[SP Wild]

In my opinion,

Power cables are better value improvements than interconnects up to about $200 (give and take $150) thereafter the only improvements may well be just a different flavour - hence the large consensus to DIY. I have found that interconnects do not offer as much improvements in this price range as a power cable, but after which they can continue to offer audible improvements - improvements I have felt to have heard after $1000. Bearing in mind that I was never able to audition power cables beyond $500 and can not speak for the likes of "VD Judge". This has been my subjective experience with all things cable related. If you do not I agree - I do not wish to convince you otherwise.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I see that the resident folklore and mythology experts have staked out this thread.

Anyone who thinks a power cord makes a difference ought to contact the manufacturer of their amp to let them know their power supplies suck.

Maybe you can even give their engineers some advice on what magical mystery tweak du jour would help.

A power supply is designed and engineered to filter AC into DC. You can intentionall dirty AC quite a bit and still get as clean an output on the other end as pure AC. To a point, of course, but this is all in the measurable range of things, not the mystical cryogenic invisible and impossible to measure land of unicorns and faeries where wishes, dreams and fantasies are all equally valid.

Think through the consequences and side effects if any of this were true.

For eaxmple, if a magical power cord removes "impurites," then the benefit would only apply when the power was bad. Right? So even the most expensive cable (and, for whatever reason, performance always correlates with retail price and not with the value of the components. Apparently, a bigger pricetag arbitrarily decided upon affects sound quality.) would end up with no effect whatsoever if it was fed a clean sine wave.

Next, think about all the other wire in your house. If it is so "bad," then why doesn't it ruin the magical purifying "effects" of a power cord? Though, it seems, putting ordinary house wire into a garden hose somehow renders it "special." Who knew? If any length of "special" wire confers benefits, then why does the entire magical power cord have to be made of the same material? Couldn't you just insert 1mm of silver that was cryogenically treated and bathed in the tears of a virgin monk for the same benefit?

There are a hundred other unanswerable questions like this. The believers and assorted shills always throw back arguments about hate, being close-minded and too cheap to but an aftermarket cable.

Nonsense.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. And, here, there isn't any. Nothing.

All you have are people reciting folklore and fairy tales, then someone else trying to sell you something for a fat profit. Don't fall for the nonsense.

 

[SP Wild]

Well spoken UE. Anybody that thinks pumping money into a problem that may as well not exist, has strongly been forewarned by many and myself included.

 

[AudioCats]

If you can't detect a difference (not implying whether you should hear any differences or not), good for you, you have saved yourself a lot of time and $.

 

[AudioCats]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveBSC /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hope you're not implying that a good cord is not necessary for stats. Electrostatic headphone amps are probably the most sensitive to clean, quality power. ...

agree, the electrostatics are more sensitive to everything... I was trying to trick him to move toward the electrostatic phones

You have just spoiled my evil plan, what did you do that for

 

[gbacic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif I see that the resident folklore and mythology experts have staked out this thread. Anyone who thinks a power cord makes a difference ought to contact the manufacturer of their amp to let them know their power supplies suck. Maybe you can even give their engineers some advice on what magical mystery tweak du jour would help. A power supply is designed and engineered to filter AC into DC. You can intentionall dirty AC quite a bit and still get as clean an output on the other end as pure AC. To a point, of course, but this is all in the measurable range of things, not the mystical cryogenic invisible and impossible to measure land of unicorns and faeries where wishes, dreams and fantasies are all equally valid. Think through the consequences and side effects if any of this were true. For eaxmple, if a magical power cord removes "impurites," then the benefit would only apply when the power was bad. Right? So even the most expensive cable (and, for whatever reason, performance always correlates with retail price and not with the value of the components. Apparently, a bigger pricetag arbitrarily decided upon affects sound quality.) would end up with no effect whatsoever if it was fed a clean sine wave. Next, think about all the other wire in your house. If it is so "bad," then why doesn't it ruin the magical purifying "effects" of a power cord? Though, it seems, putting ordinary house wire into a garden hose somehow renders it "special." Who knew? If any length of "special" wire confers benefits, then why does the entire magical power cord have to be made of the same material? Couldn't you just insert 1mm of silver that was cryogenically treated and bathed in the tears of a virgin monk for the same benefit? There are a hundred other unanswerable questions like this. The believers and assorted shills always throw back arguments about hate, being close-minded and too cheap to but an aftermarket cable. Nonsense. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. And, here, there isn't any. Nothing. All you have are people reciting folklore and fairy tales, then someone else trying to sell you something for a fat profit. Don't fall for the nonsense.

your ears just aren't good enough

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbacic /img/forum/go_quote.gif your ears just aren't good enough

Or your ears just are fooling you.

Our sense of vision fools us with the Moon illusion every single time. Doesn't matter whether we know it's an illusion, our senses and cognitive machinery still can make us believe things that just aren't.

 

[norskman]

Hi Guys..
Another very interesting thread...but consensus is impossible both camps are entrenched...

I am as wet behind the ears!Audio wise as it is possible to be? but I lean slightly towards the Upgraded~power~cable helps Camp!

So that said I would like to purchase two power cables for my P.C. Based~system which consists of the following]

:---->DELL STUDIO 17 (32BIT) LAPTOP-->HRT-MUSICSTREAMER II+-->AUDIOENGINE A5S (actives)-->BEYER-990DT PHONES--->Little Dot MK IV SE-AMP/PRE AMP-CUSTOM CABLES FROM LOCUS DESIGN & XLO;

I had being looking at Sunyata,XLO,& others but I do not want to get to carried away...

Any suggestions as to good cables appreciated (Shuko European)

all the best Steve

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif A power supply is designed and engineered to filter AC into DC. You can intentionall dirty AC quite a bit and still get as clean an output on the other end as pure AC.

I guess you meant as pure DC at the other end. In any case, exactly! That's the very essence of the analogy I linked to before, between a regulated power supply and a regulated boiler system.

 

[waterlogic]

http://morethanapiece.files.wordpres...arbed-wire.jpg

 

[gbacic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsaavedra /img/forum/go_quote.gif Or your ears just are fooling you.

I tried to convey sarcasm with the italics, didn't work though.

Power cables are bad, but there are worse tweaks out there, like cable lifters, or the lessloss blackbody.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbacic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I tried to convey sarcasm with the italics, didn't work though.

Ah ok. Well, using italics isn't really a standard convention for sarcasm, that I know of at least.

Quote:

Power cables are bad, but there are worse tweaks out there, like cable lifters, or the lessloss blackbody.

Certainly, there are worse tweaks. Didn't know about that blackbody crap (pardon my French.) Gee, that one should be right up there next to the "quantum chip", the "rainbow strip", the $400 wooden knob, and the whole bunch of those little "resonators."

 

[gbacic]

have you guys tried the green felt tip marker on your cd's?

add's that next level of depth

 

[BIG POPPA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbacic /img/forum/go_quote.gif have you guys tried the green felt tip marker on your cd's? add's that next level of depth

Yes, and shaved the CD too. I liked the results. Like the SID Disc too.

* A local audio store will shave a few disc's and mark them for you for free.

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbacic /img/forum/go_quote.gif have you guys tried the green felt tip marker on your cd's? add's that next level of depth

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG POPPA /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, and shaved the CD too. I liked the results. Like the SID Disc too.

I apply the marker, then shave the edges off. No ugly green ring, but all the added benefit of both techniques. Then I rip them at 1.0x drive speed just to make sure, and of course place anti-noise pebbles in the drive while it spins to add to the dynamics and impact. There's whole layers of sound that I've never heard. In fact, if I encode at 128kbps even those lossy files single-handedly destroy 24-bit FLACs.