What�s the consensus here on upgrading power cords ???

[boomer9911]

I have upgraded my power cords from the stock to PS Audio MINI LABS, to add,I do live in an apartment complex, and yes I have noticed from the "wall" to my dvd and receiver a change, clean up, snow roll, etc.

I run 2 mini lab power cords....dvd and receiver....it has made a difference audio and visual wise "somewhat"...and through my Monster HTPS7000

[boomer9911]

I have upgraded my power cords from the stock to PS Audio MINI LABS, to add,I do live in an apartment complex, and yes I have noticed from the "wall" to my dvd and receiver a change, clean up, snow roll, etc.

I run 2 cords....dvd and receiver....it has made a difference audio and visual wise......

To ad, through the Monster HTPS7000 power centre....and yes they work...

[boomer9911]

I have upgraded my power cords from the stock to PS Audio MINI LABS, to add,I do live in an apartment complex, and yes I have noticed from the "wall" to my dvd and receiver a change, clean up, snow roll, etc.

I run 2 cords....dvd and receiver....it has made a difference audio and visual wise......

To ad, through the Monster HTPS7000 power centre....and yes they work...

[Cal Blacksmith]

Lets grant that you can get a 1% improvement per (1) 6 foot super hi-fi super high buck power cord over a stock cord. The math isnt there to back up such a claim but we will assume that it does exist.

With perfect power, at the generating station, what are our losses?

Well most people would be within 25 miles of the power station in an urban environment and lets for the sake of argument, take away ANY interference from the 25,000 other people who share the lines and lets also take away all the switches, joints, transformers and any other source of power disturbances. So we now have 25 miles of pure, uncontaminated power lines, however the power lines are less than audiophile and we are cleaning up only the last 6 feet. What is the percentage of improvement that we can expect to gain?

25 miles x 5280 = total run of wire in feet.

25 x 5280 = 132,000 feet of wire.

Our improvement of 1 % quality is over a 6 foot cord.

A 6 foot cord is what percent of our total run of wire?

6 / 132,000 = 0.0001875 % and we have cleaned up 1% of that or a total improvement of 0.00001857 ! Yep, that certainly is worth even $100 to me.

I cant deny it! There IS an improvement with using a high $ cord, the math proves it!

[BBB]

Hey! I've got a question that just popped into my head from nowhere.

Has anyone upgraded their power cords from stock to PS Audio MINI LABS?

Heeeeeee he he he he Evil, Aint I?

[Frank Speaker]

HEAT is the limiting factor of an electrical system and that is what the National Electric Code (NEC) is concerned about. If a wire gets too hot and the insulation melts and fails to insulate, then a fire can occur and/or people can get shocked.

Resistance in a wire is what creates heat. Nichrome wire has high resistance and is used as heating elements, toasters etc. Copper has low resistance and is good for conducting electricity in a building. Aluminum has a higher resistance than copper but is used on high power transmissions towers because it is lightweight.

The NEC designates how much power a wire can carry based on its resistance and the amount of heat the insulation can handle and still insulate. See table.

Power is expressed in watts and watts is: amperage x voltage. Voltage in the US is about 120 volts (AC @ 60 Hz) but can vary. Voltage drops over distance in a wire and the more the voltage drops the more power is wasted. The larger the wire, the less the voltage drops. 2% voltage drop is considered normal and if greater than this, it is considered more economical to install a larger wire than to pay for the electricity wasted due to voltage drop. See table for distance and wire size based on 2% voltage drop.

Using the tables in the NEC:

If a normal house circuit #12 copper wire can carry 20 amps. 20 x 120 volts=2400 watts. 20 x 110 volts=2200 watts.

If a normal house circuit #14 copper wire can carry 15 amps. 15 x 120 volts=1800 watts. 15 x 110 volts=1650 watts.

If a 20 foot long #16 copper extension cord can carry 13 amps. 13 x 120 volts=1560 watts. 13 x 110 volts=1430 watts. Note: if power consumption is greater than that for which a cord or wire is rated, it can overheat creating a hazard.

Using the above example and the rated power consumption of a component (from the nameplate or the manual, 19 watts and 120 volts for my Sony CD player) I can run 2400/19=126 CD players simultaneously, best case, or 1430/19=75 CD players simultaneously, worst case.

My Yamaha receiver nameplate power consumption is 500 watts and with the CD player the total is 519 watts.

Using the above example I can run 2400/519=4.62 of these setups simultaneously, best case, or 1430/519=2.75 of these setups simultaneously, worst case.

If I use a #12 extension cord with the #12 house wire at 120 volts, I will get the best case. But if I use a #12 extension cord with the #14 house wire at 120 volts, I wont get any better than the 1800 watts supplied by the #14 house wire.

Bottom line: Add up all the watts of all the components used simultaneously on a circuit and determine if the house wire can supply those watts. An extension cord can maximize the house wire circuit potential or limit it, but it cant improve it, an extension cord cannot create electricity.

I am a licensed General Contractor and have given some general trade knowledge here but make no recommendations.

From Practical Electrical Wiring Herbert P. Richter