Good Power Cord article from 6 Moons

I use a kettle lead

good read - no argument from me either -  and I'll refrain to comment further, heh

 

 

time to get some better cord then..

That "article" is pure nonsense. Which is to be expected from 6moons.

It supposes that power supplies don't exist. A power supply is there to clean the power and make it appropriate to the circuit. If a power cable makes a "difference," then you can assume that the power supply in your equipment was horribly designed. Generally, that is not the case. Good power supply design has been understood for over 100 years.

All you need is:

1. Sufficient power. Sometimes this is a problem if you're running multiple devices on the same circuit.

2. An isolation transformer to kill ground loops.

The rest is snakeoil designed to make money for people who build cables. There isn't anything else that has grounding in reality. It's all about making obscene profits, not making better power.

If anyone disagrees, let's see some measurements.

I'll give the article a 5/10, for comic relief.

well, compared to most of the comments posted in the "experts" forum, I'd say this article makes a lot more sense to me than most of the nonsense posted there regarding cables. 

Admitting for a moment that it was he says is true... how will a $$$ power cable provide more attenuation of HF garbage than a cheap cable with a big ferrite put around it at the amp's end ? 

OMG....Whiskey Tango Foxtrot??

 

This is hilarious:

 

"If you put an expensive audiophile power cord somewhere in the power line 100 miles from your home and called your engineer friend (who works for the power company) to run an A/B test with you, you would never hear the difference in your stereo system. However placing the same power cord where it counts—at the last 6 feet—one will hear the difference it makes because of the effect it has on the high-frequency noise which was induced into the very end of the line before it had any distance to travel to get attenuated."

 

Really?? High dollar power cables have noise filters on them?  FANFREAKINGTABULOUS!!  Woohoo.......now where's that credit card?? 

 

I'm with UE on this.  Audio equipment that's worth more than the case it's in have power supplies that take whatever comes out of your wall and filters and conditions it so that the devices circuit gets exactly what it's design dictates. No more, no less.

I definitely would like to see a few more power experts weigh in here.  I'm a bit undecided, but many people swear by power cables as the most important cable in the system.  

Edited by nick_charles - 3/22/11 at 1:54pm

If I had a proper soundcard, software and cables to test this I would do it in a heartbeat.  I have even posted in the past that if someone cared to loan me the necessary equipment to do so, I would be glad to do this since I have quite a few power cords from quite a few companies at all different price ranges (of course price being insignificant to how it sounds in ones system).

 

I've heard this from a few people who deal in science, that it could be that the safety ground pin of the power cord is what is causing all of the differences we hear, and there is no other earthly reason a power cord should make any difference whatsoever.  I need to take a cheap power cord, break off the ground pin and try it, then compare it to the power cords I feel perform the best.

 

Interestingly enough, PS Audio sells power cords where you can unscrew the ground pin for this very reason, but this should not be done if your chassis doesn't meet Class 2 specifications.  If your chassis meets Class 2 specifications, you don't need a safety ground which is why none of the mass consumer gear uses it.  Even though some high-end audio companies make components that comply to Class 2 specs, they still use the standard IEC connector, because it's the "audiophile" thing to do, even though it's anti-audiophile minded.  Sadly, if they don't put a safety ground in there yet it meets Class 2 specs, audiophile consumers will think it's flawed and won't purchase it because they don't know otherwise.

Edited by IPodPJ - 3/22/11 at 10:25pm

if someone could explain this paragraph for me:

 

"This logic is completely flawed because it does not take into consideration what frequencies travel in which way through a wire. Nature determines this, not audiophiles or engineers. In truth the higher the frequency the less distance it travels in a wire. It suffers attenuation along the way. If you don't like it talk to God."

 

the higher the frequency, the less distance it travels in a wire?  assuming the same amplitude, wouldn't it travel through more copper, and this added resistance causes the attenuation?  claiming that a PC is more expensive with decreasing attenuation?  why would you want more HF hash in your power supply?

This article only shows only one thing and that is the author poor grasp of physics and electromagnetism.

Assuming that various high frequencies have an impact on the sound, which I highly doubt (considering that the power supply's role is to provide clean power for the circuit), why not simply use a low pass filter instead of buying an expensive power cord.

 

Here your go, first order, passive, low pass filter:simpler and cheaper.
Actually, your power supply should already have all the necessary filters inside.

 

 

Edited by khaos974 - 3/23/11 at 2:23am

Doesn't anyone understand how a power supply works?

The entire point of a power supply is to clean the power and deliver it to the circuit. If there's a problem with the power, the power supply is engineered to take care of it.

If a cable overrides the quality of a power supply, then that means the power supply was terribly designed.

If you think a power cord "works," then be sure to contact the manufacturer of your equipment to let them know that their design isn't any good. And please pay close attention to their response.