drummerman
pfm Member
This is Hifi. Adequate is never good enough.
I tend to have an open mind, but need persuasion This is the question that needs answering for me.Logic time - why does the cheap, very long run of mains wiring in your wall not negatively impact the sound? How does putting 1.5m of uber-cable on the end of the cheapest mains cable the housebuilder could source suddenly improve the audio output from the device connected to it?
The answer is, frankly, "It can't and doesn't."I tend to have an open mind, but need persuasion This is the question that needs answering for me.
I tend to have an open mind, but need persuasion This is the question that needs answering for me.
To determine if a mains cable can make a difference, simply acquire two identical components , dacs are ideal, a standard kettle lead on one and the most expensive nonsense on the other, equalise the volume and switch between them without knowing which you are listening to.
This is the very last thing snake oil manufacturer/dealers want you to do of course.
Keith
The perfectly valid question of why the last metre of cable can make a difference is addressed here:
https://www.gcaudio.com/tips-tricks/why-power-cables-make-a-difference/
I am not saying that I necessarily agree with this, just providing a link to an alternative viewpoint.
Because no-one ( hardly any one) ever compares by instantly switching between two level matched components unseen, they unplug one and plug in the other, and expectation bias takes over and an ‘improvement ‘ is imagined.Given their small and comparative constant current demand, I should have thought a DAC would be particularly poor at convincing believers that you are right. Would a current-hungry Krell power amp not be a less obviously inappropriate choice?
As a completely separate point, I am surprised to learn that cable sales people don’t want anyone comparing their cables with existing cables. Is that why some offer cost-free 30 day ( or more) trials, in the hope that their perfidy will obviously be discovered but then the deluded will buy the cables anyway?
They will.Is that why some offer cost-free 30 day ( or more) trials, in the hope that their perfidy will obviously be discovered but then the deluded will buy the cables anyway?
Many thanks for this. I will read it later, but the article is on shakey ground by claiming that " Every audiophile who has experimented with better power cables has heard the performance advantage they offer ". if that was the case, we would not be having this discussion. The article is written by a company who manufacture expensive cables, which compromises any objectivity in their argument.The perfectly valid question of why the last metre of cable can make a difference is addressed here:
https://www.gcaudio.com/tips-tricks/why-power-cables-make-a-difference/
I am not saying that I necessarily agree with this, just providing a link to an alternative viewpoint.
I agree, but then you have to admit that you can be fooled into hearing things that are simply non-existent. So… back to the start.Yes agree that opening statement is ridiculous, and that there is a marketing angle. Take it with a pinch of salt.
Ultimately there is no substitute for trying yourself and making up your own mind.
Except, apparentlyThe cables that are supplied with equipment must have some ounce of decency which leads me to believe that people who don’t hear any difference are likely to be comparing with cables that are cheap and probably don’t offer any superior quality.
I’ve got mains cables that cost over £500 a pop and really, they make a huge difference. How I compare is to install a new cable, leave it in place for a month or so then switch back. I’m not trying to find the improvement initially because yes, the brain can play tricks on you. If the improvements are not found, then I’d simply send it back.
If cables (whatever they are for) made no difference, the likes of Chord, Russ Andrews, Nordost would have been out of business a long time ago. Consumers are not stupid enough to just purchase a cable based on what’s written in the manufacturers brochure.