Expensive shielded mains cable... any thoughts?

[rockindillo]

Just wondered if anyone here had tried any of this stuff, or anything like it, and if so if it did what the guy claims it does...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2m-shielded-mains-lead-cable-marshall-fender-amp-head_W0QQitemZ170422079330QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Mu sicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL?hash=item27adf28f62[/URL]

Hi-fi enthusiasts have known for years about the improvements that can be gained from upgrading their mains cable. Unfortunately this knowledge has been slow to filter through to us musicians who will gladly pay thousands of pounds for quality equipment, only to connect it with poor cables! The power cord that came with your amplifier or powered studio monitors could be choking your sound, causing a compressed dynamic range, a thin, one-dimensional tone and gutless bass response.
So what is it?
This high quality, rugged, hand-built, 2m UK mains cable is suitable for guitar, bass, analogue, digital, stage and studio or any other audio applications where cleaner, more accurate sound is essential. Fitted with a UK 3-pin plug, an IEC ‘Kettle’ connector and using only top quality components this cord represents excellent value and comes with a money back guarantee.
Made with:
· MK Duraplug 13A UK 3-pin ‘stage-proof’ rubber plug.
· Schurter 4782 IEC Connector.
· Heavy duty mains cable with 14 gauge (2.5mm sq.) conductors and a tinned copper screen, earthed to reduce RFI/EMI.
· Stylish clear PVC outer sheath.
So what does it do?
When using this cable with valve guitar amps, there is a subtle but obvious improvement in the full frequency response, with tighter extended bass and treble that came alive, without harshness. Guitars have a fatter tone with natural warmth and less background noise.
On a pair of powered studio monitors the music had more space and separation around each note, individual instruments are easier to pick out and the soundstage has more depth and size.
You what?
I know what you’re thinking, there’s 30 to 150m of power cable between the local power line and the power socket, so how can ANY 2m length of power cord inserted between the socket and equipment make an audible difference? Well all I can say is I was sceptical until I heard for myself! Every guitarist that has auditioned this cord has been sceptical, but having listened, has refused to go back to their generic cord. So why not take advantage of my money back guarantee and hear for yourself???

[gkoelling]

To me, it's snake oil. He says the difference is "subtle," which says if you're unable to hear it, your ears are at fault, not the cable.

I bet he's asking a small fortune for it, too.

It reminds me a little of high-end guitar cable. You can spend a couple hundred on a guitar cord but there's a point of diminishing returns. A couple friends did studio tests and were able to detect very slight differences in a controlled environment but in a live situation they heard no discernable difference between a $40 cable and cables costing far more. There are just too many uncontrollable variables at a gig.

This stuff also makes me think of old BB, Freddie, Albert, Eric, Jimmy, Jeff, etc. Those guys had incredible tone and there was no ultra high-end cable back then. Everyone wants that tone but dissects it to the point that they lose focus on the reason they're playing.

Good tubes, good speakers, a decent cable and practice will get you much further than the latest big buck power cord. Except, of course, in my case where none of that helps at all.

[Scott Auld]

there is a subtle but obvious improvement in the full frequency response, with tighter extended bass and treble that came alive, without harshness.

Sounds to me like what happens anytime the volume is increased. Fletcher Munson says when the volume goes up, we hear bass and treble more pronounced, and think it sounds 'better'

Besides: an amp needs to hum a little to be any good.

[fullertone]

A friend was teasing me about my old harmonica mics, how we guitar and harmonica players chase old technology, looking for low-fi sound that was the best they had at a certain time, and yet, we often surround it with super hi-fi equipment, too.

I'd skip this particular one .. but I'm about to buy fairly expensive mic cables for those old low-fi mics!

[Brian Scherzer]

This may gecome a longer response than I intend, but I have a passion for high end audio. In a nutshell, yes, a well-shielded power cord will have a positive impact on an electronic component........but I seriously doubt that you would hear any difference in this application.

A good power cable can make a bit of positive difference in a high end audio system, but a good power conditioner would make more of a difference. What kind of difference? The noise floor would be a bit lower, allowing sounds to come from a "blacker background". This can make a difference when the hifi gear you are listening to costs thousands of dollars.....but not much difference for less expensive gear. In a band, there is no purpose to a "slightly more silent background" (excluding when recording). It's not voodoo, but isn't applicable to a guitar amp unless you happen to be getting an FM radio signal through your amp. This kind of power cord would probably get rid of that.

[NEONMOONY]

And then, some people like old records and tape, wtih noise built into the recording itself.

[otaypanky]

I was recently considered 'mindless' and an 'audiophool' by some members at another forum due to a similar thread where I posted I did hear a difference from a power cable. However, I wasn't using a high price cable like the one pictured above. I plugged in my Gibson GA15R and happened to use an IEC cable that was handy and was a few gauges heavier than my regular cable. I instantly noticed a difference. I wasn't testing or looking for the difference, I hadn't thought about it at all. It was just that noticeable.
I don't care how people explain to me it's not possible, how the wiring in my house makes that impossiblle, I am mindless, an audiophool etc, yada yada yada.
My ears tell me all I need to know

[Brian Scherzer]

A poorly shielded cable or power cord can degrade the sound by letting in "noise" from other electronic items nearby. Better shielding would make a cable sound less noisy.....more of the intended sound and less of the surrounding electronic noise seeping into the signal. Once you add drums into the mix I'm not sure that you could hear the difference though.