Do power cords effect tone?

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I know I will get shit on for this but yeah they can. I totally did not want to believe it either and laughed at the thought of a fkn boutique power cable. Then the owner of the local shop I go to asked me to come hear a difference and to bring my own amp in. So I did and in his sound proof amp room we tried my normal vs his analysis plug cable and I couldn't believe I could hear a difference. My butterslax sounded just fuller and defined. But this was in a quiet amp room A/B in power cables sitting in front of the speaker, in a live situation with a band, nobody is going to fkn know lol. I ended up buying a cable only because my thing is direct recording, and every bit of noise and interference I can reduce is worth it for myself.
 
errrrrl said:
I know I will get shit on for this but yeah they can. I totally did not want to believe it either and laughed at the thought of a fkn boutique power cable. Then the owner of the local shop I go to asked me to come hear a difference and to bring my own amp in. So I did and in his sound proof amp room we tried my normal vs his analysis plug cable and I couldn't believe I could hear a difference. My butterslax sounded just fuller and defined. But this was in a quiet amp room A/B in power cables sitting in front of the speaker, in a live situation with a band, nobody is going to fkn know lol. I ended up buying a cable only because my thing is direct recording, and every bit of noise and interference I can reduce is worth it for myself.
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I think (I am not a doctor :unsure:) it's all psychological unless your power cable had issues like a worn or possibly broken ground, neutral or hot wires inside the cable.
 
errrrrl said:
I know I will get shit on for this but yeah they can. I totally did not want to believe it either and laughed at the thought of a fkn boutique power cable. Then the owner of the local shop I go to asked me to come hear a difference and to bring my own amp in. So I did and in his sound proof amp room we tried my normal vs his analysis plug cable and I couldn't believe I could hear a difference. My butterslax sounded just fuller and defined. But this was in a quiet amp room A/B in power cables sitting in front of the speaker, in a live situation with a band, nobody is going to fkn know lol. I ended up buying a cable only because my thing is direct recording, and every bit of noise and interference I can reduce is worth it for myself.
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I'm not gonna shit on you. I really don't care how others spend their money, and if you perceive a difference, that's cool and shit. BUT, it's still only a perceived difference and not real.
 
Sitedrifter said:
I think (I am not a doctor :unsure:) it's all psychological unless your power cable had issues like a worn or possibly broken ground, neutral or hot wires inside the cable.
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Nah dude, in fact I used super thick ass heavy duty rack server cables from work hahaha. I have a pretty decent ear despite having tinnitus (not from playing music but from sitting in a server room surrounded by SCSI drives trying to work on shit).

Now I'm wondering if I were to make a video would it be noticeable? I'm not saying it will change your tone and make everything better, but I am saying it is noticeable.
 
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ZEEGLER said:
I'm not gonna shit on you. I really don't care how others spend their money, and if you perceive a difference, that's cool and shit. BUT, it's still only a perceived difference and not real.
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I'm not crazy lol *wants a Pepsi*.... I'm guessing not many have tried Analysis Plus cables... nor am I saying anyone should. But for those curious their speaker cables were even more noticeable than their power cables ?
 
Well I know it's a pain when you can hear the difference with something, and other say you can't.

I guess i'll have to test this, although it literally makes no sense for such a short wire run, low current at 120v

Just FYI when that power enters the amp at the IEC connector you've got a foot (or more) 18-22awg wire from the connector to the fuse socket, to the power switch, to the PT. So.....
 
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CNutz said:
Well I know it's a pain when you can hear the difference with something, and other say you can't.

I guess i'll have to test this, although it literally makes no sense for such a short wire run, low current at 120v
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That is pretty much I how I felt too. But I did hear a difference and with high gain at that. I could care less about clean, not my thing at all. Not a huge difference but its there. And it's not like I'm some cork sniffing tan pants kind of guy. In fact nobody ever sees my gear, ever. When I play out I'm behind a drumset lol.
 
ZEEGLER said:
I'm not gonna shit on you. I really don't care how others spend their money, and if you perceive a difference, that's cool and shit. BUT, it's still only a perceived difference and not real.
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The fastest way to convince yourself that a ridiculously heavy gauge is not necessary for a solid connection is to actually crack open your amp and cab and look at what the pro manufacturers are using.

If I'm rewiring a cab I use heavier gauge, cause why not? If you are buying the parts yourself there's no reason to not use whatever you want, cost difference is minimal. Paying 10x more for a heavier gauge power cable is ridiculous though.

There will always be a market for it though. Monster sells shit tons of gold plated HDMI cables, for the most pristine connection possible, even though HDMI is a digital signal.
 
Some of the boutique stuff is the power cable equivalent of converting an mp3 to lossless wav and claiming it restored something that wasn't there in the first place.

Even if you are a fiend for heavy gauge, take a look at the wiring inside the amp to where you plug in your cable. That is definitely not ridiculously heavy gauge.
 
errrrrl said:
I'm not crazy lol *wants a Pepsi*.... I'm guessing not many have tried Analysis Plus cables... nor am I saying anyone should. But for those curious their speaker cables were even more noticeable than their power cables ?
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Holy Crap!! 5ft power cable is $2400?? For a power cable??? Which cable did you wind up buying?
 
I'm not an electrician but is it possible the OP's 'bad' or 'worse' power cords have dirty or corroded terminals.

But I guess plate voltage inside the amp is what counts, not what is going on outside.



v....Sorry man :(
 
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Man I’m so tone def. had ruptured ear drum back in 2004. 2 ear surgery. Tinitus 24/7.
i hear amps. But I think it’s at a level more deaf than others can hear.
 
So to update everyone I took my rig over to a friend’s house (he’s a member here) and and while the amp made some of the same noise it cleared up quick. I bring it back to my place and starts sounding like crap again. It’s gotta be a power issue in the house. Good thing I’ve already been looking at moving.
 
Just wanted to comment on the "look at the wires inside the amp". The LENGTH is just as much/more of an issue. The power wires inside the amp are very short relative to power cords.

I was thinking maybe the power cord did not have a good ground and made a difference.
 
I find it unsurprising that the only two people in this thread thus far that actually have tried an upgraded AC cable found a noticeable improvement. Everyone dismissing it apparently has not tried it for themselves, otherwise they'd be saying, "I tried it and found no difference myself". It's not about how a $100 + cable is magically giving you extra voltage or current (it can't). Rather its about what a cheap $5 cable is taking away.
 
So as just an update - Unbeknownst to me my wife found a device that plugs into an outlet and runs the internet through your home’s electrical system. I unplugged it and BOOM problem solved. I nearly strangled my wife when I found out. Lol
 
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