Power Cables... Really?
Jun 15, 2010 at 12:26 AM Post #46 of 417
Also, How much power do you think EMI and RF (wireless transmission) has compared power transmitted through a power cable?  There should be a significant difference.  In conclusion, how much effect does EMI and RF have on power cable?  Not enough to effect the AC power which should be rectified to DC to biased the amp.  I think you want to be concerned about EMI and RF for DC power or very low powered signals.
 
Jun 15, 2010 at 4:47 AM Post #47 of 417
Quote:
 
Want to try something fun?
Get one of these current/voltage detectors that you use to trace wires in your wall (maybe you already have one). Run it past your stock power cords and it will light up & buzz just like the wires in your wall will.
Now pass it along a nice aftermarket power cord, it will be silent. (it is on all the cords I own or have tried)
Noise reduction..... better sound follows
biggrin.gif

 

 
And you're still wrong.  That fancy cable has a braided shield which intercepts all the RFI that the power cord may be emanating and dumps it to earth.  It does not reduce or attenuate the noise.  It just keeps it from escaping the cable.  All that noise is delivered directly into the component's power supply.  Also note that your fancy DAC/amp/SACD player/whatever very probably has a grounded metal chassis.  Therefore the RFI will be absorbed by the chassis and dumped to earth anyway.  Note that the total noise reaching the component is still the same regardless of the type of wire used.
 
I think, I will out of intellectual honesty, concede one situation where a fancy, shielded power cable may be able to help.  If you've got a tube amp which leaves its tubes in the open air, just waiting to be snapped off and broken, and you are not using mil-spec tubes which have superior noise rejection, then it is at least possible for the unshielded cable to emit enough RFI to affect the tubes.  I don't think this would terribly likely, unless you drape the power cords over the tubes, but it is at least possible.  Of course you only need a $5-10 IEC cable with a braided shield to do that job as well as anything else.
 
Jun 15, 2010 at 5:03 AM Post #48 of 417


Quote:
[size=medium]

I say just make a good case for your cause, because if it is true you will prevail.  That author is a bitter physicist kicked out from his university, saying that modern medicine has not helped save lives.   I work in a medical school (and so recognize that I am not qualified to step into his field and make sweeping statements about the failures of physics in the last 50 years) and have three words for him: tissue plasminogen activator.  Strokes are the 3rd biggest cause of death in the U.S.- but a drug approved in 1996 that dissolves clots can completely stop the massive death of brain tissue.  And there are many many many more examples.  You would never deny yourself this treatment so I don't think you really mean what you say...
[size=medium]
 
Why not hitch your wagon on sound reason and evidence instead?
 
^ More to the point of the thread, to answer the question above, there has been a recent thread that extensively discusses that issue.
[/size]

[/size]


I participated in that very thread you cited.  A lot too.  There are reasonable folk there and extremists as well... on both sides.
 
Jun 15, 2010 at 9:24 AM Post #50 of 417

 
Quote:
 
Remember you're dealing with AC, so that "last 6 feet" is also the "first 6 ft" of cable too (an extension of your transformer leads).
That means a good quality aftermarket cord is shielded against and can drain off incoming EMI & RF, and it will also prevent radiating it out to other power cords and components in your system!
 
Want to try something fun?
Get one of these current/voltage detectors that you use to trace wires in your wall (maybe you already have one). Run it past your stock power cords and it will light up & buzz just like the wires in your wall will.
Now pass it along a nice aftermarket power cord, it will be silent. (it is on all the cords I own or have tried)
Noise reduction..... better sound follows
biggrin.gif

 

 
I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean by the "last 6 feet is the first 6 feet" comment.
 
Also, with the non-contact voltage tester have you tried running along wires that come OUT of the female end of the power cord. So you would have
 
 
Wall Outlet --> After Market PC--->short wires--->amp
 
Or something like that? Or have you tried hooking up the PC to an oscilloscope as well as a regular PC to look at the waveforms coming out?

 
 
Jun 15, 2010 at 1:30 PM Post #52 of 417


Quote:
Use solar power. Problem solved. No power grid line, no noise and good for the enviroment.


...except for the line running to your house, which first comes from an inverter, and before that it passes through a battery charging circuit. So it's technically only as smooth as your inverter.
 
Jun 15, 2010 at 2:26 PM Post #53 of 417
Quote:
...except for the line running to your house, which first comes from an inverter, and before that it passes through a battery charging circuit. So it's technically only as smooth as your inverter.


And because of that, you might as well just run everything off of UPSes.  Charge them from the wall like normal and unplug it from the wall when you're playing music to make sure like noise doesn't get through the AC to DC to AC conversion process.
 
If you do go with the solar it will take you an awful long time to break even.  I don't think the cable-that-costs-as-much-as-a-car brigade would mind paying for it though.  If they want to put their money where their mouth is about being 'environmentally friendly' then they should use a class D amp.  Much more efficient!
 
Jun 15, 2010 at 6:14 PM Post #56 of 417

 
Quote:
Whatever guys....
Go ahead an ignore a place where more performance can be gained in your system. I'm out
 


You're delusional like the guy in your icon. Bye.
 
Jun 15, 2010 at 6:46 PM Post #57 of 417

 
Quote:


Nice link...I believe that all life form on earth evolved from some kinda bacteria......................................
 
I remember writing an essay on global economics, criticising it on the basis of how simple it was to solve world hunger via logic and humanity and how the promises globalisation make are not being realised by most.  I failed.  Second go around, I praised globalisation and how it will make life on earth better off --- passed with distinction.  I became a motor mechanic after graduating.
 

 
Quote:
Story from a long time ago.... I had a friend over listening to music. I excused myself for a moment to swap power cords on the amp (didn't tell him I was testing anything, or "hey, check out the difference...")
After I fired things back up & played the same song again he said to me, "you know, I always thought you were full of s..t telling me power cords made a difference, but the soundstage just went from [..here..] to [.......here.......] when you changed cords."
 
Personally I feel it's easier to hear things like this in a speaker based system, but it also has merit in a headphone system.
 



Soundstage, that's how I heard the difference.  As with analogue cables - wider lower mid / mid soundstage equates to a warmer cable.  A wider upper mid / treble soundstage equates to a brighter cable.  I believe cables, as with headphones, deal with "phasing anomalies" and electronic "resonances".  Nothing changes in terms of FR as far as cables are concerned.
 
Quote:
...except for the line running to your house, which first comes from an inverter, and before that it passes through a battery charging circuit. So it's technically only as smooth as your inverter.


Stay away from fast switching inverters - high frequency hash is injected into the soundscape - very fatiguing to listen to.  Look out for a slow switching, pure sinewave inverter - these are "quieter"  with "blacker backgrounds" and sounded more musical to me.

 
Quote:
How's the instrument separation sound? 
wink.gif


Better than ac mains without a doubt.
 
Jun 16, 2010 at 8:12 PM Post #59 of 417


Quote:
 

You're delusional like the guy in your icon. Bye.

I have organized many meets and proved cables make a difference, especially on my rig that really benefits from Power cables with rhodium connectors and Silver plated copper with my tube amp. Have another meet coming up to share some cables and other gear. What have you done to share your opinion besides using your keyboard? Todd R is a great Head-fier. Can't believe he got dissed like that???
 
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top