If you want to generate controversy at an audio gathering, just say you have no doubt that power cords make a sonic difference. Most audiophiles will nod knowingly. A few will scowl and shake their head.
Some will leave the room.
Here's the argument: the power already traveled miles through utility-grade infrastructure before it reached your house. How can the last six feet possibly matter?
Your equipment doesn't use AC directly. It rectifies it, filters it, converts it to DC. The cleanliness and stability of that DC — how free it is from noise and impedance variations — directly shapes what you hear. The power cord is the final handshake between the wall and your component's power supply (or if you're smart a Power Plant regenerator). A poorly shielded cord acts both as an antenna, pulling RF from the environment and feeding it straight into the front end of your electronics, and a transmitter doing the same thing.
It's the proximity to the noise that can be a big culprit.
A well-designed power cord addresses both problems: proper shielding (and that means tied to ground only on one end) rejects interference, adequate conductor geometry ensures unrestricted current delivery, and geometry impacts transient delivery.
Source components and preamplifiers — where signal levels are most delicate — tend to show the greatest sensitivity, but DACs and power amplifiers benefit as well.
At PS Audio's Listening Lab, we can easily hear the difference between a stock power cord and our AQ specials.
Don't spend a thousand dollars on a power cord before you've sorted out your source and your room. But before you dismiss the whole category, try one.
Your ears get the final vote — and they're harder to argue with than a forum post.
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