$200 Power Cord

[Steve Haynie]

Is this $200 power cord really worth the price? Instead of a 16 gauge wire your get 14 gauge. It just supplies power to your amp. According to the manufacturer and the reviews your amp sounds so much better. For the same price you can get a power conditioner that will supply a constant power to all your gear.

[cmatthes]

[Steve Haynie]

I've got a new blender. If I get one of these $200 power cords, will it make my margaritas tastier?

Do you mind if we reuse that line a few times around the Internet?

For real.

Sure, go ahead.

Hey, man, that was not your line. Do not get me in trouble.

[veatch]

I've got a new blender. If I get one of these $200 power cords, will it make my margaritas tastier?

No, but it will sound better doing it.

Duh.

[JohnnyB]

But of course, this doesn't apply to:

• One-piece Honduras mahogany bodies
• NOS tubes vs. current production
• Pure nickel wrap vs. stainless steel strings
• Paper bobbins vs. plastic
• Alnico vs. ceramic vs. ferrite magnets
• Nitrocellulose lacquer vs. polyurethane
• EL34 vs. KT-88 vs. 6L6GT vs. 5881
• Scatter-wound pickups
• PTP-wired tube amplifiers
• Single-ended class A tube amps
• Dovetail neck joints
• Baltic birch vs. pine cabinets

And I'm sure any such enthusiasts here could immediately pick their favorite out in a double-blind listening test.

[stonge]

I can't wait for the day when all the self-proclaimed experts on the Gear Page get into the ultimate flame war over which battery sounds best in their Miracle Ears... "no, the Duracell has a warmer sound with a more pleasing top-end"

I expect that to be a topic where they might have some first-hand knowledge for once lol.

[Ting Ho Dung]

I've got a new blender. If I get one of these $200 power cords, will it make my margaritas tastier?

Do you mind if we reuse that line a few times around the Internet?

For real.

Sure, go ahead.

Hey, man, that was not your line. Do not get me in trouble.

LOL

[velorush]

• One-piece Honduras mahogany bodies
• NOS tubes vs. current production
• Pure nickel wrap vs. stainless steel strings
• Paper bobbins vs. plastic
• Alnico vs. ceramic vs. ferrite magnets
• Nitrocellulose lacquer vs. polyurethane
• EL34 vs. KT-88 vs. 6L6GT vs. 5881
• Scatter-wound pickups
• PTP-wired tube amplifiers
• Single-ended class A tube amps
• Dovetail neck joints
• Baltic birch vs. pine cabinets

Hound Dog don't care 'bout none of that!

[cmatthes]

But of course, this doesn't apply to:

• One-piece Honduras mahogany bodies
• NOS tubes vs. current production
• Pure nickel wrap vs. stainless steel strings
• Paper bobbins vs. plastic
• Alnico vs. ceramic vs. ferrite magnets
• Nitrocellulose lacquer vs. polyurethane
• EL34 vs. KT-88 vs. 6L6GT vs. 5881
• Scatter-wound pickups
• PTP-wired tube amplifiers
• Single-ended class A tube amps
• Dovetail neck joints
• Baltic birch vs. pine cabinets

And I'm sure any such enthusiasts here could immediately pick their favorite out in a double-blind listening test.

To a lesser extent, possibly, but yeah - it's all the same crap. Even Eric Johnson is full of shit. Sorry!

A DOG'S ears aren't that good.

[kizanski]

I can't wait for the day when all the self-proclaimed experts on the Gear Page get into the ultimate flame war over which battery sounds best in their Miracle Ears...

One of the funniest things I've read in months!

[veatch]

I can't wait for the day when all the self-proclaimed experts on the Gear Page get into the ultimate flame war over which battery sounds best in their Miracle Ears...

One of the funniest things I've read in months!

Laugh, but i remember back in the day reading a guitar article with a guitarist (whom i respect, so i will leave unnamed) that talked about the brand of battery used in a particular flanger that he used...

[cmatthes]

(Read up a few posts, Jeff!)

[django49]

• One-piece Honduras mahogany bodies
• NOS tubes vs. current production
• Pure nickel wrap vs. stainless steel strings
• Paper bobbins vs. plastic
• Alnico vs. ceramic vs. ferrite magnets
• Nitrocellulose lacquer vs. polyurethane
• EL34 vs. KT-88 vs. 6L6GT vs. 5881
• Scatter-wound pickups
• PTP-wired tube amplifiers
• Single-ended class A tube amps
• Dovetail neck joints
• Baltic birch vs. pine cabinets

Hound Dog don't care 'bout none of that!

Shoot.....When ya got 12 fingers and FOUR pickups, none of that matters!

"When I die," Taylor once said, "they'll say, 'he couldn't play shit but he sure made it sound good.'"

[JohnnyB]

But of course, this doesn't apply to:

• One-piece Honduras mahogany bodies
• NOS tubes vs. current production
• Pure nickel wrap vs. stainless steel strings
• Paper bobbins vs. plastic
• Alnico vs. ceramic vs. ferrite magnets
• Nitrocellulose lacquer vs. polyurethane
• EL34 vs. KT-88 vs. 6L6GT vs. 5881
• Scatter-wound pickups
• PTP-wired tube amplifiers
• Single-ended class A tube amps
• Dovetail neck joints
• Baltic birch vs. pine cabinets

And I'm sure any such enthusiasts here could immediately pick their favorite out in a double-blind listening test.

To a lesser extent, possibly, but yeah - it's all the same crap. Even Eric Johnson is full of shit. Sorry!

A DOG'S ears aren't that good.

The difference is that when any of the above bulleted items are discussed on this forum, they don't set off a flame war or any dogmatic dismissals and insults. Only when it concerns signal transfer, EMI/RFI rejection, or power delivery in the form of cable does it become the target of derision. Everybody believes in some voodoo, but many have no tolerance of other people's voodoo.

[Armitage]

I can't wait for the day when all the self-proclaimed experts on the Gear Page get into the ultimate flame war over which battery sounds best in their Miracle Ears... "no, the Duracell has a warmer sound with a more pleasing top-end"

An interesting note, Alkaline batteries can have over a 10% higher voltage then Carbon batteries under load, and much higher available current... so depending on the circuit, they really can make a difference. Specially to very simple circuits without any voltage control, like in a pedal. +10% is a lot. So I wouldn't be surprised, as silly as it sounds, that some people might hear a difference in some pedals.

I'm not saying I can... but then again, never tried, but I'm sure most of us can hear when a battery is 20% low.

[MCChris]

The difference is that when any of the above bulleted items are discussed on this forum, they don't set off a flame war or any dogmatic dismissals and insults. Only when it concerns signal transfer, EMI/RFI rejection, or power delivery in the form of cable does it become the target of derision. Everybody believes in some voodoo, but many have no tolerance of other people's voodoo.

I think it's more of an issue of diminishing returns and price markup of the item. The prevailing attitude about audiophiles is that a.) they have money to burn and b.) are into one-upmanship. Given those characteristics, it makes sense that a manufacturer in that market would set a retail price into the stratosphere and actually get it, to which I say, more power to 'em (pun intended). Just don't expect a non-audiophile to be as accepting of such an expensive item. And for a musician who actually plays publicly, any sound improvement from a more robust power cable will be negligible, for which you're really not gonna risk having it stolen or soaked in beer by the end of the night.

And yes, it's true that the audiophile mentality has seeped into guitar geekdom as rich, aging Baby Boomers try to outdo their peers with better gear and more pompous opinions of that gear posted on message boards.

[JohnnyB]

The difference is that when any of the above bulleted items are discussed on this forum, they don't set off a flame war or any dogmatic dismissals and insults. Only when it concerns signal transfer, EMI/RFI rejection, or power delivery in the form of cable does it become the target of derision. Everybody believes in some voodoo, but many have no tolerance of other people's voodoo.

I think it's more of an issue of diminishing returns and price markup of the item. The prevailing attitude about audiophiles is that a.) they have money to burn and b.) are into one-upmanship. Given those characteristics, it makes sense that a manufacturer in that market would set a retail price into the stratosphere and actually get it, to which I say, more power to 'em (pun intended). Just don't expect a non-audiophile to be as accepting of such an expensive item. And for a musician who actually plays publicly, any sound improvement from a more robust power cable will be negligible, for which you're really not gonna risk having it stolen or soaked in beer by the end of the night.

And yes, it's true that the audiophile mentality has seeped into guitar geekdom as rich, aging Baby Boomers try to outdo their peers with better gear and more pompous opinions of that gear posted on message boards.

Expensive audio gear does not define the typical audiophile any more than a 9'6" $179,500 Bosendorfer defines a musician, or a Bugatti Veyron defines an auto enthusiast. Audiophile brands include Cambridge Audio, Rotel, Musical Fidelity, Boston Acoustics, Marantz, Rega, AudioEngine, etc. They cost the same as--or a little more than--the mass market crap, but deliver musical value instead of a faceplate full of superfluous knobs and buttons. Anyone who is looking for musical value can afford something from these brands. I've steered people away from the odious Bose Acoustimass system to more musically satisfying setups and saved them money in the bargain. These mainstream audiophile brands sell hundreds of times more units than the boutique products that are routinely held up to ridicule. I have been an audiophile since I first heard FM radio on a Zenith console just like this one when I was 5:

Until then I had no idea you could hear the tympani and double bass at home. It determined how I'd spend my money, not how much.

Every hobby or interest has a sliding scale of value per dollar spent. Every hobby has examples of wretched excess. And the outsider always judges enthusiasts as having crossed the point of diminishing returns. But this point is subjective, and it's different for the casual participant than the enthusiast. Would you spend $350 for a titanium bicycle seat post? $2500 for a set of motorsport tires? $100K for a boat? $20K for a motorcycle? $200 for a bottle of Scotch? Several people on this forum certainly do. OTOH, I'm sure anyone who feels that a Chinese Ibanez Soundgear guitar is good enough thinks you're off your rocker for the money you (and nearly everyone here) has spent on accumulated Hamers, Hubers, Gibsons, Fenders, and PRS's.

You think the audiophile mentality seeped into guitar design and acquisition Are you serious? Audiophila started in the mid-1940s. This concept in guitars and lutes predates that by a few hundred years:

This D'Angelico definitely predates audiophila. Was the original owner an asshole for daring to commission it? And if not, then by what standard do you claim moral superiority over the audiophile who does the equivalent to hear more of the recording artist's performance and less of the electronic artifacts of the playback chain?

Status and oneupsmanship has been around as long as there have been ways to buy a fancier version of anything.

[JohnnyB]

I can't wait for the day when all the self-proclaimed experts on the Gear Page get into the ultimate flame war over which battery sounds best in their Miracle Ears... "no, the Duracell has a warmer sound with a more pleasing top-end"

An interesting note, Alkaline batteries can have over a 10% higher voltage then Carbon batteries under load, and much higher available current... so depending on the circuit, they really can make a difference. Specially to very simple circuits without any voltage control, like in a pedal. +10% is a lot. So I wouldn't be surprised, as silly as it sounds, that some people might hear a difference in some pedals.

I'm not saying I can... but then again, never tried, but I'm sure most of us can hear when a battery is 20% low.

Consistent power delivery is tantamount to good sound. Last year when Scottcrud, Punkavenger, and I spent an afternoon with Mike Soldano, he stressed how important the power supply is, and that his proprietary handwound transformers distinguish his Soldano-branded amps from the Soldano-designed Jet City amps. One thing that set McIntosh audio products apart from the competition was their proprietary patented transformers.

Battery-operated and other low voltage devices operate within a narrow margin of supply. When I was experimenting with that AudioQuest Dragonfly USB DAC, I found that it sounded best plugged directly into one of the computer's primary USB ports, and sounded edgy and less musical when plugged into one of the auxiliary USB ports on the keyboard. In fact, some USB devices such as my scanner won't even work unless plugged directly into a primary USB port.

[VintSpecChap]

Good bye!!!

[Victor (Fret Friend)]

^^^ and he got Tesla a mention! Post of the day for me

[RichRS6]

Greetings to Vintspecchap. A sensible post, from a Brit so it gets my vote.

BTW while we're talking about power cords I recently bought one of these locking IEC style power leads.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAINS-LEAD-LOCKING-IEC-2M-PRO-ELEC-PC720-/390456133133?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item5ae8ffc60d

[Steve Haynie]

In a typical amplifier the cord connects the AC input from the mains through the power switch (which has internal contact resistance) to a fuse (a short thin piece of wire), then to the power transformer.

Hot dang! I am going to market tone-enhancing fuses! If there is a good supply of NOS fuses from the 70's it will be possible to make people pay even more. This is going to make me rich enough to get one of those Dantzig guitars.

[JohnnyB]

In a typical amplifier the cord connects the AC input from the mains through the power switch (which has internal contact resistance) to a fuse (a short thin piece of wire), then to the power transformer.

Hot dang! I am going to market tone-enhancing fuses! If there is a good supply of NOS fuses from the 70's it will be possible to make people pay even more. This is going to make me rich enough to get one of those Dantzig guitars.

You're too late. Here are http://www.thecableco.com/category.aspx?cid=-1&mid=-1&criteria=fuses'>five companies that already do that.

[Steve Haynie]

OK... audio grade air for sound waves to travel more freely?

[django49]

Just be sure it is VIRGIN air......You do not want the sound polluted by anyone else's left over earwax remnants.

[veatch]

OK... audio grade air for sound waves to travel more freely?

Before a listening, rooms are flushed with pink noise to cancel any standing waves, and possibly some waves that are not quite standing, but just loitering against the wall somewhere waiting to cause trouble.