Can We Hear Differences Between AC Power Cords?

Can we? Apparently not. Huh? Oh, you can, can you?

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/feature-article-blind-test-power-cords-12-2004.html

"The total number of correct answers was 73 out of 149, which amounts to 49% accuracy. That is no more accurate than flipping a coin, and therefore, no statistically significant detection of power cable differences."

PS Link courtesy of CJROSS at Hi-FI Choice forum

 

:duck:
Que the "test was floored V I told you so debate"

 

We can only regret that no more tests of the kind are conducted and their results so candidly publicized. It would put to rest quite a few irrelevant debates and arguments.

 

I agree with Sir Galahad. A very well run test and very detailed and interesting results. Quite surprising that Nordost were confident enough to supply their power cords free of charge for the test. Wonder whether they'll post a link to that test on their site . So....errmmm......I TOLD YOU SO

Michael.

 

they say in the text that what you see has a HUGE impact on what you hear, and yet they have a BLIND test.
yes i know a blind test is meant to eliminate preconceptions and all that sh1te but do most here listen to their kit with it behind a curtain or perhaps more pertinently not know what theri kit consists of. my contention is that a blind abx test tells me nothing about how that cable will sound in my kit, with my music the way i listen and is therefore from my point of view pointless. well no not pointless a group of people got together and had a good time - always worthwhile but i bet they'd have had more fun if they'd forgot about the crap and just listened to the music.
cheers


julian

 

IMO the main reason we have so few examples of such tests is that manufacturers, dealers et al. are quite aware that it would be a sure way to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs

 

There was a similar test carried out by a group in Spain called Matrix Hifi.Now they did a test,not on cables but on CD players.The player in question was a Sony discman against some guys French CD player at about £2,500,can't recall the name.

He thought he would easily be able to tell the difference,and that the idea that he wouldn't be able to tell the diffence was ludicrous.Well he and a group of others were tested.The results?,well just like that of the cable test,no one could really hear a difference blind ABX between the Sony discman and the exspensive CD player.

So what does this show or prove?Personally I don't know,I don't have the answer as to why these resuts show up this way,or that we are foolish to spend so much money on optimising our systems,when at the end of the day,they all sound the same apart from speakers and rooms.

 

Could be that in most cases it's a smarter move to change homes than to upgrade ?

 

Nah its all a big swizz, one lead sounds exactly the same as another, just buy a TT a be done with it

 

http://www.matrixhifi.com/discvscd.htm


If you can understand Spanish.

 

Maybe it means that the differences in sound are so small (if they exist at all) that spending large amounts of money on electronics and cables is utterly pointless if you want better sound quality (rather than more expensive electronics and cables...)

 

The Editor's Note at the end of the test is worth a read and explains why some of the more common arguments against the test or the conclusions drawn from it are flawed:

Julian, yes, the test wasn't done in your system with your music but it does give you at least a strong indication of whether it will work in your system or not and is therefore not pointless at all. By your argument a clinical trial showing that a drug lowered blood pressure is "pointless" if you were not one of the test subjects.

Michael.

 

All the posters so far seem to believe that you cannot hear the differences between mains leads, well I can, and interconnects, stands and even spikes goddamit!

Bob

 

In the last photo there appears to be a Big Mac perched on the equipment rack.

intersting article.

 

So no one switching sides then? How boring! same old posturing by the known protagonists.

Might as well join in

The result is statistically insignificant by normal standards and as such cannot be used to suggest anything

At least, that's what some would say if the findings went the other way.

There is no point in debating these issues, it's like discussing Religion or politics.

 

Let's let's

 

This is the x-time I read such reports and now I believe in them.
I'm selling all my cables to get just normal ones which aren't so big and ugly.

Each cable sells for £5: anyone interested?

 

No. I think if the results went the other way (and a double blind test showed that people could reliably hear differences between cables) most people on here would want to buy the cables... Trouble is, results never go the other way.

No. Discussing whether people can hear differences between cables isn't really like discussing religion or politics.

 

Not a Clue,

Read the Post Test Survey (erroniously named the pre test) and you will see that there appears to be little dispute that there was a difference, just that under those test conditions, they were unable to correctly identify each individually.

Bizarre.

So the results of the equally flawed HiFi+ test indicating that there were audible differences did not get you running to the shops for some Valhalla then?

 

the trouble with mains cables is that to be effective there has to be a problem was there a problem to start with?
also mains cables will work in a different way in different houses which have different problems it's not as simple as demming in one envoiroment