I heard that with an early PS Audio power cord. It was totally useless. This comes from heavy shielding. Serious manufacturers don't do that, Shunyata among others.
... with a but. I have a Black Sand, Silver Reference Mark V and a Black Max Extreme Power White Lightning , PC. They have positioning that dictates the sonic rewards, or lack of them. Silver Reference Mark V performs best from wall socket to line conditioner. The Black Max Extreme Power White Lightning cord from conditioner to power amp. Trying either one of those on the SCD-1 was detrimental but with the stock provided cord it is much better. I could use a couple more of the Silver Reference PC's to be certain but they're fairly cost prohibitive these days.
There is a good example why a power cord may sound good on one manufacture's piece of equipment but not on another. In my case the PS Audio Plus sounds good. I am not sure which PS Audio cord you tried. One size does not fit all. Try before you buy. .
In that vein, it should be noted @jea48 appears not to dispute the any of the major points made by @Agitater- nor for that matter, the substance of the points I had outlined in post #209.
That PS Audio power cord didn't work anywhere, it was a dud. It may have been their first generation, I don't know any more since I lost interest in their power cords forever.
I've found that more recent line conditioners don't limit amps when they are plugged in. Right now, I have a Shunyata Denali, SR PowerCell 12SE, and Balanced Power Technology in house. The first two don't impact amp performance at all which was a first of a dozen or so I had tried to that point. The BPT I am still reviewing and have not tried the amp/no amp test yet.
I have the similar SCD-777ES but I found the Cardas Golden Reference was an improvement over stock. Then I moved to a digital Shunyata ac cable and things got better. I think it's best to use the newer ac cords where they are making the design specifically for digital.
This is why I don't use a conditioner with my CAT amps. Power transformer is encased in a separate nickel plated steel housing to contain the magnetic field. Isolation transformer eliminates entry of AC power line noise into the amp, yielding greater benefits than add-on conditioners without any of their sonic drawbacks or expense.
It would still benefit from a high quality conditioner. Newer conditioners still add value to the very best amps made today and there are no sonic drawbacks if you get the right one.
Not according to Ken Stevens. Trust me, he has tried conditioners. Remember CAT is represented at many audio shows and conditioners are available. The power supplies in those amps address power conditioning and adding a conditioner is redundant.
My opinion that power cables would have to be seriously undersized before performance would be audibly compromised. All 8 amplifiers I own had been professionally serviced and/or restored (including one tube receiver) and all exceed manufacturer's spec. Cords are original to all units except for the two MC30 which needed to be replaced because the insulation had become brittle and posed a serious safety issue. To my ears, all units sound absolutely glorious. A while back, I plugged an 150 wpc amplifier into several bargain basement "lamp cord" extension cables strung together which I had on hand. Even with the significant increase in resistance, I would be lying if I said was able to affirmatively discern whether any change had taken place and have grave doubts about anyone's ability to do so. Of course a professional spectral analysis of the loudspeaker's performance measured in an anechoic chamber should provide reliable evidence whether any changes have taken place as a result of changing power cords.
I have my doubts about this. Do you have examples of very nuanced changes as represented by spectral analysis, for example, changing out preamp tubes or something like that? I ask because of the dynamic aspect of the sound and that I've not been able to measure small changes like these. Obviously, I have no anechoic chamber, not do I have the best software/tools.
I think you under estimate the ability of the human brain to respond to music and overestimate the capabilities of spectral analysis, trust your own ears there was no difference.
Let me pose another question: If the manufacturer's judgment is in question in its selection of OEM procurement, why stop there? Certainly if they can't be trusted to select a power cord properly, why would you trust it to choose any of the other ingredients used in any of the units in its product line?
The stock cord is of poor quality to keep the cost down. IEC sockets on new equipment so people can buy aftermarket cords.
Sorry. My question was regarding the ability of spectral analysis to suss out small changes. But to your question, I don't find it very insightful. As I look at my system I can count ten individuals who designed pieces where I have ongoing conversations with them. Some have swapped out components at my request. Others feel that the specific components are absolutely necessary for the correct voicing. I generally do trust these designers, but they all have differing opinions on a variety of matters. They also make decisions that are often not based on their first choices, but on economics and availability. My phono preamp has the transistors that the designer actually prefers, but they were not available for mass production. Now, what insight can you give me about spectral analysis?
I have purchased 3 power cables from these guys and it improved the sound of everything I connected it to. Power Cables I used it on a DAC, a phonostage, a power amp a, a preamp and an AVR. I can't explain it nor to I care to but it worked for me. It's less than $100 and worth experimenting.
Here's a test for you to try using one of those bargain basement "lamp cord" extension cables strung together . Plug in a table lamp using a 60 watt incandescent light bulb plugged into the same extension cables strung together along with the 150 wpc power amp you tested. Play some music with lots of dynamics. By chance do you a copy of Deep Purple "Machine Head" LP? Start with "Smoke on The Water". Play the music loud but not at the point of distortion or clipping. Watch the brilliance of the light bulb. Is it keeping in beat with the music? .
That reminds me of the time I put go kart wheels on my M5 and took it to the track. My lap times were the same as they always were! Oh wait, that never happened...
Would you provide a source for these 2 comments please? Obviously not taken from a cord manufacturer's site. Are you saying all manufactures of Amps do this purposely, or is this simply conjecture? I just quickly checked my one low priced HT receiver in my one TV room ,and it has 18ga power cord, and that is good for 10 Amps under 50 feet. The Receiver says approximately 2.5 amps current draw.
