Is a heavy guage power cord helpful?

[Beckman]

I wonder about Bryston's "miles of wire" explanation. Isn't the power entering the amp a little different than what left the power plant? Oh well, at least the writer didn't go all the way back to the coal mine.

The power is the same, it is the voltages that are different. In fact a major part of power grid design involves voltage regulation. Making sure power factors and voltage levels are exceptable. You don't want the voltage level coming out of the wall to drop to 110 Vrms on Monday morning when the newspaper nextdoor turns on their presses.

[RGA]

The power is the same, it is the voltages that are different. In fact a major part of power grid design involves voltage regulation. Making sure power factors and voltage levels are exceptable. You don't want the voltage level coming out of the wall to drop to 110 Vrms on Monday morning when the newspaper nextdoor turns on their presses.

True but an expensive power cord can't add back power...surely that is not the claim.

The amplifier itself regulates the power it is give...it has its own KIND of step up down device built in.

E-Stat did say something intriguing though.

A delaer here did a demo of a line conditioner doo hicky device from Monster and when he connected it to a Marantz 7300 with another measuring device it lowerd the noise of the Marantz significantly ~24db...the device was a little meter and had an amp and speaker (hand held) so you could hear the HISS better and then when he plugged it into the Monster power bar the hiss was gone.

He did the same with the Bryston but there was no hiss to start with so the Monster bar was not necessary.

SO unless a lot of these cheap recievers and aother amp you're looking at are simply so horrible for words I don't see the device as necessary...and the store could have an atrocious power set-up just to make thise device seem needed.

So unless the power cord has this device built into the cord then I don't see the point.

[E-Stat]

A delaer here did a demo of a line conditioner doo hicky device from Monster and when he connected it to a Marantz 7300 with another measuring device it lowerd the noise of the Marantz significantly ~24db...

I run my turntable through a Monster HTS-1000. I have a low output MC cartridge and while my phono preamp is fairly quiet at 78 dB, it is audibly quieter with the conditioner.

As for power cords, I run my CDP with a JPS Labs digital. It has an RF resistant insulation layer than runs the length of the cord. There are also filter networks at each plug end. Both means are used to limit the effect of both radiated and conducted RF. CD players are often a good source of RF radiation.

rw

[Beckman]

[QUOTE=RGA]True but an expensive power cord can't add back power...surely that is not the claim.

The amplifier itself regulates the power it is give...it has its own KIND of step up down device built in.

QUOTE]

I didn't mean to imply that power cords regulate voltage.

The amplifier doesn't regulate power, it regulates voltage. The power it uses depends on what volume it is set at, what speakers it is driving, and the type of music it is playing. Current and voltage are are only related by impedance(capacitance, inductance, resistance)

As for the whole power supply thing, I meant to imply that it is rediculous for people to spend the kind of money some of them do on power cords. They could buy a whole new DC power supply for the cost of some of the power cords used, and a new power supply might actually improve the sound quality

[okiemax]

The power is the same, it is the voltages that are different. In fact a major part of power grid design involves voltage regulation. Making sure power factors and voltage levels are exceptable. You don't want the voltage level coming out of the wall to drop to 110 Vrms on Monday morning when the newspaper nextdoor turns on their presses.

Right, the power is transmitted long distances using a high voltage AC system, but the voltage is stepped down to 240 volts by a transformer near your house. Therefore, that nearby transformer is the start of the AC chain for your house. So as long as that transfomer is supplied, would the transmission distance in "miles of wire" make a difference in the service at your house?

[E-Stat]

... would the transmission distance in "miles of wire" make a difference in the service at your house?

When the source of the RF and interference lies largely within your house, even within other components such as CDPs a couple of feet away, the answer is yes.

rw

[okiemax]

When the source of the RF and interference lies largely within your house, even within other components such as CDPs a couple of feet away, the answer is yes.

rw

I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

[Beckman]

So as long as that transfomer is supplied, would the transmission distance in "miles of wire" make a difference in the service at your house?

Yes, if it wasn't there I wouldn't have any electricity The question here is does a 3 ft. power cord really make a component sound better.

[okiemax]

Yes, if it wasn't there I wouldn't have any electricity The question here is does a 3 ft. power cord really make a component sound better.

I had that problem last Summer. A lot of the wire wasn't there anymore, and I was without electricity for a week. But here is my point. Whether you are a few miles or hundreds of miles away from where your power is generated doesn't seem relevant to the power cord issue. If you disagree, please explain why.

Users report mixed results with aftermarket power cords, improvements depending on specific cord/component combinations. Many users have found an improvment sufficient to justify a purchase. They might be amused if you suggested they just imagined an improvement.

Why could an aftermarket power cord would make a component sound better than the stock cord? Obviously there could be differences in the length, gauge, and composition of the wire, and in the plugs, IEC connectors, covering, and color.. Any of these might help explain better sound. No, wait a minute, the length couldn't possibly make a difference !

[woodman]

Users report mixed results with aftermarket power cords, improvements depending on specific cord/component combinations. Many users have found an improvment sufficient to justify a purchase. They might be amused if you suggested they just imagined an improvement.

Then, amused they will be ... for I'm here to tell them that they indeed DID imagine any performance enhancement. I've stated it here at this board before and I'll state it again and again and again and again and again until people wake up and smell the morning coffee.

A POWER CORD - IN AND OF ITSELF CANNOT HAVE ANY EFFECT UPON A COMPONENT'S PERFORMANCE ... PERIOD! End of story - end of conversation. Anyone who's actually educated in electronics (and has practical hands-on experience with same) will verify what I'm saying here. It's simply not within the realm of possibility.

Why could an aftermarket power cord would make a component sound better than the stock cord? Obviously there could be differences in the length, gauge, and composition of the wire, and in the plugs, IEC connectors, covering, and color.. Any of these might help explain better sound. No, wait a minute, the length couldn't possibly make a difference !

None of those things have the slightest bit of relevance ... none - nada - zero - zilch. It's nothing more than a hoax - a myth - smoke and mirrors - BS - hype!

[okiemax]

Then, amused they will be ... for I'm here to tell them that they indeed DID imagine any performance enhancement. I've stated it here at this board before and I'll state it again and again and again and again and again until people wake up and smell the morning coffee.

A POWER CORD - IN AND OF ITSELF CANNOT HAVE ANY EFFECT UPON A COMPONENT'S PERFORMANCE ... PERIOD! End of story - end of conversation. Anyone who's actually educated in electronics (and has practical hands-on experience with same) will verify what I'm saying here. It's simply not within the realm of possibility.



None of those things have the slightest bit of relevance ... none - nada - zero - zilch. It's nothing more than a hoax - a myth - smoke and mirrors - BS - hype!

You said: "Then, amused they will be ... for I'm here to tell them that they indeed DID imagine any performance enhancement." I know two things for sure. (1) You are not a clairvoyant who through telepathy knows what all listeners have and have not heard. (2)You have not conducted controlled listening tests on all those who claim to hear differences, and therefore have no evidence to support your own heroic claim. You are very emphatic in your statements, but no matter how much you jump up and down, being adamant is no substitute for offering substance.

On second thought, I'm not so sure about your psychic powers, so please don't take offense at what I have said and put a spell on me. If I can no longer hear differences in cables, I will know who to blame.

[skeptic]

"no matter how much you jump up and down, being adamant is no substitute for offering substance."

And that's why I gave you substance. Read my other post. Between number 8 and number 14, the difference a six foot power cord makes to the power input of an amplifier drawing 10 amps!!!!! is only a quarter of a volt. Do you understand what that means? Do I have to spell it out for you? It mean N-O-T-H-I-N-G !!!!! Nada, Nil, Negatory, Zilch, Nicht, Nein, Nyet. Capiche?????

[woodman]

You said: "Then, amused they will be ... for I'm here to tell them that they indeed DID imagine any performance enhancement." I know two things for sure. (1) You are not a clairvoyant who through telepathy knows what all listeners have and have not heard. (2)You have not conducted controlled listening tests on all those who claim to hear differences, and therefore have no evidence to support your own heroic claim. You are very emphatic in your statements, but no matter how much you jump up and down, being adamant is no substitute for offering substance.

On second thought, I'm not so sure about your psychic powers, so please don't take offense at what I have said and put a spell on me. If I can no longer hear differences in cables, I will know who to blame.

Okie m'boy:
Your persistence, stubborness, perseverance, and determination are only exceeded by your seemingly terminal gullibility - whether you're aware of that fact or not. No, I make no claims of clairvoyance to tell me about power cords, and whether or not people actually hear what they claim to hear regarding them. I have sufficient first-hand experience in audio to know that people hear all sorts of things which in the vast majority of cases are the creation of their own personal ABEs. Nor have I conducted all sorts of scientific, controlled listening tests to verify what I know to be true about the subject. This is because of my education in electronics, and of even greater importance, my hands-on working experience with consumer electronic products - most notably work on power supplies where a vast majority of servicing problems are found to be originating. I also have experience in designing power supplies for electronic products. This experience spans more than half a century! What sort of "credentials" do YOU bring to the table? Beyond hearing what you've "heard with your own ears", that is?

Whether or not there are audible differences in interconnects (analog) and speaker wires, I'm willing to concede the possibility of. However, it's my contention that any differences that DO exist with those accessory products will be so small, subtle, and in the final analysis inconsequential. It defies all sense of reason and logic that people are not only willing to spend vast sums of money on them, but are also downright EAGER to go on forums such as this one and argue endlessly about the merits of given ones, and what a "HUGE" difference they made to their system. It boggles the mind.

But power cords are a different "kettle of fish" altogether since they're simply unable to provide ANY performance enhancement to ANY electronic device or component - whether an amplifier, a receiver, a CD player, a VCR, a DAC, a DVD player, or anything else. It simply cannot happen! This is due to the function that a power cord provides in the overall scheme of things - electronically speaking.

So you think that my adamant position undermines MY credibility do you? Tsk, tsk. Methinks that you have a long way to go to prove that point. Simply claiming to hear something certainly doesn't make it so - not unless you can "prove it" through controlled listening tests. The possibility that you (or anyone else) could do so is simply impossible, so I recommend that you not even try - but if your die-hard attitude is such that you refuse to believe what I'm trying my level best to tell you ... go ahead and try - be my guest. When you fail miserably to do so, I'll expect you to post an apology. Now quit trying to mislead poor unsuspecting newbies here (or anywhere else).
Regards,