Stock Power Cords?


Are all stock power cords low quality? And how would you know if its good or bad quality? For example: I have a Classe CA-100 amp, the cord looks pretty beefy.Would a typical replacement power cord in the price range of 100.00-150.00 be an upgrade?and would it make any sonic difference?
krelldog

Showing 2 responses by patmatt

I bought new power cords for all of my gear, which has been an investment of over 35 grand (for the gear). I have to tell you, I'm not sure if it did anything. I can't hear any significant improvements, nor any change that would be considered consistent. I can assure you that I didn't shell out quite a few hundred bucks in the hope of being disappointed. I feel better knowing they are there, and that I'm doing what so many say you have to do to maximize performance, but there is a lot of snake oil with this stuff, so be careful. Also, take this analogy into consideration. If you are like 99% of the folks on this web-site who have 89 cents a foot Romex running from each 99 cent outlet to a 99 cent junction box and from there to a standard breaker box from good old Home Depot, what the hell kind of improvement do you expect to get with a $500.00 cord? The AC is running at 60 hertz, so am I to believe that a stock power cord is choking off my amp? If you stick 22 gauge wire into an active AC receptacle and you hold the other end, do you think you won't get electrocuted because the gauge is so thin? Is the radio interference so great where you live that your power cords have to be shielded so that no interference will penetrate them? And if it is, what are you doing to shield the rest of the electrical path? I liken it to putting a titanium link on an aluminum chain. Sure, the titanium link is great, but is it strenghtening the chain as a whole? Does the rest of the link magically become titanium too? Of course not! And no offense to Tireguy above. I do understand his wanting of an upscale power cord for his 20K+ preamp, but don't you think the folks who build 20K+ preamps know what they're doing? Is it possible that the omission of such a cord is that company's statement about this subject matter?
Upping your service to 220, running dedicated lines of high gauge shielded electrical wiring from the breaker box to your equipment and installing a very beefy, very expensive AC regenerating device............now that's making the difference. Then, I believe it may be possible to hear the differences between cords. If you can't do that, spend your money on improving the components you're using.
Just an opinion..........................................
Everyone who reads this thread should do themselves a huge favor and read this month's issue of the Sensible Sound. Myth's are exposed on Power Cords, line conditioners, etc. It was excellent, and a must read for anyone who is lookingg to spend some bucks on these items.