[cvince]

I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to aftermarket power cables, but I realize a lot of people are noticing an audible difference in their system.
I haven't had experience listening to aftermarket power cables, nor have I found much information that will convince me that they actually do offer a noticable
difference in my music. However, as a skeptic I have been proven wrong in the audio world before.
My main concern is what actually constitutes as being "part of an audio chain". I have difficulty imagining the power cable as part of the signal path. As a
medium for which the system draws power from the outlet, I simply don't understand how it can impact the audio signal in any way.
If signal transmittance between the source and the headphones/speakers are dependent on the quality of the incoming electricity, then wouldn't all electrical
circuitry leading from the socket, to the power transformers, to the powerlines, across the municipal electrical grid, to the internal grid within the
powerplant influence this quality significantly more than a mere 5ft of cabling connecting the power socket to the component?

 

[Know Talent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvince /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to aftermarket power cables, but I realize a lot of people are noticing an audible difference in their system. I haven't had experience listening to aftermarket power cables, nor have I found much information that will convince me that they actually do offer a noticable difference in my music. However, as a skeptic I have been proven wrong in the audio world before. My main concern is what actually constitutes as being "part of an audio chain". I have difficulty imagining the power cable as part of the signal path. As a medium for which the system draws power from the outlet, I simply don't understand how it can impact the audio signal in any way. If signal transmittance between the source and the headphones/speakers are dependent on the quality of the incoming electricity, then wouldn't all electrical circuitry leading from the socket, to the power transformers, to the powerlines, across the municipal electrical grid, to the internal grid within the powerplant influence this quality significantly more than a mere 5ft of cabling connecting the power socket to the component?

If you are listening during peak demand hours and your line voltage is fluctuating it won't matter if you have a Nordost "Blue Scrotum" power cable... performance will not be the same as listening during late night hours that are typically off peak demand.

 

[lan]

The audio chain is like all systems, it's complex and there are many things that make a difference. It all depends where you want to stop and you have to stop somewhere because you can't control many things.

For example, your health and the weather affects your hearing. You do consider your ears part of the audio chain right?

But back to your question of electricity. Without electricity, your electronics won't operate so of course it affects it's performance. Just like how everybody's weather and ears are different, so is everybody's electricity. It's up to you to determine how important each piece is in your audio chain.

 

[cvince]

then wouldn't spending ~$300 on a half decent power conditioner be a better idea than spending $1k on a power cable? lol

 

[cvince]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lan /img/forum/go_quote.gif The audio chain is like all systems, it's complex and there are many things that make a difference. It all depends where you want to stop and you have to stop somewhere because you can't control many things. For example, your health and the weather affects your hearing. You do consider your ears part of the audio chain right? But back to your question of electricity. Without electricity, your electronics won't operate so of course it affects it's performance. Just like how everybody's weather and ears are different, so is everybody's electricity. It's up to you to determine how important each piece is in your audio chain.

Would I be wrong to say changes in my health and ears, and positioning of the headphone on my head all influence the sound much more than a high end power cable?

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvince /img/forum/go_quote.gif then wouldn't spending ~$300 on a half decent power conditioner be a better idea than spending $1k on a power cable? lol

Most probably. Some aftermarket powercords claim to clean up RF noise too.

 

[yage]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quote: Originally Posted by cvince /img/forum/go_quote.gif then wouldn't spending ~$300 on a half decent power conditioner be a better idea than spending $1k on a power cable? lol Most probably. Some aftermarket powercords claim to clean up RF noise too.

In my case, it was most definitely worth it to buy a power conditioner. The Furman eliminated the hum in my system when I plugged the components straight into the wall.

 

[gritzcolin]

Just buy some jellyfish cables, highly regarded and cheap as piss and piss is at an all time low lately.

 

[Chu]

You are not going to find a scientific reason for the benifits of aftermarket power cables because there isn't any. It really is a matter of faith.

That being said, there are certain circumstances where a shielded power cord might make sense. Volex makes excellent ones.

A short article describing the difference between foil and braid shieldings.

Keep in mind that the article is about interconnects. Power has different issues.

 

[Roam]

What many people fail to realize is that every piece of wire is not only a conductor, it's also an antenna which both picks up and radiates noise. That noise will follow the wire and travel into whatever that wire happens to be connected to. Which leads to the next problem.

Almost every single piece of audio equipment these days uses a capacitor input power supply design, usually with huge capacitors right after the diodes. This results in large sharp current spikes every time the capacitors "top up" near the peak of each AC cycle, and this along with the diodes slamming shut when the cycle reverses will generate a lot of noise.

That noise not only goes into the rest of the equipment, it also carries back out along the power cord and into your home's wiring, as well as being radiated into the air via the power cord, to be picked up by other pieces of wire. If you don't believe me you can try bringing an AM or shortwave radio near the power cords, you'll hear the noise & interference coming off them.

This is the main reason power cords make a difference, a good well shielded cord will minimize the amount of RF noise given off and picked up by your equipment. If people started building good power supply designs, power cords would become much less important.

 

[OverlordXenu]

Most power conditioners are BS within themselves. Real power conditioners aren't marketed for A/V or audiophiles. And you really only need one if you live next to a smelting plant, or you get a lot of brown outs.

People who buy $13,000 power cables would be buying a Ferrari if they had the money. There's no real rhyme or reason, but they look cool and they make a statement. However, my analogy is a little flawed. A Ferrari will have better performance than a $300 junker, but a $13,000 power cable is going to make no difference from a $5 generic power cable. How do I know? Oh, I don't know, those evil "scientific tests" that we aren't allowed to talk about. If you want the link, I'll PM it to you.

 

[nautikal]

Xenu,
Your sources are a mp3 player and a computer soundcard, and your headphones aren't that great as well. Not only do I doubt the fact that you've even heard very many after market power cables, or any types of cables, but also whether you could even hear differences with your setup. So please, stop crapping every cable thread with your mindless banter about how all cables are snake oil. Yes, $10,000 cables are probably 98% as good as $200 counterparts, but a $100 cable - interconnect, power, or headphone - is much better than a generic cable. Cables do make a difference - Get over it.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu /img/forum/go_quote.gif You are not going to find a scientific reason for the benifits of aftermarket power cables because there isn't any. It really is a matter of faith.

Since when are noise, voltage drops, and ripple not related to physics (science)?

 

[Chu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nautikal /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since when are noise, voltage drops, and ripple not related to physics (science)?

I can't remember the last time I've seen these discussed in the literature for aftermarket power cords except in passing.

 

[nautikal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can't remember the last time I've seen these discussed in the literature for aftermarket power cords.

It doesn't matter what the manufacturers discuss, but that's what the power cables are doing; they're simply altering the flow of electrons, reducing interference and noise, and ensuring a constant voltage level. The flowery language about connectors, shielding, and internal wiring is just marketing. They could talk about the technical and scientific merits of the cable, but 95% of the people wouldn't understand and wouldn't be drawn to buy the cable.

 

[Chu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nautikal /img/forum/go_quote.gif It doesn't matter what the manufacturers discuss, but that's what the power cables are doing; they're simply altering the flow of electrons, reducing interference and noise, and ensuring a constant voltage level. The flowery language about connectors, shielding, and internal wiring is just marketing. They could talk about the technical and scientific merits of the cable, but 95% of the people wouldn't understand and wouldn't be drawn to buy the cable.

The 5% who do understand it though could make invaluable use of the information. It's maddeningly frustrating to get hard specs on most aftermarket cables

And some claims simply fly straight into the face of science. It's hard not to roll your eyes the second manufacturers start talking about the quantum effects of their cables as an obvious example.