I just upgraded all the cables in my system and a new power conditioner. Spent about $20K. I would describe the sonic benefit as marginal. Instead of buying expensive cables I would save my money and buy better speakers. That's where major improvements can be had.
New expensive power cord for amp and no change in sound?
I bought new an expensive(for me) well known and reviewed power cord for my very good amp and plugged it directly onto the wall socket. After a couple of weeks of daily use I hear no change in the sound quality from a $500 cord. I don’t want to name it for fear of getting my thread deleted. You would know it or at least be aware of the company. Did I throw away several thousand dollars? Before I get the snake oil answer I want to let you know that I bought an upgraded cord for my pre as suggested by the pre’s manufacturer and am pleased with the results.
I guess for full disclosure the amp’s manufacturer said don’t bother. But I had had good luck with the pre so I thought it would be a good idea.
Anybody else have this happen to them?
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I've heard power cord shootouts on amplifiers, and differences are, to me anyway, quite subtle and it is hard to really compare cords because of the time it takes to make the switch. With interconnects and speaker wire, the comparison is MUCH easier to make--you can put one interconnect or cable on one channel and the other interconnect or cable on the other channel and then swing a balance control to easily make a comparison. I was surprised at how easy it is to hear a difference that way. A local dealer who makes custom systems is currently experimenting with full range drivers in Karlson cabinets. This is at an early stage of development, but, he has been trying different speaker cables. While I knew from experience that Audio Note silver and copper speaker cables sound quite different, it was still shocking to hear how much different they sound when doing the left-right instantaneous comparison. Equally surprising was how different listeners reacted to the difference. Some liked the silver cables more (I personally appreciated the clarity and more explosive dynamics of the silver cable) and others, like me, preferred the copper cables (richer and better tonal balance for this particular speaker; the more attenuated dynamics and liveliness was not a big deficit to me because the speaker is so dynamic). In my own system, I use silver speaker cables, so if anything, I would normally be biased toward silver; but not in this case. |
---- CORRECTION! ---- THE SHOW date is June 7-9. Not 9-11. Web-site (info packet) has some 2023 info and it is confusing. Please visit my room (#272) at THE SHOW 2024, OC. Costa Mesa audio show on June 7-9. |
Um ... do you know what a double blind experiment is? Do you know how it differs from single blind? And exactly how double blind is better than single blind in this case?
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