Just laughing outloud at this high-end nonsense

[CECAA850]

7 minutes ago, moray james said:

is there a question here?

 

I'm assuming the question is whether or not you believe AC cables make a difference in sound.

[rgdawsonco]

Just now, moray james said:

is there a question here?

 

You had mentioned experience building audio cables, which I assumed to mean cables that the actual audio signal travels on.  This review was talking about perceived audio improvements by just changing the AC cable alone.  I was not taking issue with audio signal cables, just the power cable which is all the reviewer changed w.r.t his perceived improvements.  I didn't know if you were including AC power cords in your comments as something that should be tried, thus the question mark. As for me, an AC power cord could not possibly improve the sound unless you are comparing to a seriously defective cord.  Seriously, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and daily fluctuation in your own mood and hearing contribute more to variations in sound you perceive from one day to the next.

 

In any case, I was not hoping to start yet another debate on audio cables.  I just thought this one was funny because it was an AC power cord and the language used to describe the sonic improvements amused me.

[Skelt]

When I was in Europe I thought 50 hz electricity sounded smoother than the 60hz here state side.

[moray james]

Just now, CECAA850 said:

 

I'm assuming the question is whether or not you believe AC cables make a difference in sound.

best not to assume, I don't know the OP so I don't know where he was (or might be) going with that. To answer your question I know that AC power cords make a difference as does AC line filtering. Here again there are all kinds and you need to listen and draw your own conclusions. The single biggest trap I see over and over is people who have low resolution systems inserting a cable or a filter or any electronic component and then claim there is no difference because they did not hear one, this is separate from the many out there who simply could not hear their way out of a wet paper bag, I think that we all know someone like that. Spending time auditioning new additions to your system is fantastic exercise for both your ears and your brain. So find a dealer and borrow away for a weekend and get some practice in.

[moray james]

3 minutes ago, rgdawsonco said:

 

You had mentioned experience building audio cables, which I assumed to mean cables that the actual audio signal travels on.  This review was talking about perceived audio improvements by just changing the AC cable alone.  I was not taking issue with audio signal cables, just the power cable which is all the reviewer changed w.r.t his perceived improvements.  I didn't know if you were including AC power cords in your comments as something that should be tried, thus the question mark. As for me, an AC power cord could not possibly improve the sound unless you are comparing to a seriously defective cord.  Seriously, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and daily fluctuation in your own mood and hearing contribute more to variations in sound you perceive from one day to the next.

 

In any case, I was not hoping to start yet another debate on audio cables.  I just thought this one was funny because it was an AC power cord and the language used to describe the sonic improvements amused me.

I believe that if you have a decent system that you might be very surprised by what changing a power cord can do. Installing power cords is where I would recommend you start your cable journey assuming you are set on the gear that you own. I recommend with all cable upgrades to start at the source and move out. So if you have a CD based system the source would either be a CD player or a Transport then the DAC pre amp and power amp. After you have upgraded the power cords in the system the next step would be the Digital cable if you have a DAC then on to the analog interconnects from the source out to the pre and then to the amp then speaker cables. I find that this order of progression yields the best results. Regards moray james.

[dtel]

If I could just figure how to get oil out of some of these.

[Paducah Home Theater]

Most fans of expensive power cords I've seen in the past claim that the cord actually energizes the music, particularly on transients, as if it works like an extra capacitor that stores power.  Personally I think it's BS, since any transient spikes are going to be handled by the extra capacity stored in the toroidal transformer or capacitors.  For a power cord to behave in this way seems like you'd have to have very lacking internals on your amp.  Maybe consider spending that extra $1,000 on a better amp rather than a power cord to feed your apparently substandard one that totally changes its behavior with a different power cord.  

[moray james]

the rules to building a good sound system were figured our long before I was born but they get ignored and forgotten and so people muddle around in the dark and many may never build a good sounding system. You choose the speaker that will do the job you want it to then you provide an amplifier that meets the needs of the speaker while remaining fully stable. Then you need an equal quality preamp which will let you connect all the components you want to. After that has been done you find the best source that you can to extract all the information your source material has to offer. In there cables and room acoustics will come into play toward the end.

[moray james]

9 minutes ago, MetropolisLakeOutfitters said:

Most fans of expensive power cords I've seen in the past claim that the cord actually energizes the music, particularly on transients, as if it works like an extra capacitor that stores power.  Personally I think it's BS, since any transient spikes are going to be handled by the extra capacity stored in the toroidal transformer or capacitors.  For a power cord to behave in this way seems like you'd have to have very lacking internals on your amp.  Maybe consider spend that $1,000 on a better amp rather than a power cord.  

 

I am glad to read that you have figured out how to build a good sounding power cord. All you have to do now is to build one and test your theory. No one was ever sorry they bought a better anything. Spend your money wisely.

[moray james]

17 minutes ago, dtel said:

If I could just figure how to get oil out of some of these.

Find the liver that's where most of the oil will come from.

[oldtimer]

You don't need to build one.  Just drive around town on appliance pick up day and hack off an oven or dryer cord, and attach to your component.

[moray james]

26 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

You don't need to build one.  Just drive around town on appliance pick up day and hack off an oven or dryer cord, and attach to your component.

if that floats your boat go for it. I have been witness to stranger than that! I have also found some give away interconnects (once upon a time you got a set of interconnects with every component that you bought) and IEC 320 power cords thrown in for free that sounded quite good but that was the exception rather than the rule.

[MyOwn]

1 hour ago, oldtimer said:

This is where it's important to know the safe word.

Is the word Trump????

[oldtimer]

5 minutes ago, Steve_S said:

Is the word Trump????

NO.

[BLSamuel]

43 minutes ago, MetropolisLakeOutfitters said:

Most fans of expensive power cords I've seen in the past claim that the cord actually energizes the music, particularly on transients, as if it works like an extra capacitor that stores power.  Personally I think it's BS, since any transient spikes are going to be handled by the extra capacity stored in the toroidal transformer or capacitors.  For a power cord to behave in this way seems like you'd have to have very lacking internals on your amp.  Maybe consider spending that extra $1,000 on a better amp rather than a power cord to feed your apparently substandard one that totally changes its behavior with a different power cord.  

 

I'd have to agree with that.... but the PS Audio power regenerators make sense to me.  Protection for the system and a clean 60 HZ sine wave, or an exaggerated sine wave to better handle transient peak requirements of the music if my limited reading in STEREOPHILE (OK, they did promote green magic markers to make CDs sound better.... amongst other nonsense).  lol

[CECAA850]

16 minutes ago, Steve_S said:

Is the word Trump????

 

 

Why you gotta go there?

[MyOwn]

Just now, CECAA850 said:

 

 

Why you gotta go there?

I know.....My Bad, wont happen again....

[moray james]

4 minutes ago, BLSamuel said:

 

I'd have to agree with that.... but the PS Audio power regenerators make sense to me.  Protection for the system and a clean 60 HZ sine wave, or an exaggerated sine wave to better handle transient peak requirements of the music if my limited reading in STEREOPHILE (OK, they did promote green magic markers to make CDs sound better.... amongst other nonsense).  lol

there is a lot of stuff that does not make any sense but works just the same. have you tried any of the stuff that you are dismissing? I can hear what a marker pen does and sanding disks and washing and waxing and other stuff. Washing and waxing came out of the early laser disk research days and cleaning and smoothing the disk with wax made them less likely to miss track.  Just because something sounds odd does not mean it does not work.

[BLSamuel]

30 minutes ago, moray james said:

there is a lot of stuff that does not make any sense but works just the same. have you tried any of the stuff that you are dismissing? I can hear what a marker pen does and sanding disks and washing and waxing and other stuff. Washing and waxing came out of the early laser disk research days and cleaning and smoothing the disk with wax made them less likely to miss track.  Just because something sounds odd does not mean it does not work.

 

Well a lot of people diss the green marker pen.  There is some sense to it as green would probably neutralize stray reflections.  I have other things to worry about before that will help.  Like getting some low level hum out of my system.  What's a good brand of green marker.  I steam my used LPs and does seem to clean them up and haven't noticed much in the way of warp except possible edge warp on a very thin Simon and Garfunkel Greatest Hits album.  Might have been there to begin with.  Might have added it.  Look clean.  Still doesn't dig out stuff like the wood glue does but I've yet to get things organized enough to do that.  

 

I really hope I can't hear a difference between decent thick copper speaker wires and expensive speaker wires.  My budget says it's thick enough, it's not green, you're good to go. 

 

I do have a couple of copies of the Dire Straits CD that to me sounds good.  So now I'll have to try the green marker.   I'm happy I have decent CD and DVD players.  Cheap one's sound fine to me.... except of course all the mechanical noise.  Especially when they shut off listening to late ... waking me up.  And gasp.  I even listen to mp3.  Most at Creative Lab's 60% or 100% compression.  I can tell a difference I think.  But a better headphone amp is a bigger difference to my ears - especially when out on our crazy LOUD Cub Cadet 2185 lawn tractor.  > 100 db with the mower running by stock RS meter and phone's I've used.  Closer to 110.  That's with a new muffler but I do need to reattach the side panels.  Should silence things by a few dB but need to replace the battery that's about shot so have to jump start.  

 

And as far as power cables... the Pangea cables look to be at least much better constructed than standard.  

 

p.s. all my comments just my 0.2 dB  opinions YMMV   I'm happy I can hear a difference between my Heresy 1 Extremes (GMLA rebuilt) and Tannoy SRM 12Bs.  

[oldtimer]

31 minutes ago, moray james said:

there is a lot of stuff that does not make any sense but works just the same. have you tried any of the stuff that you are dismissing? I can hear what a marker pen does and sanding disks and washing and waxing and other stuff. Washing and waxing came out of the early laser disk research days and cleaning and smoothing the disk with wax made them less likely to miss track.  Just because something sounds odd does not mean it does not work.

You mean like using power cords from dryers or drop in ranges?