Someone straighten me out here...

bagman67

bagman67

Epic Member
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Okay, we've been down this road many a time but can someone please tell me what an oxygen-free power cable could possibly do to improve the credulous schnook audiophile experience?  I'm just a poor humanities guy, the elusive "educated general reader."


http://www.musicdirect.com/p-9670-shunyata-venom-3-power-cable.aspx


If the point of oxygen free audio cable is to minimize the degree to which signal is distorted or effed-with, then wouldn't an oxygen-free power cable tend to maximize the degree to which 60-cycle hum is allowed to make it to whatever part of the system is in turn supposed to eliminate same?  Yes, a shielded cable is the right tool for the job in many circumstances. I even know what some of them are.  I guess I'm just on another audiophile snake-oil tirade.


You would think a $150 entry level power cable has got to have some kind of pro-grade variant as well, yes? 


You would be right:


http://www.musicdirect.com/p-103575-shunyata-king-cobra-cx-25m-20amp-demo.aspx


Now: $2,249.00[/size]  -- for the FLOOR DEMO!  2.5 meters of throbbing, multi-conductor AWESOMENESS!
 
It ain't fer nuthin' that through history, electric guitars are
so often loved for the way they distort!!
 
I was wondering about the power cords in our last audiophile bashing thread.
Since then, I ordered a dozen and I can tell you, my fridge and my washing machine sound so much better.
My TV looks better. It's the Valnött of power cables. :icon_jokercolor:
 
SustainerPlayer said:
I can't tell ya. I guess that just leaves you with buying it and test it for yourself.  :evil4:
Click to expand...


I'll go with the $2.98 job I can get on Amazon.
 
Audio God says; and therefore.

Don't question! Don't think for yourself! Follow blindly, and have faith. If you do this, you will find peace in your quest for tone. Give sacrifices and offerings to Audio God's faithful representatives on this planet, the cable companies. He has bestowed upon them great knowledge and wisdom. Do as they tell you.

Also, join my cult. We drink rainbow KoolAid and listen to good music. Membership dues are buying me one Warmoth part a month.
 
as long as the cable is of a heavy enough gauge to supply the required current to the device, it's fine.

Don't forget that the wiring in your house is not some strange ass oxygen free crap.  It's good old regular cheap copper.  Or aluminum  :)
 
Bagman67 said:
Okay, we've been down this road many a time but can someone please tell me what an oxygen-free power cable could possibly do to improve the credulous schnook audiophile experience?  I'm just a poor humanities guy, the elusive "educated general reader."
Click to expand...

Here's a dirty little secret: Almost all copper wire/cable is "oxygen free". It's just that some companies advertise it because the concept sounds good and is mysterious enough to the uninitiated, so they raise their prices as far as they think they can get away with for the volume they want to do. Most companies don't bother mentioning it because it means nothing, so why should they? It's like advertising that your water is wet.

 
Mayfly said:
as long as the cable is of a heavy enough gauge to supply the required current to the device, it's fine.

Don't forget that the wiring in your house is not some strange ass oxygen free crap.  It's good old regular cheap copper.  Or aluminum  :)
Click to expand...

the wiring in your house most likely is very high purity coper. all electrical copper is 99.9% that i know of. the aftermarket likes to add extra "9's" in there for the sake of making it look good but 99.9 is a minimum rating so the actual number of 9's may be much higher. aluminum is more used on the poles to save weight and money. you could imagine the tension a heavier metal could create being strung from pole to pole. but most likely the farthest it runs in your house is up to the main breaker. from the breaker to the outlet tends to be copper.

what al this means for audio is absolutely nothing. the "cleanliness" of the power may make a difference in interference, and a less than sufficient gauge can cause sag under extreme loads which might cause some compression but the type of wire and purity and if it's oxygen free should have little to do with the amount of noise or sag. all of this should be taken care of on a high end system anyhow with power filtering and proper insulation. as long as you don't run the power cables parallel to the low voltage wire for too long you shouldn't get any capacitive coupling problems.
 
Cagey said:
Bagman67 said:
Okay, we've been down this road many a time but can someone please tell me what an oxygen-free power cable could possibly do to improve the credulous schnook audiophile experience?  I'm just a poor humanities guy, the elusive "educated general reader."
Click to expand...

Here's a dirty little secret: Almost all copper wire/cable is "oxygen free". It's just that some companies advertise it because the concept sounds good and is mysterious enough to the uninitiated, so they raise their prices as far as they think they can get away with for the volume they want to do. Most companies don't bother mentioning it because it means nothing, so why should they? It's like advertising that your water is wet.
Click to expand...

Interesting.  I wonder if I could advertize a barium free copper cable.  That's gotta be better than oxygen free...
 
Just to be different, I'm going to start selling oxygenated copper. Make some sort of cotton candy machine for molten copper, and then encourage customers to build little copper wool sculptures to carry their power. The shape of the wool determines your tone, so you can have fun experimenting. :blob7:
 
line6man said:
Just to be different, I'm going to start selling oxygenated copper. Make some sort of cotton candy machine for molten copper, and then encourage customers to build little copper wool sculptures to carry their power. The shape of the wool determines your tone, so you can have fun experimenting. :blob7:
Click to expand...

Isn't "oxygenated copper" that greenish tarnish/patina?
 
jackthehack said:
line6man said:
Just to be different, I'm going to start selling oxygenated copper. Make some sort of cotton candy machine for molten copper, and then encourage customers to build little copper wool sculptures to carry their power. The shape of the wool determines your tone, so you can have fun experimenting. :blob7:
Click to expand...

Isn't "oxygenated copper" that greenish tarnish/patina?
Click to expand...

totally.  It has a more organic tone.
 
jackthehack said:
Isn't "oxygenated copper" that greenish tarnish/patina?
Click to expand...

No, that's copper carbonate, which occurs through oxidization. It's what the Statue of Liberty wears every day. Oxygenated copper would result in copper oxide, which is generally black or red. Mix in some beryllium somewhere in that process, and you get a superconductor. If you could make guitar cords out of it and keep them very near absolute zero, you would sound exactly like Eddie Van Halen, with a touch of Carlos Santana. Just be sure to get a roadie to plug in your guitar, lest your hand turn to stone and wreck your picking technique.
 
Cagey said:
jackthehack said:
Isn't "oxygenated copper" that greenish tarnish/patina?
Click to expand...

No, that's copper carbonate, which occurs through oxidization. It's what the Statue of Liberty wears every day. Oxygenated copper would result in copper oxide, which is generally black or red. Mix in some beryllium somewhere in that process, and you get a superconductor. If you could make guitar cords out of it and keep them very near absolute zero, you would sound exactly like Eddie Van Halen, with a touch of Carlos Santana. Just be sure to get a roadie to plug in your guitar, lest your hand turn to stone and wreck your picking technique.
Click to expand...

That's gotta be hell on a nitro-finished guitar.
 
Mayfly said:
Cagey said:
jackthehack said:
Isn't "oxygenated copper" that greenish tarnish/patina?
Click to expand...

No, that's copper carbonate, which occurs through oxidization. It's what the Statue of Liberty wears every day. Oxygenated copper would result in copper oxide, which is generally black or red. Mix in some beryllium somewhere in that process, and you get a superconductor. If you could make guitar cords out of it and keep them very near absolute zero, you would sound exactly like Eddie Van Halen, with a touch of Carlos Santana. Just be sure to get a roadie to plug in your guitar, lest your hand turn to stone and wreck your picking technique.
Click to expand...

That's gotta be hell on a nitro-finished guitar.
Click to expand...

The nitro, sure. But the wood is the real tragedy. Forces you to wrap your axe in tape so it doesn't fall apart, and then it looks kinda silly...

_c834253_image_0.jpg
 
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