In Reply to: Suppose you "eliminate" the power cord? posted by rkw on February 14, 2007 at 01:35:42:
Assume you have an ideal AC power conditioner or regenerator, with zero distortion and output impedance. It will have a standard AC receptacle for its outlet.The power cord that connects your equipment to the conditioner will act as an RF resonator, with a fundamental frequency around 25 MHz for a two-meter cord. The standard AC receptacle at the plug end and the IEC connector at the other end are likely to be impedance mis-matches for the characteristic impedance of the cord. The cord will have a high quality factor (Q) unless it contains special materials that absorb and dissipate RF energy.
Such cords will amplify RF noise at particular frequencies determined by the length of the cord and the signal propagation velocity on it. RF noise in this frequency range is damaging to the audio signal through the processes of mixing and detection in equipment and dirty contacts. Noise may be blocked by the conditioner, but picked up by local induction and/or generated by the connected equipment on the load side of the conditioner.
This is not to say that conditioners are not useful where the AC wiring carries substantial RF noise. However, they may not be the ultimate means of eliminating all noise.
Stock cords that receive UL listing are designed primarily to be safe, not to be low-Q participants in the RF behavior of an audio system.
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Follow Ups
- No, because the power cord is a resonator. - Al Sekela 13:21:07 02/14/07 (3)
- Re: No, because the power cord is a resonator. - Presto 18:22:53 02/14/07 (2)
- A cord resonates at its fundamental and harmonics. - Al Sekela 09:56:02 02/15/07 (1)
- Well thought out and thorough reply Al - thanks! - Presto 16:11:34 02/15/07 (0)