Temporal_Dissident Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Looking for some advice. Here is the situation: I am building out a new system (dCS Bartok > Parasound JC 2 BP > Parasound JC 5 > Floorstanding Speakers) Equipment is on-hand. I am in the process of re-wiring the A/C circuit with two matching, 10awg home-runs (one for power Amp, one for sources) I have the opportunity to try some high-end power cables and interconnects I will invest in the cables if there is a discernible difference. I am somewhat skeptical. I am trying to come up with a test protocol to determine what these higher end cables do. Everyone advises that I do A/B testing will listening to music. Of course I will do this. My question: Is there some more objective way to A/B test power cords and interconnects? I prefer to do this by listening,...not using lab equipment. How can I A/B measure system "blackness" or noise level? Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advance. Roon > dCS Bartok > Parasound JC 2BP > Parasound JC 5 > Wilson Yvette Technics SL-1200G & Bluesound Node > Luxman L-590axII > OJAS Bookshelf w/ Tweeter Horn Mod Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 for a valid subjective (i.e. listening) test: 1. select music passages likely to show a difference 2. have someone else (wives often love to 'show up' the male audiophile) swap cables without your knowledge 3. be sure levels are matched (use a multimeter at the speaker terminals) - likely no difference for power cables 4. do a variety of different A/B or A/B/X (best) test lengths (quick vs. extended) 5. do 10 pairs, or better 20 a simple t-test will be fine for statistical analysis try not to introduce other variables - pate, fine whisky (or even whiskey), etc. an objective test would use measurements semente 1 Link to comment
Temporal_Dissident Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 1 minute ago, Ralf11 said: do 10 pairs, or better 20 I appreciate the reply and that sounds like a sensible, thorough approach. In all honesty, I won't go that far. I am just not that far down the path in my audiophile journey (yet). At this point, my main question is whether the power cords that came "in the box" with my components allow more noise or interference than an expensive set of aftermarket cords. Roon > dCS Bartok > Parasound JC 2BP > Parasound JC 5 > Wilson Yvette Technics SL-1200G & Bluesound Node > Luxman L-590axII > OJAS Bookshelf w/ Tweeter Horn Mod Link to comment
Popular Post Ralf11 Posted September 30, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted September 30, 2019 No. lucretius, crenca and semente 2 1 Link to comment
sandyk Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 5 hours ago, Temporal_Dissident said: I appreciate the reply and that sounds like a sensible, thorough approach. In all honesty, I won't go that far. I am just not that far down the path in my audiophile journey (yet). At this point, my main question is whether the power cords that came "in the box" with my components allow more noise or interference than an expensive set of aftermarket cords. I agree with Ralf11's Points 1 to 4. As for the rest .........… A track that I find useful is Track.01-Summertime from Renee Olstead's self titled album. Please check your PMs. Alex How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
Temporal_Dissident Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 Thanks to you both. Roon > dCS Bartok > Parasound JC 2BP > Parasound JC 5 > Wilson Yvette Technics SL-1200G & Bluesound Node > Luxman L-590axII > OJAS Bookshelf w/ Tweeter Horn Mod Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 can I get you to improve your room acoustics? Link to comment
Temporal_Dissident Posted October 1, 2019 Author Share Posted October 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Ralf11 said: can I get you to improve your room acoustics? I am certainly going to do what I can, but I do not have a dedicated listening room. It is our living room. Alas, it needs things like furniture. As long as I can avoid compromising aesthetics or comfort, I can do a little tweaking. Roon > dCS Bartok > Parasound JC 2BP > Parasound JC 5 > Wilson Yvette Technics SL-1200G & Bluesound Node > Luxman L-590axII > OJAS Bookshelf w/ Tweeter Horn Mod Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 furniture can be helpful - acts like an absorber Link to comment
Blackmorec Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 11 hours ago, Ralf11 said: No. You can see why Ralf believes in confirmation bias 😁 Link to comment
marce Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 I would probably test cables etc. like they do for Cern, LIGO, Avionics, space stuff and most other installations involving electronics... As they are a conduit for a signal from one place to another, the perfect interconnect having no parasitic effect on the signal, this of course is impossible, so you have to determine how much effect a particular cable is having... Cables should have as much effect as the led on your remote control.... Link to comment
Popular Post mansr Posted October 1, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 1, 2019 Testing a power lead is easy. Simply plug it in and make sure the equipment turns on, for instance by inspecting the LED indicator. If the LED stays off, the cable is faulty. semente, crenca and Ran 2 1 Link to comment
Blackmorec Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 3 hours ago, Blackmorec said: You can also see why mansr and marce believe in confirmation bias 😁 Link to comment
mansr Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 23 minutes ago, Blackmorec said: You can also see why mansr and marce believe in confirmation bias 😁 And you don't? crenca 1 Link to comment
marce Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Blackmorec said: Yeah working in electronics tends to give one a cynical attitude towards the endless magic that a bit of wire can generate... crenca 1 Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 You can see why Blackmo believes in magik sandyk 1 Link to comment
Speedskater Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 As for power cables, on rare occasions there can be differences, but they will be situation specific. Changing any/some of these factors can change or eliminate the differences. a] length of the cable b] dress or path of the cable c] arrangement of components in the rack d] what components are powered on or off e] nearby appliances, high tech lighting, HVAC or other entertainment or data systems So it's easy to say that an expensive cable changed things, but it could be any of these uncontrolled variables. sandyk 1 Link to comment
4est Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 On 9/30/2019 at 1:35 PM, Temporal_Dissident said: Looking for some advice. Here is the situation: I am building out a new system (dCS Bartok > Parasound JC 2 BP > Parasound JC 5 > Floorstanding Speakers) Equipment is on-hand. I am in the process of re-wiring the A/C circuit with two matching, 10awg home-runs (one for power Amp, one for sources) I have the opportunity to try some high-end power cables and interconnects I will invest in the cables if there is a discernible difference. I am somewhat skeptical. I am trying to come up with a test protocol to determine what these higher end cables do. Everyone advises that I do A/B testing will listening to music. Of course I will do this. My question: Is there some more objective way to A/B test power cords and interconnects? I prefer to do this by listening,...not using lab equipment. How can I A/B measure system "blackness" or noise level? Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advance. For starters, many of the previous posters don't think wiring matters- take their opinions with that in mind. When you say the equipment is on hand, is it new to you or have you been using it for awhile? If I assume the equipment is brand new and new to you, I'd definitely start out with the stock power cables, and use some straight forward interconnects and speaker cables using Mogami, Belden or Canare wire. A year from now after you have broken in the equipment and adjusted things you will be in a much better position to evaluate cabling. I believe cables make a difference, but it is a minor effect as compared to break in and speaker positioning. If you do not already have a copy, you'd be money ahead buying Jim Smith's book, "Get Better Sound". Temporal_Dissident 1 Forrest: Win10 i9 9900KS/GTX1060 HQPlayer4>Win10 NAA DSD>Pavel's DSC2.6>Bent Audio TAP> Parasound JC1>"Naked" Quad ESL63/Tannoy PS350B subs<100Hz Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 For starters, some of the previous posters have EE or physics degrees; others have conducted listening tests - take their opinions with that in mind. Link to comment
sandyk Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 15 hours ago, marce said: Cables should have as much effect as the led on your remote control.... The IR Led on a remote control can have a huge effect when activated. How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 3 hours ago, sandyk said: The IR Led on a remote control can have a huge effect when activated. especially if you hit the 'Off' button daverich4 1 Link to comment
Popular Post 4est Posted October 2, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 2, 2019 9 hours ago, Ralf11 said: For starters, some of the previous posters have EE or physics degrees; others have conducted listening tests - take their opinions with that in mind. Nice appeal to authority coming from a poster who thinks his science background somehow eclipses his mid range system... audiobomber and sandyk 1 1 Forrest: Win10 i9 9900KS/GTX1060 HQPlayer4>Win10 NAA DSD>Pavel's DSC2.6>Bent Audio TAP> Parasound JC1>"Naked" Quad ESL63/Tannoy PS350B subs<100Hz Link to comment
Blackmorec Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 22 hours ago, mansr said: And you don't? Let’s say its not my default modus operandi. Link to comment
mansr Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 19 minutes ago, Blackmorec said: Let’s say its not my default modus operandi. Joke's on you, then. Link to comment
marce Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 13 hours ago, 4est said: For starters, many of the previous posters don't think wiring matters- take their opinions with that in mind. When you say the equipment is on hand, is it new to you or have you been using it for awhile? If I assume the equipment is brand new and new to you, I'd definitely start out with the stock power cables, and use some straight forward interconnects and speaker cables using Mogami, Belden or Canare wire. A year from now after you have broken in the equipment and adjusted things you will be in a much better position to evaluate cabling. I believe cables make a difference, but it is a minor effect as compared to break in and speaker positioning. If you do not already have a copy, you'd be money ahead buying Jim Smith's book, "Get Better Sound". What a load of twaddle, of course wiring matters, I'm talking about wiring for something like CERN or LIGO or a space craft or a nuclear power house or pro audio or a million other things where wiring is critical, its the audiophile magik wiring I disagree with. Link to comment
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