sure which camp you'll end up in.

I am also a musician, and I've tried a couple of DIY power cords on my Mesa Boogie bass amp.
I will also say that there is not much point in spending big bucks on a power cord for it.

But it is not the same with my high end audio components.
We are not comparing apples to apples.

Live music especially guitar,is all about creating harmonious distortions, HiFi si about eliminationg them.

Tubes that sound great in a Fender twin reverb would be too distorted in a quality tube amplifier in a home system.

If you want to understand this better, plug your cd player into your amp and play it with the settings you use on your guitar and tell me if it sounds good to you.

You don't use a screw drive to pound nails, although it's a perfectly good tool in and of itself when used for the purpose it was designed for.

Just for the fun of it, try a DIY power cord on your amp with improved connectors.Or if you can borrow an upgranded fancy expensive one try it.

I'll predict you'll find that any of them will do the job.
You may hear some differences, you may even like an unshielded power cord,some folks find shielded cords to rob some of the details and smooth the edges too much.

I'm still playing, and started playing in 65,started into this hobby in 77,and as everyone tells us it's all about the music.
I've heard some very expensive home audio systems, and I've tried my best to put together a good sounding rig using upgraded power cords etc. and yet nothing is even close to live sound in the high end.

High end sound is mostly about reducing distortions and clarity.
Playing live rock/blues is something else.

What works in one area is not a guarantee it will work in the other.

I could never play my bass thru my home system, yet it handles Jack Bruce, Jocko,Tal etc, very well.

THanks for the link to the Audio Critic.
I was a subscriber since day one as I was with TAS and Stereophile.
I missed the OLD AudioCritic, before Peter came back and started on his revenge/vendetta against the High End.

He felt ostracized I guess,his Fourier speaker failed to impress any of the high end reviewers, he lost money, subscribers like me lost most of our subscriptions,and I think the Audio community lost a once well regarded reviewer,as opinionated as he was ,especially in later years, I will always be indedbted to Peter for bringing my attention to the awful sound degradation fuses have on amplifiers and wherever they are used in audio.

For years I substituted the speaker protection fuses with solid chunks of copper or bits of old speaker wire,and in every instance the sound was more focused and pure,and I never had any disasters.
When the upgraded fuses came out I bought IsoCleans, HiFi Supremes and AMRs, all worked better than the stock fuse,and still provided protection that my wire DIY fuses never did.

Not to try and hijack the thread, but I believe if it wasn't for Peter Aczel, the whole aftermarket fuse trend would perhaps have never happened.

Ironic isn't it?

The thing about mega expensive power cords is that no one says that the most expensive power cord means it's the best.

It's too bad some folks view aftermarket anything as snake oil, and avoid such items,especially if the price is a few times more money than stock.

There are lots of vendors who offer cash back trials,so there's only the risk that you will hear the benefit and then buy the product.

Perhaps that's what scares some folks away.
They want to stay in the safe zone that keeps them away from such discoveries.

Yes,Peter as you said, ignorance is bliss.
It comes in all stripes and colours.

The quality and unfortunately, that's related to cost, of the connectors can have an impact on the power cord.

Just switching the ends made a difference in the sound of the wires.

So does eliminating as many connections as you can.

I've simplified things so that I run a direct 10 guage line from the panel to my amp using only one IEC connector on the line then into the amp.

Because of safety issues,a direct soldered connection to the amp would be the ultimate.

So I am not using any DIY or Store bought power cords to the amps and I've noticed an increase in dynamics and resolution.

I am not saying that power cords don't matter,just the opposite.

It's all about the power delivery to the gear that matters.

If it didn't I would have stuck with plugging the amps into the wall on a non dedicated 15 amp line with stock power cords.

I've only experimented with DIY and Shunyata power cords,but it's always been easy for me to hear that no two are alike.

And like most things in this hobby the quality(and expense)of the connectors played a major part in shaping the sound.

If someone has to decide on where to save some money,don't let it be the connectors if DIY.

My first DIY power cord was back in 1987 when I replaced the thin power cords on my Quad 63.
I used the Quad IEC, bought generic male plug and used 12 guage solid core romex.

All stock power cords from that time on stayed in the box.

Kiddman, we do what we can.
Some of us probably have the skills and resources to do just what you refer to.

Whether they will or will not have the effects you speculate about remains to be proven, but only when someone actually does the heavey lifting, which I am afraid will never be you,since even replacing a cheap one buck wall receptacle is too much effort for a suspected upgrade in performance.

You can scoff at what the results are that I and others report,but sadly you'll never know, and that's a shame.

But it's only a shame if you really are moved by good sounding music.

If you are quite happy with dreck, then ejoy it as it is.
And we will enjoy the lifting of veils and all the other audiophile superlatives reported by those who have gone the distance and are quite happy with the results.

We don't ask that you must do as we do, join us in our lunacy(as you must think it is)nor do we say you must do any of this stuff or spend a single dollar more than you already have.

We only state these things so that other folks who may be interested in improving their sound try some of the things that myself and others ,have found to make an improvement in our systems.

And I don't know or have heard any other person paricipating in this threads audio system.

Yet our findings seem to be pretty much the same, even though our systems are all different.

I think those who are serious about this hobby get it, and those who aren't ,don't.