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
Corona...You are right about me building an experimental power cord, and plans for a test to see if it had any effect vs the very small zip cord that came with the power amp. I have got the cord all made and ready to go, but I always seem to have something more important to do than to install it on one of two monoblock amps, and run the test. My cord simply immitates features of some aftermarket cords, and apart from having a lot of copper in it, I doubt that I will see any effect. This project is low priority.
Nrchy...Contrary to what you say, the workings of an audio power amplifier are understood "in all the minute details" by any competent engineer, and even by some incompetent ones. Cosmology is totally different.
Zaikesman:
The God thing was a joke. I did not see anyone as a potential customer; what I would like to do is contribute to a change of direction in audio. If you ever decide to look for the “Isness” I’m sure you will never find it in “belief” of any kind; but that is another topic. Have a good one and well get back to you later.

Eldartford:
I respect the fact you built your own pc, keep it up. You and Zaikesman [and a few others] have been tough as nails but also interesting. I have enjoyed the dialog and will continue to look for you guys. I hope you both have a happy new year.

Agree with Eldartford - engineers & competent (& even some incompetent) designers fully understand the minute workings of power amps! The electronics, electricity & electro-magnetic concepts that are needed to design an amp are what I would consider basic in all 3 fields. YOU might not understand these concepts thoroughly for very good reasons & you might be extrapolating your lack of knowledge onto mankind! There is very little hi-tech in a power amp as it uses a lot of high power devices, the operation of which is very well understood. That's why ss power amps last a lifetime! Rowland's Model 201 use a new switching power supply module. It's new for audio but in use elsewhere (space exploaration, for eg.) for a long, long time. That type of power supply module is also very well understood! In fact improvements in power amps comes mostly from leaps in metalurgy (better hook-up wires, passive components, etc).
While I consider the statements about amplifiers being fully understood to be as absurd as statement as was ever made in the history of the world, the statement cannot be currently disproven.

As design continues to improve and the next big step is made we will all recognize that there was something about amps that maybe we did not firmly grasp.

That is as absurd as saying you know everything about your wife. People will never know everything about anything in this life!