Power Cord for Power Conditioner

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I think trickery works both ways.

You can convince yourself that you don't hear any differences also.

Some of the reasons are, a lack of funds to swim with the big fish,gear that just isn't resolving enough to hear differences,no hands on experience, but you "know" it just can't be, relying on "facts" and acepting old and flawed blind listening tests as proof.
This one kills me.

You think our ears can be tricked into thinking that one power cord is better than the other, so we shouldn't trust our ears.
Yet, and this is what kills, you accept reports of people using their ears who fail to hear differnces as gospel.

Can you have it both ways?

Either you trust the ears or you don't.

If you don't trust the ears of those who say they hear improvemnts, then I'll say that I don't trust the ears of those who don't.

I'll close by stating that the majority of people who "believe" there can be no differences, are in fact the only folks who have developed their opinons based on a belief system.
As most of them have never even bothered to try upgraded power cords in their systems.
And why not?
Because they believe it will not work.

A belief based on no first hand experience,just acceptance of opinions from people with beliefs the same as their own.

Everything makes a difference and if a person can't hear a difference, then they or their gear are the reason behind it.

"Either you trust the ears or you don't."

If you don't blind test there is no way to know if you are trusting your ears, outside of faith and hope which another person mentioned and which I continue to think of as everyones right and privilege.

There are already long debates on this website exploring why audio is the singular pursuit in the known universe where proven valid testing methods shouldn't be used and known erroneous tests should be accepted.

Do agree with "trickery works both ways", if the testing means are insufficient then any conclusion is questionable.

I can see the reasons why people like blind listening tests.
Visuals do cause folks to think that the big fat cables are the better ones, or that the big expensive speaker just has to sound the best, etc.

It's been proven with other things also,such as switching wine labels,and some folks thinking the 2 buck chuk in the upscale bottle was in fact the real deal.

Visual influences do marr one's perception.

And so it is when the cost of what you are comparing is made known.

Somehow the only blind listening tests that are ever mentioned are the tests where the "panel of experts" preferred the cheapest power cords for example.

In fact those tests are the only ones I've read about.The myth busters proving once again that costly power cords are ripp offs.

What about tests where the pricey cables are preferred?
Somehow ,saddly, we never seem to read about them.
It seems people prefer to read about giant killers and el cheapo cables beating out the high end brands.

Anyone posting anything positive about a name brand upgraded PC is either labeled a shill , a lunatic or both.

I know I've been called that.

I came to the effects of power cords and power upgrades a little late in my audio journey, and that;s a shame.

Had I known how much they play in the final sound of what's powered by them I never would have sold some fabulous gear over the years.

The flaws that I always attributed to the amps, for example, were really flaws in the delivery of the power to them.

I now understand the importance of good power delivery because I have recently enjoyed some rather modest power amps more than I did the costly exotic amps with no upgraded power delivery.

Those old amps if given the same upgraded power delivery that I now use, would surely swing things more in favour of them.But that's spilled milk and all part of the learning curve.

When people get serious about improving the gear they have using better power cords and improving the power to their gear, the search for the absolute sound tends to be over, and you spend more time enjoying the sound that you already have.

I'm not knocking the whole audio thing about swapping amps and speakers,the chase is a big part of the hobby and it's a learning experience.
And after you've been thru a lot of systems like I have you start to find out that changing A for B isn't the answer, because some things never change elsewhere and remain a constant, such as the same stock power cord, or wallplug set ups and this seriously hinders any efforts at improved sound from that new Stereophile A lister.

Sometimes it's quite obvious when you make a switch in components,and not as obvious as when everything is muddied up by poor power delivery.
So ,I am a bit sceptical of double blind tests for the above reason.

What I would find interesting would be a new test, whereby a panel of "experts" were left with the challenge of discerning if the music they heard was any different when played thru a dedicated line and a stock electrical line as found in most homes.

Then do a serious of tests with power cords and conditioners on the two different lines and see what the outcome is.

What I would assume is that there will be some folks who prefer the sound of cheap power cords and some who like the expensive ones and that no one will be able to tell which is which.
And what this means to me is that an expensive power cord hasn't been proven to be inferior to a cheap one.

It proves to me that preference of one over the other means that there were perceived differences between the cords.It doesn't prove that the cables all sounded alike.

If the panel says they all sound the same, then I would have to say that the panel of "experts" may have been influenced if they knew the cost of the cables.
Again the old myth buster mentality.
So I wouldn't disclose the cost of the cables in the test, because this would have just as much influence on the tests outcome as seeing the cables and knowing what brands they were.

My only beef with DBT is that I don't think that prior tests were an accurate indication of anything, and the more information given to the panels, the more flawed the tests.

Somehow the DBT hasn't been revisted in a few years, and only these old "anti" everything expensive ones are all that is reported and held as gospel.

I think it's time for some new ones,based on a few of the guidelines I've mentioned.

Eventhough I know that in the end it's all about preference, at least the playing field won't be skewed with lousy noisey power straight from the wall.

I am certain that the comparison of the results of power cords tested on both lines would be intersting to say the least.

Hi all ! Well said ,Lacee . I do trust my ears very ,very much . There used to be a time when I trusted what other people said more than what my own ears heard . Just last night I was changing power cords on my cd player . I took out a #4 Vansevers cord and put in a silver LAT CORD . The Vansevers cord makes my system as dark as night , the LAT cord adds sparkle to the top end that is quite strong . Do I think I hear this difference ? NO WAY ....the difference is clear , even to my girlfriend .