What is the difference ? Is it really worth ten times the price to get hospital grade receptacles ? Why ? Is one brand really superior to another? Is Pass & Seymore a good brand ? Hubble better ? I am setting up a closet to house my mid-fi gear and will be running two dedicated 20A. lines to run the 2-channel audio and the home entertainment equipment. I will have two double (2 duplex receptacles) on each 20A circuit. Thank you in advance.
I don't mind those who venture into the forums at Audiogon and say, "I prefer Nordost over Purist and Cardas." Or, "I tried a NBS power cord on my CD player and although it was better, I did not feel it was worth the investment."
Those are honest experiences, regardless if you agree or disagree with their conclusion.
What angers me are the "specification and numbers" types that have nothing better to do than smugly report that the sum of ALL our experience is an aberration because it was not covered in school.
I do not advocate anyone buy expensive cables, that is something each of us must decide for ourselves. THAT decision should be made in the end users system, based on listening.
Hdm, not only have you quoted me improperly and out of context, but you don't know what you're talking about. I figured all of that measurement stuff was chest beating. I'll tell you what, though. If someone will send me at least one cryo'd cable I'll give it a listen. But buy it, you've got to be kidding.
Did you really spend more on the cable than the DVD player? That's... funny!
Albert, experience ain't enough. Your ears (well, actually your brain) can and will deceive you. And at least some rudimentary science does count. You see, Albert, you're pecking an answer me on a machine that wouldn't exist without a pretty breathtaking understanding of how electricity is conducted through all sorts of materials, taking into account some pretty subtle effects that are sometimes down to a mere trickle (metaphorically speaking) of electrons on signal paths less than a micron wide. And then, laughably, you use that very device to tell me that the science of signal propagation, that's much simpler than that for integrated circuits, doesn't matter. I've got news for you - it matters.
Now I know that a big deal is being made here that I haven't listened to a cryo'd power cord or outlet, so therefore my arguments aren't valid. But guys, I have listened to many different power cables, speaker cables and interconnects - in a damn revealing system - and I heard no difference. None. Nada. Now are you arguing that cryo'd cables are necessary to hear the difference?
And by the way, before any of you guys argue that I haven't heard proper cables, here's the list:
An Audioquest power cord the dealer had me try when I bought my first ML amp. He was very nice to me, so I humored him. No difference. It sure looked nice, though. I thanked him for the experience and returned it.
Cardas Quadlink interconnects. Nice color! I found these at a garage sale / estate sale for $20, in perfect condition. I use them on my video system,for audio (with an $80 receiver). No difference on the main system.
Audioquest Midnight and Green Hyperlitz speaker cables. I could have sworn they didn't sound as good as my home-made 10AWG cables, but I must have been imagining things. They certainly didn't sound better. (Have you ever cut one of these open? There's so little copper in there you wonder how they work properly at all. All to try and manage skin effect at audio frequencies...)
So now what? I suppose now I need to have my ears cleaned or my hearing checked?
Irvrobinson, it's a lot more fun to argue with you than it is with some other visitors. You stand up for yourself fine but you don't seem to take it terribly seriously. And nobody has made any ad hominem attacks. Thanks, everyone, for that.
In fact, although I am embarrassed at taking over Saki70's thread (though not too much to keep me from posting again), may I invite you both to my place next time you are in Montreal. It's a nice town to visit, if you've never been. If you do drop by, I will offer you a beverage and swap power cords on my preamp for you so you can hear the difference, or not. It was certainly an eye-opener for me, and many others have had a similar experience. In fact, as audio demos go, it is generally a real winner, right up there with analog vs digital.
As for the plug test you recommend I do--I must have expressed myself badly if you think I care. The point I wanted to make was that contacts under pressure are more efficient (and safer) than loose ones. I hardly think this can be a contentious opinion. It is a reason to buy quality outlets regardless of what they do to the sound. Only, if you think what they do to the sound may become important to you in future, better buy the ones you want right off. Upgrading outlets is a money pit. You might as well try to sell used toothbrushes.
I can think of one or two reasons why efficient power transfer to audio equipment might affect the sound, but honest, I don't want to bother arguing. Power cords been very very good to me, to coin a phrase. So have a dedicated line, shielded AC wiring, and isolation via a transformer. In the case of some of these items, the difference was both so nice and so cheap compared with a component upgrade that I can't imagine hesitating. But my opinion about it is pragmatic, not scientific.
Your double-blind notion might be fun if I were playing around with my son. He could swap cords, or not, while I was out of the room and I could try and say which was which. The result would be proof for some but not for others, which is why I wouldn't do it unless my son wanted to play. Some say, for example, that short-term swaps ignore the range rule: since a sound system is made for listening over long periods, swift A-B switches are no way to judge components. Particularly if the test subject has to identify the component, which is so far from normal use of a sound system it's not funny.
I am enjoying reading this ( Saki70's !! ) thread. I wonder, though, how long you will be able to hang on to the collective hallucination idea. In the case of my Ensemble power cords, both I and my best audio buddy described the difference they made the same way, in different systems 500 miles apart. Think of IM distortion, or jitter. Before they could be identified and measured, people had to notice differences that measurements couldn't explain. And, before they could be measured, maintain that those differences were there in spite of opposition !
I void to never again add to this useless thread, but Irvrobinson's last post saying, "If someone will send me at least one cryo'd cable I'll give it a listen." is the ultimate in hubris. He thinks he is the authority!
That machine we are both "pecking" on is partially the development of Texas Instruments, of which several of their key people are friends of mine. I have been doing photography for them for nearly 20 years.
Here is the fuel cell press release for Jack Harrod, an avid audiophile and another person suffering from hallucinations of purchasing Purist power cables.
Jack lives in a multimillion dollar home with original art work, including one Pablo Picasso. He has a fabulous sound system. Likely one you would not approve of because it is all tube and has high end cable throughout.
Between Jack and our Grammy award winning musician, we have some real catching up to do to equal our resident Physics genus.
By the way, Jack tried to use a volt-ohm meter to verify the quality of the Picasso. It did not read 100 on the meter so we are now afraid to enjoy it for fear we have been duped.
His system is used to edit the discs for sale at your local music store. He toopurchased Purist cable throughout. But hey, what does he know? A degree from Juilliard can't possibly qualify him to know what sounds good. A Physics degree is required for that.
Irvrobinson, This community exists and expands upon a foundation of curiosity and question. But in your first thread on Audiogon, you have sufficiently proven that you have no such contribution to offer this community. Your points are well taken, and they serve you well. But do they serve this community? Just what exactly are you intending to contribute to this inquisitive group of people who believe wholeheartedly that the malleability of the game is the very reason to get into it at all?
Exactly when do you resist debating an issue that is not even a point of exploration for you? If Saki70 wants to try out hospital grade receptacles, so what? And if he doesn't find them to be amenable to his system, he can do like the rest of us and sell them. Do you honestly think that you can save a bunch of curiosity-driven audiophiles from themselves, or are you simply determined to initiate yourself into Audiogon with a good fight?
Cheers to Irvrobinson and Eldartford for questioning and challenging commonly held beliefs (despite the barrage of insults.) I personally have no interest in tweaks that are controversial in nature, but have followed this thread because of its interesting debate on both sides. Everyone`s opinions have value and the interaction in this topic is what a discussion forum is all about. But don`t lose sight of the fact that "it`s all about the music".
Albertporter...Two kinds of insults are being thrown about here.
(1) Because you HAVE formal scientific training you cannot maintain an open mind. (By the way you never got back to me about Leonardo da Vinci).
(2) Because you DO NOT HAVE scientific training you cannot make sense.
Both wrong, of course.
Where do I come from? Well, I was a most awful student, but did manage to escape college with an engineering degree. Hired as a tech writer, and then moving into real engineering I gradually picked up the stuff I should have learned in school. I was quite successful as an engineer, not because I was technically savvy, but because I was famous for thinking "out of the box". I had people working under my direction who had masters and PHD degrees. I would never discount their contributions to my work because they often put my crazy ideas on solid ground by analysis that I personally could not do. Also, I always valued the technicians in the lab, some with little formal training, who made the ideas work in the real world.
From the appearance of your system I conclude that expense is no issue for you. Most people, on the other hand, need to trade off cryo'd wires and outlets against better speakers, and hype doesn't carry much weight in this process. Someone commented, above, that your superb system would not exist were it not for some fine engineering. Don't forget that.
One other minor point...when you cite your Grammy-winning friend who likes your equipment, you should make clear at the beginning that the guy is a classical musician. Pop musicians are mostly half deaf: an occupational hazard.
The reason I ignored your comparison to Leonardo da Vinci is that we are dealing with decidedly smaller minds here. My comments did not include the great creators and artists who's worth has been proven by history, but rather observations of the dogmatic people at hand.
Leonardo da Vinci would not be debating these points, he would be designing, drawing and experimenting to discover the path to greatness, regardless of personal cost.
My anger is directed at those who take the stance, "Everything that effects the music can be measured." A point of view that leaves no room for discovery or creativity.
How can you assume you know everything there is to know about scientific measurement? Even if you take the path of using (proven) measurements at hand, do you then dismiss all discoveries that fall outside of what we currently know?
If something works on a consistent and repeatable basis and we cannot apply a number or measurement to it, we have work to do in the field of measurement. I prefer thinking we have more to learn, not that we know it all.
As for my being able to afford whatever I want, you are terribly wrong. I would wager what little money I have, both you and Irvrobinson have more money and less debt than I do.
The difference between us the level of passion in what we believe.
I will do without many personal items and all luxuries to make my music the best it can be. That requires all the pieces I have in my system, including audiophile cables. I doubt you have that commitment and because those details are not worth that level of personal investment, you dismiss it.
I think Irvrobinson just likes to argue, it has nothing to do with passion and certainly not anything to do with making his system better.
Odd that some come to Audiogon, a decidedly high end audio site and completely dismiss an entire range of product used and respected by every major high end audio manufacturer in the business.
By the way, Hdm, I really didn't answer you properly last night. The "$50 multimeter" was for verifying that the resistance of properly functioning conventional power cords and outlets are essentially zero. My comment that a more sophisticated instrument would be necessary for determining the improvement due to cryogenics was because I believe whatever improvement there might be will be below the resolution of a typical multimeter, and that's because the resistance of the cord or outlet starts out so low to begin with. I'm sorry my statements appeared contradictory, but I think they are relatively clear if you read closely, rather than just be poised and ready to attack. Are we really supposed to believe that differences in current of far less than 1% make a difference? Never mind, that's a rhetorical question.
Boa2, to answer your last question first, I am having fun, but I'm not looking for a fight. Not one bit. I just like a debate, perhaps too much. The reason I answered Saki70 had nothing to do with hospital-grade outlets, it was because some people were saying that outlets sound significantly different, so I asked why. I also gave my opinions that there were no differences, and that the reason there were no differences was because there were no measurable differences. While I haven't A/B'd outlets, I have done so for power cords, heard no difference (of course I didn't expect to - is that a problem?), and postulated that if power cords made no difference certainly outlets wouldn't. The conversation went downhill from there.
Doesn't "the community" allow a diversity of opinions? Or is that diversity only allowed to fall into the very narrow range of people that are willing to wish differences into existence?
Albert, I will think of you every time I look at a picture of a TI product. I am very sorry that you view this discussion as an attack.
There is a person I've seen newsgroup postings from that has a really cool quote in his sig. It says "music is art, audio is engineering". I often don't agree with that person, but you can't argue with that sig quote.
And by the way, Albert, not only do you need a lesson in physics, but in reading. I never said I had a degree in physics, I suggested that someone in this thread get one. Was that you? I can't remember. The suggestion still stands... of course, alas, that may not help. If I remember correctly, the seminal work in the speaker-cables-sound-different field was done in Stereophile by Dick Olsher, and I think he is/was a physicist at Los Alamos. In your case I just happen to think a little knowledge might make you more open-minded.
I myself have a strong inclination for debate. In fact, I tried to bury my wife one too many times with her own words, and thankfully I stopped when she called my attention to it.
In answer to your question, of course the community welcomes a diversity of opinions. I believe that ojections arose when your contentions rang not of opinion but rather as indisputable fact. And while I'm sure that no one here has an issue with you having long settled this issue in your mind, your posts damned the validity of other people's opinions. At least that's how they read to me. My only request is that you add a dash of curiosity to your obviously profound knowledge and enthusiasm for science, in which case I have no doubt that we would all benefit immensely. All the best, Howard
Tobias, I love Montreal, and I wish I got there more often. The closest I usually get is Toronto (yet another awesome Canadian city - but Montreal is more fun IMO), otherwise I would enjoy taking you up on your offer. Hearing other peoples' systems is always interesting, but hearing other peoples' MUSIC is fascinating. I've developed so many new interests by listening with others. Especially since I have a tendency to spend too much time with Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert, left to my own devices.
I agree with you on higher contact pressure being better, and I think I mentioned that once. Good signal transfer is always good, though I've never been able to measure an insertion loss for power cords approaching a tenth of a volt, even on conventional stock outlets. Of course, my homes have always been of rather recent construction.
I think I also mentioned I'm not a fan of participating in double-blind tests. Frankly, I find them tedious, and I'm of the opinion that the annoyance of a DBT tends to mask differences, but that's only an opinion. I like to listen, but if I hear differences that correspond with measurements I'm more inclined to make purchase decisions based on my perceived differences.
I think I'll be able to hang on to my "collective hallucination" notion easily, because I'm convinced I'm a victim myself sometimes. Once I performed a comparative cable test, between 18ga speaker cables and 10ga cables, and I was convinced I heard an improvement from the 10ga cables. Then I got up and found I had switched the cables improperly (I was distracted by a friend) and I was listening to the 18ga cables all along. That incident, along with others, taught me a lot about wanting to find a difference. Another reason I can hang on is that I'm having fun. I'm not taking the insults seriously.
My closed mind did not prevent me from making a careful comparison of cryo'd vs uncryo'd outlets. I neither heard not measured any difference. Too bad, because, as some have mentioned, the cost is relatively small.
Don't deny that you are rich! If you weren't the cost of your system would be enough evidence to have you committed.
Eldartford, I hope you do not think it is me saying that you can't make sense if you don't have scientific training. My message is that if you think you are observing phenomena that run counter to well-proven knowledge and understanding you should check your premises. In this case, people are claiming to hear differences between power cords and outlets, when they measure identically with proven parameters (I emphasize the proven part), are not in the audio signal path, and there's no known way they can affect the audio signal in anything except a very indirect manner. And then they assume that because they think they hear a difference, that somehow that proves that humanity's understanding of how electrical circuits work is incomplete. I have a problem with that. I don't think scientific training is an issue, I just think that if you can't understand how some technical knowledge applies formal training can't hurt.
Eldartford., I wish it were so. My system is the culmination of years of investing, selling and trading. Much of what I have would not be possible had I not done photography for many of the high end audio manufacturers.
As for outlets, I have avoided comments on that topic and you know why. Lets just say that each must make up their own mind on that subject.
Irv, let me ask you this, does our knowledge of how electrical circuits work define how music sounds in a given system? Are you absolutely positively certain that our current knowledge of electricity would preclude any possibility that what some of us hear is little more that plecebo with reference to outlets and powercords, would filters or any type of wiring configuration in power cords make a difference, or is this just plain impossible?
I have overall enjoyed your responses but in no way can agree with your conclusions that there is no possibility that what some of us are hearing is nothing more than self-induced, my personal experiences are emphatically sure of this, as sure as you are but for very different reasons. Is this a religious argument, believers vs non based on current evidence (science) or "faith through truth in what I hear". Are you that damn certain that you're right?
Tubegroover, that's a damned good question! The answer is that I haven't seen (or heard) any compelling evidence that my assertion is wrong. If you boil it down far enough, what we think we "know" about the universe and the way it operates exists only because we hypothesize about the way the universe works, and then we devise tests that either prove or disprove our guesses. For some physical phenomena the guesses do change over time a little bit. Sometimes a lot, but not often. I blame it all on Einstein for so famously changing some guesses made by Newton in such a big way, because it gave people the impression, I think, that other guesses we've made are subject to just as much change. That our understanding is somehow superficial. That might be true in quantum physics, certainly so in some areas of biology, but electricity is a lot different.
Not that electricity and electromagnetism are so simple. A friend of mine specializes in electromagnetic interference effects for multi-gigahertz electronics, and the math he uses is formidable. There's also a lot judgement involved sometimes in product development that makes laymen wonder about "understanding". For example, high-volume production circuit boards are typcially made from a material called "FR-4". It's green, fiberglass, and it's cheap. If you look inside of your PC you'll see a lot of it. Anyway, 10 years ago some of the best analog electrical engineers were of the opinion that for signals with a clock frequency of greater than 500MHz we just might have to drop FR-4, and go to more expensive materials like teflon (due to noise levels, among other things). Anyway, 10 years later we're still using FR-4 for signals well into the multi-gigahertz range. The engineers recommending teflon back then were "wrong". Was this due to a lack of understanding? Did we learn new things about electricity since then?
No, to both questions. Engineers learned more about developing what are called "design rules", that more stringently specified high-speed circuitry to function on FR-4. More was learned about how to manage noise and EMI in physical designs. The engineers were actually correct, using the old rules. So now we have cheap multi-gigahertz circuitry, and nothing I'm aware of was learned about electrical theory. Much was learned about how to engineer products, but it's the same theories, proven over and over again, thousands of times per day, by observations called ultra-precise measurements under controlled conditions. We know how electricity functions because everytime we properly construct a given scenario it works EXACTLY as predicted. Every time.
Do I KNOW that two properly functioning and spec'd power cords are not going to sound audibly different? Anyone who has studied philosophy understands that KNOW is a heavyweight word. I don't KNOW. But if there were audible differences the physical effects that caused the audible differences - that we can't currently explain -would surely show up as anomalies in other areas where low-level currents or signals are incredibly important. (They are not in 120v AC power.) Microchip design, test equipment, 10GHz bit-serial signalling on copper cables... somewhere. And nothing has been detected. Sometimes you need really, really clean power, but you use active devices to achieve it. Our ears are not sensitive devices compared to certain test equipment. Some people don't want to believe it, but it is true.
Irv, for someone who hides behind a curtain of science (pay no attention to the man behind the curtain) and has distain((???) do you mean disdain) for anyone who who uses the scientific means of proving something, you certainly are critical of science. As I pointed out the scientific method of proof, is one which is observable, and repeatable. No, I am not a scientist, but I did get A's and B's in two years of college physics.
The ability to measure results has nothing to do with their validity. Albert is right when he points out that there are things around us every day that everyone accepts without question that cannot be measured or even understood.
The strangest thing about science, and people who claim to be conversant in scientific theory is that people who are doing 'cutting edge' research are far less dogmatic about any scientific theory than thier less knowledgable counterparts in the educational or business world.
If Albert and thousands of others have conducted the scientific experiment of replacing PC's, outlets, and/or cables and expereinced an observable, and repeated result, whose, experience has greater validity? The one who lectures from the lab table, or the one who conducted the experiment, and observed the results.
I really love it when you guys slam Raul! Raul, I like you but you clearly have pissed these guys off. My system sounds better, when I use a trick I saw in a movie. I pass the signal through my body. (No lethal currents please!)It gives the sytem a life like three dimensional feel. I can also fine tune the sound by drinking a fine grade of cognac.
I know a guy who claims that his dog can talk. He has all the nitty gritty details...the dog speaks Spanish, and with a Cuban accent, and often quotes poetry. The damn dog just barks at me, but the guy swears it's true. Should I believe him?
know a guy who claims that his dog can talk. He has all the nitty gritty details...the dog speaks Spanish, and with a Cuban accent, and often quotes poetry. The damn dog just barks at me, but the guy swears it's true. Should I believe him?
If dozens of people hear the dog on multiple occasions over a period of a decade, yes. Here is a perfect example.
A guy sees a sign "Talking Dog for Sale." He rings the door bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the back yard. The guy goes into the back yard and sees a mutt sitting there.
"You talk?" he asks.
"Yep, that's me," the mutt replies.
"So, what's your story?"
The dog looks up and says, "Well, I discovered my gift pretty young and I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA about my talent, and in no time they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies eight years running.
I couldn't tell you how many wars I helped prevent. But, the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger and I wanted to settle down. So I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings there ... and was awarded a batch of medals. Had a wife, a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."
The guy is amazed. He goes into the house and asks the owner what he wants for the dog. "Ten bucks and he's yours," the owner says.
"But this dog is amazing!" the guy exclaims. "Why on earth are you selling him and why so cheap?"
"He's such a liar, he never did any of those things."
Has anyone ever actually listened to a high end system in a hospital ? Those long marble halls must have great accoustics. In fact next time Im in a hospital, Im gonna rip me off an outlet !
Of course you should believe him. Didn't you see the "Buena Vista Kennel Club"? I distinctly remember hearing that pup scat off of Ry Cooder's guitar picking. I really think your friend is being too modest about his furry friend's list of formidable talents.
Any power cable will do mister. Grab a physics book if you dare! What IS imporpartant and should be considered is a balanced transformer/AC conditioner. Most of the big recording studios and mastering labs use them. I do too. No hocus pokus here. These devices (ie: Equitech 5Q) WILL make a significant sonic difference. Much better soundstage, better transient/dynamic response, and much tighter, accurate bass. Garbabe in;Garbage out. No BS sir.
Quantumavman you obviously have not paid any attention to anything that has been said up till now. I have grabbed several physics books and they offer nothing to the subject being discussed.
Nrchy, you are right, of course, but Quant...does not want to be confronted by the facts. His argument is curious though as he argues that most things don't matter but that balanced does.
Albertporter...When the dog barks the guy hears something else, because he wants to. He is happy. So am I with my dog who doesn't need human speach to communicate.
Has anyone ever actually listened to a high end system in a hospital ? Those long marble halls must have great acoustics.
Your right about the marble halls Darryl.
Unknown to many folks, the song made famous by Elvis Presley "Hound Dog" was recorded at Graceland Nursing Center in Memphis while doing a benefit gig for the old folks.
The halls provided the desired amount of echo and is evidence of the first crying and talking dog .
You aint nothin but a hound dog Cryin all the time. You aint nothin but a hound dog Cryin all the time. Well, you aint never caught a rabbit And you aint no friend of mine.
When they said you was high classed, Well, that was just a lie. When they said you was high classed, Well, that was just a lie. You aint never caught a rabbit And you aint no friend of mine.
Elvis may have passed on, but the truth about talking dogs and excellence of aftermarket power cords lives on (unless you unplug them and set a Physics book on top of them).
This "hobby" of ours can certainly be mysterious. I still remember the first set of speaker cables I tried to replace my zip cord. I was skeptical! Both were the same guage, which I thought was the MOST important thing but the comparison between the two cables was NO CONTEST. I bought the better cables. A few years later I was interested in an upsampler for my DAC. "Jitter" was the buzzword at the time and lower was considered better. Audio Alchemy had just come out with the DTI-PRO (not the Pro32). I worked at an AV store at the time and when one was shipped to us I begged to take it home and try it out in my system. They let me and I fell in love with what it did for the sound. I remember many a "spec" person later telling me I had to be smoking crack in preferring the sound with the DTI-PRO in the chain because of the HUGE amount of jitter it flooded to the DAC. While I understood the argument, I didn't experience the "negative" impact on the sound others believed I should hear. I though it was a huge improvement! A couple of years ago I posted (or added to one) that I swore my system sounds better in the winter than the summer! Is it less humidity in the air (I'm inside)? Is there less power being consumed and that is somehow effecting the power to my house? Good eggnog? There will always be those who want to know why things are and those that appereciate what is. They are not mutually exclusive but too often the emphasis is placed on one or the other. The last "poll" of the american public showed more than 80% of the population believed in God. Not bad considering God can't be "measured".
Eldartford: Let's really take a hard look at what's going on here in this and all the similar threads like this that inevitably break down this way.
I'll give you credit: you took the scientific road and tested out the receptacles I sent to you and heard no difference. Just as easily as you say above: "When the dog barks the guy hears something else, because he wants to.", I can say to you that you heard no difference because you wanted to hear no difference. So what? You heard no difference in your "highly controlled" receptacle experiment, but you can send your Denon 2900 away for mods because, from an "engineering standpoint", the mods make sense to you (search your comments in the archives) and you can receive it back 2-3 weeks later and notice an improvement? The only logical conclusions I can draw are that 1) you are afflicted with the same disease you accuse those of hearing differences in receptacles and/or power cords because they "want to" or conversely "don't want to" or 2) that your hearing is not particularly great.
Now let's be "scientific" about it. Of the people that respond to these threads, those that have tried/experimented with power cords/receptacles, etc. and have heard differences probably outnumber those that have tried/experimented and heard no differences by ten to one or more in these threads. Not conclusive, but certainly a reasonable sampling by any scientific standard, as Narchy has so succinctly pointed out above.
On the other hand, the naysayers seem to exist in an inverse proportion to those with experience: that is to say, approximately 90% of them have absolutely no experience in experimenting, yet they have no qualms about doling out their definitive advice to people here seeking input. Irvrobinson is simply one example of that, extolling that there are no differences in "measurement" when there clearly are, then admitting, when pressed, that he has never done any measuring. As someone who has learned a great deal from the experience of others on this site (and Audioasylum as well) and managed to greatly improve my system and the appreciation for the music played on it as a result of that improvement, I feel compelled to respond to these threads every once in a while.
As to "wanting to hear things" to justify expenditures, as I have pointed out before, I don't belong to that camp. While certain people here may find it amusing, I have gone from a $1000 digital front end in the past 3-4 years to one which I have approximately $70 invested in (it has been cryoed, by the way) and sounds much better than the audiophile approved megabuck version which I was quite happy to sell. More money does not always equate with better sound, but ignoring power cords, receptacles, cabling, etc. is a sure way to not realize what any decent equipment is really capable of.
You and Irv are certainly welcome to respond, but I'll sign off on this thread at this time. Happy listening and enjoy the music!
To anyone who claims that I'm hearing only what I want to hear, I assure you that this is not the case. Because what I really want to hear is a $59.95 boombox that sounds like my $9K stereo. And I want my $800 power cord to sound the same as the $60 version that I was previously using. That way, I would save a lot of money to get the same sound. Unfortunately, my plans were foiled.
Regardless of what I want to see, taste, hear or feel, I simply cannot get Top Ramen to taste like sushi, or get my '99 Altima to drive as well as my wife's new Volvo wagon. If I could, I'd have a lot more money in the bank. But I like nice things, and as a professional musician for over a decade, I developed quite an addiction to good sound. Therefore, the $800 PC stays.
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