Having been a long time audiophile living with countless high end compnents I have to wonder about the theory and practicality of high end power cords.
I have yet to hear the difference a power cord makes. Ive owned, synergistic, Shunyata, BMI and cardas. I in no way can detect any sonic signature or change. Give me a pair of interconnects and I imeadiately notice a difference somewhere in the sonic spectrum. Not the PC though. I have accomplished 4 blind tests with my friends. 3 out of the 4 they did not know their cord was replaced. All 4 were using a stock factory supplied cord. Each of the 4 tests were done on different components. Amp, CDP, Preamp & dac.
My electrical backround tells me that provided you supply the component with its required voltage bet 110vac or 220/240vac its happy. Now, change the incoming frequency from 60hz to say 53hz and watch how quickly your soundstage collapses.! This is often the case during the summer months when home air conditioners are in use and the utility company power output is taxed to the max. A really good power conditioner should however take care of the frequency fluctuations. But 110vac is still 110vac regardless of the conductor it passes through as long as its remains 110vac when it reaches the intended circuit. Does your 8k amp or preamp know the difference of the path the voltage took to reach it ? Many an audiophile will use a dedicated 20amp circut for their equipment.That is a good idea as voltage & frequency fluctuations will occur in the home circuit to to other loads on the main breaker panel but again, A power cord simply is the means of transporting the voltage from the wall to the component. IF there is a clean 110vac @ 60hz at the wall socket, no matter what the medium is to go from the socket to the component, it will still be 110vac @60hz.
Could somebody expand on this a bit more. I just dont understand it. ??
No - it was meant to insult anyone who works in fast food as though they have no valid opinion on anything related to audio. Stop dissembling and trying to distract. It's pathetic. It was also in theme with two other recent comments by different participants which implied that they were ultra-successful businessmen and that they could afford audio tweaks and cables that the rest of us can't. That's totally false. And offensive - especially considering the other things that moderators have removed (or which you and yours have flagged for removal). It's hypocrisy to downplay that comment and then flag mine for removal.
Yeah it is slightly insulting on the face of it.
Nice admission and attempt to downplay it.
The ’odd" parts are the extended responses. all of which add endless baggage to the simple statement, none of which is justified in any way!
Provide examples or your allegations have no merit. "ALL" the extended responses to the Subway post? There was ONE and it was deleted by a mod so I mentioned it again. You need to re-assess your grasp on reality.
So i suggest stop trying to expand the statement into the downtrodden workers of the World, and all the rest.
That's projection or just intentional misinterpretation. Nobody mentioned "the world" or "workers" - rather I called out that he was being intentionally condescending and engaging in ad hominem in order to discredit the opinion of someone with whom he disagreed, by explicitly accusing me of working at Subway.
Proof most audiophiles have zero sense of humor. And it SHOWS. The fact is the added responses are desperately trying to make something out of nothing. Like if we blow this all out of proportion, maybe somebody on "The Insider" TV show will notice it?
Your responses all exhibit this exact tendency. Something out of nothing, zero humor, etc. So what do you think you're accomplishing here? Two can easily play at this little game of yours "Elizabeth"....
Hmm I wonder why the mods let you get away with posting inflammatory and offensive comments like that where you degrade people who work at subway, but they delete posts that call you out for it?
Let's see how long your post stays up so that we all can plainly observe your derision and condescension for people who work in fast food.
Actually no, you haven’t at all. You’ve attempted to engage contributors here in wagering. The moderators deleted those posts. You’ve also made claims about the group, but then failed to substantiate them. For example:
... The only thing that qualifies as "dogma" around here is the notion/statement that "my power cable sounds better than yours because I say so!" which gets repeated over and over and over ... .....not to mention "I don’t believe in science!
No. Again for those who lack adequate reading comprehension skills, I said that I would take part in a "wager" IF there was an acceptably scientific study done on the power cable debate and I stand by that. I never proposed any specific wager, and in fact, another user put an actual $$ figure out there - I believe it was $25K. Yet you don’t have any problem with that. Hmmm....can you say.....CONFLICTED? or.....HYPOCRISY? or.....POT CALLING KETTLE BLACK?
Complain about my language all you want but that has no bearing on the good faith of my argument.
And you’ve manufactured other claims, such as this:
One of your fellow snake oil believers said that my study proving power cables don’t make a difference was too old - 14 years.
You think I manufactured that claim? You didn’t see the post where someone questioned the veracity or legitimacy of the link I provided because it was 14 years ago? I’m sorry if you’re also hard of seeing, but it’s there and the burden of proof is not on me to prove it, as anyone with any kind of computing device can simply go back through the comments on this thread to verify that indeed it’s there. In fact here it is, by @cleeds (i.e. YOU):
So your claim about not being able to distinguish between power cables power cables in a blind test is based on someone else’s 14-year-old test?
Why do you feel the need to lie and obfuscate, then report my posts to moderators when you don't have a valid or effective counter argument?
Once again, simply saying things over and over doesn’t make them true. I’m the one attempting to engage in good faith debate here, you and yours are doing the exact opposite and you’re apparently willing to lie or overlook things that actually happened in order to make your "point"....which is????
Actually no, you haven't at all. You've attempted to engage
contributors here in wagering. The moderators deleted those posts. You've also
made claims about the group, but then failed to substantiate them. For example:
... The only thing
that qualifies as "dogma" around here is the notion/statement that
"my power cable sounds better than yours because I say so!" which
gets repeated over and over and over ... .....not to mention "I don’t
believe in science!
And you've complained when moderators enforce the rules here:
And yet you still report my posts to the moderators for removal rather
than let them stand on their own to demonstrate "third or fourth grade"
writing. Riiiiiiight.
And then there's your "colorful" and imaginative language:
If the answer is NO - then kindly STHU about this mostly-imaginary "bet"
that your lizard brain is wrapped around the axle on and let’s proceed
with the debate on power cables regarding their own merits or lack
thereof.
And you've manufactured other claims, such as this:
One of your fellow snake oil believers said that my study proving power cables don’t make a difference was too old - 14 years.
So no, you haven't even remotely shown good faith. Have a Nice Day.
As I listen to the results of buying a few new power cords, and adding in a pair of Furutech GTX duplex
Awesome. Glad you are enjoying them and that your opinion of them is positive. All of you cable snobs seem to have very strident opinions. And that's what they are, until you start producing some reproducible data points: opinions.
Back on-topic to anyone else who might be reading and interested in a real discussion rather than internet posturing and self-aggrandizement, I read that Shunyata had entered the world of medical devices.
Does anyone have any actual information on what they're doing or what kind of products they're selling - or for how much $$?
Or maybe it’s just more fun to assume he’s reading, while I take apart your non-arguments on the topic and call you out for the trolling you’re doing off-topic.
>>>>>Are you looking in the mirror?
Which is seemingly your hobby and main daily activity:
Good point. Or is it? One of your fellow snake oil believers said that my study proving power cables don’t make a difference was too old - 14 years. Perhaps there have been changes to cable tech in the mean time and the OP wishes to follow up?
Or maybe it’s just more fun to assume he’s reading, while I take apart your non-arguments on the topic and call you out for the trolling you’re doing off-topic.
Which is seemingly your hobby and main daily activity:
Hey, what happened to the OP? Is he a...... troll? 🤡 Oops a Daisy, that was 15 years ago. Let’s hope he found salvation with a new Audioquest Hurricane, you know, the one everyone is ranting and raving about, that’s controlled for directionality.
There it is! When the pseudo skeptic’s back is up against the wall he lashes out out with the usual attacks. It’s the other side that’s abandoned rational debate and science, resorting to personal attacks, changing the subject, making baseless accusations, muddying the entire discourse, and misinterpreting the pseudo skeptic’s argument. There is no acknowledgment of or rebuttal of the counter arguments. Just a lotta who shot John.
You’ve gone all Pee Wee Herman on us, Geoff. "I know you are but what am I" or "I’m rubber you’re glue" are not valid or particularly constructive arguments.
If, on the other hand, you’re agreeing with me that proponents of expensive tweaks and AC power cables are indeed engaging in all kinds of ad hominem because they cannot articulate or elucidate any measurable or repeatable improvements, and your most recent post was just a clever parody of this behavior, let’s start reporting these "psuedo-______" people to the mods! They’re disruptive!
If I’m wrong on both counts, please enlighten me and point me to the scientific experiments that I am not acknowledging, whereby AC mains cables have been shown to make an audible difference in a controlled environment or with full transparency to the listener as to what was being changed?
I've been commenting in good faith here up to and including the links I've posted that point to actual tests which have been conducted. If you're here in good faith, please point me to the objective tests which prove the opposite and we can agree to disagree or I will admit that I'm wrong.
ostensible_constituency Meanwhile, those who claim that an expensive AC mains cable will discernibly or even DRASTICALLY IMPROVE the sound of most hi-fi audio systems have abandoned any attempt to argue the merits or scientific side of their case, instead resorting to personal attacks, changing the subject, making accusations about the alleged behavior of the other side and muddying the entire discourse by focusing on only one aspect of a post and intentionally, repeatedly misinterpreting it.
>>>>>There it is! When the pseudo skeptic’s back is up against the wall he lashes out out with the usual attacks. It’s the other side that’s abandoned rational debate and science, resorting to personal attacks, changing the subject, making baseless accusations, muddying the entire discourse, and misinterpreting the pseudo skeptic’s argument. There is no acknowledgment of or rebuttal of the counter arguments. Just a lotta who shot John. There is no test anyone can devise that can prove cables or power cords all sound about the same.
For anyone casually stumbling onto this particular thread such as I did the other day, or the OP following up on his long-ago request for advice, it must be very interesting to note that "sides" or "camps" have been formed and that the members of one "camp" engage in one type of argument while the other side has chosen a different approach.
Those of us who claim that there is no scientific merit to manufacturer statements that - across the board - a "high end" or "higher quality beyond AWG and shielding" power AC cable will make an audible, discernible difference, nay, IMPROVEMENT in the sound of every high-end system of a certain caliber are attempting to focus on real-world physics, engineering, or solutions that even involve some form of teaming up with the other "side" to prove once and for all who’s right and who’s wrong. That kind of solution requires some kind of capital outlay by either a manufacturer or participants in a side-wager to the type of study that would be required to end this debate, but why not brainstorm about it here without getting personal or misrepresenting what the other "side" says?
On the Mfg. side, I offer up an example such as Shunyata’s (comments disabled) video whereby they purport to present a demonstration of their superior power cable by using a peak current meter on an AC outlet and then on their cable, followed by an inferior cable (in AWG (conductor thickness) as well as construction) which has nothing whatsoever to say about or do with the way an AC/DC power supply works in an average user’s home nor does it address the fact that MOST if not ALL home audio equipment will never need to draw the peak amperage that they demonstrate. That’s just one example. There are many others.
When links are posted to previous studies or comparos, those are denigrated as "14 years old" (as though power cable technology has changed? If so, please note how) or that the person making the post wasn’t a direct participant in the test, which is why the new test is being proposed in the first place. So, until then: https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/feature-article-blind-test-power-cords-12-2004.html remains the standard.
Meanwhile, those who claim that an expensive AC mains cable will discernibly or even DRASTICALLY IMPROVE the sound of most hi-fi audio systems have abandoned any attempt to argue the merits or scientific side of their case, instead resorting to personal attacks, changing the subject, making accusations about the alleged behavior of the other side and muddying the entire discourse by focusing on only one aspect of a post and intentionally, repeatedly misinterpreting it.
And if you’re just interested in reading about the history of this type of debate without having to learn about the imaginary business fortunes of individual netizens who claim to be able to throw away $25,000 *because* they were/are a successful businessperson, here you go:
There are plenty more out there, and the vast, overwhelming consensus, is that you don’t need to spend a fortune on cables (and not much AT ALL on power cables or digital interconnects), nor will you hear any actual, non-placebo effect improvements if you do, but feel free to spend your money however you want. And to be perfectly clear, on speaker cables and other interconnects in the signal path, spending more money DOES improve the sound - but only to a point well below $75/ft.
" How much money is that for someone like you who writes, thinks and challenges like that of a third or fourth grader it is probably your entire piggy bank is it more than $100 USD? Please explain to us the exact amount of resources that you are willing to commit to the challenge you put forth towards the participants here in this group."
And yet you still report my posts to the moderators for removal rather than let them stand on their own to demonstrate "third or fourth grade" writing. Riiiiiiight. That’s the clearest case of projection I’ve seen yet. The amount of money I’d be willing to put up, given the proper experimental setup (that is, one vetted by any expert on double blind testing) would be....let’s say....substantial, even to a fake Internet rich guy like yourself..... and this amount would be paid out to you and your "group" if the results favored your (vague, ambiguous, whiny) argument in this "debate".
But here’s where you try to change the subject again, right? Make a report to the mods?
Besides, make up your mind - are you willing to engage in this conversation, which may or may not culminate in a personal bet that YOU (not I) keep talking about and bringing up, or are you scared to debate the actual topic, which is the science or lack therof behind "upgraded" or "high end" mains AC cables or not? Are you going to keep diverting and dissembling or are you going to be able to focus on the merits of the points raised and an honest reading of what other posters actually write, rather than the fever dreams in your addled mind?
Also can you finally just learn to read for comprehension and if you’re truly interested in proving the merits of these cables, let’s find a way to get the manufacturers or proponents of such to prove that their cables enhance the audio in a given system controlling for all other variables? This kind of question requires a YES or NO response.
clearthink I admit is is easier for me because of my success in business a $25,000 USD wager does not represent a sizeable risk because the loss would not be substantial to my net worth or costs of living so I can use this economic freedom to help reveal and expose those who are using this group for purposes for which the group is not intended and in fact in ways that may be violation of various US laws.
>>>>>Whoa! What?! Hey, looks like we got Son of The Amazing Randi on board! Although in Randi’s case he wasn’t using his own money. It was Johnny Carson’s. 😬
cleeds"No one here owes anyone anything, including complying with demands for scientific evidence, participating in double-blind studies or being ridiculed or shamed for refusing to wager with an anonymous Internet user."
I will not be "shamed" and I am not afraid of a wager although I admit I remain dubious and skeptical about those who pursue such wagers because in the passed they're motives have been demonstrated and proven to be bogus, fraudulent, and deceptive and the only way to expose such a fraud is to be willing to accept the wager provided it is genuine, sincere and based in an actual scientific setting with a proper design, administrator, and controls yet so far no such offer has been presented here to the group. I admit is is easier for me because of my success in business a $25,000 USD wager does not represent a sizeable risk because the loss would not be substantial to my net worth or costs of living so I can use this economic freedom to help reveal and expose those who are using this group for purposes for which the group is not intended and in fact in ways that may be violation of various US laws.
You're not the first to go around,
banging your drum about double blind testing and proffering wagers,
which the mods frown upon. You'll find out soon enough.
Quite so. This is not the place for such nonsense. This a hobbyist's group. No one here owes anyone anything, including complying with demands for scientific evidence, participating in double-blind studies or being ridiculed or shamed for refusing to wager with an anonymous Internet user.
ostensible_constituency"Give us all a break here and just admit right now that you’re totally making this up. In fact, you need to prove the following right now before I can take anything else you say seriously:"
You would appear to be so substantially confused, disoriented and misinformed to such an extreme extent that it is almost impossible to respond to your foot-stomping demanding little elementary school tirade except to plainly explain that neither I nor anyone else here have to prove anything to you at all the entire burden of facts, proof and substantiation rests with you becausde you are the one making the claims, accusations, and prononcements.
"
If such a study was commenced, I would GLADLY bet all my money on the notion that the results would demonstrate, beyond doubt, that the power cable company’s claims are bogus."
How much money is that for someone like you who writes, thinks and challenges like that of a third or fourth grader it is probably your entire piggy bank is it more than $100 USD? Please explain to us the exact amount of resources that you are willing to commit to the challenge you put forth towards the participants here in this group.
"
concentrating only on power mains cables in an equivalent system, depending on the amount of $$ I was willing to put on it. How much $$ would it take for you to participate, whether it was myself or one of the cable companies putting it up?"
It is increasingly apparent that you are not serious, legitimate or honest so answering your question would yield no progress in this discussion which is tuning into a thread where you are talking to yourself like a fool on a street corner or more accurately in all likelihood like a child spurned and alone at recess.
You
have serious issues with reading for comprehension, so I'll repeat this
one last time for your benefit. I never said I KNOW anything FOR
CERTAIN.
Yes you did:
"I
would wager everything that I own and my kid’s college savings that you
could not distinguish the difference between two power cables of
equivalent length, same AWG (even "effective AWG") with ALL other
variables in the given system controlled - more than 50% of the time."
You've also stated:
... The only thing that qualifies as "dogma" around here is
the notion/statement that "my power cable sounds better than yours
because I say so!" which gets repeated over and over and over ...
and:
.....not to mention "I don’t believe in science!"
Do you have any proof of those claims? Ive asked you because I've never seen such statements here previously, yet you claim they are common.
If you're still having trouble with that VERY basic concept, perhaps an
education of some kind is in order, even at the local community
college?
Geoffkait: Uh, you just repeated yourself again. Yup, 🍑🍔🍔
Hey Geoff....you wouldn't happen to sell audio tweaks, would you? I think that if so, it should disqualify you here as it's an obvious conflict of interest when a user asks a forum for objective advice.
You're wrapped way too tight for folks around here. You're not the first to go around, banging your drum about double blind testing and proffering wagers, which the mods frown upon. You'll find out soon enough.
It’s entirely possible to double blind test something that’s 100% provable to anyone and come out with a 50% chance of certainty.
The test itself introduces many levels of uncertainty even before it starts. That’s why I’ve always referred to it as a cheap parlor trick. Comparing it to medicinal tests is a red herring, since all the subjects have the ailment in a medical study and not all the subjects in a listening test will have the same hearing acuity. It’s a different kettle of fish.
As to the mind and how it perceives betterment from a medication is not analogous to how someone can hear an improvement. The sick person will remain sick though one can hope enough to skew a momentary improvement, only to succumb to the ailment and get worse. The person who hears better will always hear better but can be tricked, in the short term and upon an extended listening period with their own, familiar system, can tell the difference. I’d even go so far as to say that one who is intimately familiar with their own system can tell if something is off within a shorter period of time. They may not be able to put their finger on it but they’ll know. I say this from my own experience.
In fact, there are those on these forums who’ve done better than average on double blind tests already and for some reason, are overlooked.
The fault that lies in unsighted testing is the simple fact that you’re removing an essential, sensory aspect to what completes an observation. Run your finger over a map and speak the name of the area you’re trying to remember and you’ll drastically increase the ability to remember it, and recognize it, later on. It’s how we’re designed; it’s in our DNA. Eliminate or curtail that process that we’re accustomed to using and you interject a form of chaos into our ability to discern. It’s no wonder how one can take a certainty and reduce it to simple chance by tying one’s arm (or a sense) behind one’s back and then say, ’lets see how well you do it now."
ostensible_constituency"I would wager everything that I own and my kid’s college savings that you could not distinguish the difference between two power cables of equivalent length, same AWG (even "effective AWG") with ALL other variables in the given system controlled - more than 50% of the time."
How much money in $USD are you talking about in this offer of yours if it is of sufficent amount to make it work my time I will consider it please post the specific amount. I must note as a matter of personal transparency that previous such offers have been revealed to be fraudulent efforts to obtain personal information.
... The only thing that qualifies as "dogma" around here is the notion/statement that "my power cable sounds better than yours because I say so!" which gets repeated over and over and over ...
I’ve been reading these forums for years and I don’t recall anyone ever saying that. Ever. Yet, you claim it "gets repeated over and over and over." Please provide a few examples to substantiate your claim. Given the frequency of repetition that you profess, it should be easy for you to comply. Feel free to use Google, if that helps.
.....not to mention "I don’t believe in science!"
Amazing! Again, I don’t recall anyone ever saying that here. Ever. Yet, you claim it "gets repeated over and over and over." Please provide a few examples to substantiate your claim.
That’s because I wasn’t talking to you and nobody else asked, but ...
Actually, you were talking to me. It’s how forums work. When you post here, anybody can read what you wrote. If you want to exclude participants, use a P.M. or an email. I’m surprised you don’t understand that.
Have I participated in blind A/B comparison studies? No ...
Amazing! Yet this lack of first-hand experience doesn’t stop you from claiming that you know the outcome of every double-blind power cord listening test that has ever been conducted, or ever will be conducted!
Debate rule no. 1 - When you find yourself losing the argument and you’ve run out of ammo attack the other guy with idiotic stuff you found on the internet. 🍑🍔🍔
I got through describing why blind tests are unreliable for audio just last week. You should have been here. But I’ll help you out. The reason why negative results for blind tests don’t mean anything for audio is because too many things can go wrong with the test. Pharma doesn’t have nearly the complexity, i.e., number of variables, that audio does. You’re welcome in advance.
LMAO - So then we’ve completely eliminated electrical test and measurement and now double blind testing. I guess all we have to go on are our ears and the marketing folks at Audioquest and Shunyata. Case closed!
Oh, but how could I forget the resident "expert" Geoff....a guy who also conspicuously neglected to answer my question to him, so I’ll ask it again:
Dear Geoff, do you now or have you ever "designed", manufactured or sold audiophile "tweaks" for money?
P.S. they're not "negative" results as anyone with any understanding of statistical methods would have understood. The results of the test demonstrated that even an "audiophile" has less than a 50% chance of correctly identifying the difference between two or more power cables, positive OR negative. Duh!
I hate to be the one to point out that just because blind tests work in pharma doesn’t mean they work in audio. I got through describing why blind tests are unreliable for audio just last week. You should have been here. But I’ll help you out. The reason why negative results for blind tests don’t mean anything for audio is because too many things can go wrong with the test. Pharma doesn’t have nearly the complexity, i.e., number of variables, that audio does. You’re welcome in advance.
Hey Geoff....you wouldn't happen to sell audio tweaks, would you? I think that if so, it should disqualify you here as it's an obvious conflict of interest when a user asks a forum for objective advice.
The placebo effect argument works both ways. If you're of the mind that power cables won't make a difference, you'll not hear a difference. That, and you'll point to lots of other people who fell the same way and "documented" it.
In theory, sure. That's why I produced a double blind (or close to it anyway) ABX test to demonstrate my point. Do you understand how a double blind test eliminates the placebo effect? If not, there are resources online where you can learn all about basic testing methodologies. It's a staple in the Rx industry. Some people have called into question the utility of ABX testing in audio, but that's an entirely different argument that you haven't even started to address.
The only "documentation" I pointed out was a scientifically conducted test (no test is absolutely perfect) that demonstrated people, even audiophiles, could not hear the difference between power cords with enough frequency to demonstrate they were doing anything other than guessing randomly.
Tell me this: If the power mains cable manufacturers are so convinced, whey don't they use their considerable resources to demonstrate once and for all, via controlled double-blind ABX testing that their cables sound "better"? LOL
The burden of proof is on them - as they're selling a product they claim has certain benefits - and not on me, who is simply giving my informed opinion to the OP of this thread who asked some questions about expensive power mains cables.
Repeating the same dogma over and over, even in the same paragraph, is a sure sign of....you guessed it!
In your case it’s a clear sign of projection, which is a psychological coping mechanism, not a valid form of argument. The only thing that qualifies as "dogma" around here is the notion/statement that "my power cable sounds better than yours because I say so!" which gets repeated over and over and over.....not to mention "I don't believe in science!" LOL
The placebo effect argument works both ways. If you're of the mind that power cables won't make a difference, you'll not hear a difference. That, and you'll point to lots of other people who fell the same way and "documented" it.
Repeating the same dogma over and over, even in the same paragraph, and obsessively blaming placebo for why other people hear power cords, is a sure sign of....you guessed it!
So your claim about not being able to distinguish between power cables power cables in a blind test is based on someone else’s 14-year-old test?
No. And in case you’re having trouble reading for comprehension or keeping up with the thread, that’s simply an example of someone conducting the type of test that I had suggested to the previous poster if he/she was really interested in proving that one power cord could "sound better" than another. Besides, do you have any test, of any age, that contradicts that one? Let's see it.
No, you didn’t mention that, which is the logical fallacy of a call to authority. Please tell us: Have you ever conducted an actual blind test to substantiate your belief? Have you ever participated in such a test?
That’s because I wasn’t talking to you and nobody else asked, but when one happens to have more expertise in a given field than another person does (unless of course he wishes to clarify about his own credentials in EE or a related field), that’s not "appeal to authority" and you clearly also don’t understand the definition of that logical fallacy.
Appeal to authority would be along the lines of: "_________ says there is an audible improvement between cheap and expensive power cables and ______ manufactures expensive power cables, therefore he is correct." Which is not what I did. I said that I’ve designed power supplies and that in so doing, and in working with numerous EEs and EE students over the years, nobody has ever demonstrated that one power cable of the proper rating/listing will "perform" differently when measuring the DC side of a power supply than any other power cable.
Have I participated in blind A/B comparison studies? No, I’ve done some switching back and forth with already-burned-in (another bogus concept, but I did it to show that I was serious) power mains cables and I’ve read what actual engineers and engineering textbooks have to say about it.
At the end of the day, and bottom line - if there are no electrically measurable differences on the DC-side of the power supply from changing power mains cables, then there are no objectively discernible audible differences coming out of the speakers, all other things being controlled/equal. Can YOU or ANYONE ELSE hear a difference? Possibly, but that’s the placebo effect.
Rather than continue down this path where people are incorrectly accusing me of using logical fallacies that they clearly don’t understand, why doesn’t someone point me to some test results that are at least somewhat scientific that DO show a measurable or audible difference between a standard, well shielded, UL listed heavy duty power cable and an expensive "audiophile" power cable? I’ve already produced a test and explained why, from an engineering perspective, there is no difference so long as the current gets to the power supply and nothing is impeding it. But so far I’ve seen nothing to prove or even strongly suggest that there is a scientific basis for any of the claims from people or manufacturers that insist a $500 power mains cable sounds better than a $15 Tripplite from Home Depot or Frye’s.
And I’ll keep repeating as well - go back and read what the OP asked. All of my explanations are directly and indirectly in response to that.
Someone asked if expensive power cords were "snake oil" and the answer is - "It depends. If you have a properly constructed, shielded AWG 14 or better power cable made of copper or another conductor of sufficient purity, there is no need to spend more than $20 on a power mains cable for use with any audio equipment designed for use in a home or home theater - not to mention a concert hall or recording studio because any perceived differences in sound quality at that point are due to the placebo effect." PERIOD
So your claim about not being able to distinguish between power cables power cables in a blind test is based on someone else's 14-year-old test?
Oh,
and did I forget to mention that I also base it on my years of
listening to audio equipment, the fact that I have an EE degree and that
I've designed both switching and non-switching power supplies -
including the type that would be used in audio components?
No, you didn't mention that, which is the logical fallacy of a call to authority. Please tell us: Have you ever conducted an actual blind test to substantiate your belief? Have you ever participated in such a test?
I'll keep repeating, if you don't think power cords make an audible difference when you insert them in your system, don't purchase them. If you think they do make a difference when you insert them in your system, purchase them. Pretty simple. Who am I or any of us to tell someone what they do or don't hear. Moreover, who are we to tell someone what to spend their money on.
That’s also known as the placebo effect. Enjoy it. It’s a free market society and you can spend your money on whatever you want. When you acquire the fortune necessary to do so, you might also reach out to your electrical utility and have them rewire the transmission lines, transformers and junction boxes in the path to your audio equipment so that your sound will improve even more! In the mean time you can also replace your breakers and every fuse in the circuit shared by your audio equipment. That might really push your system over the edge - you' likely be able to hear the photons strike the cymbals in the recording studio or the number of cigarettes Mick Jagger smoked the night before he recorded "No Satisfaction."
Or you could get a $5000 power conditioner. But you still wouldn’t be hearing any actual difference between your Pangea and a UL listed Tripplite heavy duty shielded power cable with at least 14AWG on any properly designed amplifier or other audio equipment you might own.
To all the people who are offended and/or hurt by scientific rebuttals, please continue to enjoy your mains cable "tweaks" and don’t bother to do any reading about electrical or electrical engineering concepts. Trust your ears. LOL.
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