Most Beneficial Cable Upgrade

doesn,t matter if the lights are on or not. there are always some distractions like glowing meters, ugly leds, computer screen, traffic outside, kid plotting a sneak attack from behind. i hope you will accept my apology for my strident response earlier. i think you could hear a difference in better matched cables. you surely have good taste and accumen with the nice system you have. the a/b issue is loaded with difficulties because i do not think it is possible to absolutely control the variables. and the subjective comparison process is suspect. please answer this. why do audio enthusiasts doubt a cable making an improvement but many have little idea what their crossover is built with, or how their speakers internal wiring is designed? there are many other analogous questions in electronics construction. almost every audio product has some cost/performance compromises built in. an example of this is a stock pair of magnepans and a modified pair. even the owner of the company has said a metal frame would make them sound better but is not feasable due to cost, shipping etc. so just try some ac cords and turn the lights down for a double win. thanks and i enjoy your entries. jbc

pcoombs, great idea. i don,t know why kimber or another cable company with resources has not done this. maybe they are concentrating on their cables and theory and experimentation. maybe they are letting us have our own fun out here. only fanactics really care about this. the rest of the world doesn,t care as they are looking for skins or cases for their ipod/iphone.

Pcoombs, you don't need a microphone for your comparison. The room and the microphone add too much coloration and don't add anything positive to the comparison. Simply plug the power cords into an amp or preamp and record thru the tape out circuit. You can even make alllowances for the power cord to settle in and then A/B to your heart's delight.

But some people think A/B comparisons are a problem.

a/bs have been discredited

and

a/b issue is loaded with difficulties because i do not think it is possible to absolutely control the variables

I suggest that you lack the imagination to design a limited variable A/B comparison. It's easily done. (I will admit that your use of the word "absolutely" does give you wiggle room.) The hard part, as with most experiments, is interpreting and drawing conclusions from the data.

Recording engineers use A/B comparisons every day. Which mic to use with this vocalists? Do a few test recordings with different mics and A/B listen to the results. It doesn't take days. At what level should the lead vocal be placed in the mix? Do a few different mixes while varying the vocal level and then A/B listen for what you think sounds right. There are nearly a countless number of decision like these in any recording sessions and engineers/producers/musicians rely upon an A/B comparison to determine what sound they want to use. And they don't take days to do it.

i was talking about trying to do a/bs in the typical hobbiests listening room. it is not easily done. ever hear about coloration caused by other speakers in the room? look at the set up required by the people that have attempted it in the past..none have been conclusive either. use your great imagination and you might be able to figure something out given your incredible brain power. and I havn,t seen any recording engineers chiming in on ac cords on their living room gear here lately. wiggle on that. the hard part is not in drawing conclusions. any idiot can do that as your post exhibits. the scientist knows that controlling the experiment is the part that is crucial. google "scientific process" if you want to inform yourself.then accurately measure the results with bias removed. a/bs have been discredited. this is a fact. where have you been. as for recording this on a tape deck which one would you use? is it 1978 and you are gonna use a pioneer ctf500? ha. even the best nakamichi or tandberg can,t make a tape good enough to settle this w/o argument. ever heard about bias/eq issues? or head alignment? what tape would you use? when was the last time you cleaned/demagnitized the deck? do you know what you are even doing? we are talking about cables performance and now we are going to measure it on antique technology? no wonder few get it. yeah i,m gonna listen and evaluate ac cords on a tape decks recordings to listen for nuances and inner musical detail. thats laughable. if you can,t hear the difference listening no a/bs or reading or gurus are going to help you. stick with stock cords they are wonderful and you don,t need anything better it is a waste of money and snake oil. ha, right...

I'm sorry, I thought I was talking with an adult. My mistake.