Quote:And if there is a break in, I wonder what's really happening?
What's really happening is the complex current pulses flexing the molecules between the conductor and the dielectric, just like a signal capacitor. After all, a power cord is a capacitor. Hooking it up to a motor or a refrigereator will just train it to sound good on a motor and a refrigerator... You need an amplifier playing music to burn-in a power cord.
Many power cords do not make a difference. The IEC connector is a joke for audio amplification and purist standards in audio. It was a computer connector for a flexible light weight PVC power cord. This could be the reason for that. Also the reason for why some fancy power cords make it sound worse. That said, some power cords do make it sound better, and I stand firmly behind ours.
Understand, that a audio system is a conglomeration of components, of which the the sound is dependent upon. The weakest link in that chain of components and cables is going to be the limiting factor of the resolution you will be able to hear. When using good after market power cords, doing only a single component will have only 10% the difference than you would hear if you did all the component at the same time. Sadly that is the reality of it, just like room diffusers, using only one or two does almost nothing. Wrapping your entire room does almost everything.
Steve