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. ??
128x128jetmek
Flex, here are some Corona quotes cut and pasted from above (with some minor editing applied by me for clarity):

"There is only one power cable that is truly different and commands the technology that astounds, but you won't go there because the answer sounds too radical."

"The design concepts we are using are really 'off the map'. However, since the recent advent of 'String Theory' as the dominant position in physics, what we are doing does not seem so 'out there' any more."

"Any of you Audiogoners that have not yet investigated 'String Theory', check it out on the 'net'; its implementation is what’s going to divide the past from the future."

"So what does 'String Theory' have to do with my audio system, is that your question? Here is a list of conventional electrical engineering precepts which are employed in almost all cable designs to the detriment of all audio systems. The following would not be supported by String Theory:

1. Building a cable without any consideration of the field that surrounds the conductor.

2. Designing a power cable as an isolated entity as if is has no bearing on the performance of the speaker, amp, etc.

3. Claiming that electrical and mechanical resonances are mutually exclusive phenomena.

4. Claiming inductance, capacitance, and resistance are the central issues in all cable design.

What String Theory is asserting: all revolves around resonance."

Flex, here's a quote from you: "The issue here isn't string theory".

While I happen to agree with that last assessment of yours, Corona, it seems to me, is pretty clearly attempting to imply some sort of linkage or support for his design concepts involving said theory, and I'm not buying it. And neither am I buying into his claims that string theory is now the "dominant position" in physics (not for anything involving practical work, it's not), that the theory is essentially "asserting" that "all revolves around resonance" (maybe, mabye not, but that's too simplistic a reduction - more of a new-agey mantra if you ask me - for general applicability here regardless), nor his blanket characterizations of the 'rules' he suggests all other cable designers are allegedly bound to and their shortcomings (or his corollary that string theory somehow contravenes these). The possible merits of Corona's company and cables aside, this approach strikes me as a sketchy marketing ploy at best, and quite likely disingenuous (meaning he knows better). But, I would really think it deserving of the term 'snake oil' only if they were merely repackaging OEM Belden or something, and that I am willing to take on faith is not the case.
S23Chang: I believe Nikola Tesla was the first string theorist when he said,” Resonance is the tune the universe is dancing to.”
"Snake oil"? With all this talk about string theory, corona's product (or at least his ideas) might better be described as a "can of worms".
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?