Most Beneficial Cable Upgrade

The power cord thing is confusing. I just installed a set of DIY power cords on my power conditioner, amp, preamp and D/A. The cords use CryoParts CryroMax3 cable and low-end Furutech connectors. Parts costs is about $150/each which roughly equates to a $500-600 production cable. Each cable also has a Versalabs Red Roller at the IEC end. These cables were a switch from the Discovery Cable power cord, an entry level type product.

I initially installed a single cable feeding the PS Audio P600 power regenerator. The effect was subtle, but positive enough to make me want to go further. I then installed them on all the electronics listed above. The audio effect was definitely less subtle than adding the single cable, but still subtle. That said, I think the power cord switch was the best $600 I've ever spent on the system. The overall effect is totally positive, an improvement in all sonic areas.

But this is where the confusion comes in. I don't know what actually causes the sonic changes I hear. Is it the power cord? Is it the cord's Furutech connectors? The Red Rollers? Could it simply be the physically tighter connection the Furutechs make as opposed to the purity of the copper and polished gold plating? Maybe it's the way I positioned the cables differently due to different flexibility. Might it have nothing to do with the power cords themselves, but simply plugging them in and out several times removed a layer of oxide on the connectors. I could go on further, but I think I've made my point. Even inserting a device as simple as a power cord, and they are simple devices, introduces a relatively large number of variables to be considered.

Then you could also add price/value to the equation. I only spent $600 for the whole system. If I had spent $2,000+ would I hear differently? Or might be I have it backwards and it's the fact that I think I've scored a bargained is influencing my hearing? Like I said, it's confusing.

Pcoombs, you don't need a microphone for your comparison. The room and the microphone add too much coloration and don't add anything positive to the comparison. Simply plug the power cords into an amp or preamp and record thru the tape out circuit. You can even make alllowances for the power cord to settle in and then A/B to your heart's delight.

But some people think A/B comparisons are a problem.

a/bs have been discredited

and

a/b issue is loaded with difficulties because i do not think it is possible to absolutely control the variables

I suggest that you lack the imagination to design a limited variable A/B comparison. It's easily done. (I will admit that your use of the word "absolutely" does give you wiggle room.) The hard part, as with most experiments, is interpreting and drawing conclusions from the data.

Recording engineers use A/B comparisons every day. Which mic to use with this vocalists? Do a few test recordings with different mics and A/B listen to the results. It doesn't take days. At what level should the lead vocal be placed in the mix? Do a few different mixes while varying the vocal level and then A/B listen for what you think sounds right. There are nearly a countless number of decision like these in any recording sessions and engineers/producers/musicians rely upon an A/B comparison to determine what sound they want to use. And they don't take days to do it.

I'm sorry, I thought I was talking with an adult. My mistake.

Okay, I'll give it another try.

In your 1/25 post, the one that ends "ha, right...", you use half of the "paragraph" writing about using tape decks, I think you're actually referring to cassette decks. Why? I never mentioned using a tape deck for anything.

Also, I point out that professional sound engineers and others are able to use A/B comparisons and quickly make sonic decisions. Your reply is to say that's not what the discussion is about. That's sidestepping the issue. Are sound pros able to successfully A/B and audiophiles just can't? If so, why is that?

Regarding the scientific method. I think Pcoombs has an excellent idea. Why not just record what systems sound like in different configurations and compare the recordings. It might not be foolproof, but it's certainly better than saying A/B comparisons cannot be done.

I'm intrigued by your comment that recording engineers aren't chiming in about power cords. I think that raises more questions than it answers.

A very simple version of this test would involve a CD player with a digital output and one of the DSD capable HD recorders from either Korg or Tascam. The CD player will digitally output to the DSD recorder and the test will be of three different power cords - stock, mid-level and SOTA. We can have a PC manufacturer suggest and supply the cords. The questions about break-in, settling-in or warm-up can be dealt with by having the power cords fully broken in on external cable burners and attached to the CD player for an arbitrary time period, say 72 hours, before recording. The music to be recorded should be the same for each power cable and I would suggest at least 2 hours of recording time for each cord.

Once the three separate recordings have been made you can now play them back and see if you hear any differences between the recordings. You can playback long sections, short snippets, mix and match, play at random, repeat play sections over and over, etc. and see what you hear.

As you can see, this is a simple setup, but it is scalable if you want to test larger equipment systems. I would even think that if you took the time and effort you could design a test along these lines that would optimize which power cords to use in your system, excepting power amps or speakers that require AC.

If you see holes in what I propose, then tweak it, for I think Pcoomb's basic concept is sound.