How to Test Power Cables & Interconnects?

[Ralf11]

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

[Ralf11]

No.

[Ralf11]

can I get you to improve your room acoustics?

[Ralf11]

furniture can be helpful - acts like an absorber

[Ralf11]

You can see why Blackmo believes in magik

[Ralf11]

For starters, some of the previous posters have EE or physics degrees; others have conducted listening tests - take their opinions with that in mind.

[Ralf11]

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

[Ralf11]

8 hours ago, 4est said:

Nice appeal to authority coming from a poster who thinks his science background somehow eclipses his mid range system...

 

what kind of person would attack someone's system?

 

oh!  I know!  somebody who doesn't understand physics!

[Ralf11]

and how about posting your system 4estie?

 

I am sure it is not 'mid-range'  but is it deranged?

[Ralf11]

"subjective topic such as cables"

 

wrong again - it is an objective topic

 

 

[Ralf11]

mansr gave you the right answer for 'hearable' noise

 

some claim that there is also a level or type of noise that you do not perceive directly as noise, but that can alter soundstaging or other aspects of SQ

 

for that 2nd idea one question is what gear you have?  Cost is no guarantee of SQ, but if you spent $1,000 on your entire system I would disregard the 2nd idea.  If you spent $50k on the system then it is something to think about, after you have done other things, such as room acoustics, etc.

[Ralf11]

10 hours ago, Blackmorec said:

I'm an audiophile not a physicist, so I don't have tools to measure EMI/RFI etc. nor do I have the interest in measuring everything whenever I do an upgrade. What I am interested in doing is removing limitations and faults from my system, that cause disturbance to the listening experience. I can do so simply by trying various configurations and products and judge whether they are having the desired effect. 

Of course I believe that power cables will change the sound. This has been true every time I've made a comparison. But some will change the sound for the better and some for the worse, so my key task is to identify the former and avoid the latter. Some will claim that I imagine the differences based on my belief....a kind of confirmation bias. This basically means that the differences aren't real and are only in my mind. It that were true, then the reproducibility of these imaginings is truly remarkable. Essentially I am able to imagine the exact same thing day after day, week after week and even with gaps of several months. That ability surely makes me some kind of genius with remarkable powers of recall?  

The problem here isn't in believing that power cables make a difference....the problem is exactly the opposite as its a belief that will prevent the believer from ever achieving a great sounding system as opposed to 'average' or 'adequate' 

 

 

The problem here is most certainly your believing that power cables make a difference

 

Using a proper blind test will eliminate that bais (just as it would eliminate the bias that power cables do not make a difference in SQ).

 

Based on physics, it is highly unlikely that the power cable can have any effects whatsoever since there is a nice big transformer between it and the audio circuits.  If you do not understand what a transformer does, there are wikis and other explanations all over the internet.

 

Nonetheless, a blind test is proof of any pudding.

[Ralf11]

and, still waiting for 4est to post his system

 

which I am sure is not mid-grade👻

[Ralf11]

guess again, muffy