A true believer

Frogman, you don't list your equipment so, I don't know if you have tried this. There is what we like to call "grunge" in the electricity that comes to our homes.

It can be audible in some systems. There is a way to remove it that is based on sound engineering and is used by many industries that have very sensitive electronics, much more sensitive than our audio equipment.

Isolation transformer. It isn't sexy, there are no led lights and it most likely needs to be put in a place where you can't see or hear it. Yes, they make noise, they don't transmit noise but they hum. And, they work.

I might be wrong but, I doubt if any of the expensive electronic power conditioners that audiophiles like find their way into places that need absolutely "clean" power.

Stereo Review proved years ago, that NO so-called golden ear could tell the difference between stereo amplifiers. I think the two used in the test was a multi thousand dollar Krell and a $129 Pioneer receiver from walmart. If you can't hear the differences in amps how,pray tell, can you hear wire. But, if you can, there is some guy offering one million dollars to anyone that can hear wire. One of the gurus at stereophile accepted the challenge but then backed out. He could ended this debate forever!!! what a missed oppourtunity!!. :) anyone need an extra Million??

Problem with these tests is you really can't set up one that works. There are just too many emotional and physical aspects. I believe it is true that we suffer from a very short audio memory. Then there is our mood, time of day, do we like the music being used.

I also don't believe that we can do much better with measuring devices. We really don't know what all the parameters are that we need to measure. That is why JA at Stereophile is often confounded by his measurements vs what the reviewer hears. I can explain why a isolation transformer works and how it doesn't add but subtracts. I can't explain why cable makes a difference but, I know that I can hear a difference. But, I call BS on anyone that stakes the claim that it is substantial.

“Nothing that is worth knowing can be taught." -Oscar Wilde

To All True Believers:

Do you think situational awareness and the sense of sight play any part in what we hear or think we hear? In other words if we know what cable is playing and/or can see the cable, does that influence what we hear?

there is an easy way to test this. If another adult lives in your house, just have them change or not change a voodoo cable with lamp cord. Do it everyday or weekly or whatever, for as long as you want. Don't peek:) And compare notes at the end of the test, be it weeks, days or months. You just listen as normal and write down which cable is playing each day. at the end just compare notes. If you get it right, then you can hear cable. If you get it right, say, 70% of the time, you can hear cable, but, it also means 30% of the time you can't tell the difference between lamp cord and voodoo. something to ponder. Which is what I think Agaffer just said.