Power Cords Snake Oil ??

cleeds"No one here owes anyone anything, including complying with demands for scientific evidence, participating in double-blind studies or being ridiculed or shamed for refusing to wager with an anonymous Internet user."

I will not be "shamed" and I am not afraid of a wager although I admit I remain dubious and skeptical about those who pursue such wagers because in the passed they're motives have been demonstrated and proven to be bogus, fraudulent, and deceptive and the only way to expose such a fraud is to be willing to accept the wager provided it is genuine, sincere and based in an actual scientific setting with a proper design, administrator, and controls yet so far no such offer has been presented here to the group. I admit is is easier for me because of my success in business a $25,000 USD wager does not represent a sizeable risk because  the loss would not be substantial to my net worth or costs of living so I can use this economic freedom to help reveal and expose those who are using this group for purposes for which the group is not intended and in fact in ways that may be violation of various US laws.

clearthink
I admit is is easier for me because of my success in business a $25,000 USD wager does not represent a sizeable risk because the loss would not be substantial to my net worth or costs of living so I can use this economic freedom to help reveal and expose those who are using this group for purposes for which the group is not intended and in fact in ways that may be violation of various US laws.

>>>>>Whoa! What?! Hey, looks like we got Son of The Amazing Randi on board! Although in Randi’s case he wasn’t using his own money. It was Johnny Carson’s. 😬

" How much money is that for someone like you who writes, thinks and challenges like that of a third or fourth grader it is probably your entire piggy bank is it more than $100 USD? Please explain to us the exact amount of resources that you are willing to commit to the challenge you put forth towards the participants here in this group."

And yet you still report my posts to the moderators for removal rather than let them stand on their own to demonstrate "third or fourth grade" writing. Riiiiiiight. That’s the clearest case of projection I’ve seen yet. The amount of money I’d be willing to put up, given the proper experimental setup (that is, one vetted by any expert on double blind testing) would be....let’s say....substantial, even to a fake Internet rich guy like yourself..... and this amount would be paid out to you and your "group" if the results favored your (vague, ambiguous, whiny) argument in this "debate".

But here’s where you try to change the subject again, right? Make a report to the mods? 

Besides, make up your mind - are you willing to engage in this conversation, which may or may not culminate in a personal bet that YOU (not I) keep talking about and bringing up, or are you scared to debate the actual topic, which is the science or lack therof behind "upgraded" or "high end" mains AC cables or not? Are you going to keep diverting and dissembling or are you going to be able to focus on the merits of the points raised and an honest reading of what other posters actually write, rather than the fever dreams in your addled mind?

Also can you finally just learn to read for comprehension and if you’re truly interested in proving the merits of these cables, let’s find a way to get the manufacturers or proponents of such to prove that their cables enhance the audio in a given system controlling for all other variables? This kind of question requires a YES or NO response.

For anyone casually stumbling onto this particular thread such as I did the other day, or the OP following up on his long-ago request for advice, it must be very interesting to note that "sides" or "camps" have been formed and that the members of one "camp" engage in one type of argument while the other side has chosen a different approach.

Those of us who claim that there is no scientific merit to manufacturer statements that - across the board - a "high end" or "higher quality beyond AWG and shielding" power AC cable will make an audible, discernible difference, nay, IMPROVEMENT in the sound of every high-end system of a certain caliber are attempting to focus on real-world physics, engineering, or solutions that even involve some form of teaming up with the other "side" to prove once and for all who’s right and who’s wrong. That kind of solution requires some kind of capital outlay by either a manufacturer or participants in a side-wager to the type of study that would be required to end this debate, but why not brainstorm about it here without getting personal or misrepresenting what the other "side" says?

On the Mfg. side, I offer up an example such as Shunyata’s (comments disabled) video whereby they purport to present a demonstration of their superior power cable by using a peak current meter on an AC outlet and then on their cable, followed by an inferior cable (in AWG (conductor thickness) as well as construction) which has nothing whatsoever to say about or do with the way an AC/DC power supply works in an average user’s home nor does it address the fact that MOST if not ALL home audio equipment will never need to draw the peak amperage that they demonstrate. That’s just one example. There are many others.

When links are posted to previous studies or comparos, those are denigrated as "14 years old" (as though power cable technology has changed? If so, please note how) or that the person making the post wasn’t a direct participant in the test, which is why the new test is being proposed in the first place. So, until then: https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/feature-article-blind-test-power-cords-12-2004.html remains the standard.

Meanwhile, those who claim that an expensive AC mains cable will discernibly or even DRASTICALLY IMPROVE the sound of most hi-fi audio systems have abandoned any attempt to argue the merits or scientific side of their case, instead resorting to personal attacks, changing the subject, making accusations about the alleged behavior of the other side and muddying the entire discourse by focusing on only one aspect of a post and intentionally, repeatedly misinterpreting it.

And if you’re just interested in reading about the history of this type of debate without having to learn about the imaginary business fortunes of individual netizens who claim to be able to throw away $25,000 *because* they were/are a successful businessperson, here you go:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/testing-audiophile-claims-and-myths.486598/

There are plenty more out there, and the vast, overwhelming consensus, is that you don’t need to spend a fortune on cables (and not much AT ALL on power cables or digital interconnects), nor will you hear any actual, non-placebo effect improvements if you do, but feel free to spend your money however you want.  And to be perfectly clear, on speaker cables and other interconnects in the signal path, spending more money DOES improve the sound - but only to a point well below $75/ft.