CES & THE Show 2014 • TABlog

by Marc Mickelson | January 16, 2014

Shunyata Research continues its quest to quantify the effectiveness of well-designed power cords begun with its DTCD research and demos. However, at CES the company simplified the methodology and results, showing that nondescript stock power cords allow considerably more noise back onto the power line than a cord designed to impede it, like Shunyata's new Zi-Tron Alpha Digital.

First, with a stock cord plugged into a simple power strip and the output fed to a Fluke power analyzer whose image was enlarged and displayed on a video monitor, a noise source was introduced, in this case a paper shredder.

Immediately the noise on the power line was evident, shown as fuzziness on the displayed waveform.

Then, after changing only the power cord to a Zi-Tron Alpha Digital, the paper shredder was turned on again, and the absence of noise was obvious. Even complete power-cord skeptics could see the difference between the two images.

The Zi-Tron Alpha Digital costs $995 for a six-foot length, with Analog and HC (high current) versions costing $995 and $1250 , respectively.