Manufacturers power cables VS 3rd party power cables

lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Wow. Just......wow.

Power cables I could see actually improving the clarity of the signal. Rocks? What the.........?
How do you "see" power cables improving the signal? All it does is carry electricity to your audio device....the audio device should be designed so as to use that electricity without issue. OTOH that's what makes cable audiophoolery sell well.....it's somewhat easy to "imagine" that they make a difference.....until you know they don't.....(and I don't mean inadequate or broken wiring/cabling, but adequate works).
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Wow. Just......wow.

Power cables I could see actually improving the clarity of the signal. Rocks? What the.........?
That's definitely on the fringe extreme side of it, but you can see how far it can go...

Tho I have to admit that Brilliant Pebbles is so far out there it's hard to tell if it's legit or a parody. They do have other "products" tho...

I recently stumbled across a long-ish but entertaining read of one man's theory of how things got to the way they are today. Highly recommend if you have a minute or 2.

 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
That's definitely on the fringe extreme side of it, but you can see how far it can go...

Tho I have to admit that Brilliant Pebbles is so far out there it's hard to tell if it's legit or a parody. They do have other "products" tho...

I recently stumbled across a long-ish but entertaining read of one man's theory of how things got to the way they are today. Highly recommend if you have a minute or 2.

My understanding these days of the MachinaDynamica site, where the Brilliant Pebbles are offered, is that it's basically just to take money from the 'phools as they don't deserve it/need it particularly....hopefully is given to charity but that's where the story gets vague :)
 
Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
Wow. Just......wow.

Power cables I could see actually improving the clarity of the signal. Rocks? What the.........?
I think I can explain this in layman's terms. Electronics work on direct current (DC). A power supply's job is to convert the alternating current (AC) from the wall outlet into DC that the internal circuitry can use. This is old technology and manufacturers are very good at producing a very clean and stable DC power supply. There are already components inside your amp to ensure that the DC supply does not introduce any noise into the system. Think about this logically for a moment. What could a power cable do that would change the quality of the DC voltage supplied by the power supply? Take that one step further. Think about the wiring from your breaker panel to the outlet. It's just 14 gauge romex and maybe 20 or 30 feet in length. How could replacing the last 3 feet of wiring between the breaker panel and your amp have any effect on the power supply? The short answer is that it doesn't. Open up your amplifier and look at the internal wiring that connects the power cord to the transformer inside the amp. It's the same material and gauge as the original power cord! You just spent $500 on 3 feet of magic cable, but then the wiring from your fancy cord to the transformer is plain old stranded copper wire. It's all BS really.
 
}Fear_Inoculum{

}Fear_Inoculum{

Senior Audioholic
How do you "see" power cables improving the signal? All it does is carry electricity to your audio device....the audio device should be designed so as to use that electricity without issue. OTOH that's what makes cable audiophoolery sell well.....it's somewhat easy to "imagine" that they make a difference.....until you know they don't.....(and I don't mean inadequate or broken wiring/cabling, but adequate works).
I should have clarified what I meant: I could see that cables might have some kind of scientific significance to improving the signal. But rocks..........
 
haraldo

haraldo

Audioholic Spartan
I will insist that power cables are extremely important and way overlooked. I experienced that if I don’t have powercables I don’t even get any music out of the system :eek:
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
I will insist that power cables are extremely important and way overlooked. I experienced that if I don’t have powercables I don’t even get any music out of the system :eek:
The sound of silence. :D
 
haraldo

haraldo

Audioholic Spartan
How do you "see" power cables improving the signal? All it does is carry electricity to your audio device....the audio device should be designed so as to use that electricity without issue. OTOH that's what makes cable audiophoolery sell well.....it's somewhat easy to "imagine" that they make a difference.....until you know they don't.....(and I don't mean inadequate or broken wiring/cabling, but adequate works).
One very important thing of course for very high power amplifiers is really good connection from the outlet to the plug, close to zero resistance here… I assume this could possibly make a difference. Nothing exotic about this topic :p
 
Teetertotter?

Teetertotter?

Senior Audioholic
But, you can spend the $$ if you want, if it makes one feel better.
 
haraldo

haraldo

Audioholic Spartan
No it makes me feel much worse :D
I just want proper solid connections
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
One very important thing of course for very high power amplifiers is really good connection from the outlet to the plug, close to zero resistance here… I assume this could possibly make a difference. Nothing exotic about this topic :p
How would an aftermarket cord work better than the manufacturer's? All my stock cords provide really good connections....
 
haraldo

haraldo

Audioholic Spartan
How would an aftermarket cord work better than the manufacturer's? All my stock cords provide really good connections....
I don’t know and I don’t argue that an aftermarket cord is better
I argue that the above is important

How do you know that there is no loss in the connection between outlet and plug?
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
I don’t know and I don’t argue that an aftermarket cord is better
I argue that the above is important

How do you know that there is no loss in the connection between outlet and plug?
How do you know the aftermarket model doesn't have more loss? I think it's just well spec'd to begin with and is fine as delivered. One of the sillier aspects of audiophilia....
 
haraldo

haraldo

Audioholic Spartan
How do you know the aftermarket model doesn't have more loss? I think it's just well spec'd to begin with and is fine as delivered. One of the sillier aspects of audiophilia....
I dont know this, and never claimed for this…. You seem to refute to answer my question :p
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
I dont know this, and never claimed for this…. You seem to refute to answer my question :p
I think the reality is that power outlets must be built to a very specific standard to get a UL listing that is applied to them. Kind of like how 'certified' HDMI cables must meet a minimum standard. I'm not sure what that standard is, but I expect it is enough to meet and pass the power that the outlet and the subsequent cord is actually rated for as a minimum. That's the whole point of UL certifications I expect... Isn't it?

Assuming that to be the case, then the bigger potential issue is wear and tear, which is far more likely at the receptacle, then on the cord itself. Replacing your standard outlets with medical grade outlets, that have more gripping power, isn't a bad way to go, but it won't improve the connection I expect, just make it more durable and perhaps grip harder. But, the same amperage will flow from the outlet through the cord whether it's a 50 cent outlet or a 3 dollar outlet, or a free power cord, or a 500 dollar power cord.

I expect most of this is measurable, but it needs to be measured to the requirements of the device, not so much the fact that a better cord could handle more power. I'm sure it can. But, if it doesn't need more power, then it is irrelevant.
 
newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top