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/

128x128waytoomuchstuff

@bigkidz 

"if/when you changed the component, did the premium cable still have the same effect/impact."

Yes, this would have been a good one. Next time?

@westcoastaudiophile @thyname

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.

@waytoomuchstuff "So, some systems may sound better with PC upgrades.” I debugged many PC problems, mostly were related to bad contacts, some to dielectric degradation, etc. From electronic device prospective, PC is not different than any other functionality/degradation/aging problem, such as speaker protection relay resistance, too resistive fuse, internal contacts oxidation issue, degraded soldering, or similar issues. I am pessimistic about sure “PC upgrade”, if we talk about functional/healthy unit of recognized reliable high end brand. Some of brands “bad" PC replacement cost is $500+, some have power cord hardwired w/o IEC..

     No one can tell you whether/how your system, room and/or ears will respond to some new addition.   There are simply too many variables.

     LIKEWISE: no one can possibly know whether a new addition (ie: some kind of disc, crystal, fuse, interconnect, speaker cable, etc)  will make a difference, in their system and room, with their media and to their ears, without trying them for themselves.   

     Some companies offer a 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee, so- those that are actually interested, have absolutely nothing to lose, by trying (experimenting with) such.     

     Anyone that knows anything about the sciences, realizes that something like 96% of what makes up this universe, remains a mystery.       

     For centuries; humanity’s seen, heard, felt and otherwise witnessed phenomena, that none of the best minds could explain, UNTIL they developed a science or measurement, that could explain it.     

     The Naysayer Church wants you to trust their antiquated science (1800’s electrical theory) and faith-based, religious doctrine, BLINDLY ("Trust ME!"). 

     Theories have never proven or disproven anything.  It’s INVARIABLY testing and experimentation that proves or disproves theories/hypotheses.   

    IF you’re interested in the possibility of improving your system’s presentation, have a shred of confidence in your capacity for perceiving reality and trust your own senses: actually TRY whatever whets your aural appetite, FOR YOURSELF.         

                      The Naysayer Church HATES it, when THAT happens!  

Theories have never proven or disproven anything.  It’s INVARIABLY testing and experimentation that proves or disproves theories/hypotheses.   

Spot on. Over centuries, everything starts from testing and experiments. Then come theories. Until they are proven (more often than not). Then it becomes a fact. Science 

The Naysayer Church HATES it, when THAT happens!

Normal. That’s their job. What happens when experimentation, then theory, then proof, then “science”? Business as usual, they move on to the next thing to bitch and moan like nothing happened