Premium Power Cable Survey: The Results Are IN
Survey says ....
Thanks to the 179 who took the time to complete the One Minute (okay, TWO minute) Survey. If one thing was clear to me after designing the survey and collecting results is that this is one elite group, with a collection some of the most NOTE-worthy music systems on the planet.
It was no surprise that not everyone shares the same opinion on this subject. There are those who feel premium power cables were on the order of magnitude of migrating prerecorded music from the cylinder to the disc. And, others who feel that premium power cords are the industry equilivent of Pinto exploding gas tanks.
Rather than a plea for decorum, which has been done before (not always with the best outcomes), I’d like to request sometihing a little different. A request that we minimize our energy and emotion related to the specific subject matter at hand, make it somewhat generic, and encorporate "newer thinking" where we maximize the benefit of our time shared together on these forums. Particularly on subjects where we disagree. It’s been said: "It’s better to invite someone tell you what’s right about their viewpoint than to tell them what’s wrong with it."
I’d like to begin with the premise that those who contribute here feel they have something to say. Sure there are "opinions" and "rebuttals" that may be entertaining, but we have the most to gain when contributions add something of value to others in the group. The "best of the best" are actionable items where the reader not only has something to learn, but is compelled to take some action to improve the performance of their systems.
As mentioned earlier, this is an elite group of audio enthusiasts. Some of the best ears in high performance audio, with the brain matter to go along with them. I’d like to suggest that those claim who "hear" sonic differences actually DO hear them. And, those who don’t hear something magical happening, actually NO NOT hear it. The correct response in my view is not to immediately challenge the person and their perspective, but rather ask the question: "What are they hearing that I’m not hearing, and why am I not hearing it?" Or, the inverse. Assuming BOTH questions are valid, then take the conversation to another level. "Tell me about your system. Your location. Your room." The ideal scenario would be to place yourself IN the environment in question to listen for yourself. You may find that you heard nothing of interest. Or, you may find the person did, in fact, hear something pretty amazing. In most cases, the logistics will prevent this from happening. So, we can only share our viewpoints, among gentlemen that we share indulgences with and hopefully those receiving our communications are willing to allow us to tell them what we feel is right about our experiences.
That being said, there are those on the survey with a very high degree of certainty that their observations were correct. Some on the positive side. And, some on the negative side. Hopefully, we can upgrade the conversation from "disbelief and delusion" to "curiosity and willingness to experiment." I hope we learn more about ourselves from the survey and find even more ways to connect in a positive way.
Thanks for all who contributed.
John
A little "housekeeping issue". The "dashboard" link below will take you to the results of the survey. The couldn’t figure out how to edit the font size, so some of the text is crammed together. I hope there is enough information there to make it discernable.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/stories/SM-tcfn8dsvGcfAoSyut8ngrw_3D_3D/
"not wasting money: correct" I get it. I find myself forced to take several "exits" before the gear I really want. I want all the "Hertz" I can get, with as little "hurts" to my checkbook as possible. Besides, if you tried "the really good stuff" at home, you just might be so overwhelmed with the SQ improvements that you’ll loose control of your bladder (or worse!!). That could be quite embarrassing, and I wouldn’t want to be responsible for it. |
And, just when I thought it was safe to jump back in the forum ... My intent with the survey was to gather a consensus of the adoption rate of premium PCs in the group. This was not a data-driven exercise but, rather, an attempt to discover how committed the group is to this product category. Some of the results were not surprising, some were. The approach was "light" and an attempt a humor, with the artificially induced premise that a "conspiracy theory" may be attached to the introduction and adoption of "premium/audiophile" power cables. My conclusion is that the enthusiastic adoption of this product category by seasoned audiophiles does NOT involve a "conspiracy theory" -- nor confirmation bias, mind tricks, emotional trauma, or basic insecurity. People heard what they heard. One way or the other, the results are reliable, IMHO. So, some systems may sound better with PC upgrades. Some systems may not. Some components (relative to price/quality/design) may sound better with PCs. Some may not. Looking forward to another survey (by others) on other topics in the future. This was fun to do. And, informative. Well worth the $100 investment to make it happen. |
Here’s the complete survey for those who didn’t have the opportunity to complete it (or, can’t read the oversized, crowded text in the recap) 1. Do you have first hand personal experience LISTENING TO premium power cables?Yes No 2. In how many listening environments/systems have you auditioned premium power cables?Zero. I haven’t listened to any 1 2-3 more than 3
3. What was your general impression of results of premium power cables?Awesome!! Blew me away!! (Very, VERY, positive) Significant improvements (Very positive) I could hear something good happening (generally positive) Heard no difference (neutral) Sounded slightly worse (negative) Get this thing out of my house!! (VERY negative) 4. What is your level of confidence in your evaluation?A taser upside my head wouldn’t have been more apparent (100% confident) Very high level of certainty (80% confident) Made me smile when the cable was installed and the music started playing (60%) I think I heard something (40%) Could have gone either way with this (20%) I’d fail a blind listening test for certain (less than 10%) I didn’t listen
5. How many premium power cables are installed in your system?Zero. I don’t own any. 1 2-3 more than 3
6. How many devices in your system are connected to premium power cables?Zero. I don’t own any premium power cables. 1 2-3 4-6 More than 6
7. What is the approximate total RETAIL value of all of your premium power cables? 0Zero. I don’t own any less than $499 $500-$999 $1,000-$2,999 $3,000-$9,999 over $10,000
8. How important is the manufacturer’s (or other) premium cable design and engineering story/white paper to your purchasing decision?Very important. Critical in my buying decision Somewhat important. Had some affect on my purchase decision Could care less. Bought them anyway. Didn’t buy into the story, but bought them anyway Didn’t buy into the story and chose not to purchase them as a result The claims turned me off and disqualified the entire premium cable catagory for me Other (please specify)
9. How many generations deep are you into your premium power cables?Zero. I don’t own any. Still on my original(s) On my first upgrade. On my second upgrade. On my third upgrade. Lost count. Hey, I’m a hobbyist. What can I say?
10. If you have NOT purchased a premium power cable, what is holding you back?I want them, but don’t have the disposable income to invest in them I want them but haven’t gotten around to buying them. Too confusing. Haven’t given them a serious audition Not convinced My equipment has attached power cords, so I can’t use them Not applicable. I own premium power cable(s) Other (please specify)
11. Related to your bias, what was your expectation of power cables BEFORE your first audition?High. I expected a significant improvement Somewhat optimistic about the result Plausable. Could have some sonic benefit. Not plausable. The theory just didn’t make sense to me, but listened anyway. Low expectations. Was expecting no sonic difference. There’s NO way these can make a difference. Other (please specify)
12. Have you designed and built your own custom cables?Yes No |
@acman3 @blisshifi You're welcome. Glad you found it to be of value to you. @audphile1 I think surveys can be of value to the group. Maybe a survey to determine top areas of interest. Then, a pre-survey to determine most relevant questions. 1 survey was enough for me. Volunteers? |
@blisshifi +1 |
The survey was embedded with a lot of data. Unfortunately, these details are not easy to share. Here's an item of interest: Of the 32 responses who indicated low, or very low expectations (negative bias) related to premuim power cables 12 heard no difference. 19 heard "significant" or "awesome" results. 2 heard "good" results Of the "heard no difference" group, 3 indicated they didn't listen. 2 of those listened to only 1 system, and 4 were "not sure, could have gone either way" in their findings. Not trying to bend the results in any particular direction. Just sharing what the survey showed. |
"Other" responses to the question: "If you have NOT purchased a premium power cable, what is holding you back? "The Romex in my walls, as well as the miles of wire to the power station, are not premium." " make my own. I borrowed Nordost Tyr 2 power cords and they made the whole system VERY diffuse and lost bass. I tried it on my audiomagic conditioner, my integrated amp and my dac. Same result to varying levels." "Being an electrical engineer I know better. The only benefit the larger/better power cables have are the ability to handle higher current and voltage loads....NOTHING MORE." "All showed 0 significance" "Just do not know / not convinced which one to buy" "I tried them and they didn’t work" "Isolation transformers do the same job, but better. I use three." "other methods of mitigating high frequency noise" "Premium power cords are part of the basic tool set of the audiophile, without them you will not be able to reach the potential of your system" Thanks to those who took the time to provide a detailed response to the question. |
You are not alone. There were more than one respondent who owns premium PCs and not convinced they make a difference. I can appreciate your answer. It might have been an interesting question to find out why people added premium PCs to their systems given no perceivable sonic benefit in their view. Since you’ve had time to listen to your system for an expended period of time with the premium PCs installed, it might be an interesting experiment to revert back to the OEM cords and listen again? Might be a fun way to spend an afternoon/evening?
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Looks like I missed something "interesting" with the deleted post. Guess I need to check for comments more often. Very nice system by the way. Haven't heard the Fynes, but the "speaker geek" in me was doing cartwheels. They're probably not shy about presenting a lot of musical energy (and, detail) into the room? |
I’m thinking of setup up a GoFundMe page for guys who have never listened to premium PCs and/or couldn’t hear a difference in their system to fly them out to A’Goners who have system(s) where premium PCs have been undeniably impactful. Maybe, just maybe, maybe, they’ll hear what PC adopters are hearing? Or, not? |
Thanks for supporting the comment I made that may have set a new record for the number of typos in a single sentence. While I am in total agreement that you can get much better than OEM SQ out there for under $50, don’t deprive yourself the opportunity to try the really good stuff at home, in your system. You might discover that they were well worth the investment. |
