Why Power Cables Affect Sound

Joe,
We have some common ground.....  (pun not intended)

Not trying to personally attack you so much as clarify for others what ARC actually said. Interesting about Kinki or whatever above. Wonder if other companies say likewise.

Fascinating to read this. Appreciate many of the posts. I will admit bias and not having tested since I believe so strongly in the power of suggestion. 

But two things stand out.

First, a poster quoted ARC, a respected audio company and unless I am mistaken twisted the quote badly to suit this discussion. The paragraph he quoted from ARC referenced specifically speaker wire and interconnects. Not power cords. 

Second, a very basic concept (in my opinion).

If one were to grant that a PC can change the resulting sound of a system.... one has to posit that there is intrinsically “something” we are essentially conditioning or altering coming in from the wall current.   I think this argues for power conditioners, not PC that “sort of, kind of”, function as conditioners. 

I also find it hard to believe that all the people who perceive this improvement believe that the IEC connector on their unit has the optimal spec as well as optimal wire internally passing the current to the next destination. After all, we couldn’t trust the company to supply a really good sounding PC, and many of the same people swap in special wall outlets.

But all this belief on display that a PC can be heard, does make me suspect that there are some people where their systems would benefit from a power conditioner of some sort.   Maybe.

Jafreeman,

It it seems you, as well as others, are basically saying that the OEM isn’t sending their units out with adequate sound conditioners or AC line cleaners to cover noisy AC power lines. 

The yay-sayers are essentially using these PC to clean up the AC line noise. 

This is indeed a reasonable hypothesis to explain why some people can change the sound of their equipment with a PC change. 

It is virtually impossible for the OEM to test for all possible noise on an AC line. And yet, it’s very dissapointing to think that they don’t know how to build a great power supply to perform that task at the levels most of us invest in our equipment. But it does make sense in that context. 

Probably makes sense then, if you buy into “OEM shipping with poor resistance to line noise”, to use the supplied PC, and get a kick-butt power conditioner.... plug everything into that.

if you’re using a great conditioner, I’m at loss to explain or understand how a decent PC can be bested, other than it’s not an adequate conditioner.

I’m not mistaken, here is your quote:

IMPORTANT: Use the best available speaker wires and interconnects. Audio Research cannot emphasize this enough. As better components and systems are developed, it becomes increasingly important to avoid the limitations of inferior system interconnections. 

I trust you’ve copied what ARC has in their insert correctly. I believe it’s a valuable contribution to a discussion about what ARC believes the end user should consider for speaker wires and interconnects. But it doesn’t seem to apply to this thread.

It is your quote, not mine.

I am surprised no one else picked up on this.  An interesting poll would be to see if any companies include on paper, in their user instructions, opinions that one should invest in the best possible or best matching PC to go with their amp, preamp, DAC, Turntable or whatever? 

I know it doesn’t settle the question posed my the OP, “How do PC change the sound?

Jafreeman,

I read both your posts regarding ARC. This is exactly what you said following the ARC quote regarding speaker wires and interconnects:

”Audio Research cannot emphasize enough the use of high-quality cords and wire, and I consider their advice of the highest authority. I have always taken that as audio canon. ”

You clearly changed what ARC actually said in your sample from the manual. You changed “speaker wire and interconnects” to “high quality cords and wire” trying to spread their official comment to include power cords. I think that is a distortion anyone can see. 

Your comment that follows is an interesting observation of what ARC was doing at one point in time, but CLEARLY not a public endorsement from ARC in their user manual suggesting that the end user will benefit by using a different power cord.   (As you tried to imply)

I’m glad you were able to improve the sound of your system with new PC. In my mind, perhaps only mine, that puts your power conditioner or main AC line into question, but I’m afraid you might take that personally.

I don’t think I would take anyone’s word as canon, though I would respect what ARC publishes on paper in their user manual.

But please, my reading comprehension is intact. Your quote from ARC doesn’t support that ARC told users to choose their PC carefully. Not at all.

Joe, 
i respect the part of your posting here as helpful when you relay the following:

At some point in time, and we don’t know it’s duration or if it remains so, an aftermarket PC cord was in use, and preferred by a tester at ARC. We know also that the makers of that cord have gotten him to state so in public, on their official website. 

You should have left left it at that.  Your inclusion trying to extrapolate that one individual’s opinion to represent ARC policy as shown by your quote in their manual is simply wrong. I’m sorry you can’t see that you twisted the ARC official words dramatically to support your (and the tester’s) opinion. 

For all we know your friend got fired for presuming to speak on behalf of ARC. 

On the flip side, if you had in print from the official policy or manuals from companies of these high end products, it would be appropriate to post up. Your quote of the ARC manual doesn’t support it, and I’m not surprised to see an ARC tech quoted on the maker of a cable’s website.  But I also wouldn’t be surprised if that sort of thing doesn’t get employees in trouble.

I am open minded about power in the lines being dirty enough that some people with poorly designed power supplies in their equipment can hear it. 

Can a pc fix that?   Opinions vary it seems.

Jafreeman,

I’m not at all embarrassed, nor likely to become embarrassed by my posts. Simply put, you posted a quote from ARC and grossly distorted it to apply to this conversation, and I called you on it.

While it may be true true that PC can affect the sound of an ARC amplifier, your quote from that particular manual sure as heck doesn’t show that ARC feels that way. You know it, I know it. That’s enough on that matter I think.

Much more interesting to me now, having seen on this thread, is just how many people are convinced that (essentially) they own equipment with inadequate power supplies.

It is nearly (nearly) inconceivable that a decently routed PC could pick up enough noise that it affects the sound. But it’s easily conceivable that noise is on the AC lines up to the receptacle. (But again is a PC really capable of cleaning it up?..,, and yes, I know, I keep on using that word, and you don’t think I know what it means)

I’m going to try and find a company that believes strongly enough in their power conditioners or rectifiers that they offer money back guarantee. I’m sure some naysayer would blame my Lyngdorf processor or Bryston SST or B&W speakers or interconnects or speaker cables of inadequate resolution if I can’t hear the difference, but I’m willing to give it a shot.

It it would be interesting if any of the people who are hearing improvements in PC swapping have ever found equipment with adequate power supplies from the factory that simply can’t be improved on with a different pc. It can’t all be c__p out there, can it?