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Hey randy I have a power cable that I made myself from 10 AWG wire that's Cryo dipped, If you would like to A/B it with the audioquest let me know happy to send it to you.
Randy (oh sorry) Mr. Cheapaudioman. You are a great dude and I love listening to all of your work. It is obvious that you really care about what you do and your sincerity comes through loud and clear. I don't think that it needs to be done blind at all. Just re-do what you did this time, and then swap the power cables and then do it again. I'm not worried, I trust you. And I think this would take a lot of the stress out of it too. You know you got a good enough ear and you understand the framing of how the music spits out. Try it, you may like it! And it might be really groovy man! Umm okay? And I know a thing or 2. I am 62 and I have been an audio-foolery for 85 years. Your mileage may vary. Dale. (Sorry, I am just a big dork).
Nice review. One suggestion, though: it might be worthwhile to run the same test using the stock power cables on both amps to see if the amps themselves sound subtly different. Component tolerances may have a small effect on how each amp sounds.
Different runs of any given product may have different brand components. Look at the difference between opamps. You can order different brands on some equipment.
I second this. For a true double-blind test, each component needs to be swapped, especially the amps as their componentry introduces the largest potential for A/B variables.
That would require a proper abx test. Switching yourself and trying to listen for a difference (like was done in this video) doesn't work. In fact, I don't think there's a difference at all and if you would let someone else select amp A or B and then try to identify which one is playing you would fail.
Should be an easy enough thing to figure out. Which is actually a pretty interesting subject, worth some consideration - product variation. Reviewers often only test one unit, and especially if the company provided it directly, the experience could be not the same as when we buy the 'same' product.
Yeah, you really need to use the same chain so you account for unit variation. You can't use two different amps even if they're the same model, you have to use one amp, the only thing that should change is the thing you're testing (the power chord).
True, even 2 excactly same amps can sound wildly different. The only thing you can switch is the powercable or the AB test isnt AB test. I use spesific AB box (passive) to these cable, DAC, amp test. Power cables need to be switched manually to same amp or DAC by someone else tho. From DAC you can use AB box or speaker cables AB box.
The placebo effect is incredibly strong. Do more controlled, blind listening. TOTAL GAME CHANGER. I have told friends I switched cables on them, yet did NOTHING in reality... and they reported changes in bass, soundstage, everything.... yet nothing truly changed.
It's actually NOT a placebo effect but a result of more critical listening and how our brains work. So yes, they actually DO hear differences. Lol. But it's all literally in their head.
@@josephoberlander How do you know it's not placebo? People have been demonstrated to perceive differences that do not exist. BT & DBT eliminates this possibility, and validates that the user is actually hearing a difference and not just imagining it. But yeah, rereading your comment, that's just what's commonly called as 'placebo'.
The electric cables inside your walls are regular 115v mono wire, you can put whatever you want an the end of it, it won't make a difference. This is basic physics. Those expensive cable are a scam.
@@spamcan9208 I thought amps, specially the ones from high end manufacturers would and should sound exactly identical. I'm retired now but way back when I was in the business, I brought the floor model Bryston 4B to a client's house who happened to be a music teacher and audiophile. As expected, it made his Thiel speakers sing in the typical Bryston fashion. I took the demo back and delivered a brand new unit. A week later, I got a call from the client stating this new 4B might not sound quite right, at least not as good as the previous one. I spent the next evening in his living room switching between the two amps. He was right, not that one sounded bad, but audibly different!
I appreciate that he took the time to do this and his honesty about getting it wrong. Here are some things he could have done to make this a better test: Run the two cables to a switch and then into one amp. This way you would be using the same amp and interconnect cables. Even if they were the same make and model of amp, manufacturing inconsistencies exist, and the interconnect cables could have different amounts of EMI if they aren’t in exactly the same position. You also wouldn't have to worry about volume matching. You would need to have someone else switch between the two cables and sometimes not switch at all. It would have to be done outside the listeners field of view (that’s why it’s called a "blind" test) . Not knowing which cable is on which amp isn’t enough because once you formulate ideas about A or B based on one of the tests, you will have biases in future tests when you know that you are listening to the same equipment you heard in previous tests. You should listen to a fairly large number of sound clips and decide for each one if there is a difference and if so, which you like better. Once you have a large enough sample size, you can calculate the statistical significance of the number of times you accurately identified that there was a change and how consistently you favored one cable.
As others have pointed out, no two electronic components are exactly the same. To validate your impressions, you could’ve swapped amp A with B (all inputs, outputs and power cables) and then see if you still thought the same about amp A vs B. In case the more bass now was in amp A (which was previously hooked up as amp B) then you would know that the amps themselves are more different than the power cables. If however amp B had the more bass also with the swapped cables, then you know that the power cables may have had something to do with it. I suspect the former scenario though, i.e. that the amps are more different than the cables.
@@gergelyagoston274 The tolerances depend on the component-quality that the manufacturer has chosen. On expensive products, those things get matched. In this very specific case I would guess that the Sabaj pair made the difference. Cables are typically only making a difference on a 0.5 db level.
@@toxicparasite3031 I know those were cheap amps, but they're ICE powered class D amps, made in a factory, with QC, not some home soldered tubes, so according to my belief system :) it's the cables. We would never know for sure, I guess.
@@gergelyagoston274 the difference would be very small and likely inaudible but so is the case for the speaker cables. I wouldnt worry about it and i also would absolutely not worry about having different power cable for monoblocks. But if you are doing a blind test you should make sure what causes a difference. In my book its more likely that one of the amps where defective than anyone actually hearing a difference between power cables.
perfect timing.. i was on Audioquest web page looking at power cables.. i went straight to the most expensive.. i thought i better youtube these and see what everyone is saying about these cables.. your video was the first to pop up .. thanks for the info on these ..
Expensive cables are the worst kind of audio snake oil. Even the blurb on the product description makes no sense at all - "Semi-Solid Concentric conductor arrangement reduces strand interaction distortion". Or how about "low DC resistance and zero characteristic impedance help deliver uncompressed transients on demand" ? It's hilarious.
As everyone knows, the cable that runs from the breaker box to the outlet is just plain old "Romex" and that length of cable is almost going to be much longer (maybe hundreds of feet) than the power cord going from the outlet to the gear. So it seems pretty unlikely that the last meter or 2 would fix much UNLESS.... the sonic difference are coming from stray electromagnetic fields generated by the cable itself. If that's the case, then installing a well shielded cable could make a noticeable difference. That said, there are way too many variables with this test procedure to draw any conclusions.
I totally agree with your observation. I recently went down the wormhole of upgrading my hi-fi system. I did not absolutely need to run another circuit to the room, but it was easy enough since it was close to the breaker box. I had a spool of high quality Carol 4/C 10 AWG stranded wire laying around. I purchased a 500 ft roll to make a shore power cable for my boat. It worked well in conduit for the extra circuit. I used the 4th conductor as a second ground. (why not? couldn't hurt) This circuit is only for the hifi system. It feeds my Paramax M5400 power conditioner. Then out to the amp and sub. Did it make a difference? no clue, and should I buy different power cables for the Amp and Sub, probably not. It sounds great to me as is. But to your point, I find it hard to believe that someone can tell the difference with a different power cord coming out of the wall into your system, without changing the wires that are inside the wall. The same can be applied to speaker wires. I've taken several speakers apart before in my life, and to no surprise, lots of speakers have RadioShack quality wire on the inside of the cabinet. Even a set of $20k PMC speakers I disassembled had some questionable wiring inside of the cabinets. I might pull the trigger on a fancy looking cable just for aesthetics. I'm not saying that all cable discussions are snake oil, because I have heard some improvements with better cables in certain situations. I'll let you know if upgrading my power cables makes a difference being that I replaced all of the wiring all the way back to my breaker box.
First half of your argument makes no sense considering electricity travelling at nearly the speed of light but okay 😂😂😂😂 the sunlight doesn't flick on off as the light travels through space so yeah its just there... But i agree shielded cables make a huge difference providing your not in a built up area My friend runs balanced mains in his village little bit hard to distinguish a shielded power cord when your music rooms in the basement just above the ceiling you have 400mm of concrete heavily acoustically treated walls and earthed poles/rods aka gone the full 9 yards But for better or worse he kept them as who wants a stock power cord hanging out your holo spring dac 😀😂
What about the transition from the outlet to the chord? Isn't it possible the transfer is a potential change. I mean, I can hear jitter, and that's just I'll shaped ones and zeros: I can imagine any changes in power draw 'might' have effects. I'm no electrical expert or course, so defer, but just putting my thoughts out there as I've heard too much differences with cables to just write it all off.
The Audio Quest cable only accounts for the last meter or two. Is one going to replace all the house wiring in the walls and utility power distribution? Why not generate your own power with an inverter and dedicated power cord and bypass the utility company? I really don't see how this audio Quest cable can make a difference given the complete power distribution path.
This is hilarious, been on motorcycle forums for years and they're constantly debating the merits of different motor oils, just getting into home audio since purchasing a pair of Magnepan speakers, and the levels of minutia are astounding, keep up the good work
Have you been to the “bob is the oil guy” forum? Magnepans are fabulous speakers. I started with MMGs over 20 years ago, and now have 1.7is (along with a MGCC and MMG-Ws with DWMs supporting them)
@@philipjanoff535 I have been to "Bob the oil guy" forum, I have a set of 1.7s, using a Schiitt Vidar and a hybrid tube DAC, it's my 1st foray into higher end home audio , I need to decide what to replace my DAC with mine is cheap and not doing my Maggie's any justice
With all due respect, any and ALL differences you might be hearing are due to variations between the "identical" amps/speakers/sources. The power cord will make precisely zero difference. The only valid way to test cords is to leave *everything else* totally unchanged. Yes, you'd need a Y-cable "splitter" for the power input, but any *differences* would still be apparent. Don't bother though - I guarantee you won't hear a difference.
I use the green dot hospital grade cords. They pop up at the thrift pretty often. Heavy gauge, strain relief plug ends and thick nickel plating on polished terminals. If it's good enough for an EKG machine it's good enough for my audio
@@MrsZambezi exactly.. what's frustrating is that you could just put the signal into an oscilloscope and view the output.. but then the whole audiophile industry might collapse.. 😆
Yup, those two amps exhibit unit variation as is to be expected from complex electronic devices, especially not very expensive ones. Second failing of your test is that you always knew when you were listening to A or B. This is not the way to perform a double blind test. You could have done that test half properly even with two amps if you had someone swapping (or not) the cables between the amps randomly and then checking out if you could tell cable A from B consistently... People do not realise what a double test entails...
He is doing a blind test, not a double blind test. But I agree with your first statement that the variation in components within the amp is going to be significant.
This shows that once we make up our mind, our mind tends to gather evidences to support its fixated decision! However, irrespective of results, its interesting that power cables did make (edit: perceptible) differences in audio!! Eidt: Am sure two similar cables painted different and priced differently , would also sound, perceptibly , different!
did you ask someone to randomly swap the cable at least 10 times to check your sure the differences you heard remained attached to the same cable ? it is vastely more likely you picked up unit variation in one or a combination of the many component in the amps instead of the power cable+ac plugs.
Anyone who thinks audiophile power cords change sound have no idea lol. The wiring inside the amp is nothing special, your house wiring is nothing special, your street wire is nothing special. It is all in your head! That is before we even get to the fact its going through a transformer, rectification and filter capacitors…
Very challenging and quite interesting situation. I have heard differences in speaker cables, and interconnects, and S/PDIF coax - and frankly, it *seems* like the power cable on the amp would seem to be the "least" likely to affect the sound quality. Obviously - the power cable on the amp *does* affect the sound quality. Blind A/B testing is great for determining *if* there is a difference, but in my opinion longer term listening to a system with music that you are familiar with, is the best way to judge which is qualitatively better - or which you prefer, at least.
@Neil Blanchard It's long been proven that trying to hear differences between any two different audio system variables is way less reliable when listening to the sources long term. The easiest and most reliable way to discern any differences is to take an identical and very short snippet of the program material (1-3 seconds) and instantaneously switch between them with no gaps. The two sources must be perfectly level-matched, and you must not know which device you are listening to at any given time or if it has actually been switched or not, and you need to reliably discern and record or make note of the specific difference correctly AT LEAST 8 out of 10 times, otherwise the results are just pure coincidence and down to chance.
For future blind tests may I recommend. 1. Use one setup, this way everything is the same. 2. Have another person change the tested equipment. That way you don’t know or guess which is which. 3. Have person randomly change, or not change, equipment at each test. 4. on a sheet of paper mark which one you liked and why. 5. Test each song five times on each piece of equipment. Love the work.
I use audioquest nrg z3 for my Hegel h190 it also shocked me sounds smoother more natural. Better bass. As hole it was an improvment. Campered to stock cable
Bass response is very simple to measure with a test signal and a cheap scope. A couple of people have mentioned component tolerances in the amps creating a difference; I'd agree. I know it's not a very fashionable thing to assert, but differences you can hear can usually be measured. Not attempting to measure things you can hear leaves a lot of doubt and uncertaintly about what is happening. Marketing and doubt are often found eating and drinking together!
It’s always interesting: people who believe you when you are describing the difference in the sound of gear, suddenly don’t believe you when you are describing the difference in the sound of cables. Great job!
@@Coyotehello The distance from your receptacle to your audio equipment is not significant to make a difference when taking into account the standard 14 gauge wiring from your mains circuit breaker. From an electrical engineering standpoint this is nonsense.
@@Coyotehello Audio electronic components operate using DC voltage. The incoming power line is AC, which is converted to DC by a component's power supply. So two things have to be true for a power cord to have an effect of significance on the audio you hear: First, the cord has to change the DC output voltage of the power supply in some significant way, and then that DC voltage change has to have an effect on the audio waveforms. If someone can demonstrate that, great, but I find it highly implausible.
I say the exact same thing to people who claim that magic healing crystals and magical healing bracelets do not work. I'm like they do work, I put them on, I'm instantly healed and feel much better, yet they don't believe me... And it's the same people who believe me when I tell them that I own a computer. Go figure!
Nice video, Randy. I think it would be cool if you do a double blind test, using the same chain. One person to set it up, one person to make the switch, and you be the listener.
Only DB testing is reliable. This has been fought over for decades in the woo-saturated world of audiophilia! Now power cables make a difference? Spare me, please!
Great Review!!! Glad to see Audiophiles actually taking the time to conduct proper testing. That said I would be curious if you swapped the power cables but kept the same set up to see if the results were cable specific, or small compounded tonal differences in the multiple components. Either way, AWESOME JOB!!! and PS- Seen Metallica live in 2001.. STUNNING SHOW!!!😍😍😍 Keep up the AMAZING work!!!
Right, it's not actually blind because, the chains weren't swapped. One you think A has a difference.. You're going to keep hearing that difference between each track..and you won't know if it's your mind compensating. To do a blind test, you need another party that will randomize for each sample. If it was swapped between each song by another party, then that would be following scientific method a lot better.. a, a, b, a ,b,b .. If you can follow through the sequence of swaps, you can be a lot more confident you actually followed the tested component
I didn't switch them out but I may do just that. I'm off to the next video but I do have a lot more AQ products that I can make people's heads spin off. thank you so much for supporting the channel
@@cheapaudioman heck yea brother. I like getting people all riled up on cables. You did it very tactfully and respectfully. I loved it!! Keep up the killer work!
I use a $35 Tripp Lite Heavy Duty Power Cord, 20A, 12AWG (IEC-320-C19 to NEMA 5-20P). This power cable is usually used for connecting large servers to PDUs. I use this cord as a replacement power cable for a high end integrated audio amplifier. This 20 amp cable is very robust and works very well comparable to other products that can cost 10 to 20 times more. It's also a bit difficult to find cables with the C19 socket configuration - outside of cables made for computer equipment.
In general, the higher the quality of components, the more easily differences in sound will be to detect. Cumulative additions can also make a big difference. But for AC driven systems, quality starts at the wall.
Why at the wall? Your plug socket is literally miles away from where the power was generated, its pretty hard to see why the last two meters will significantly effect performance.
@@starofcctv94 well technically clean AC should start at the junction box, where electricity first enters the home. Nothing can be done about the quality of AC delivered to the home. Of course alternatives such as batteries can power equipment independent of the electrical grid.
No surprise there. The only value better power cables provide is attenuating noise, and that explains the less forward midrange and your comments about the high end with the quieter cable. Added noise does just the kinds of things you described, and a little extra "bright" from noise hides the bass, which explains that observation as well. (It's not just noise, there is intermodulation distortion and problems for digital components that power supply noise causes). Thanks for doing this.
I'll start by simply applauding your attitude and approach to making the video. It's an interesting start for the test, but there's quite a few other things that could explain the difference perceived. If I were doing this test I'd now continue and do a few more things. Amps vary per unit so I would need to do it a few times with the power cables attached to both units. Also, I wouldn't trust that Douk unit and would need to test that independent of any other changes. Lastly, I'd have a friend swap the power cords (or just say that he did) several times, including using a stock cord on BOTH units at the same time. Expectation bias is HUGE. It would take at LEAST that amount of fiddling before I would believe that it was the power cable doing something, because as all EEs know, if both cables can transmit the required volts/amps, electronically it is basically impossible for that last 6 feet of power to make an audible difference. Yet there is no doubt people do, so getting to the bottom of WHY that is interests me the most.
I spent some time in studios the big thing about cables is few studios are spending that kind of money on cables, but what we did do was power conditioning even a cheaper conditioners will make a huge difference in lowering the Nosie floor for a cost to benefit ratio. It is crazy to think that if you wanted to use audio quest cables for the main studio with 80+ rack mounted pres and what not they would be spending tens of thousands just in power cables. not saying cables don't do anything but bang for buck power conditioning is were it is at. Plus also provides extra protection for what can be very pricy electronics.
I think many of us that have been in studios or that have set up live performances share that opinion. I've been using a Furman power conditioners for years and they work great. Certainly more of a positive effect than any power cable I've tried. That said, I've tried a few other conditioners under ~$200 and they don't work as well.
@@terrywho22 kinda agree maybe they have just gotten cheaper but I got a $60usd Pyle that made a really big difference for the price but I use that for my PC and got a audio quest PQ2 for around $230 usd
Aren't you assuming that the amps are completely identical? I think it is more likely that the difference is in the amps than in the cable. You might try swapping the cables and testing again.
Thanks for doing this and reporting on it. Please don't be discouraged by the "you did it wrong" comments. Many of us really appreciate you doing this. Cheers!
I've heard this argument used to debunk power cords over and over, and to some degree it makes a valid point. If it's a simple component (or system of components) using a 14 gauge power cord of 6 - 10 feet of length, the argument makes perfect sense. But what of something like a Niagara 5000 power conditioner on a 10 gauge dedicated line with mono power amps plugged in with 10 gauge power cords each? The Niagara using an 8 gauge cord. The Niagara can deliver short bursts of 90 amps through its power amp outlets. You want as robust a power cord as you can get so the amps aren't starved. The line of power to the amps is no longer limited to what has been run from your panel box to the amps. From the power conditioner on it now is subject to THAT component's power delivery.
Sound doesn't travel through power cords, and the power supply converts everything coming from the wall to DC and filters it. The cord physically can't make a difference in sound, and it's a silly thing to encourage people to spend hundreds of dollars on. Any system that would actually be affected by using a different power cord is an indication of a really bad design, not a good power cord. Audiophile power cords are the original audio snake oil, so I don't know why this is still even a thing.
My nephew studied electronic engineering. He said the same thing. And I always thought that he was right. RCA interconnects and speaker cables however,made a noticeable difference. And he could hear those differences. Now,he's not an audiophile like me,but he does like to listen to all kinds of music. But not on stereo systems. Mostly on the computer,or through his phone using earbuds or headphones. For years I went along believing that power cables couldn't make a difference. And then,because it was cheap,I heard of the hospital grade "jellyfish" cable that people on Audiogon were talking about. It's still available on Amazon under North American Hospital Grade Power Cord(Gray jacket with clear purple plugs) ,HG NEMA 5-15P to IEC-60320 C13, Heavy Duty 14AWG. So I bought the 10ft. cable (I later experimented with making different lengths and adding different branded AC connector plugs, 10ft. was better than 6ft. for some reason) . The difference was major! Compared to the stock cord, of the same awg. Now this was years later after I convinced my nephew that RCA cables did make a difference as well,because he could hear the differences. So, I invited him over and told him to listen for himself. He couldn't believe what he heard! It didn't make sense at all. because the stock cable was the same guage,and the length was only a couple feet shorter,so it couldn't make a difference. I kept switching the cable back and forth and it was undeniable. And this was only the cable to my power amp. Then I switched the cables on my pre-amp and cd player. It was like a different stereo system now. And to add to that,plugging in the power cable,directly into the wall,vs plugging into the Monster cable power strip,made a difference also. My nephew was perplexed at what he had heard. Before,he'd swear that all audiphile cables were sake oil nonsense. But he also knew me,and that I would spend money for audio cables,unless I could actually hear a difference! Fast forward a few years. I got an Emotiva system. I used these stock Hospital grade power cords with all the components.Even on my Panasonic Blu Ray player with analog outputs. So now I tried just using the wire from the gray hospital plugs as I cut the ac plugs off and attached Wattgate AC plugs. Did they sound better? Not that much. And Wattgate AC plugs weren't that cheap. Next I found these audiophile AC Plugs by SONARQUEST in China. They were cheap. Under $35. for the male and iec plug set. Were they much better? Oh yeah they were. And Sonarquest makes different AC plugs. They sell gold plated copper,all red copper, rhodium plated copper,and silver plated copper,ac plug sets. Each metal had a slightly different sound characteristic. I like the silver plated the best. It was the most dynamic,with deeper and quicker bass, with slightly more airy highs. Copper was neutral, and just slightly more open than the stock black cord,but still more bass slam. The gold plated ac plugs were definitely the warmest with plump bass and rolled of highs. The rhodium I didn't like. They sounded sterile and dry. But still better than the muddy dull sounding stock black power cords. If you're interested,these Sonaquest AC plugs are still available on ALI Express. I bought all of mine from one seller on Ebay,but this was years ago. And that seller is gone. I also experimented with many different brand 14awg and 12awg wires. Even speaker wires. The gray hospital power cord,it has to be the 14awg,the 16awg doesn't sound the same, sounded the best. Now I also made my own RCA interconnects using the best UPOCC Ohno solid core copper wires,combines with Jupiter pure silver 4x9's solid core wires. They bested my previous interconnects from Straightwire,Audioquest,and other brands on Audiogon,by a huge amount. And all of the different ones I experimented with,only cost about $150. or less to make,for a one meter pair. I spent two years and countless hours of testing,and inviting others to listen to my cables. I even sold a few to a couple guys I met on craigslist. My cables outperformed the ones they had bought on Audiogon for way less.
@@deydrm yeah I'm not reading all that, but suffice it to say, you're wrong and it's been proven in double blind testing many, many, many times. But it's your money, you can waste it as you see fit, I'm not going to.
So, in car audio it's dc from the get go yet replacing the garbage thin ground and power cables supplied by the manufacturer makes a rather big difference in allowing your amplifiers to sound crisp and does away with the dash and headlight flickering...Voltage actually increases from doing this. Why couldn't it be possible the power supply in a home receiver or device couldn't benefit from from a better quality power signal to allow the power supply to do its better job? My guess is you use 18g speaker wire and 3 dollar rca interconnects because evsrything else is snake oil.
I think what this comes down to is subtle variance in impedance or resistance with the thickness and quality of the copper in the cables. It’s probably suuuuper subtle, but I can see it doing something, as most power cables are built right at the tolerance line.
Yes but also no, it has a lot more to do with the poynting vector and how it's affected when it comes to power and speaker cables. So power is actually extracted from the EM field and not in the cable as such (kind of wild, but actually true, from a physics pov), ohms law and similar is actually derived from Maxwell's field equations and if you check the full field equations (poynting vector is the power derived from the EM field equations) some things regarding electricity is just put on it's head. So the actual geometry of the cable has an effect ie if there is a shield and where the shield is placed, braiding, what isolating material is used etc. The science asylum had a great video on it (his channel is great if you like physics) "Circuit Energy doesn't FLOW the way you THINK!" and he explains how it works way better than I ever could (well, not audio cables but what a poynting vector is). :) (Yes it's actual real physics taught in Uni and not some nutjob just rambling)
I'd wager you're far more likely to hear the 1% and 5% tolerances of the resistors and capacitors than the miniscule difference in a power cable, particularly when it's nowhere near its power rating
It's not that. It's differences in design and shielding that potentially minimize electromagnetic frequencies emitted by AC power cables which can muddy adjacent analog signals. That said this was a bad test. He was using two different amps and he also clustered a bunch of different potential sources of electromagnetic interference together within close proximity to the devices he was testing.
In-house power cabling supplying electrical outlets certainly isn't "audiophile." As long as the power cable connecting the amp to the outlet is transferring power correctly, there shouldn't be any differences. Certainly none you could hear. I'd suspect any differences that are audible to be in the amps. Suggest you switch amp A & B power cables and retest. My guess is you won't hear anything different from your first test.
No Snake Oil here... I once took my amp to my local power station and plugged it directly into the distribution bus-bar. Man I tell you, the difference was immediately obvious! The bass was nore punchy and the soundstage really opened up. I dont advise doing this unless you're a qualified Engineer, but I guess Audioquest found a way to bring the sub-station closer to your home for only $300.00👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽💯🙏🏽
It is significant to note that differences between power cables were "easy to hear". That is important to note. Whether you like the differences comes down to personal taste. Lastly, these audible differences will also be very system dependent! All these factors contribute to the raging debate about power cords. My advice is to try a few different power cables in your own system, pick the sound YOU like, and forget about what anyone else has to say about it. YOUR ears and YOUR enjoyment are unique and most important to enjoy the music. Peace.
@@kooijbas This. It's sad when huge audio channels begin to fall deeper into the snake oil rabbit hole. You can usually tell that they want to hear differences and so they do. They won't be doing any proper abx blind testing. All of the Harman research is simply ignored by most folks.
The most interesting thing for me was that there was a noticeable difference. It's then more subjective as to which one we prefer. We all get this chance to a/b test with the stock cable when we buy the Audioquest and then have the ability to send the Audioquest back if it doesn't impress. Thanks for such a useful video!
Randy! Thank you for sharing! It’s an interesting topic, and I have trusted your insight for long time! We all know that so many people come here to tell everyone else what YOU heard and what they SHOULD think. Thank you for taking time to tell us what you heard, regardless of the haters.
Did you try to swap the power cables and check the difference of the amps? Wouldn't have been a blind test but would be interesting to see if the difference followed the cable at all...
Most likely the quality control of the amps are the reason for any differences. If one power cable had much greater resistance than the other it may cause a difference when drawing high current. But similar gauged wires of the same material should be very close. JMHO
I agree, it's more likely to be a difference between the amps that R was hearing. There is no plausible explanation for a difference in the sound between the cables.
Thanks for doing the test. As some have noted, would have been neat to swap the cables, and even use 2 default cords. Amp variation is what I suspect the most, as well as potentially a tiny amount of EMI reduction into interconnects due to better shielding in the fancy power cable. Theres no doubt the audioquest cable is a very high quality build. I just can't see how the last 6 feet of an AC power source can affect the sound, when there's another 50 or so feet of 14/2 nmd90 in the walls.
nice! Now try running 10awg wire dedicated AC circuit(s) on single pole breakers (preferably a 20A breaker but 15A works ok too) and A/B that. That’s where it counts! I have dedicated 10awg circuits for each component and it made a very noticeable improvement. Make sure these breakers are connected on the same phase in breaker panel. I use generic style power cables but they are 14awg vs the 18awg wires that typically come with gear.
@@callmesceptical9114 Not at all. It’s not about current or voltage, it’s all about less resistance in the wire. And no interference from other devices on the same circuit. I have always known about the benefits of decimated circuits but recently learned about upsizing the wire to 10awg 1-40 feet, 8 awg 40-60 foot run, 6 awg wire 60+ feet.
Feeding my Peradigne A2s with 2 pole power cords. Went to Belden 3 pole shielded cords with 2 pole adapters. Thought I heard an improvement in weight and clarity. At least it only cost $6 bucks for the adapters. My question would be if $250 bucks could be used to improve your system better elsewhere? I’m simply too lazy to order expensive wires to try and then return them. Most people probably keep them, can’t bother returning! I’ve blown $100s on interconnects and felt it was well spent, the improvements were obvious. Would be interesting to try these cords when the system sounds bad from power line hash.
Do you suppose the gear manufacturers purposely cripple their equipment with insufficient and under-specced power cables? Also, after the electricity runs through hundreds of feet of romex in your house, after being delivered to the house over miles and miles of aluminum transmission lines, how could a short run of copper cable improve anything about the "quality" of the power?
If you run the cable through a pipe it certainly makes a difference. I'm wondering how many will say bs. I should clarify. When a cable is run in an enclosed space, eg conduit it is de rated
I don't know. The power from the transformer to your house is many hundreds of feet. Then from your breakers it goes through dozens of feet of house wiring. Why would the last 3 feet make a difference? Other than adjusting for volume, did you run the amps through the same tests with the same power cords? With no experience, my common sense would think that all amps will have sonic variations even when level matched. I didn't do the test, so just my thoughts
The sole reason I replaced the power cables that came with my audio equipment is build quality. I love the Audioquest NRG range (X though, as I'm not made of money) because they're engineered and built to last forever. Do they make a difference to the sound? Nah, not in my set-up, nor did I expect them to or hope they would - they just fit better.
How about doing the test with stock power cables on both amps? If you get similar results to the test you performed, that points to differences somewhere else in the signal chain. I'd be suspicious of the speaker switching box in that the resistance of each set of contacts might vary over the frequency spectrum. Is there a possibility that left and right speaker wiring was out of phase for amp A, which could account for less bass on A than on B?
Finally someone appears who demystifies and exposes the truth ahahahha. I have a recording studio and I always found this discussion between audiophiles about cables, power cables, line cables, the most ridiculous are the speaker cables! I have several friends, so-called audiophiles, and spend thousands of dollars on cables. The first thing they say is obviously the price of the cable! :) Then they argue like there is no tomorrow about the sex of angels. “With this cable the bass is much more consistent, with the other one I hear more the high frequencies...ahhh but with this one, I hear more the voices...basically the medium frequencies.” joking once said. The best is connect the 3 cables to each speaker, this way you get the perfect sound! :)) The truth! Blind testing!, just like the wine! :) The surprises are unbelievable Thanks, good job cheapaudioman!!!
I snagged some custom built power cables from pine tree audio on ebay for dirt cheap for shits and giggles. I bought them mainly because they're shielded. Could be total placebo but I noticed a slight difference in clarity. Who knows, I may be crazy. Fortunately, I don't spend much at all so who cares?!
A true blind test would be if you didn't even know if Amp A or Amp B were playing. Have someone else randomly play the part not even knowing what amp it was playing from. The bias already comes in when you know that it's A or B, regardless of the cable.
Glad i put my system together spring 2021 before the global price hikes! Got my 1 meter NRG-Z3 for 199. Its 249 now BUT if you are purchasing in store i recommend haggling on price. For instance i got 1 meter of AudioQuest Red River interconnect for 110 while it was priced 180 no sale i just told the guy at store im interested in some AudioQuest products but absolutely wont pay MSRP. The mark up is so ridiculous they could sell all their product for 50 percent off and probably still be making a killing. So i really like after market cables mostly just cause they look cool haha any actual improvement is just a bonus for me. Other than that its just construction and looks. Now i just need to decide if i want to get an NRG-Y3 for my CD player or get a Monsoon for my integrated and move the Z3 to the CD player. Thing is the NRG-Z3 is 14 gauge so its probably more than most people would ever need, like its already probably overkill for my Marantz PM6006 but like ive mentioned i like the looks lol
I would suggest going with the best cable you can fit into your budget. It is going to bring the entire system up at least one or two notches. If your amp then becomes the weak link in your system then when you upgrade the amp you will have a well matched system with the power cable imho.
Much respect. I didn't put much stock in cables making a huge difference, and my takeaway from this is that perhaps, once other variables are dialed in, it is worth getting better-built cables, if you prefer the difference they make in the sound. Probably still more prudent, if you're looking for the most effective use of a limited budget to 1) Get a set of speakers or headphones that you really like, 2) Make sure you have quality recordings you enjoy, and 3) Get a source that seems like it will do the trick. After those things are considered, to whatever budget works, then go for decent cables, and at that, it seems like the margin of utility diminishes considerably before getting to Audioquest-level expenditures.
I have to say one thing. Most people don't know what cymbals REALLY sound like. I know many people that don't like speakers that reproduce cymbals properly. I know how they sound because I have been playing drums for 38 years. Great video by the way. Thank you.
Have you considered running a null test using a single source into both amps that feed into a single speaker? This would be an objective method to hear any differences between the amps. It should also be run using the standard cables on both amps to see if the amps themselves have any variation in their outputs.
@@flashhog01 A null test is used to objectively detect any output differences between two amplifiers. Correctly set up, the single speaker will only playback the audio of the differences in the output of both amps. You would start off doing a null test with both amps using the stock power cables. If you hear sound from the speaker, stop there as the amps outputs are not identical so any potential sound differences could be from the amp itself. If there is silence from the speaker, then the output of both amps is identical and you can proceed onto repeating the test with one amp using the stock power cable and the high end cable into the other amp. This time, if no sound is heard, the cable is having no effect. If sound is heard, then the cable does change the sound output of the amp. Whether or not it is improving the sound is now up to subjective listening tests of music in a normal stereo setup. Basically you need to first determine there is a difference before spending time looking for what effect that difference makes. It is really easy to deceive ourselves when listening for subtle differences in sound, especially when there is no actual differences in reality. Note: It was a null test that Bob Carver used when, in the mid 80s, he challenged two high-end audio magazines to give him any audio amplifier at any price, and he’d duplicate its sound in one of his lower cost designs. He succeeded both times. Google The Carver Challenge Stereophile
I haven't had a HiFi component system since 1994, and that was my entire Phase Linear system I bought when I was stationed in Germany in 1978. Took me two tours to save enough money for that behemoth. Back then, no one gave a ship (see what I did there, Randy?) about cables...you used what came with the system and forgot about it. But I am glad I watched this. It may have not been in my interest circles but I enjoy watching your videos. Now days, I am a full-time headphone guy and God knows there's enough cat fighting in that part of the HiFi realm. That's the reason I no longer identify as an audiophile. Seems a prerequisite to being an audiophile is being an insufferable asshole when someone disagrees with you. I am so past that. But this was a fun watch. Thanks for taking the time to do it. I haven't read down into the comments but I am guessing you are being excoriated here and there. Hope I'm wrong brother.
This was quite a thoughtful and well-presented video on the matter. As a rule regarding my own kit, I use the provided power cables which are connected to a power conditioner, which for me is more than fine. If the power cords go bad I replace them with a basic yet reasonbly well-made & well reviewed equivalent in the approximate $30-$40 range at the most. The very idea that a company would charge $350 for a single power cable, to me, is silly. I've often wondered how thin the line exists with respect to experiencing a difference/improvement and wanting to experience a difference/improvement. The subject matter though interesting, can, in my opinion, create a landscape of over-thinking in which the hobby becomes more about the equipment than the simple enterprise of enjoying what you have, by focusing on the music itself. Therefore I see the topic as something that is both informative yet also cautionary at the same time. Steve Guttenberg touched on this subject a time or two regarding if one's focus is about the music or is it more about the gear. However, if one is perfectly willing who also possesses the resources & time to pursue such an endeavor regarding high-end power cables, then by all means spend away and compare, it's not my time or money being spent. It's not for me to determine how another's ears work. I can only trust my own perspective that my own ears will allow.
People are going to criticize everything and trivialize it when it comes to this subject. I put it in lamen terms. Noise floor, noise floor, noise floor. Picture the noise floor as an internet connection. The more people that connect, the slower the connection, because you're losing bandwidth. The more noise going through your system is literally doing the same thing. The result ends up being a compressed signal floating down the wire that exits the drivers with noise Now I'm sure there's more technical BS that goes with this and so on. Before people get their panties in a bunch, a perfect example would RCA interconnects vs. balanced. Very good video. A++ for a tough subject.
Thanks for doing this! It's all about having a good time... trying new components, cables, etc... just for fun. This was a super interesting comparison, and I enjoyed the video (and your reaction)! Haters gonna hate, but I appreciate the journey. Keep up the excellent work! 😀
But if it's the case that it makes no difference; that changing the last meter of wire of electricity running through miles of copper wire makes no audible difference... Wouldn't you think people would be better off spending their time, money and energy on real improvements rather than wasting it on snake oil?
@@literalghost929 Arguably, listening to more than a cheap pair of earbuds or music on TV is a waste of time, money, and energy for many people (i.e., snake oil). I'm not here to judge others on what they choose to believe or spend money on. This is a fun and interesting video. I hope Randy gets 10 million views and can afford a decent holiday for his family because of it. 😀
@@dalethompson1984 Snake oil = selling lies. It's a scam. It's like buying a worthless rock for thousands of dollars, because you've been hoodwinkled into thinking it's a magical healing rock. It's not. You can buy high quality headphones with quality drivers, high performance. That's not snake oil. When people pay ridiculously overpriced power cords thinking they improve sound, they've been scammed. Clear and simple. They wouldn't be able to tell the difference vs a random $2 PC power cord in a blind test because it makes absolutely no difference.
I have a Simaudio i-5 integrated amp with Focal Profile 18 for 10 years. I went to an Audio show and a representative from Simaudio suggested I replace my generic power cable with something better without going crazy...( He also told me to keep my I-5 because it is soundly better than the Ace) I had doubt but I got a entry level Audioquest NRG X3 for my amp and a X2 for my Node 2I streamer, with no expectations. This might sound ridiculous but 2 weeks later, I think there is a difference. More image, more softness. It might be a placebo effect but it was not a big investment and I will not return them.
There is a physiological component to sound reproduction. If you pay $250 for a power cable it going to sound good or improved, whether it does or not.
The concept of spending $350 on a power cable to improve audio quality, which is questionable at best, astounds me. Investing that money towards a better amp or speakers seems much more prudent. After miles of regular wiring coming to your house, a 3 foot cord isn't going to do much.
It's simple those that don't believe there is a difference have never tested and blindly believe they are right..but you have to test like you did and flick from one to the other quite quickly, this way I have done and know things sound Different with cables, whether speaker, power or interconnects, now, are they better . NO, they are just different and when you go to get a coffee and come back you have already forgotten the difference anyway.. So blind testing this quick shows a difference, but the next day you would never remember what cable you left in.
Yes i think they matter,would i go spend $1200 or more on a power cord NO. I think that doing a "hospital" (green dot) cord makes a difference but at some point past that, the return/performance for value, takes a nose dive after that and is not appreciable enough to be worth while. I think the money would be better spent on upgrading the caps etc in your amp/gear. One thing past this though,that i have NOT messed with but... mean to one day, as i find it interesting, is the audiophile wall power "outlet" itself? That also seems like to some degree a worthwhile investment, i mean... how "good" could a regular .89 cent outlet be🤔
I use Carol or Southwire 12/3 and 10/3 SJOOW cable for all of my equipment including Processors, Dacs, EQ's, DVD and CD player. Excellent quality, not expensive and will hold up for decades and never be obsolete. They sound fine. Better than the stock cable yet is an upgrade. All you need for Home theater and audio in general.
It is physically and scientifically impossible for a power cable to alter the sound if (1) sufficient to carry the load (2) sufficiently/correctly shielded, both of which manufactures mastered many decades ago. I give props to this channel for the attempt at an objective test, but either someone else would have to be randomly switching them and or, something would have to randomly doing it for him. Two, if he's able to pick them out, they're still not perfectly balanced and humans can tell the difference between very small DB differences.
This was an interesting test. I am a skeptic when it comes to cables making a difference in the sound. Particularly power cables. The amps have power supplies and transformers inline before the rest of the electronics. This would negate any difference in impedance or slight differences in voltage in the cables. My guess is there may be slight differences in the two amplifiers. It's possible there may be a slight difference in the switching box. Would be interesting to simply switch the cables with the current setup and see if the sound difference switches from a to b. Keep up the good work. I know any discussion on cables and their effect on sound gets people riled up on both sides...
Sorry to add to the nitpickers here, but my experience of the Douk Audio vu3 switcher was that it adds a lot of noise and distortion, to the extent that I sent mine back. If the noise and distortion on each channel is the same, that's fine, but that is arguable. To be honest, doing a true blind, or double blind, test in a domestic setting is pretty much impossible. Makes for a fun video, though.
On the other hand, doing a test in domestic setting means Randy is testing his system in the way he actually uses it. But the results he gets are applicable only as far as Randy is concerned. It can't be the final word. There are too many variables for there to ever be a final word. Despite all that it was an interesting video.
For what its worth, im seriously considering unsubscribing if you keep it up with these clickbait titles. Heck just leaving it out would have been enough "do power cables make a difference, blind testing etc". no need for the insufferable "the results suprised me"
Best video so far. I am gonna sell standard cables for $100 as they sound significantly better! 😂 Also, a warning, don’t open up your amp and check the electrical wiring inside… you might be disappointed…😊
The truth is that how you route your cables and deal with issues like ground loops is orders of magnitude more critical than the insulation on your power cords.
I have tortured myself about power cable, and here is my end take (for now). If you are plugging an expensive power cable into your house electrical outlet, you are wasting you money. The current from the city (Voltage and Amperage and 'noise') always vary so a good cable cannot eliminate that. If you are using a line conditioner (basically a hifi UPS) and you are using regular power cables after the line conditioner, you have wasted your money on the line conditioner. Do you know why your sound system plugged into the wall sounds better at 2AM? Because no body else is on the grid and the power you are getting from the power company is as clean as you will ever get. My 2¢. Love your channel.
So short answer is that cables do matter but not always in the way you think. My hifi retailer once told me to look at cables as a way to EQ your equipment. Sounds like good advice as long as you know what each cable sounds like. Thanks for doing the research Randy!
@@bigmike5785 maybe. However I don’t think he meant EQ like DSP would. He mentioned it as a way to trim the highs on a pair of B&Ws by using a “warmer” sounding speaker cable without investing in entirely new source equipment.
@@AmbientWanderer great question and that is what is cool about this hobby. There is always more than one way to achieve great sound. Depending how much tweaking you want to do or how much coin you are willing to shell out.
If you have noise in the line and you add a shield to it it will hold in even more of the noise than a plain cable. If you have noise and add a shield it can also function as an antenna and pick up more noise if not down properly. Improving the wiring in your home first would be the smarter move. Filtering aka conditioning before you put an expensive cable on it important. You have to start with clean low noise power before the cable matters. The problem is that most of America has really dirty power from the power company. Not only is there huge fluctiations in voltage but their is an insane amount of noise on the line and the wave form is not clean either. You would need a circuit that regulates the power including being able to increase or decrese voltage while keeping current stable and remove all of the noise and correvt the wave form. So you would need something like a variac and power inverter with that could keep current level at the same time. Anything less than that is Unicorn Tears and Pixie Dust! I doubt this would help but it is a lot cheaper than $350. Take some Romex and braid it and stick some Palomar Engineering EMI/RFI ferrite beads on the end before the gear. Maybe even coil the cable to act like an air choke to supress any RFI even further. A lot of step down transformers on power poles are super noisy but the power company will not replace them until they totaly fail often. Even if you can prove that it does not meat code it is hard to get them to change them. Building something with MOV's, 1:1 transfomer, ferrite filters and a lot of capacitence as a passive conditioner would help as well but is not cost effective for most people. The last thing you want to do though is shield a cable that is being feed noisy dirty power!
Tea tastes very different with an expensive power cord on the pot. Thank you, you have proven what I have always suspected about tea making and you have gained lots of clicks, comments and potential revenue in the process! Well done! Keep up the good work. You will be neither cheap nor poor in the near future.
Great review, but I would say you need a higher quality, more resolving system to hear more of a difference. I am not trying to make fun of what you have. I just think you should have done the test with a higher end system?
I generally have a problem with the whole cable thing particularly with Audioquest but here is the thing that I believe is quite important with power cables. Are they UL approved? I would bet that Audioquest cable is not. Safety could be an issue.
Actually, the UL approval holds only a little weight. It is important from a safety standard of course, but it is not a seal of approval. Things that are UL approved have failed before, it is a chain. You can have a UL approved cable, but if there is something else in the item or system as it were that is faulty the UL approval will mean nothing. The more important thing is compatibility. Using a different gauge power cable for example could be a big issue as it changes resistance (like a load), etc. and could do damage to another part of the gear. Personally, I would not mess around until after the warranty period. That said, if you are using the same gauge and topology power cable sans the fancy wrapping, as what came with the unit you should be just fine and have little to nothing to worry about. As for Audioquest, they are not on my list of folks who know what they are doing besides taking stock cable that anyone and everyone can buy and putting a fancy wrap on it and 6 figure packaging and selling it to unsuspecting folks at 6000% markup. I have had discussions with them in the past and frankly, I got tired of the crazy anti-science talk. They don't even understand basic physics. Personally, I would not purchase anything from a company like that. I can't trust them even if their cables were $2.
@@ericelliott227 totally agree. UL is just a starting point but you have hit directly on my problem with Audioquest. You can take a look at some of the tests that Audioholics have done in the past on their products and some of their very expensive cables have higher resistance then cheap 12 gauge wire. What really gives me heartburn is the cable they sell with a battery for thousands. I don’t want to start a pissing contest here I think we have been through this but as far as I am concerned if you believe in cables, Audioquest is just not the place to start. I have what I consider to be expensive cables on my Zu Soul Supremes which are made by Zu and they are definitely better in many ways then the Blue Jean Cables I was using and recently I ordered some Magnan speaker cables for my Tannoys mostly because I saw them at CAF in a room I liked and was quite curious. We will see.
@@monteverdefarms5626 Yup, the "battery packs" is but one of a list of problems I have with Audioquest. In fact, that was one of the "discussions" I had with them. They also used to do Cryofreezing (for an extra exurbanite fee of course). Notice how the was a thing for a short time and now no longer a thing? Where we really butted heads was when I brought up science, specifically physics, they got apoplectic and a little insulting, which told me a lot. Nothing wrong with Blue Jeans cable, I run them for my speakers. Actually Blue Jeans is a bulk cable supplier that places like Audioquest buy their bulk cable from. I run Beldin cable for my speakers from Blue Jeans. I make my own speaker cable (complete with the fancy techflex wrap, pants, shrink tube, the whole bit. I do that just because I can, it has no affect on performance of course, but looks like Audioquest cable sans the plastic brand badge and $120 packaging box). For interconnects I used to run Monoprice premium, good quality and very good shielding, but the terminators are way past overkill and could disembowel your gear if you aren't careful disconnecting them. When I finally got my "big boy" or "high-end" system or whatever you want to call it, I did some looking and went with WireWorld after an hour and a half conversation with them and a promise, which they kept. I was able to compare the Monoprice to the WireWorld and heard no sonic difference though the WireWorld cables were 15X the cost of the Monoprice or more. It was the terminators that were the factor for me. The thing I noticed about WireWorld was the lack of BS after the first two minutes of conversation. That is a huge factor on my scorecard. Th whole cable thing would be a different more reasonable game were it not for the anti-science, flat-earth crap. Nothing wrong with reasonable profit and paying for someone to build for you and all, but really, come on.
@@ericelliott227 I have seen the wire world stuff on The Cable Company. My only problem with Blue Jean is the connectors. I have to move my speakers because my room is also my home theater. So a few weeks ago moving one of my terminations broke and it was hell getting the pieces of the banana plug out and I had to put in one of my own connectors. I also have Nordost speaker cables, just basic stuff and I am sure it’s my imagination but I think the Blue Jeans sound better. Just more revealing. But let’s call it the power of suggestion. We shall see what happens but for now I feel pretty dumb having bought those Magnan cables. By the way all my interconnects are XLRs and I use Mogami Gold which I buy at Guitar Center.
The fact that there was so much wrong with the test as others point out and he didn't address the concerns show just how much he cares about his content.
i have an arcam alpha 9 CD player. many moons ago i re-stacked my gear on my equipment rack, i mistakenly put a cardas quadra cable in my cd player and a cardas golden cross in my pre-amp. (BAT VK 3i). i sat back and decided on lindsey buckingham to listen to. right away it sounded way off, soundstage, guitar detail, whole 9 yards. i thought something had broken or was loose. so went around pushing things and poking. then noticed a blue cable hanging out of the arcam, wait that should be plugged in to the pre-amp. i swapped the cables and lindsey was back to normal. it was an accidental blind test and was significant in audio quality.
Snake Oil. If you did hear a difference, swap amplifiers. Its probably a variation in the components. Even speakers vary. Just use an industrial/commercial grade cable and don't obsess.
@@calypsopiter Pure silliness. You'll have to explain how any of those boutique power cables alters the DC rails of your fine high end audio equipment.
@@chrisharper2658 You know, if you can hear change you just hear it by comparison or by noticing new details, same as when you add a mayo to your sandwich - if your taste buds are still working you will appreciate that the taste has changed. If not then well you won't, but not because mayo doesn't have any taste. Same goes with ears. All the best.
@@chrisharper2658 as for the physics - there is certainly something more to discover in this area. For sure we haven't discovered every phenomenon in the universe yet, don't you think?
Signal/noise inversion graph is better than a golden hart ear, haha. Lots of very pretty cables out there. No reason not to go with 14ga white, or 16 slim over 16ga plain. Otherwise, ‘more luscious” and “the fuller nonsense” remains that. Fun video, if a tad silly!
Do they make a power cord that goes all the way to the power company so you can bypass all the wires in your house and all the highline wires back to the substation 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@michaellichnovsky8397 no its not, it's like changing the last 3 feet of pipe and expecting it to make a difference in the water coming from the water company.
@Michael Lichnovsky if you need to clean something with your cable which change something…..put your amplifier/DAC/etc….in your dash. All necessary filters are included in electronics. It is really a simple filter that any electronic engineer learn at school. The only thing that could help is replace your power source by a set of battery to ensure a constant power.
@michaellichnovsky8397 no, its like changing the last few inches of pipe before going into your house. If you need cleaning you have a water filter in your house. And guess what amps have!? This wasnt a blind test either as it seems he knew when A or B was playing. His brain can just think it hears a difference and viola, it will be so.
I think to be clear the power cable cannot remove noise. It's construction can prevent the addition of more noise. Look there are places and I used to own one where the power supply is just not clean., changing the power cord is not going to help, ok it's not going to introduce additional noise granted. One last note for any one who doesn't understand a little knowledge of electrical is dangerous, and sometimes noise cancels itself out,hence the benefit of balanced connections.
Hey Randy, thanks for taking the time to do this comparison. Very interesting findings. You've now got me pondering a a related dilemma. I recently acquired a brand new $1500 3D printer. Unfortunately, the provided power cable, while high quality, is a tad short for my setup. Curiously, the longer cable from my old $200 printer fits perfectly. Given the importance of power cable quality in audio systems, is it plausible that the older cable could harm the print quality of my brand new printer? Conversely, if I were to use the new cable on my old printer, could that improve its print quality, bringing it closer that of the $1500 printer? I plan to A B the cables at some point, but not until break in is complete. Eager to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
As soon as he said amp A was more forward, I knew the AQ would be amp B. Beginners fall into this trap a lot where they think forward means more hifi, but the true hifi sound is when it's a soundstage that's relaxed, natural and thrown behind the speakers
Hifi will surprise you, sometimes seems to surprise engineers the most. Even top engineers like Paul at PS Audio will say about certain things "it shouldn't make a difference, there's no way it should make a difference, but it does." I think he said this a few days ago about the type of CD reading optical laser or something. Like he said, no way in the world it should matter.... but somehow, it does. My attitude remains that- everything makes a difference, literally everything. But, is that difference audible in my system, do I like it, prefer it, can I afford it and is it worth the £ for the difference. I use a headphone setup and I've been pretty surprised at what influences the sound, yes, a different fuse in the plug for the preamp clearly changed the sound. No I didn't prefer the fancy fuse! That's another thing, sometimes spending loads of money doesn't sound better to you. And of course sometimes you can't hear the difference in which case it's obvious- the difference isn't worth the £s. Be a sceptic, fine, but be empirical- hearing is believing and it's healthy to have an open mind. Audio and electricity are super weird, and hifi is harnessing that weirdness in super high detail in weird ways so trying to stick to a rigid belief about it, is a bit silly in my opinion. Also, just for an extra layer on top- the brain and perception. When I moved into my home it was decorated ok so I left most things. On the kitchen floor is vinyl flooring with a square grey print. I hate vinyl flooring. On the bathroom floor is the same vinyl flooring except, that vinyl has a wood pattern print on it. It has the colour of and looks like wood. The floor in the bathroom feels better. I hate vinyl, they're both the same material, but the one in the bathroom feels better because it looks like wood. And I know this clearly- doesn't matter, my brain prefers the same thing because it looks like wood.
I wouldn't call Paul a top engineer. He has plenty of experience in the industry but he's self taught and it's not hard to tell when he's steps outside the reach of his knowledge, which he does at times in his videos. I think it's also been shown by that he's been taught some fairly basic things for his experience level regarding speakers by Chris Brunhaver. I like Paul but while he has knowledge and is a good talker/salesman I don't consider him a top engineer.
Silver plated speaker cables sound different than regular copper speaker cables, I know because I hear it. Notice that I am not saying that they sound necessarily better Maybe you need a highish end system to tell the difference, I can’t tell, as I only have one highish end amp at the moment, sold my “cheap” amps
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Hey randy I have a power cable that I made myself from 10 AWG wire that's Cryo dipped, If you would like to A/B it with the audioquest let me know happy to send it to you.
Is this you Randy?
Just got scammed ...
Randy (oh sorry) Mr. Cheapaudioman. You are a great dude and I love listening to all of your work.
It is obvious that you really care about what you do and your sincerity comes through loud and clear.
I don't think that it needs to be done blind at all. Just re-do what you did this time, and then swap the
power cables and then do it again. I'm not worried, I trust you. And I think this would take a lot of the
stress out of it too. You know you got a good enough ear and you understand the framing of how the
music spits out. Try it, you may like it! And it might be really groovy man! Umm okay?
And I know a thing or 2. I am 62 and I have been an audio-foolery for 85 years.
Your mileage may vary.
Dale. (Sorry, I am just a big dork).
Higher quality cables filter noise better.
Nice review. One suggestion, though: it might be worthwhile to run the same test using the stock power cables on both amps to see if the amps themselves sound subtly different. Component tolerances may have a small effect on how each amp sounds.
Different runs of any given product may have different brand components. Look at the difference between opamps. You can order different brands on some equipment.
I second this. For a true double-blind test, each component needs to be swapped, especially the amps as their componentry introduces the largest potential for A/B variables.
That would require a proper abx test. Switching yourself and trying to listen for a difference (like was done in this video) doesn't work. In fact, I don't think there's a difference at all and if you would let someone else select amp A or B and then try to identify which one is playing you would fail.
Just switch power cables, run the test again, and see if the difference follows the cable.
Should be an easy enough thing to figure out. Which is actually a pretty interesting subject, worth some consideration - product variation. Reviewers often only test one unit, and especially if the company provided it directly, the experience could be not the same as when we buy the 'same' product.
Yeah, you really need to use the same chain so you account for unit variation. You can't use two different amps even if they're the same model, you have to use one amp, the only thing that should change is the thing you're testing (the power chord).
Don't forget dew point, barometer & ambient temperature.
And day of the week…I’m crabby on mondays and don’t like anything. Lol.
@@bdisaac1 😂 case of the Mondays 😂
True, even 2 excactly same amps can sound wildly different. The only thing you can switch is the powercable or the AB test isnt AB test. I use spesific AB box (passive) to these cable, DAC, amp test. Power cables need to be switched manually to same amp or DAC by someone else tho. From DAC you can use AB box or speaker cables AB box.
He fumbled the hell out of this test. Sigh.
The placebo effect is incredibly strong. Do more controlled, blind listening. TOTAL GAME CHANGER. I have told friends I switched cables on them, yet did NOTHING in reality... and they reported changes in bass, soundstage, everything.... yet nothing truly changed.
@@summerforever6736 - Cables are expensive Snake Oil, for elitist snobs, who have cash to throw around.
Don't tell him that I want him to struggle!
Yeah his test was not a blind test. It was more like an A/B test, but without knowledge what A and B are. But yeah, not a blind test.
It's actually NOT a placebo effect but a result of more critical listening and how our brains work. So yes, they actually DO hear differences. Lol. But it's all literally in their head.
@@josephoberlander How do you know it's not placebo? People have been demonstrated to perceive differences that do not exist. BT & DBT eliminates this possibility, and validates that the user is actually hearing a difference and not just imagining it. But yeah, rereading your comment, that's just what's commonly called as 'placebo'.
The electric cables inside your walls are regular 115v mono wire, you can put whatever you want an the end of it, it won't make a difference. This is basic physics. Those expensive cable are a scam.
Have you first tested if the amps sounded exactly the same with the same power cord?
Amplifiers do sound different.
This was my issue also. Switch the power cable and do it again.
This, amps are more likely to be affected by production variances.
@@spamcan9208 I thought amps, specially the ones from high end manufacturers would and should sound exactly identical. I'm retired now but way back when I was in the business, I brought the floor model Bryston 4B to a client's house who happened to be a music teacher and audiophile. As expected, it made his Thiel speakers sing in the typical Bryston fashion. I took the demo back and delivered a brand new unit. A week later, I got a call from the client stating this new 4B might not sound quite right, at least not as good as the previous one. I spent the next evening in his living room switching between the two amps. He was right, not that one sounded bad, but audibly different!
@@Arvidien I would imagine that as you go up in price you'll have more consistency and any differences will be subtle.
I think this needs to be ruled out but with class D amps like this there "should" be almost no variation.
I appreciate that he took the time to do this and his honesty about getting it wrong. Here are some things he could have done to make this a better test:
Run the two cables to a switch and then into one amp. This way you would be using the same amp and interconnect cables. Even if they were the same make and model of amp, manufacturing inconsistencies exist, and the interconnect cables could have different amounts of EMI if they aren’t in exactly the same position. You also wouldn't have to worry about volume matching.
You would need to have someone else switch between the two cables and sometimes not switch at all. It would have to be done outside the listeners field of view (that’s why it’s called a "blind" test) . Not knowing which cable is on which amp isn’t enough because once you formulate ideas about A or B based on one of the tests, you will have biases in future tests when you know that you are listening to the same equipment you heard in previous tests.
You should listen to a fairly large number of sound clips and decide for each one if there is a difference and if so, which you like better. Once you have a large enough sample size, you can calculate the statistical significance of the number of times you accurately identified that there was a change and how consistently you favored one cable.
As others have pointed out, no two electronic components are exactly the same. To validate your impressions, you could’ve swapped amp A with B (all inputs, outputs and power cables) and then see if you still thought the same about amp A vs B. In case the more bass now was in amp A (which was previously hooked up as amp B) then you would know that the amps themselves are more different than the power cables. If however amp B had the more bass also with the swapped cables, then you know that the power cables may have had something to do with it. I suspect the former scenario though, i.e. that the amps are more different than the cables.
If you're right, there's no point buying monoblocks. Or having a stereo system at all.
@@gergelyagoston274 The tolerances depend on the component-quality that the manufacturer has chosen.
On expensive products, those things get matched. In this very specific case I would guess that the Sabaj pair made the difference. Cables are typically only making a difference on a 0.5 db level.
@@toxicparasite3031 I know those were cheap amps, but they're ICE powered class D amps, made in a factory, with QC, not some home soldered tubes, so according to my belief system :) it's the cables. We would never know for sure, I guess.
Level matching is also a thingie.
@@gergelyagoston274 the difference would be very small and likely inaudible but so is the case for the speaker cables. I wouldnt worry about it and i also would absolutely not worry about having different power cable for monoblocks. But if you are doing a blind test you should make sure what causes a difference. In my book its more likely that one of the amps where defective than anyone actually hearing a difference between power cables.
perfect timing.. i was on Audioquest web page looking at power cables.. i went straight to the most expensive.. i thought i better youtube these and see what everyone is saying about these cables.. your video was the first to pop up .. thanks for the info on these ..
Expensive cables are the worst kind of audio snake oil. Even the blurb on the product description makes no sense at all - "Semi-Solid Concentric conductor arrangement reduces strand interaction distortion". Or how about "low DC resistance and zero characteristic impedance help deliver uncompressed transients on demand" ? It's hilarious.
As everyone knows, the cable that runs from the breaker box to the outlet is just plain old "Romex" and that length of cable is almost going to be much longer (maybe hundreds of feet) than the power cord going from the outlet to the gear. So it seems pretty unlikely that the last meter or 2 would fix much UNLESS.... the sonic difference are coming from stray electromagnetic fields generated by the cable itself. If that's the case, then installing a well shielded cable could make a noticeable difference. That said, there are way too many variables with this test procedure to draw any conclusions.
We don't use Romex in Great Britain.
I totally agree with your observation. I recently went down the wormhole of upgrading my hi-fi system. I did not absolutely need to run another circuit to the room, but it was easy enough since it was close to the breaker box. I had a spool of high quality Carol 4/C 10 AWG stranded wire laying around. I purchased a 500 ft roll to make a shore power cable for my boat. It worked well in conduit for the extra circuit. I used the 4th conductor as a second ground. (why not? couldn't hurt) This circuit is only for the hifi system. It feeds my Paramax M5400 power conditioner. Then out to the amp and sub. Did it make a difference? no clue, and should I buy different power cables for the Amp and Sub, probably not. It sounds great to me as is. But to your point, I find it hard to believe that someone can tell the difference with a different power cord coming out of the wall into your system, without changing the wires that are inside the wall. The same can be applied to speaker wires. I've taken several speakers apart before in my life, and to no surprise, lots of speakers have RadioShack quality wire on the inside of the cabinet. Even a set of $20k PMC speakers I disassembled had some questionable wiring inside of the cabinets. I might pull the trigger on a fancy looking cable just for aesthetics. I'm not saying that all cable discussions are snake oil, because I have heard some improvements with better cables in certain situations. I'll let you know if upgrading my power cables makes a difference being that I replaced all of the wiring all the way back to my breaker box.
First half of your argument makes no sense considering electricity travelling at nearly the speed of light but okay 😂😂😂😂 the sunlight doesn't flick on off as the light travels through space so yeah its just there...
But i agree shielded cables make a huge difference providing your not in a built up area
My friend runs balanced mains in his village little bit hard to distinguish a shielded power cord when your music rooms in the basement just above the ceiling you have 400mm of concrete heavily acoustically treated walls and earthed poles/rods aka gone the full 9 yards
But for better or worse he kept them as who wants a stock power cord hanging out your holo spring dac 😀😂
What about the transition from the outlet to the chord? Isn't it possible the transfer is a potential change. I mean, I can hear jitter, and that's just I'll shaped ones and zeros: I can imagine any changes in power draw 'might' have effects. I'm no electrical expert or course, so defer, but just putting my thoughts out there as I've heard too much differences with cables to just write it all off.
True 😮
The Audio Quest cable only accounts for the last meter or two. Is one going to replace all the house wiring in the walls and utility power distribution? Why not generate your own power with an inverter and dedicated power cord and bypass the utility company? I really don't see how this audio Quest cable can make a difference given the complete power distribution path.
For my setup my audio equipment is powered from a power outlet hookup to my Tesla. Nothing beats that setup. If you own a Tesla you must try it.
It was really a great blind test. Thank you. Unfortunately this kind of tests is very rare on RUclips.
It was very floored actually. Can't be using different amplifiers!
This is hilarious, been on motorcycle forums for years and they're constantly debating the merits of different motor oils, just getting into home audio since purchasing a pair of Magnepan speakers, and the levels of minutia are astounding, keep up the good work
Have you been to the “bob is the oil guy” forum?
Magnepans are fabulous speakers. I started with MMGs over 20 years ago, and now have 1.7is (along with a MGCC and MMG-Ws with DWMs supporting them)
@@philipjanoff535 I have been to "Bob the oil guy" forum, I have a set of 1.7s, using a Schiitt Vidar and a hybrid tube DAC, it's my 1st foray into higher end home audio , I need to decide what to replace my DAC with mine is cheap and not doing my Maggie's any justice
Well motor oils are definitely made different and some are better than others so that doesn't really follow this subject
With all due respect, any and ALL differences you might be hearing are due to variations between the "identical" amps/speakers/sources. The power cord will make precisely zero difference. The only valid way to test cords is to leave *everything else* totally unchanged. Yes, you'd need a Y-cable "splitter" for the power input, but any *differences* would still be apparent. Don't bother though - I guarantee you won't hear a difference.
I use the green dot hospital grade cords. They pop up at the thrift pretty often. Heavy gauge, strain relief plug ends and thick nickel plating on polished terminals. If it's good enough for an EKG machine it's good enough for my audio
Or use the ones in the box. No difference.
@@MrsZambezi exactly.. what's frustrating is that you could just put the signal into an oscilloscope and view the output.. but then the whole audiophile industry might collapse.. 😆
@@chriss4432 Those that claim differences would either not know one end of a 'scope from another or they do understand and are dishonest.
Yup, those two amps exhibit unit variation as is to be expected from complex electronic devices, especially not very expensive ones. Second failing of your test is that you always knew when you were listening to A or B. This is not the way to perform a double blind test. You could have done that test half properly even with two amps if you had someone swapping (or not) the cables between the amps randomly and then checking out if you could tell cable A from B consistently... People do not realise what a double test entails...
He is doing a blind test, not a double blind test. But I agree with your first statement that the variation in components within the amp is going to be significant.
This shows that once we make up our mind, our mind tends to gather evidences to support its fixated decision!
However, irrespective of results, its interesting that power cables did make (edit: perceptible) differences in audio!!
Eidt: Am sure two similar cables painted different and priced differently , would also sound, perceptibly , different!
did they?? or it was his brain??
Yeah there’s no proof here that the power cables made any difference at all.
@@endrizoThanks! Edited comment
@@cglaurerthe irony of the whole argument is we have equipment that measures this stuff... yet noone wants to use it.. wonder why 😅
did you ask someone to randomly swap the cable at least 10 times to check your sure the differences you heard remained attached to the same cable ? it is vastely more likely you picked up unit variation in one or a combination of the many component in the amps instead of the power cable+ac plugs.
Anyone who thinks audiophile power cords change sound have no idea lol. The wiring inside the amp is nothing special, your house wiring is nothing special, your street wire is nothing special. It is all in your head! That is before we even get to the fact its going through a transformer, rectification and filter capacitors…
Very challenging and quite interesting situation. I have heard differences in speaker cables, and interconnects, and S/PDIF coax - and frankly, it *seems* like the power cable on the amp would seem to be the "least" likely to affect the sound quality. Obviously - the power cable on the amp *does* affect the sound quality.
Blind A/B testing is great for determining *if* there is a difference, but in my opinion longer term listening to a system with music that you are familiar with, is the best way to judge which is qualitatively better - or which you prefer, at least.
The power cable is the foundation to the whole system and.makes a massive difference(if you go at least three or.more levels up the ladder).
@Neil Blanchard
It's long been proven that trying to hear differences between any two different audio system variables is way less reliable when listening to the sources long term.
The easiest and most reliable way to discern any differences is to take an identical and very short snippet of the program material (1-3 seconds) and instantaneously switch between them with no gaps. The two sources must be perfectly level-matched, and you must not know which device you are listening to at any given time or if it has actually been switched or not, and you need to reliably discern and record or make note of the specific difference correctly AT LEAST 8 out of 10 times, otherwise the results are just pure coincidence and down to chance.
For future blind tests may I recommend.
1. Use one setup, this way everything is the same.
2. Have another person change the tested equipment. That way you don’t know or guess which is which.
3. Have person randomly change, or not change, equipment at each test.
4. on a sheet of paper mark which one you liked and why.
5. Test each song five times on each piece of equipment.
Love the work.
I use audioquest nrg z3 for my Hegel h190 it also shocked me sounds smoother more natural. Better bass. As hole it was an improvment. Campered to stock cable
Any chance the amps weren't exactly the same? There will be variations - certainly more likely than a cable.
I would have asked that you swap the power cables and find out if the noted differences followed the power cable.
@@whollymindless This was my thought
Bass response is very simple to measure with a test signal and a cheap scope. A couple of people have mentioned component tolerances in the amps creating a difference; I'd agree. I know it's not a very fashionable thing to assert, but differences you can hear can usually be measured. Not attempting to measure things you can hear leaves a lot of doubt and uncertaintly about what is happening. Marketing and doubt are often found eating and drinking together!
It’s always interesting: people who believe you when you are describing the difference in the sound of gear, suddenly don’t believe you when you are describing the difference in the sound of cables.
Great job!
The difference here is, these cables are not carrying the audio information, they're just power cables!
@@stephenschmid492 ... and the audio coming out of your gear is very dependent on the power they receive.
@@Coyotehello The distance from your receptacle to your audio equipment is not significant to make a difference when taking into account the standard 14 gauge wiring from your mains circuit breaker. From an electrical engineering standpoint this is nonsense.
@@Coyotehello Audio electronic components operate using DC voltage. The incoming power line is AC, which is converted to DC by a component's power supply. So two things have to be true for a power cord to have an effect of significance on the audio you hear: First, the cord has to change the DC output voltage of the power supply in some significant way, and then that DC voltage change has to have an effect on the audio waveforms. If someone can demonstrate that, great, but I find it highly implausible.
I say the exact same thing to people who claim that magic healing crystals and magical healing bracelets do not work. I'm like they do work, I put them on, I'm instantly healed and feel much better, yet they don't believe me... And it's the same people who believe me when I tell them that I own a computer. Go figure!
Nice video, Randy. I think it would be cool if you do a double blind test, using the same chain. One person to set it up, one person to make the switch, and you be the listener.
Only DB testing is reliable. This has been fought over for decades in the woo-saturated world of audiophilia!
Now power cables make a difference? Spare me, please!
It would be a waste of time, money and energy.
Great Review!!! Glad to see Audiophiles actually taking the time to conduct proper testing. That said I would be curious if you swapped the power cables but kept the same set up to see if the results were cable specific, or small compounded tonal differences in the multiple components. Either way, AWESOME JOB!!! and PS- Seen Metallica live in 2001.. STUNNING SHOW!!!😍😍😍 Keep up the AMAZING work!!!
Right, it's not actually blind because, the chains weren't swapped. One you think A has a difference.. You're going to keep hearing that difference between each track..and you won't know if it's your mind compensating. To do a blind test, you need another party that will randomize for each sample. If it was swapped between each song by another party, then that would be following scientific method a lot better.. a, a, b, a ,b,b .. If you can follow through the sequence of swaps, you can be a lot more confident you actually followed the tested component
I didn't switch them out but I may do just that. I'm off to the next video but I do have a lot more AQ products that I can make people's heads spin off. thank you so much for supporting the channel
@@cheapaudioman heck yea brother. I like getting people all riled up on cables. You did it very tactfully and respectfully. I loved it!! Keep up the killer work!
I use a $35 Tripp Lite Heavy Duty Power Cord, 20A, 12AWG (IEC-320-C19 to NEMA 5-20P). This power cable is usually used for connecting large servers to PDUs. I use this cord as a replacement power cable for a high end integrated audio amplifier. This 20 amp cable is very robust and works very well comparable to other products that can cost 10 to 20 times more. It's also a bit difficult to find cables with the C19 socket configuration - outside of cables made for computer equipment.
@cheapaudioman fake account
In general, the higher the quality of components, the more easily differences in sound will be to detect. Cumulative additions can also make a big difference. But for AC driven systems, quality starts at the wall.
Why at the wall? Your plug socket is literally miles away from where the power was generated, its pretty hard to see why the last two meters will significantly effect performance.
@@starofcctv94 well technically clean AC should start at the junction box, where electricity first enters the home. Nothing can be done about the quality of AC delivered to the home. Of course alternatives such as batteries can power equipment independent of the electrical grid.
No surprise there. The only value better power cables provide is attenuating noise, and that explains the less forward midrange and your comments about the high end with the quieter cable. Added noise does just the kinds of things you described, and a little extra "bright" from noise hides the bass, which explains that observation as well. (It's not just noise, there is intermodulation distortion and problems for digital components that power supply noise causes). Thanks for doing this.
I'll start by simply applauding your attitude and approach to making the video. It's an interesting start for the test, but there's quite a few other things that could explain the difference perceived.
If I were doing this test I'd now continue and do a few more things. Amps vary per unit so I would need to do it a few times with the power cables attached to both units. Also, I wouldn't trust that Douk unit and would need to test that independent of any other changes. Lastly, I'd have a friend swap the power cords (or just say that he did) several times, including using a stock cord on BOTH units at the same time. Expectation bias is HUGE. It would take at LEAST that amount of fiddling before I would believe that it was the power cable doing something, because as all EEs know, if both cables can transmit the required volts/amps, electronically it is basically impossible for that last 6 feet of power to make an audible difference. Yet there is no doubt people do, so getting to the bottom of WHY that is interests me the most.
I spent some time in studios the big thing about cables is few studios are spending that kind of money on cables, but what we did do was power conditioning even a cheaper conditioners will make a huge difference in lowering the Nosie floor for a cost to benefit ratio. It is crazy to think that if you wanted to use audio quest cables for the main studio with 80+ rack mounted pres and what not they would be spending tens of thousands just in power cables.
not saying cables don't do anything but bang for buck power conditioning is were it is at. Plus also provides extra protection for what can be very pricy electronics.
I think many of us that have been in studios or that have set up live performances share that opinion. I've been using a Furman power conditioners for years and they work great. Certainly more of a positive effect than any power cable I've tried. That said, I've tried a few other conditioners under ~$200 and they don't work as well.
@@terrywho22 kinda agree maybe they have just gotten cheaper but I got a $60usd Pyle that made a really big difference for the price but I use that for my PC and got a audio quest PQ2 for around $230 usd
Aren't you assuming that the amps are completely identical? I think it is more likely that the difference is in the amps than in the cable. You might try swapping the cables and testing again.
Thanks for doing this and reporting on it. Please don't be discouraged by the "you did it wrong" comments. Many of us really appreciate you doing this. Cheers!
I bought a Sith hybrid power cord. It powers my hifi and can also power my bath once filled with water.
🔌🛁😀
Do you think the 30' of wiring going to your outlet has a lesser effect then a 4' wire from it to your amp? Did it increase the voltage? 😅😅😅
I've heard this argument used to debunk power cords over and over, and to some degree it makes a valid point. If it's a simple component (or system of components) using a 14 gauge power cord of 6 - 10 feet of length, the argument makes perfect sense. But what of something like a Niagara 5000 power conditioner on a 10 gauge dedicated line with mono power amps plugged in with 10 gauge power cords each? The Niagara using an 8 gauge cord. The Niagara can deliver short bursts of 90 amps through its power amp outlets. You want as robust a power cord as you can get so the amps aren't starved. The line of power to the amps is no longer limited to what has been run from your panel box to the amps. From the power conditioner on it now is subject to THAT component's power delivery.
Sound doesn't travel through power cords, and the power supply converts everything coming from the wall to DC and filters it. The cord physically can't make a difference in sound, and it's a silly thing to encourage people to spend hundreds of dollars on. Any system that would actually be affected by using a different power cord is an indication of a really bad design, not a good power cord. Audiophile power cords are the original audio snake oil, so I don't know why this is still even a thing.
Because your ears don't work. I built my own cable from parts on ebay and the difference was night and day
@@synaesthesia2010 then you fooled yourself into believing it, good for you I guess?
My nephew studied electronic engineering. He said the same thing. And I always thought that he was right. RCA interconnects and speaker cables however,made a noticeable difference. And he could hear those differences. Now,he's not an audiophile like me,but he does like to listen to all kinds of music. But not on stereo systems. Mostly on the computer,or through his phone using earbuds or headphones. For years I went along believing that power cables couldn't make a difference. And then,because it was cheap,I heard of the hospital grade "jellyfish" cable that people on Audiogon were talking about. It's still available on Amazon under North American Hospital Grade Power Cord(Gray jacket with clear purple plugs) ,HG NEMA 5-15P to IEC-60320 C13, Heavy Duty 14AWG. So I bought the 10ft. cable (I later experimented with making different lengths and adding different branded AC connector plugs, 10ft. was better than 6ft. for some reason) .
The difference was major! Compared to the stock cord, of the same awg. Now this was years later after I convinced my nephew that RCA cables did make a difference as well,because he could hear the differences. So, I invited him over and told him to listen for himself. He couldn't believe what he heard! It didn't make sense at all. because the stock cable was the same guage,and the length was only a couple feet shorter,so it couldn't make a difference. I kept switching the cable back and forth and it was undeniable. And this was only the cable to my power amp. Then I switched the cables on my pre-amp and cd player. It was like a different stereo system now. And to add to that,plugging in the power cable,directly into the wall,vs plugging into the Monster cable power strip,made a difference also. My nephew was perplexed at what he had heard. Before,he'd swear that all audiphile cables were sake oil nonsense. But he also knew me,and that I would spend money for audio cables,unless I could actually hear a difference!
Fast forward a few years. I got an Emotiva system. I used these stock Hospital grade power cords with all the components.Even on my Panasonic Blu Ray player with analog outputs. So now I tried just using the wire from the gray hospital plugs as I cut the ac plugs off and attached Wattgate AC plugs. Did they sound better?
Not that much. And Wattgate AC plugs weren't that cheap. Next I found these audiophile AC Plugs by SONARQUEST in China. They were cheap. Under $35. for the male and iec plug set. Were they much better? Oh yeah they were. And Sonarquest makes different AC plugs. They sell gold plated copper,all red copper, rhodium plated copper,and silver plated copper,ac plug sets. Each metal had a slightly different sound characteristic.
I like the silver plated the best. It was the most dynamic,with deeper and quicker bass, with slightly more airy highs.
Copper was neutral, and just slightly more open than the stock black cord,but still more bass slam. The gold plated ac plugs were definitely the warmest with plump bass and rolled of highs. The rhodium I didn't like. They sounded sterile and dry. But still better than the muddy dull sounding stock black power cords.
If you're interested,these Sonaquest AC plugs are still available on ALI Express. I bought all of mine from one seller on Ebay,but this was years ago. And that seller is gone. I also experimented with many different brand 14awg and 12awg wires. Even speaker wires. The gray hospital power cord,it has to be the 14awg,the 16awg doesn't sound the same, sounded the best.
Now I also made my own RCA interconnects using the best UPOCC Ohno solid core copper wires,combines with Jupiter pure silver 4x9's solid core wires. They bested my previous interconnects from Straightwire,Audioquest,and other brands on Audiogon,by a huge amount. And all of the different ones I experimented with,only cost about $150. or less to make,for a one meter pair. I spent two years and countless hours of testing,and inviting others to listen to my cables. I even sold a few to a couple guys I met on craigslist. My cables outperformed the ones they had bought on Audiogon for way less.
@@deydrm yeah I'm not reading all that, but suffice it to say, you're wrong and it's been proven in double blind testing many, many, many times. But it's your money, you can waste it as you see fit, I'm not going to.
So, in car audio it's dc from the get go yet replacing the garbage thin ground and power cables supplied by the manufacturer makes a rather big difference in allowing your amplifiers to sound crisp and does away with the dash and headlight flickering...Voltage actually increases from doing this.
Why couldn't it be possible the power supply in a home receiver or device couldn't benefit from from a better quality power signal to allow the power supply to do its better job?
My guess is you use 18g speaker wire and 3 dollar rca interconnects because evsrything else is snake oil.
I think what this comes down to is subtle variance in impedance or resistance with the thickness and quality of the copper in the cables. It’s probably suuuuper subtle, but I can see it doing something, as most power cables are built right at the tolerance line.
Yes but also no, it has a lot more to do with the poynting vector and how it's affected when it comes to power and speaker cables. So power is actually extracted from the EM field and not in the cable as such (kind of wild, but actually true, from a physics pov), ohms law and similar is actually derived from Maxwell's field equations and if you check the full field equations (poynting vector is the power derived from the EM field equations) some things regarding electricity is just put on it's head. So the actual geometry of the cable has an effect ie if there is a shield and where the shield is placed, braiding, what isolating material is used etc. The science asylum had a great video on it (his channel is great if you like physics) "Circuit Energy doesn't FLOW the way you THINK!" and he explains how it works way better than I ever could (well, not audio cables but what a poynting vector is). :) (Yes it's actual real physics taught in Uni and not some nutjob just rambling)
I'd wager you're far more likely to hear the 1% and 5% tolerances of the resistors and capacitors than the miniscule difference in a power cable, particularly when it's nowhere near its power rating
It's not that. It's differences in design and shielding that potentially minimize electromagnetic frequencies emitted by AC power cables which can muddy adjacent analog signals.
That said this was a bad test. He was using two different amps and he also clustered a bunch of different potential sources of electromagnetic interference together within close proximity to the devices he was testing.
Ha, you’re all high.
@@callmesceptical9114 I wish!! I actually have worked with EMI/EMF measurements, would much prefer to be high and forget all about Maxwell!! :D
In-house power cabling supplying electrical outlets certainly isn't "audiophile." As long as the power cable connecting the amp to the outlet is transferring power correctly, there shouldn't be any differences. Certainly none you could hear. I'd suspect any differences that are audible to be in the amps. Suggest you switch amp A & B power cables and retest. My guess is you won't hear anything different from your first test.
No Snake Oil here... I once took my amp to my local power station and plugged it directly into the distribution bus-bar. Man I tell you, the difference was immediately obvious! The bass was nore punchy and the soundstage really opened up.
I dont advise doing this unless you're a qualified Engineer, but I guess Audioquest found a way to bring the sub-station closer to your home for only $300.00👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽💯🙏🏽
@Wilderness Music I think you missed the sarcasm
This is untrue.
It is significant to note that differences between power cables were "easy to hear". That is important to note. Whether you like the differences comes down to personal taste. Lastly, these audible differences will also be very system dependent! All these factors contribute to the raging debate about power cords. My advice is to try a few different power cables in your own system, pick the sound YOU like, and forget about what anyone else has to say about it. YOUR ears and YOUR enjoyment are unique and most important to enjoy the music. Peace.
100% everyone's ears are different, their systems are different and their household electricity is different- so it's exactly like you say.
You cannot conclude there is a difference between the two based on this test. You would need an abx blind test.
@@kooijbas This. It's sad when huge audio channels begin to fall deeper into the snake oil rabbit hole. You can usually tell that they want to hear differences and so they do. They won't be doing any proper abx blind testing. All of the Harman research is simply ignored by most folks.
@@kooijbas I didn't watch the video, I'm talking about my own experience with my own ears. Your mileage may vary.
@@willjohnson2722 Your ears can and will deceive you if you know which system you're listening to. You cannot draw a conclusion then.
The most interesting thing for me was that there was a noticeable difference. It's then more subjective as to which one we prefer. We all get this chance to a/b test with the stock cable when we buy the Audioquest and then have the ability to send the Audioquest back if it doesn't impress. Thanks for such a useful video!
Randy! Thank you for sharing! It’s an interesting topic, and I have trusted your insight for long time! We all know that so many people come here to tell everyone else what YOU heard and what they SHOULD think.
Thank you for taking time to tell us what you heard, regardless of the haters.
*what he thought he heard
The mind is a powerful thing when it comes to listening to things that are the same :)
Did you try to swap the power cables and check the difference of the amps? Wouldn't have been a blind test but would be interesting to see if the difference followed the cable at all...
Most likely the quality control of the amps are the reason for any differences. If one power cable had much greater resistance than the other it may cause a difference when drawing high current. But similar gauged wires of the same material should be very close. JMHO
I agree, it's more likely to be a difference between the amps that R was hearing. There is no plausible explanation for a difference in the sound between the cables.
Thanks for doing the test. As some have noted, would have been neat to swap the cables, and even use 2 default cords. Amp variation is what I suspect the most, as well as potentially a tiny amount of EMI reduction into interconnects due to better shielding in the fancy power cable. Theres no doubt the audioquest cable is a very high quality build. I just can't see how the last 6 feet of an AC power source can affect the sound, when there's another 50 or so feet of 14/2 nmd90 in the walls.
nice! Now try running 10awg wire dedicated AC circuit(s) on single pole breakers (preferably a 20A breaker but 15A works ok too) and A/B that. That’s where it counts! I have dedicated 10awg circuits for each component and it made a very noticeable improvement. Make sure these breakers are connected on the same phase in breaker panel. I use generic style power cables but they are 14awg vs the 18awg wires that typically come with gear.
I also used 10awg on my dedicated 20a lines. I was surprised how much better my setup sounds when I switched over
@@MrBonger88 I know right. I wish I had known sooner. Anyone looking for hifi sound needs to do this before upgrading gear IMO
You’re all kidding right?
@@callmesceptical9114 Not at all. It’s not about current or voltage, it’s all about less resistance in the wire. And no interference from other devices on the same circuit. I have always known about the benefits of decimated circuits but recently learned about upsizing the wire to 10awg 1-40 feet, 8 awg 40-60 foot run, 6 awg wire 60+ feet.
@@callmesceptical9114 Yes, they are either kidding or mistaken.
Feeding my Peradigne A2s with 2 pole power cords. Went to Belden 3 pole shielded cords with 2 pole adapters. Thought I heard an improvement in weight and clarity. At least it only cost $6 bucks for the adapters. My question would be if $250 bucks could be used to improve your system better elsewhere? I’m simply too lazy to order expensive wires to try and then return them. Most people probably keep them, can’t bother returning! I’ve blown $100s on interconnects and felt it was well spent, the improvements were obvious. Would be interesting to try these cords when the system sounds bad from power line hash.
Do you suppose the gear manufacturers purposely cripple their equipment with insufficient and under-specced power cables? Also, after the electricity runs through hundreds of feet of romex in your house, after being delivered to the house over miles and miles of aluminum transmission lines, how could a short run of copper cable improve anything about the "quality" of the power?
If you run the cable through a pipe it certainly makes a difference.
I'm wondering how many will say bs.
I should clarify. When a cable is run in an enclosed space, eg conduit it is de rated
I don't know. The power from the transformer to your house is many hundreds of feet. Then from your breakers it goes through dozens of feet of house wiring. Why would the last 3 feet make a difference?
Other than adjusting for volume, did you run the amps through the same tests with the same power cords? With no experience, my common sense would think that all amps will have sonic variations even when level matched.
I didn't do the test, so just my thoughts
The mains are susceptible to RFI and EMI .
The sole reason I replaced the power cables that came with my audio equipment is build quality. I love the Audioquest NRG range (X though, as I'm not made of money) because they're engineered and built to last forever. Do they make a difference to the sound? Nah, not in my set-up, nor did I expect them to or hope they would - they just fit better.
Made my own using Oyaide black mamba v2 mains cable. It's very stiff but sounds full, rich, and linear. Use it with both systems on everything.
How about doing the test with stock power cables on both amps? If you get similar results to the test you performed, that points to differences somewhere else in the signal chain. I'd be suspicious of the speaker switching box in that the resistance of each set of contacts might vary over the frequency spectrum. Is there a possibility that left and right speaker wiring was out of phase for amp A, which could account for less bass on A than on B?
Finally someone appears who demystifies and exposes the truth ahahahha.
I have a recording studio and I always found this discussion between audiophiles about cables, power cables, line cables, the most ridiculous are the speaker cables!
I have several friends, so-called audiophiles, and spend thousands of dollars on cables.
The first thing they say is obviously the price of the cable! :)
Then they argue like there is no tomorrow about the sex of angels.
“With this cable the bass is much more consistent, with the other one I hear more the high frequencies...ahhh but with this one, I hear more the voices...basically the medium frequencies.” joking once said. The best is connect the 3 cables to each speaker, this way you get the perfect sound! :))
The truth! Blind testing!, just like the wine! :)
The surprises are unbelievable
Thanks, good job cheapaudioman!!!
Fun test! Thanks for putting in the time! We'll never get tired of A/B comparisons 🙂
I snagged some custom built power cables from pine tree audio on ebay for dirt cheap for shits and giggles. I bought them mainly because they're shielded. Could be total placebo but I noticed a slight difference in clarity. Who knows, I may be crazy. Fortunately, I don't spend much at all so who cares?!
A true blind test would be if you didn't even know if Amp A or Amp B were playing. Have someone else randomly play the part not even knowing what amp it was playing from. The bias already comes in when you know that it's A or B, regardless of the cable.
@cheapaudioman fake account
Wrong
Glad i put my system together spring 2021 before the global price hikes! Got my 1 meter NRG-Z3 for 199. Its 249 now BUT if you are purchasing in store i recommend haggling on price. For instance i got 1 meter of AudioQuest Red River interconnect for 110 while it was priced 180 no sale i just told the guy at store im interested in some AudioQuest products but absolutely wont pay MSRP. The mark up is so ridiculous they could sell all their product for 50 percent off and probably still be making a killing. So i really like after market cables mostly just cause they look cool haha any actual improvement is just a bonus for me. Other than that its just construction and looks. Now i just need to decide if i want to get an NRG-Y3 for my CD player or get a Monsoon for my integrated and move the Z3 to the CD player. Thing is the NRG-Z3 is 14 gauge so its probably more than most people would ever need, like its already probably overkill for my Marantz PM6006 but like ive mentioned i like the looks lol
I would suggest going with the best cable you can fit into your budget. It is going to bring the entire system up at least one or two notches. If your amp then becomes the weak link in your system then when you upgrade the amp you will have a well matched system with the power cable imho.
Much respect. I didn't put much stock in cables making a huge difference, and my takeaway from this is that perhaps, once other variables are dialed in, it is worth getting better-built cables, if you prefer the difference they make in the sound. Probably still more prudent, if you're looking for the most effective use of a limited budget to 1) Get a set of speakers or headphones that you really like, 2) Make sure you have quality recordings you enjoy, and 3) Get a source that seems like it will do the trick. After those things are considered, to whatever budget works, then go for decent cables, and at that, it seems like the margin of utility diminishes considerably before getting to Audioquest-level expenditures.
I have to say one thing. Most people don't know what cymbals REALLY sound like. I know many people that don't like speakers that reproduce cymbals properly. I know how they sound because I have been playing drums for 38 years.
Great video by the way. Thank you.
Have you considered running a null test using a single source into both amps that feed into a single speaker? This would be an objective method to hear any differences between the amps. It should also be run using the standard cables on both amps to see if the amps themselves have any variation in their outputs.
Why would you play into only one speaker and cancel out all differences a cable makes to soundstage and imaging?
@@flashhog01 A null test is used to objectively detect any output differences between two amplifiers. Correctly set up, the single speaker will only playback the audio of the differences in the output of both amps. You would start off doing a null test with both amps using the stock power cables. If you hear sound from the speaker, stop there as the amps outputs are not identical so any potential sound differences could be from the amp itself. If there is silence from the speaker, then the output of both amps is identical and you can proceed onto repeating the test with one amp using the stock power cable and the high end cable into the other amp. This time, if no sound is heard, the cable is having no effect. If sound is heard, then the cable does change the sound output of the amp. Whether or not it is improving the sound is now up to subjective listening tests of music in a normal stereo setup. Basically you need to first determine there is a difference before spending time looking for what effect that difference makes. It is really easy to deceive ourselves when listening for subtle differences in sound, especially when there is no actual differences in reality. Note: It was a null test that Bob Carver used when, in the mid 80s, he challenged two high-end audio magazines to give him any audio amplifier at any price, and he’d duplicate its sound in one of his lower cost designs. He succeeded both times. Google The Carver Challenge Stereophile
I haven't had a HiFi component system since 1994, and that was my entire Phase Linear system I bought when I was stationed in Germany in 1978. Took me two tours to save enough money for that behemoth. Back then, no one gave a ship (see what I did there, Randy?) about cables...you used what came with the system and forgot about it. But I am glad I watched this. It may have not been in my interest circles but I enjoy watching your videos. Now days, I am a full-time headphone guy and God knows there's enough cat fighting in that part of the HiFi realm.
That's the reason I no longer identify as an audiophile. Seems a prerequisite to being an audiophile is being an insufferable asshole when someone disagrees with you. I am so past that. But this was a fun watch. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
I haven't read down into the comments but I am guessing you are being excoriated here and there. Hope I'm wrong brother.
This was quite a thoughtful and well-presented video on the matter.
As a rule regarding my own kit, I use the provided power cables which are connected to a power conditioner, which for me is more than fine. If the power cords go bad I replace them with a basic yet reasonbly well-made & well reviewed equivalent in the approximate $30-$40 range at the most.
The very idea that a company would charge $350 for a single power cable, to me, is silly. I've often wondered how thin the line exists with respect to experiencing a difference/improvement and wanting to experience a difference/improvement.
The subject matter though interesting, can, in my opinion, create a landscape of over-thinking in which the hobby becomes more about the equipment than the simple enterprise of enjoying what you have, by focusing on the music itself. Therefore I see the topic as something that is both informative yet also cautionary at the same time.
Steve Guttenberg touched on this subject a time or two regarding if one's focus is about the music or is it more about the gear.
However, if one is perfectly willing who also possesses the resources & time to pursue such an endeavor regarding high-end power cables, then by all means spend away and compare, it's not my time or money being spent. It's not for me to determine how another's ears work.
I can only trust my own perspective that my own ears will allow.
People are going to criticize everything and trivialize it when it comes to this subject. I put it in lamen terms.
Noise floor, noise floor, noise floor.
Picture the noise floor as an internet connection. The more people that connect, the slower the connection, because you're losing bandwidth. The more noise going through your system is literally doing the same thing. The result ends up being a compressed signal floating down the wire that exits the drivers with noise
Now I'm sure there's more technical BS that goes with this and so on. Before people get their panties in a bunch, a perfect example would RCA interconnects vs. balanced.
Very good video. A++ for a tough subject.
Thanks for doing this! It's all about having a good time... trying new components, cables, etc... just for fun. This was a super interesting comparison, and I enjoyed the video (and your reaction)! Haters gonna hate, but I appreciate the journey. Keep up the excellent work! 😀
But if it's the case that it makes no difference; that changing the last meter of wire of electricity running through miles of copper wire makes no audible difference... Wouldn't you think people would be better off spending their time, money and energy on real improvements rather than wasting it on snake oil?
@@literalghost929 Arguably, listening to more than a cheap pair of earbuds or music on TV is a waste of time, money, and energy for many people (i.e., snake oil). I'm not here to judge others on what they choose to believe or spend money on.
This is a fun and interesting video. I hope Randy gets 10 million views and can afford a decent holiday for his family because of it. 😀
@@dalethompson1984 Snake oil = selling lies. It's a scam. It's like buying a worthless rock for thousands of dollars, because you've been hoodwinkled into thinking it's a magical healing rock. It's not.
You can buy high quality headphones with quality drivers, high performance. That's not snake oil. When people pay ridiculously overpriced power cords thinking they improve sound, they've been scammed. Clear and simple. They wouldn't be able to tell the difference vs a random $2 PC power cord in a blind test because it makes absolutely no difference.
I have a Simaudio i-5 integrated amp with Focal Profile 18 for 10 years. I went to an Audio show and a representative from Simaudio suggested I replace my generic power cable with something better without going crazy...( He also told me to keep my I-5 because it is soundly better than the Ace) I had doubt but I got a entry level Audioquest NRG X3 for my amp and a X2 for my Node 2I streamer, with no expectations. This might sound ridiculous but 2 weeks later, I think there is a difference. More image, more softness. It might be a placebo effect but it was not a big investment and I will not return them.
There is a physiological component to sound reproduction. If you pay $250 for a power cable it going to sound good or improved, whether it does or not.
The concept of spending $350 on a power cable to improve audio quality, which is questionable at best, astounds me.
Investing that money towards a better amp or speakers seems much more prudent.
After miles of regular wiring coming to your house, a 3 foot cord isn't going to do much.
I love a good cable controversy video!
It's simple those that don't believe there is a difference have never tested and blindly believe they are right..but you have to test like you did and flick from one to the other quite quickly, this way I have done and know things sound Different with cables, whether speaker, power or interconnects, now, are they better . NO, they are just different and when you go to get a coffee and come back you have already forgotten the difference anyway..
So blind testing this quick shows a difference, but the next day you would never remember what cable you left in.
This is the correct answer. 👍
Yes i think they matter,would i go spend $1200 or more on a power cord NO. I think that doing a "hospital" (green dot) cord makes a difference but at some point past that, the return/performance for value, takes a nose dive after that and is not appreciable enough to be worth while. I think the money would be better spent on upgrading the caps etc in your amp/gear. One thing past this though,that i have NOT messed with but... mean to one day, as i find it interesting, is the audiophile wall power "outlet" itself? That also seems like to some degree a worthwhile investment, i mean... how "good" could a regular .89 cent outlet be🤔
I use Carol or Southwire 12/3 and 10/3 SJOOW cable for all of my equipment including Processors, Dacs, EQ's, DVD and CD player. Excellent quality, not expensive and will hold up for decades and never be obsolete. They sound fine. Better than the stock cable yet is an upgrade. All you need for Home theater and audio in general.
It is physically and scientifically impossible for a power cable to alter the sound if (1) sufficient to carry the load (2) sufficiently/correctly shielded, both of which manufactures mastered many decades ago. I give props to this channel for the attempt at an objective test, but either someone else would have to be randomly switching them and or, something would have to randomly doing it for him. Two, if he's able to pick them out, they're still not perfectly balanced and humans can tell the difference between very small DB differences.
Did you check for underlying sample variation?
Omg that's hilarious. You're doing the Lord's work Randy. Us peasants buying Amazon cables are grateful for your research
This was an interesting test. I am a skeptic when it comes to cables making a difference in the sound. Particularly power cables. The amps have power supplies and transformers inline before the rest of the electronics. This would negate any difference in impedance or slight differences in voltage in the cables. My guess is there may be slight differences in the two amplifiers. It's possible there may be a slight difference in the switching box. Would be interesting to simply switch the cables with the current setup and see if the sound difference switches from a to b. Keep up the good work. I know any discussion on cables and their effect on sound gets people riled up on both sides...
HAHA that is fantastic... maybe it makes a diff in some circumstances... but my tinnitus ears don't need a $3xx power cable. Happy friday folks.
Sorry to add to the nitpickers here, but my experience of the Douk Audio vu3 switcher was that it adds a lot of noise and distortion, to the extent that I sent mine back. If the noise and distortion on each channel is the same, that's fine, but that is arguable.
To be honest, doing a true blind, or double blind, test in a domestic setting is pretty much impossible. Makes for a fun video, though.
On the other hand, doing a test in domestic setting means Randy is testing his system in the way he actually uses it. But the results he gets are applicable only as far as Randy is concerned. It can't be the final word. There are too many variables for there to ever be a final word. Despite all that it was an interesting video.
For what its worth, im seriously considering unsubscribing if you keep it up with these clickbait titles.
Heck just leaving it out would have been enough "do power cables make a difference, blind testing etc".
no need for the insufferable "the results suprised me"
Best video so far. I am gonna sell standard cables for $100 as they sound significantly better! 😂 Also, a warning, don’t open up your amp and check the electrical wiring inside… you might be disappointed…😊
I thought the main benefit of good power cables was to minimise their interference with your other low voltage cables (connects, speaker)
The truth is that how you route your cables and deal with issues like ground loops is orders of magnitude more critical than the insulation on your power cords.
I have tortured myself about power cable, and here is my end take (for now). If you are plugging an expensive power cable into your house electrical outlet, you are wasting you money. The current from the city (Voltage and Amperage and 'noise') always vary so a good cable cannot eliminate that.
If you are using a line conditioner (basically a hifi UPS) and you are using regular power cables after the line conditioner, you have wasted your money on the line conditioner.
Do you know why your sound system plugged into the wall sounds better at 2AM?
Because no body else is on the grid and the power you are getting from the power company is as clean as you will ever get.
My 2¢.
Love your channel.
So short answer is that cables do matter but not always in the way you think. My hifi retailer once told me to look at cables as a way to EQ your equipment. Sounds like good advice as long as you know what each cable sounds like. Thanks for doing the research Randy!
That's crap, Tony.
@@bigmike5785 maybe. However I don’t think he meant EQ like DSP would. He mentioned it as a way to trim the highs on a pair of B&Ws by using a “warmer” sounding speaker cable without investing in entirely new source equipment.
I personally would never take advice from that salesman again after that..but that's just my opinion
Then why bother swapping out a bunch of expensive cables when you could achieve far better results by using a simple EQ?
@@AmbientWanderer great question and that is what is cool about this hobby. There is always more than one way to achieve great sound. Depending how much tweaking you want to do or how much coin you are willing to shell out.
If you have noise in the line and you add a shield to it it will hold in even more of the noise than a plain cable. If you have noise and add a shield it can also function as an antenna and pick up more noise if not down properly.
Improving the wiring in your home first would be the smarter move. Filtering aka conditioning before you put an expensive cable on it important. You have to start with clean low noise power before the cable matters.
The problem is that most of America has really dirty power from the power company. Not only is there huge fluctiations in voltage but their is an insane amount of noise on the line and the wave form is not clean either. You would need a circuit that regulates the power including being able to increase or decrese voltage while keeping current stable and remove all of the noise and correvt the wave form. So you would need something like a variac and power inverter with that could keep current level at the same time. Anything less than that is Unicorn Tears and Pixie Dust!
I doubt this would help but it is a lot cheaper than $350. Take some Romex and braid it and stick some Palomar Engineering EMI/RFI ferrite beads on the end before the gear. Maybe even coil the cable to act like an air choke to supress any RFI even further.
A lot of step down transformers on power poles are super noisy but the power company will not replace them until they totaly fail often. Even if you can prove that it does not meat code it is hard to get them to change them.
Building something with MOV's, 1:1 transfomer, ferrite filters and a lot of capacitence as a passive conditioner would help as well but is not cost effective for most people. The last thing you want to do though is shield a cable that is being feed noisy dirty power!
Tea tastes very different with an expensive power cord on the pot. Thank you, you have proven what I have always suspected about tea making and you have gained lots of clicks, comments and potential revenue in the process! Well done! Keep up the good work. You will be neither cheap nor poor in the near future.
awkward!
try to be happy man
@cheapaudioman fake account
Tea tastes nicer when taken in bone china. The cable on the kettle makes no difference to the taste.
@@adotopp1865 Do you honestly think thats a worthy analogy?
@@luketrojanowski3172 Yes of course it is.
Great review, but I would say you need a higher quality, more resolving system to hear more of a difference. I am not trying to make fun of what you have. I just think you should have done the test with a higher end system?
Different after market PC's, too. Not necessarily more expensive, but something like Audio Envy. I think cheaper, actually.
I generally have a problem with the whole cable thing particularly with Audioquest but here is the thing that I believe is quite important with power cables. Are they UL approved? I would bet that Audioquest cable is not. Safety could be an issue.
Actually, the UL approval holds only a little weight. It is important from a safety standard of course, but it is not a seal of approval. Things that are UL approved have failed before, it is a chain. You can have a UL approved cable, but if there is something else in the item or system as it were that is faulty the UL approval will mean nothing.
The more important thing is compatibility. Using a different gauge power cable for example could be a big issue as it changes resistance (like a load), etc. and could do damage to another part of the gear. Personally, I would not mess around until after the warranty period. That said, if you are using the same gauge and topology power cable sans the fancy wrapping, as what came with the unit you should be just fine and have little to nothing to worry about.
As for Audioquest, they are not on my list of folks who know what they are doing besides taking stock cable that anyone and everyone can buy and putting a fancy wrap on it and 6 figure packaging and selling it to unsuspecting folks at 6000% markup. I have had discussions with them in the past and frankly, I got tired of the crazy anti-science talk. They don't even understand basic physics. Personally, I would not purchase anything from a company like that. I can't trust them even if their cables were $2.
@@ericelliott227 totally agree. UL is just a starting point but you have hit directly on my problem with Audioquest. You can take a look at some of the tests that Audioholics have done in the past on their products and some of their very expensive cables have higher resistance then cheap 12 gauge wire. What really gives me heartburn is the cable they sell with a battery for thousands. I don’t want to start a pissing contest here I think we have been through this but as far as I am concerned if you believe in cables, Audioquest is just not the place to start. I have what I consider to be expensive cables on my Zu Soul Supremes which are made by Zu and they are definitely better in many ways then the Blue Jean Cables I was using and recently I ordered some Magnan speaker cables for my Tannoys mostly because I saw them at CAF in a room I liked and was quite curious. We will see.
@@monteverdefarms5626 Yup, the "battery packs" is but one of a list of problems I have with Audioquest. In fact, that was one of the "discussions" I had with them. They also used to do Cryofreezing (for an extra exurbanite fee of course). Notice how the was a thing for a short time and now no longer a thing? Where we really butted heads was when I brought up science, specifically physics, they got apoplectic and a little insulting, which told me a lot.
Nothing wrong with Blue Jeans cable, I run them for my speakers. Actually Blue Jeans is a bulk cable supplier that places like Audioquest buy their bulk cable from. I run Beldin cable for my speakers from Blue Jeans. I make my own speaker cable (complete with the fancy techflex wrap, pants, shrink tube, the whole bit. I do that just because I can, it has no affect on performance of course, but looks like Audioquest cable sans the plastic brand badge and $120 packaging box). For interconnects I used to run Monoprice premium, good quality and very good shielding, but the terminators are way past overkill and could disembowel your gear if you aren't careful disconnecting them. When I finally got my "big boy" or "high-end" system or whatever you want to call it, I did some looking and went with WireWorld after an hour and a half conversation with them and a promise, which they kept. I was able to compare the Monoprice to the WireWorld and heard no sonic difference though the WireWorld cables were 15X the cost of the Monoprice or more. It was the terminators that were the factor for me. The thing I noticed about WireWorld was the lack of BS after the first two minutes of conversation. That is a huge factor on my scorecard.
Th whole cable thing would be a different more reasonable game were it not for the anti-science, flat-earth crap. Nothing wrong with reasonable profit and paying for someone to build for you and all, but really, come on.
@@ericelliott227 I have seen the wire world stuff on The Cable Company. My only problem with Blue Jean is the connectors. I have to move my speakers because my room is also my home theater. So a few weeks ago moving one of my terminations broke and it was hell getting the pieces of the banana plug out and I had to put in one of my own connectors. I also have Nordost speaker cables, just basic stuff and I am sure it’s my imagination but I think the Blue Jeans sound better. Just more revealing. But let’s call it the power of suggestion. We shall see what happens but for now I feel pretty dumb having bought those Magnan cables. By the way all my interconnects are XLRs and I use Mogami Gold which I buy at Guitar Center.
@@ericelliott227 by the way, I am at my end game system or should I say, systems!
i have a Nad 3020i with single no ground power cable , it it better to change it , or leave it alone as it is ?
The fact that there was so much wrong with the test as others point out and he didn't address the concerns show just how much he cares about his content.
he lost my subscription with this video, totally biased tests...
He is using that junk switching box also. This test is just a mess.
Totally unsubscribed as he had the nerve to even test cables. The benefit of cables and the money spent must never, never, be questioned.
@@cferradolol
i have an arcam alpha 9 CD player. many moons ago i re-stacked my gear on my equipment rack, i mistakenly put a cardas quadra cable in my cd player and a cardas golden cross in my pre-amp. (BAT VK 3i). i sat back and decided on lindsey buckingham to listen to. right away it sounded way off, soundstage, guitar detail, whole 9 yards. i thought something had broken or was loose. so went around pushing things and poking. then noticed a blue cable hanging out of the arcam, wait that should be plugged in to the pre-amp. i swapped the cables and lindsey was back to normal. it was an accidental blind test and was significant in audio quality.
Snake Oil. If you did hear a difference, swap amplifiers. Its probably a variation in the components. Even speakers vary. Just use an industrial/commercial grade cable and don't obsess.
Have you tried to test it yourself?...
@@calypsopiter Pure silliness. You'll have to explain how any of those boutique power cables alters the DC rails of your fine high end audio equipment.
@@chrisharper2658 You know, if you can hear change you just hear it by comparison or by noticing new details, same as when you add a mayo to your sandwich - if your taste buds are still working you will appreciate that the taste has changed. If not then well you won't, but not because mayo doesn't have any taste. Same goes with ears. All the best.
@@chrisharper2658 as for the physics - there is certainly something more to discover in this area. For sure we haven't discovered every phenomenon in the universe yet, don't you think?
@@calypsopiter The power of suggestion is a pretty powerful head game.
Signal/noise inversion graph is better than a golden hart ear, haha.
Lots of very pretty cables out there. No reason not to go with 14ga white, or 16 slim over 16ga plain.
Otherwise, ‘more luscious” and “the fuller nonsense” remains that. Fun video, if a tad silly!
Do they make a power cord that goes all the way to the power company so you can bypass all the wires in your house and all the highline wires back to the substation 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@michaellichnovsky8397 no its not, it's like changing the last 3 feet of pipe and expecting it to make a difference in the water coming from the water company.
@Michael Lichnovsky if you need to clean something with your cable which change something…..put your amplifier/DAC/etc….in your dash. All necessary filters are included in electronics. It is really a simple filter that any electronic engineer learn at school. The only thing that could help is replace your power source by a set of battery to ensure a constant power.
@michaellichnovsky8397 no, its like changing the last few inches of pipe before going into your house. If you need cleaning you have a water filter in your house. And guess what amps have!?
This wasnt a blind test either as it seems he knew when A or B was playing. His brain can just think it hears a difference and viola, it will be so.
I think to be clear the power cable cannot remove noise. It's construction can prevent the addition of more noise. Look there are places and I used to own one where the power supply is just not clean., changing the power cord is not going to help, ok it's not going to introduce additional noise granted. One last note for any one who doesn't understand a little knowledge of electrical is dangerous, and sometimes noise cancels itself out,hence the benefit of balanced connections.
Hey Randy, thanks for taking the time to do this comparison. Very interesting findings. You've now got me pondering a a related dilemma. I recently acquired a brand new $1500 3D printer. Unfortunately, the provided power cable, while high quality, is a tad short for my setup. Curiously, the longer cable from my old $200 printer fits perfectly. Given the importance of power cable quality in audio systems, is it plausible that the older cable could harm the print quality of my brand new printer? Conversely, if I were to use the new cable on my old printer, could that improve its print quality, bringing it closer that of the $1500 printer? I plan to A B the cables at some point, but not until break in is complete. Eager to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
no. that is not how electronics work.
@@Yarach That's the point
As soon as he said amp A was more forward, I knew the AQ would be amp B. Beginners fall into this trap a lot where they think forward means more hifi, but the true hifi sound is when it's a soundstage that's relaxed, natural and thrown behind the speakers
Cables don't make a difference
@@mistafizz5195I found the flat earther
@@mistafizz5195 and all generalizations are usually wrong.
@@bradwaldoch194 you just made a generalization
@@bradwaldoch194 that moment when you make the
generalization that all generalizations are usually wrong
All very interesting…. I wonder if instead of the “audiophile” power cables, if there was some sort of power conditioner applied?
Check out the various ''Live Test'' or ''Live Multitest'' on *TheAlphaAudio* RUclips channel. ;-)
Hifi will surprise you, sometimes seems to surprise engineers the most. Even top engineers like Paul at PS Audio will say about certain things "it shouldn't make a difference, there's no way it should make a difference, but it does." I think he said this a few days ago about the type of CD reading optical laser or something. Like he said, no way in the world it should matter.... but somehow, it does.
My attitude remains that- everything makes a difference, literally everything. But, is that difference audible in my system, do I like it, prefer it, can I afford it and is it worth the £ for the difference. I use a headphone setup and I've been pretty surprised at what influences the sound, yes, a different fuse in the plug for the preamp clearly changed the sound. No I didn't prefer the fancy fuse! That's another thing, sometimes spending loads of money doesn't sound better to you. And of course sometimes you can't hear the difference in which case it's obvious- the difference isn't worth the £s. Be a sceptic, fine, but be empirical- hearing is believing and it's healthy to have an open mind. Audio and electricity are super weird, and hifi is harnessing that weirdness in super high detail in weird ways so trying to stick to a rigid belief about it, is a bit silly in my opinion.
Also, just for an extra layer on top- the brain and perception. When I moved into my home it was decorated ok so I left most things. On the kitchen floor is vinyl flooring with a square grey print. I hate vinyl flooring. On the bathroom floor is the same vinyl flooring except, that vinyl has a wood pattern print on it. It has the colour of and looks like wood. The floor in the bathroom feels better. I hate vinyl, they're both the same material, but the one in the bathroom feels better because it looks like wood. And I know this clearly- doesn't matter, my brain prefers the same thing because it looks like wood.
I wouldn't call Paul a top engineer. He has plenty of experience in the industry but he's self taught and it's not hard to tell when he's steps outside the reach of his knowledge, which he does at times in his videos. I think it's also been shown by that he's been taught some fairly basic things for his experience level regarding speakers by Chris Brunhaver. I like Paul but while he has knowledge and is a good talker/salesman I don't consider him a top engineer.
@@storkfletcher821 I'd call him one of the top guys in one of the top audio companies in the world and that's good enough for me.
Silver plated speaker cables sound different than regular copper speaker cables, I know because I hear it. Notice that I am not saying that they sound necessarily better
Maybe you need a highish end system to tell the difference, I can’t tell, as I only have one highish end amp at the moment, sold my “cheap” amps