Blind Power Cord Test & results

Warren, what are you talking about? I think you're not paying attention.

Sean, I think you are incorrect to dismiss the process as completely as you appear to be doing, and I'm surprised to read your post. I'll bet that every one of us has heard differences aplenty on other peoples' systems with music they are not familiar with. The panel spent quite a bit of time up front listening to the system, the musical selections, and the two different sets of cords. We could all hear the differences, no problem, until the screens were put up and the test started. (By the way, most of us thought we identified the choices correctly.) The system's owner, who has a great ear and knows his system intimately, fared no better than many of us as far as I know.

We're not talking about Electraglide vs. Elrod here. This was $3 stock vs. Valhalla. I'm still hoping someone can offer a solid, rational explanation for how and why the testing procedure obscures differences.

Is everyone familiar with the old Stereophile Test CD where Gordon Holt reads his essay "Why Hi-Fi experts disagree"? As he reads through his piece he uses 14 different microphones. The differences in the sonic characteristics are huge. If the sound characteristics are so greatly affected by which microphone was used, I wonder why we get so worked up about differences with power cords, and the like, which, if they really exist, are so small that most people can't hear them.

And about Albertporter's postings...of course I always read them with care. He obviously has the time and money to experiment with equipment that I could not justify buying, and, most important, he (usually) does not resort to name-calling. However, on some issues I feel free to disagree. No problem.

Drubin...You are brave! Hold fast to your beliefs, even as they tie you to the stake, and light off the straw.

Drubin: My post was not to say that one CAN NOT tell differences right away, but that many differences are subtle and could easily be lost "in the heat of the moment".

As i mentioned above, if i had not heard instant differences when changing one power cord for another power cord, i would not have taken the time to confirm or deny what i heard via test measurements. The differences were that obvious, but then again, i was already familiar with the sound of my system and that song as played on it. Had i not been familiar with either the components or song used, those differences might not have jumped out at me quite as quickly.

Performing AB testing with a completely unknown set of variables is kind of like trying to find your way in an unfamiliar territory with a lot of distractions taking place. This is much harder than if you've been down that road many, many times before and know what to expect. This is not to say that it can't be done, only that it probably won't be nearly as quick and you might not be quite as sure-footed in the decisions that you make. Sean
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After reading the test article again, it seems there could be several different conclusions.

1) There is not enough difference in power cords to be detected, therefore don't waste your money.

2)Blind A/B/X testing is not an adequate test to determine the differences, so different testing methodology is needed.

3)There is so much psychological stuff at play here that we can't tell if the differences are real or imagined, and the testing protocol provides so much stress that even if there are differences, the people can't determine them under those conditions.

4) Some people can hear the differences and repeatedly get them right, while some people can't. It may have nothing to do with the cables, but has to do with the people.

5) The test system and room, while being termed "state of the art", mucked up the sound so much that the cord differences were obscured in the mess.

6) The use of the Exactpower line scrubber did most of the work that the cables were supposed to do, thereby negating most of the differences that would have been heard when using unfiltered AC power.

7) We now can all go out and get cheap systems now, and get another hobby. We have seen A/B/X studies of cords and amplifiers finding no statistical proof of differences, and probably the same will be true of any other audio products they test. Therefore audiophilia as a hobby is extinct. How about flower arranging, or stamps?

I personally subscribe to conclusion #2, even though I have done A/B/X testing myself in the past, many times, and had no trouble with it. I think that too many variables are at play that can cause many of the participants to be unsettled and incapable of making good quality judgments under the conditions presented.

I congratulate all participants, especially Drubin, who gave it a valiant effort.