Power Cords: I'm a believer, but HOW in the HELL can that be? - Page 2

Granted, this isn't quite engineering, but then, I'm an engineer who took an assload of psych classes, too:

Placebo effect. Without actual testing as to how power cords could make such a difference, we're forced to rely only on subjective evidence. Given how differently two people can hear the same set of headphones - one might think the highs were shrill and the bass overwhelming, while another finds the highs just right and the bass a good level - it's very hard to be able to objectively say whether they do make a difference, and if so, how much of a difference they do.

Also, remember that engineers aren't scientists. Quite a few engineers absolutely HATE dealing with new things. Most of them prefer using the tested, standard stuff, and have a rather powerful dislike for new things. Honestly, when you think about it, power cables making as much of a difference as some people claim seems absurd - see my thoughts on how the power gets to the cord as to why. Conversely, you have people who A/B test the cords and say they hear a very large difference. We have logic saying that these cables shouldn't really make such a difference, and then we have personal accounts saying they do.

Another thing to remember is that a lot of engineers are conservative cynics. Until they can actually test something themselves, they're not going to have any good reason to agree that it makes a difference, especially as common logic says it shouldn't. Now granted, if someone is going to hold a strong opinion about a subject, especially one as subjective as this, they really should test things themselves, but that doesn't always happen.

I think the biggest issue at hand is WHY power cables could possibly make such a large difference. Ostensibly, if the main power cable makes such a difference, then one should also be able to garner such changes by using different wiring inside the amp itself. Likewise, switching the power outlet out should cause a change on the sound. Again, changing the wiring that runs from the main junction box to the outlet everything is plugged in to should change the sound. What we really need, and I don't think it's been done, is for someone to actually do each of these steps. Listen to an absolute stock amp and record their opinions. Change the internal wiring, record any differences they heard. Change the power cord, record differences. Change outlet, record differences. Change wiring from outlet to junction box, record differences. It would be even better for multiple people - a sample size of 10 might work, although the experimental psychologist in me calls for a much broader cross-section utilizing both audiophiles and non-audiophiles, as well as people of different ages and races - to record their opinions at each step on the experiment. This could be done utilizing various headphones, also - use 5 different headphones with varied impedance and sensitivity.

However, such an experiment wouldn't be cheap, nor particularly easy for the average person to set up. Given that, I don't think it's reasonable to expect any cessation on the opinion war on power cables at any point in the future.

You should also change your wall cables, and your street cables, and your city cables...having a power cable with section thick enough to feed your equipment must be it. It makes no sense that a 2 feet cable changes everything (unless it is so thin it becomes a current bottleneck).

I get your thinking, but the more expensive power cables are shielded so they do remove some of the emi/rfi interference within your system. Other than that I am not really sure how they work either. I think Markl who did a review on 22 power cables here said that although you are just changing a small section of the power cables compared to changing the wires all the way to the power plant, you are still improving something and that is why the sound is changed... something along those lines.

I used to be very skeptical about any cables making any difference at all. I have since compared various cables and burned-in vs. new versions of the same cable and heard differences for myself. I have never done this with power cables, but I don't doubt that it has benefit.

Soundstage is created by the mixing engineer. It can be affected by acoustic things, like the shape of your room or the distance between your speakers, but it can't be affected by electronics unless something is very wrong with your system, like your speakers being wired out of phase.

See ya
Steve

^ Are you an artist? ;-)

And, yes, I would have to agree with your argument.

Stop bashing and go see if a hi-fi store will loan you one to test

I was as cynical as you all were

But now I'm a beliver also

Again...??? OMG! This horse must be ground meat by now!!!

If you never bought a cable from a reputable company and gave it a fair chance? How can you know Chri5speed? LOL

IMO you really don't have to change the entire world to improve your bit of it.

Gil you know that this is a no win situation for the skeptics, it has never been and will never be, the believers always want everybody to beleive, regardless of experience, and outcome, and period, there is no single evidence that could prove the believers to be right, and still they believe....Faith, mythology???

That leads me to the next question: How about the ones that have tried a couple and had reported that there is no changes/differences at all....Just mark with an X:

__ Cable X made no difference, but that does not imply that cable Y will not do it (so we have to try all cables in the market to have a qualified opinion)
__ Our systems are not revealing enough...
__ Our ears are not able to hear the differences as they are not trained enough...
__ We are deaf...



Or maybe we have no problems that could be improved by a cable

I use the JellyFish. Never noticed a difference, and never looked for one. I change up my system so frequently that the power cord is not something I worry about. I just bought it because it looks like it can take a beating.