Alright... falling into the need for some retail therapy again, and apparently I'm stuck on the concept of power cables. So, here are my questions... what should I be looking for? Should I be looking? Is it all just snake oil?

I guess I should mention that it would be for an RR2150 (which I adore, btw)... any and all input would be appreciated.

Grinneth...

Not that I would throw water on anything electrically energized, but I’m going to be a damp rag for a minute …

Are you saying that the miles of wire between your gear and where the power is generated are all OK, but the power cord is causing deficient sound?

Or are you saying that there could be loads of problems, including problem loads, near and far in the miles of connections on the line between your gear and where the power is generated, but changing the power cord will overshadow all that?

Or are you saying that the engineers at Outlaw and their contractors’ engineers, some of those folks being highly specialized, spent thousands of work hours to design some of the best audio equipment in its price range, but the engineers decided an inferior power cord was OK? Or perhaps it was the people running the business that decided to place their investment of heart, time and much money at risk by including a power cord that would reduce the output quality of Outlaw equipment?

If you suspect that there is a problem getting power delivered from your circuit breaker panel to your equipment, most likely having someone A) check the ‘solidness’ and ‘correctness’ of the wiring and replacing the outlet for the cost of labor plus $5 or less in parts (so that the contacts in the wall are clean with a good ‘grip’ when you insert your new equipment’s original power cord), or B) look for items plugged in that might be introducing electrical noise on your circuit(s) and verifying that the wiring on that circuit is conducting properly, is a much better idea than spending $$$ on a few feet of hyped wire between the wall plug and your gear.

Love those juicy PS Audio power cables. For about $15, I can make a fancy-lookin' cable just like them, and save about $200. But of course, it won't be sportin' that kickass logo.

You can upgrade that power cable, but as bb4tb says, it's like saying that putting top of the line plumbing in your house will make better ice cubes. Water doesn't care what it runs through as long as it can handle the flow, and neither does AC.

Kudo's to BB4TB. He speaks the truth. For about the same price as one of those fancy look good cables, you can run a dedicated 20 amp circuit (that too a bit overkill for a RR2150) that will far and above be more benificial than just the fancy power cord itself. Or better yet, a decent power conditioner for about the same price will offer cleaner power and a good degree of protection from line surges/irregularities. Another good point by BB4TB...If you are in an older house, the outlet may be oxidized and paint splattered from years of use and for about 5 bucks you can replace it either yourself of have a friend who knows how do it for a beer.

You takin' my job away there bubba? ;-)

Hey, I wanted to thank everyone for smacking me around a bit about this... I know better, have a friend who's an electrician and electronics wizard, have read numerous articles and diatribes... and somehow I still get suckered into questioning all of that when I drop into the nearest 'high-end' store. Just so you all know, I did Not buy any cables, but instead went and bought a 'Me-pod' (500Gig harddrive for my portable music!). Retail therapy finished.

So... next question...
Is a power conditioner a good idea? I have been led to believe that most companies would suggest that they are not... something about providing a maximum electrical signal (by which I mean a non-fluctuating output, which goes somewhat against the concept of AC) to your component being a bad idea. thoughts? Thanks again for the input!

The output of a power conditioner is going to still be a sine wave, so you're not departing from the domain of AC. They can be a bit helpful for reducing the potential for ground loop problems, plus they generally offer some decent surge protection. You do have to make sure that a power conditioner or surge protector does not limit the current output, mainly for the sake of power amps that have varying and often very high current demands (source components need comparatively little current) - this is probably the concern that you've heard about before, but many home theater power conditioners (such as those from Panamax, Belkin PureAV, and Monster) include a set of "high current" outlets specifically intended for supporting amps and powered subs.

As usual, I am the lone voice in the wilderness on these sorts of topics. I was VERY skeptical of the upgraded power cord bit until I tried one myself. It did make an audible differnce, especially on my CD player. They are also commonly used on power amps, as they draw a lot of current. (Indeed, Steve McCormack suggests upgraded power cords for his amps -- I know that for a fact, as I have seen his posts on Audio Asylum.)

I recall aftermarket AC cords showed up on the marketplace when I was a retailer and I thought the whole idea was crock. So I waited almost 20 years before I bought one.

The same argumnet was bandied about then too... "What difference does it make when you've got miles of wiring ahead of it going to your outlet?" I don't know if I can give a solid electrical engineering explanation, but the fact is, the cords did improve things in my system. Heck, even my wife heard a difference on an A/B comparison -- especially on the CD player.

The improvements? It's as if a layer of grunge is removed from the music, background is blacker and a bit tighter imaging within the soundstage.

I plan on getting another one or two for critcal components. Evidently, Shunyata Research -- a leader in the power cord market -- has released a cord called the "Venom" which is not priced in the stratosphere. You can also order connectors and build a cord yourself. A lot of people swear by the Hubbel connectors. Blank AC cable that uses heavy gauge OFC cable is available from DH Labs.

Now I know my opinion on this is going to rankle the feathers of a few regular regulars on this board, but hey... before you rule these things out, for god's sake, give them a try! It's like people who say they hate Indian food and when you ask "have you ever tried it?" they say "no."

If it doesn't make a differnce in your system, you can always return it! Double check with the seller first. I think Audio Advisor is a pretty good retailer in that regard, but check before ordering.

And yet no one has ever been able to demonstrate such an effect scientifically. Amazing. How did you determine your results? Maybe you're a pioneer.

Here's a good explanantion of the technical basis of the differences in power cords I stumbled across: http://www.AudioAsylum.com/audio/cables/messages/13538.html

As for determining my results, that's simple: listening. My ears are the final arbiter of the sonic differences between components, recordings, cables, vacuum tubes, phono cartridges, VTA adjustment, power conditioners, dampening / isolation devices and virtually every thing that goes into my system.

I had a great Power conditioner that I used back in the 90's. I bought it from a guy in Chicago who was with a company that made products for hospitals and patience care. the unit worked great and i stil have it. He told me that he would make me power cords that are great and do not cost much. They have hospital grade plugs and ends. They are very well made, shields and a thick, PVC cover. I nolw wil be using a Belkin PureAV PF60 and wil stil user the power cords on my Denon 3930CI DVD, HSU VTF-2 MK2 and soon Outlaw Audio 1070.

Here me when I say do NOT spend a lot of money of a power cord. Yes they help but do not get foolder by all the hype and BS. Get one that is designed for good Electrical specs!

Videodrome nailed it! Those who claim power cords don't/can't make a difference have either never tried them or their system offers such poor resolution that anything outside of a component change would not offer any audible difference.

Lizard King:

Your contact in Chicago was defintely on the right track. I have noticed most of the DIY cords are based on simlar principles: good hospital-grade connectors (such as Hubbel) and good, heavy gauge OFC copper cabling. The last thing that ssems to be common is the use of an EMI/RFI suppressor such as a ferrite barrel integrated at the source-end of cable.

Lastly, the hospital grade parts seem to be popular among tweakers, extending even to the receptacles themselves. Believe it or not, many people swear by the Hubbel hospital grade outlets for A/V gear.

Personally, I don't know if I'm interested in going quite that far.

Lizard King, is your friend willing to build power cords for others?

thanks,

John

First, if the article were correct then the voltage drop would be observable via measurement at the equipment end of the cord. Second, competently designed consumer devices are carefully made to work with a variety of input line voltages simply because the voltage presented at the service entrance itself can vary by more than 10 volts.

Snake. Oil.

That's entirely reasonable as long as it's a proper double blind test, the results are statistically significant, and it is repeatable. Harmon Intl. uses a system a lot like this and gets valuable information this way.