Go Fly A Kite....
Yes it can be wise to listen to old dogs like Frank, Jocko, Fred, myself and many others.
Recently I gave a pair of 12 pair telephone wire speaker cables to a young friend who is studying film and audio production (3 year course).
George likes them so much that he took them to his college and and performed a DBLT to his lecturers.
The lecturers not only heard the difference but much preferred it too, and so much so that the recording and mixdown studios are now equipped with this speaker wire.
George is also covertly using my secret interconnect and power cables when doing his practical assignments, and his lecturers and fellow students are asking him questions about how he is getting such good recordings, what microphones etc etc, and his truthful reply is that he using exactly the same equipment as everybody else.
He also used these interconnects for a recent film shoot, and the only post production required was to momentarily mute the audio track when someone bumped a mic, elsewise no eq or compression was required.
I also have musos telling me that their FB requires very little eq, and that their FB sound is in their face, and not down around their ankles.
I also have a FOH/Studio engineer telling me that my cables make it easier to get GOOD recordings and live sound, and is now getting better sounds than he has ever had previously.
So for you guys to say that interconnects and speaker wires make no differences merely means that you are out of your league, or that your replay gear is plain not up to par.
Go and take up orchid growing - at least you types can see the differences.
Eric / - Those who can't, become lecturers, those who can, do.
Yes it can be wise to listen to old dogs like Frank, Jocko, Fred, myself and many others.
Recently I gave a pair of 12 pair telephone wire speaker cables to a young friend who is studying film and audio production (3 year course).
George likes them so much that he took them to his college and and performed a DBLT to his lecturers.
The lecturers not only heard the difference but much preferred it too, and so much so that the recording and mixdown studios are now equipped with this speaker wire.
George is also covertly using my secret interconnect and power cables when doing his practical assignments, and his lecturers and fellow students are asking him questions about how he is getting such good recordings, what microphones etc etc, and his truthful reply is that he using exactly the same equipment as everybody else.
He also used these interconnects for a recent film shoot, and the only post production required was to momentarily mute the audio track when someone bumped a mic, elsewise no eq or compression was required.
I also have musos telling me that their FB requires very little eq, and that their FB sound is in their face, and not down around their ankles.
I also have a FOH/Studio engineer telling me that my cables make it easier to get GOOD recordings and live sound, and is now getting better sounds than he has ever had previously.
So for you guys to say that interconnects and speaker wires make no differences merely means that you are out of your league, or that your replay gear is plain not up to par.
Go and take up orchid growing - at least you types can see the differences.
Eric / - Those who can't, become lecturers, those who can, do.
Re: Re: Re: Food for thought
So then, has anyone ever observed the effect on distortion of just a touch of POSITIVE feedback, just a little bit?janneman said:
A few comments, and sorry not to do quoting to make things clearer, but I'm in a hotel in London using one of those Philips keyboards with a pressure disk instead of a mouse. It sucks. The guy who invented that ought to be strung up...
Anyway, regarding the amps with different powers, the nswer is, "It depends." For a real-world listening test with wide dynamic range music, one or the other (probably both) will clip occasionally. The amp's recovery from clipping will in large part determine whether that clipping is audible. That's not something a conventional spec sheet will tell you- but it is easily measurable. And that's why one of te preconditions of audibility tests is that neitheramp clip. Here's where you see a disconnect between the real world and the world of perceptual testing.
Eric, nice straw man. Careful, it can be a fire hazard. Anyone who has seriously done testing of the audible characteristics of components uses more test subjects than just himself. Did you bother actually reading any of my earlier posts, other than to confirm that I was deaf, alcoholic, and had crappy speakers? Or reading the various papers by careful researchers like Lipshitz and Vanderkooy? Clearly not, or you wouldn't have said something so patently silly. If you want to understand an issue, it helps to read things beyond comic-book versions.
Anyway, regarding the amps with different powers, the nswer is, "It depends." For a real-world listening test with wide dynamic range music, one or the other (probably both) will clip occasionally. The amp's recovery from clipping will in large part determine whether that clipping is audible. That's not something a conventional spec sheet will tell you- but it is easily measurable. And that's why one of te preconditions of audibility tests is that neitheramp clip. Here's where you see a disconnect between the real world and the world of perceptual testing.
Eric, nice straw man. Careful, it can be a fire hazard. Anyone who has seriously done testing of the audible characteristics of components uses more test subjects than just himself. Did you bother actually reading any of my earlier posts, other than to confirm that I was deaf, alcoholic, and had crappy speakers? Or reading the various papers by careful researchers like Lipshitz and Vanderkooy? Clearly not, or you wouldn't have said something so patently silly. If you want to understand an issue, it helps to read things beyond comic-book versions.
Too many questions, not enough answers...
Well, I guess it would hoot straight away......but no, not until you'd overcome any NFB or degenerative effects within the loop.
That could be interesting. Will it "fix" the degenerative problems, such as caused by unbypassed cathode resitors? Or, will it make the output Z rise to a rediculous level? Will the feedback level then become load dependent?
I still have a memory of those regenerative TRF radio's having an "exciting" sound just before hooting.
Well you're the experimenter....
Cheers,
Circlotron,
Well, I guess it would hoot straight away......but no, not until you'd overcome any NFB or degenerative effects within the loop.
That could be interesting. Will it "fix" the degenerative problems, such as caused by unbypassed cathode resitors? Or, will it make the output Z rise to a rediculous level? Will the feedback level then become load dependent?
I still have a memory of those regenerative TRF radio's having an "exciting" sound just before hooting.
Well you're the experimenter....
Cheers,
Positive feedback has been used in many classic amp circuits. We usually call it "bootstrapping." And in low level circuits, too- think of that cathode-to-cathode resistor in the old Dyna tube preamps, to get the phono stage gain high enough to follow RIAA properly.
forget the numbers and listen
Christopher,
Like I said, you have to listen and forget the specs and physics for
a while.
Cables are weird animals, you just can't explain it's effects as easily as you would like.
YOU REALLY HAVE TO LISTEN TO THEM!
It really makes me think how a manufacturer releases a carbon interconnect.
I'm talking Van Den Hul.
Some people say it plays well.
It makes you think, doesn't it?
😱
Christopher,
Like I said, you have to listen and forget the specs and physics for
a while.
Cables are weird animals, you just can't explain it's effects as easily as you would like.
YOU REALLY HAVE TO LISTEN TO THEM!
It really makes me think how a manufacturer releases a carbon interconnect.
I'm talking Van Den Hul.
Some people say it plays well.
It makes you think, doesn't it?
😱
Hear No Evils...
Sy, these on the fly tests have been done in company, and the descriptions of the changes correlated with my opinions.
Have you done any such 'on the fly' component changes at any listening level ?.
Still does not change my knowing that I can hear differences ( subtle and unsubtle), that these are repeatable, and that others can hear them too, excepting you maybe.
The key is listening for patterns in the noise (noise and distortions) - some patterns drive me out the room and some are nicely relaxing.
Sy, you are the one suggesting (good humouredly, I know) that you are sensorily impaired.
Maybe you are just not listening correctly.
Eric.
SY said:
Sy, these on the fly tests have been done in company, and the descriptions of the changes correlated with my opinions.
Have you done any such 'on the fly' component changes at any listening level ?.
Yeah I read them, and some of the references too.
Still does not change my knowing that I can hear differences ( subtle and unsubtle), that these are repeatable, and that others can hear them too, excepting you maybe.
The key is listening for patterns in the noise (noise and distortions) - some patterns drive me out the room and some are nicely relaxing.
Sy, you are the one suggesting (good humouredly, I know) that you are sensorily impaired.
Maybe you are just not listening correctly.
Eric.
hot
Mmmmm...
This is getting hot.
We should gather all the people in this thread in a nuetral place, and with a neutral system
and do some blind tests.
No boxing, please.
We may discern de deaf people.
I'll bring the cotton buds.😱
NW will bring his Onkyo AV amp.
Mmmmm...
This is getting hot.
We should gather all the people in this thread in a nuetral place, and with a neutral system
and do some blind tests.No boxing, please.
We may discern de deaf people.
I'll bring the cotton buds.😱
NW will bring his Onkyo AV amp.
I know this is a pointless endevor but...
Actually I think the key is listening unbiased, and the best repeatable, unbiased way I can think of...
This is at least the third time I've made this point, but...
Since there are some truely remarkable anechoic chambers out there, and speaker manufacturers use them extensively in the development of their designs, wouldn't it be helpfull for the big guns like Van den Hul, Nordost, Cardas et al to use them to detect, identify, and quantify these 'subtle' differences? I mean is there anyone out there who would like to go up against the measuring equipment in one of these rooms and claim they could hear better than the instrumentation?
And further, if you look closely at cable ads, they are pretty vague about what their cable will actually do, it's always things like "listen and you'll be amazed" without ever making a claim to actual audible differences. Any sonic differences claims you'll see in any cable ad are always quotes from a reviewer. I was just leafing through Stereophile and the closest I could find to an actual claim was JPS labs who say
"JPS developed Alumiloy wire to deliver sound like no other" they don't for a moment claim that they actually accomplished that goal. They can't, they could be sued or charged with fraud if they did, and they know it. If the manufacturer cannot make a claim to real audible differences in their cable compared to the competition, how could you possibly think that there is one?
I've got a set of Cardas Quadlink 4's for sale, any takers?
Chris
Actually I think the key is listening unbiased, and the best repeatable, unbiased way I can think of...
This is at least the third time I've made this point, but...
Since there are some truely remarkable anechoic chambers out there, and speaker manufacturers use them extensively in the development of their designs, wouldn't it be helpfull for the big guns like Van den Hul, Nordost, Cardas et al to use them to detect, identify, and quantify these 'subtle' differences? I mean is there anyone out there who would like to go up against the measuring equipment in one of these rooms and claim they could hear better than the instrumentation?
And further, if you look closely at cable ads, they are pretty vague about what their cable will actually do, it's always things like "listen and you'll be amazed" without ever making a claim to actual audible differences. Any sonic differences claims you'll see in any cable ad are always quotes from a reviewer. I was just leafing through Stereophile and the closest I could find to an actual claim was JPS labs who say
"JPS developed Alumiloy wire to deliver sound like no other" they don't for a moment claim that they actually accomplished that goal. They can't, they could be sued or charged with fraud if they did, and they know it. If the manufacturer cannot make a claim to real audible differences in their cable compared to the competition, how could you possibly think that there is one?
I've got a set of Cardas Quadlink 4's for sale, any takers?
Chris
Absoloutely Blind Testing...
You have not heard my interconnects.
Everybody who has heard them can hear the difference clearly, and very much prefer the difference, and that includes listeners who have no knowlege of these interconnects being in circuit.
Eric.
You have not heard my interconnects.
Everybody who has heard them can hear the difference clearly, and very much prefer the difference, and that includes listeners who have no knowlege of these interconnects being in circuit.
Eric.
Oh, Christopher, you go along with manufacturer claims?
Don't take them too serious, publicity is just that.
Quad said something like this in their 1970s adds about the 303 amp:
"Finally a wire with gain". 😱
Deafinitely, it's all ********.🙄
If you read a Panasonic product catalog and take it seriously, you'll probably think they're the best.
Oh, those beautiful mosfet "class AA" power amps with big VUs... 😱
Specs are impressive...
I stick with my gainclone.
Conrad Johnson calls the LM3886s they use in some power amps "intelligent transistors".
What's the use?
I never listen to them.
Chris, don't read the adds.
Don't take them too serious, publicity is just that.
Quad said something like this in their 1970s adds about the 303 amp:
"Finally a wire with gain".
😱 Deafinitely, it's all ********.🙄
If you read a Panasonic product catalog and take it seriously, you'll probably think they're the best.
Oh, those beautiful
mosfet "class AA" power amps with big VUs... 😱Specs are impressive...
I stick with my gainclone.
Conrad Johnson calls the LM3886s they use in some power amps "intelligent transistors".
What's the use?
I never listen to them.
Chris, don't read the adds.
volts, amps, what does it really matter?
No Eric, I have not heard your interconnects. But let's assume that there is a real and audible difference with your interconnects. If there is, and you cannot find an appreciable difference in either L,R,or C between yours and the others, then congratulations! You have just made a fundamental discovery in physics! As boring as that may sound, it's a fact. You seem to forget that your speakers only respond to voltage and current. And if you can't modify those paramaters on a magnitude large enough to move a driver, you cannot change the sound. Or in the case of interconnects, on a magnitude large enough to cause a voltage swing in the first amplifier stage it sees. It all comes down to attenuation, if the cable is flat to oh, lets say 100khz, you're done. It doesn't get any more complicated than that.
And Carlos, I hate to say it, but you missed the point again. I'm not saying I'm buying the manufacturer's claims, I'm saying that they don't make any. They carefully word their ads so it looks like their product makes a huge difference to the sound. But they never actually say it. They can't because they know they couldn't support such a claim. Hell, the Cardas ad just shows pictures. They're not taking any chances at all.
You know I shouldn't give these guys any ideas, but, the next thing they'll be doing is seeding all the nervous audiophiles with the idea that cables degrade over time, and no matter how good they were when you bought them, if they've been used alot, at high volumes, they probably should be replaced. "just take a new pair home and compare them to your old ones, you'll be amazed"
Hey Jorge, maybe you could explain how we could do null tests for cables at home?
Chris
No Eric, I have not heard your interconnects. But let's assume that there is a real and audible difference with your interconnects. If there is, and you cannot find an appreciable difference in either L,R,or C between yours and the others, then congratulations! You have just made a fundamental discovery in physics! As boring as that may sound, it's a fact. You seem to forget that your speakers only respond to voltage and current. And if you can't modify those paramaters on a magnitude large enough to move a driver, you cannot change the sound. Or in the case of interconnects, on a magnitude large enough to cause a voltage swing in the first amplifier stage it sees. It all comes down to attenuation, if the cable is flat to oh, lets say 100khz, you're done. It doesn't get any more complicated than that.
And Carlos, I hate to say it, but you missed the point again. I'm not saying I'm buying the manufacturer's claims, I'm saying that they don't make any. They carefully word their ads so it looks like their product makes a huge difference to the sound. But they never actually say it. They can't because they know they couldn't support such a claim. Hell, the Cardas ad just shows pictures. They're not taking any chances at all.
You know I shouldn't give these guys any ideas, but, the next thing they'll be doing is seeding all the nervous audiophiles with the idea that cables degrade over time, and no matter how good they were when you bought them, if they've been used alot, at high volumes, they probably should be replaced. "just take a new pair home and compare them to your old ones, you'll be amazed"
Hey Jorge, maybe you could explain how we could do null tests for cables at home?
Chris
HAH...
Hi,
Actually, they do degrade over time...unless you make them airtight or use other ways to prevent oxidation.
Cheers,😉
Hi,
Actually, they do degrade over time...unless you make them airtight or use other ways to prevent oxidation.
Cheers,😉
Prepare to be spanked again. Oxidation, as Frank says (though it's easy to prevent), and long-term reactivity between many metals and most wire coatings. Balancing off these two issues is not always straightforward and is never perfect. It's worst with transparent vinyls over copper. Now, again, the differences are easily measurable, there's no voodoo.
THIRD SPANK....
Hi,
Brace yourself, I can come up with at least another dozen of reasons why cable can sound/interact differently other than the factors you seem to hold as important Chris...
Lower them pants for me please...
Hi,
Brace yourself, I can come up with at least another dozen of reasons why cable can sound/interact differently other than the factors you seem to hold as important Chris...
Lower them pants for me please...
Re: volts, amps, what does it really matter?
Sorry, it's been done. I can't recall the name of the company (I think they're in the UK) but they were making basically this same argument sell the cables in packs of six or somesuch.
Perhaps someone else can recall who is/was doing this.
se
Christopher said:
Sorry, it's been done. I can't recall the name of the company (I think they're in the UK) but they were making basically this same argument sell the cables in packs of six or somesuch.
Perhaps someone else can recall who is/was doing this.
se
The Challenge to Jorge....
Well Chris it seems that you know me so well... i never say no to a challenge...😉
The theoretical role of a cable is to transfer the voltage from the output of the amp to the connectors of the speakers...ideally without any loss or diference...
So if we have a diference...obviously the cable with less diference will be the best (at last for me)...
So let's do de measurements:
-Put the loudspeaker near the amp...
-Connect the probe of the osciloscope betwen the output connector + of the amp and the connector + of the loudspeaker and "see" de residual...
This test can be done in real time with music or with at any frequency that you can feed in your amp with a oscilator...in this last case the results can even be measured....
Or you can even hear the residual connecting another amp or signal tracer the same way of the osciloscope
I do this tests for years...😉 ...is a good tool!!
Be prepared for to find that the most expensive (esoteric) cables to measure the worst!!!😀
Audio is engineering...everything is mesurable!!
So Chris...cheers
Christopher said:
Well Chris it seems that you know me so well... i never say no to a challenge...😉
The theoretical role of a cable is to transfer the voltage from the output of the amp to the connectors of the speakers...ideally without any loss or diference...
So if we have a diference...obviously the cable with less diference will be the best (at last for me)...
So let's do de measurements:
-Put the loudspeaker near the amp...
-Connect the probe of the osciloscope betwen the output connector + of the amp and the connector + of the loudspeaker and "see" de residual...
This test can be done in real time with music or with at any frequency that you can feed in your amp with a oscilator...in this last case the results can even be measured....
Or you can even hear the residual connecting another amp or signal tracer the same way of the osciloscope
I do this tests for years...😉 ...is a good tool!!
Be prepared for to find that the most expensive (esoteric) cables to measure the worst!!!😀
Audio is engineering...everything is mesurable!!
So Chris...cheers
Re: volts, amps, what does it really matter?
Here's an interesting explanation why power cords sound different. I believe the same can be true to interconnects and speaker cables. Found it on a web:
"The power cord is an integral part of the AC-power subsystem of the amplifier. Different power cords make a difference in the sound of the amplifier because each one is constructed differently and each one has different mechanical resonance properties. Materials, geometry (how the materials are physically laid out) and electrical properties account for about half of the sonic signature of a power cord. The other half of the "sound" of a cord comes from its mechanical resonance properties. (I’m being intentionally conservative here; personally, I think the mechanical resonance differences might account for 75% or more of the sonic differences between power cords.)
To hear the effects of mechanical resonance on your own power cord (even the stock one that came with the amp) experiment with it. Raise it off the floor with styrofoam cups or cardboard or glasses or paperback books or blocks of wood -- all of these materials will sound a little different because they have different resonant properties. Next, have someone pinch the power cord near where it plugs into the amplifier while you are seated and listening to music. While you are listening to full-range music, have your assistant slide his fingers away from the amp (down the cord) while maintaining pressure on the cord. As the person’s fingers slide down the cord, you will hear the sound change; it usually is not subtle either. What you will hear is less emphasis on the midrange and a sliding emphasis going deeper and deeper into the bass region as the squeezing fingers get farther and farther away from the amp.
Another test is to have your assistant support the power cord with a small block of wood. Have your assistant start with the wood block under the power cord, right near the IEC connector at the amp end. While the music is playing, something relatively full range, have your assistant slide the wood block farther and farther away from the IEC connector until the block is 3' or so away. You will hear an upper-midrange emphasis first, and as the block moves farther from the IEC connector, the emphasis slides smoothly down the frequency spectrum into the bass and deep bass, which is why you need some full-range music to hear what is going on in this experiment. Change the kind of wood used here and you’ll change the sound you hear -- each wood has a different sonic signature.
For another mechanical tuning experiment, have your assistant hold the IEC connector shell at the amp end of the power cord lightly between their fingers. While you are listening to music, have your assistant slowly increase the squeezing pressure on the IEC connector (works better if the shell is hollow and not solid molded plastic, but will work even with the solid molded type). What you will hear is an increasing emphasis on the highs as the squeezing pressure is increased. If you don’t have an assistant available, a small adjustable C-clamp from the hardware store will work for this experiment if there is room for it around the IEC plug on the power cord/amp. These sonic changes from adjusting the squeezing force on the IEC connector are a result of mechanical-resonance changes in the power cord -- not anything magical, not anything mystical, not anything top secret.
These experiments may not reveal sonic changes with certain kinds of power cords which are very heavily internally damped. Usually these cords will be rather large/fat and be constructed of layers of damping material and layers of conductors. These cords eliminate resonances to a significant degree. I can’t say that they necessarily sound better, but they do sound more consistent no matter where you place the cord or how you support it.
Mike VansEvers is exploiting this mechanical resonance tuning of power cords in his new Pandora and Double Pandora (including higher-cost and -performance Reference versions) power cords which have sliding mechanical dampers on the cords and thumbscrew adjusters for IEC connector tension. A review of the Pandora power cords will be forthcoming.
Mike is also creating and selling kits of wood blocks which have varying numbers and sizes to be used for system tuning. They aren’t only for power cords -- they work almost anywhere. You use the wood blocks to evolve the sound of your system over time. Using the different types and sizes of wood much as you would use different colors in a Crayola box or in an artist’s palette, you finely tune the sound of your system to be just where you want it to be. You don’t have to use Mike’s wood blocks either, and he’s the first one to admit it. Anyone can cut wood blocks and experiment. Mike’s kits are offered as a convenience to people who want to do the tuning without the hassle of locating the different woods, cutting them to size and sanding them to a uniform surface finish.
While each wood has a different sonic signature, each size of block also has a different signature. Smaller and thinner sizes affect the highs more, while longer and thicker pieces affect the lower mids and bass more. Mike’s standard block is a little shorter and a little thicker than a 9v transistor battery. The smallest blocks he makes are a little thicker than half a stick of gum. The largest sizes go up to around 4" long (a little thicker than a 9v battery).
After years of experiments, I believe everything you place on or under a power cord affects the sound because of mechanical resonance changes, not because of any significant electrical properties. This includes ferrites. I was once a major believer in the electrical/electronic benefits of ferrites’ ability to absorb RFI/EMI from the electrical field around the power cord. Today, while I believe ferrites still do that, I question whether the sonic change from using ferrites has anything to do with the absorption of RFI/EMI. On the other hand, I now know ferrites change the sound of the cord mechanically. You can slide a ferrite along a power cord and get the same sonic signature you get from squeezing the power cord or sliding a wood block along it."
Christopher said:
Here's an interesting explanation why power cords sound different. I believe the same can be true to interconnects and speaker cables. Found it on a web:
"The power cord is an integral part of the AC-power subsystem of the amplifier. Different power cords make a difference in the sound of the amplifier because each one is constructed differently and each one has different mechanical resonance properties. Materials, geometry (how the materials are physically laid out) and electrical properties account for about half of the sonic signature of a power cord. The other half of the "sound" of a cord comes from its mechanical resonance properties. (I’m being intentionally conservative here; personally, I think the mechanical resonance differences might account for 75% or more of the sonic differences between power cords.)
To hear the effects of mechanical resonance on your own power cord (even the stock one that came with the amp) experiment with it. Raise it off the floor with styrofoam cups or cardboard or glasses or paperback books or blocks of wood -- all of these materials will sound a little different because they have different resonant properties. Next, have someone pinch the power cord near where it plugs into the amplifier while you are seated and listening to music. While you are listening to full-range music, have your assistant slide his fingers away from the amp (down the cord) while maintaining pressure on the cord. As the person’s fingers slide down the cord, you will hear the sound change; it usually is not subtle either. What you will hear is less emphasis on the midrange and a sliding emphasis going deeper and deeper into the bass region as the squeezing fingers get farther and farther away from the amp.
Another test is to have your assistant support the power cord with a small block of wood. Have your assistant start with the wood block under the power cord, right near the IEC connector at the amp end. While the music is playing, something relatively full range, have your assistant slide the wood block farther and farther away from the IEC connector until the block is 3' or so away. You will hear an upper-midrange emphasis first, and as the block moves farther from the IEC connector, the emphasis slides smoothly down the frequency spectrum into the bass and deep bass, which is why you need some full-range music to hear what is going on in this experiment. Change the kind of wood used here and you’ll change the sound you hear -- each wood has a different sonic signature.
For another mechanical tuning experiment, have your assistant hold the IEC connector shell at the amp end of the power cord lightly between their fingers. While you are listening to music, have your assistant slowly increase the squeezing pressure on the IEC connector (works better if the shell is hollow and not solid molded plastic, but will work even with the solid molded type). What you will hear is an increasing emphasis on the highs as the squeezing pressure is increased. If you don’t have an assistant available, a small adjustable C-clamp from the hardware store will work for this experiment if there is room for it around the IEC plug on the power cord/amp. These sonic changes from adjusting the squeezing force on the IEC connector are a result of mechanical-resonance changes in the power cord -- not anything magical, not anything mystical, not anything top secret.
These experiments may not reveal sonic changes with certain kinds of power cords which are very heavily internally damped. Usually these cords will be rather large/fat and be constructed of layers of damping material and layers of conductors. These cords eliminate resonances to a significant degree. I can’t say that they necessarily sound better, but they do sound more consistent no matter where you place the cord or how you support it.
Mike VansEvers is exploiting this mechanical resonance tuning of power cords in his new Pandora and Double Pandora (including higher-cost and -performance Reference versions) power cords which have sliding mechanical dampers on the cords and thumbscrew adjusters for IEC connector tension. A review of the Pandora power cords will be forthcoming.
Mike is also creating and selling kits of wood blocks which have varying numbers and sizes to be used for system tuning. They aren’t only for power cords -- they work almost anywhere. You use the wood blocks to evolve the sound of your system over time. Using the different types and sizes of wood much as you would use different colors in a Crayola box or in an artist’s palette, you finely tune the sound of your system to be just where you want it to be. You don’t have to use Mike’s wood blocks either, and he’s the first one to admit it. Anyone can cut wood blocks and experiment. Mike’s kits are offered as a convenience to people who want to do the tuning without the hassle of locating the different woods, cutting them to size and sanding them to a uniform surface finish.
While each wood has a different sonic signature, each size of block also has a different signature. Smaller and thinner sizes affect the highs more, while longer and thicker pieces affect the lower mids and bass more. Mike’s standard block is a little shorter and a little thicker than a 9v transistor battery. The smallest blocks he makes are a little thicker than half a stick of gum. The largest sizes go up to around 4" long (a little thicker than a 9v battery).
After years of experiments, I believe everything you place on or under a power cord affects the sound because of mechanical resonance changes, not because of any significant electrical properties. This includes ferrites. I was once a major believer in the electrical/electronic benefits of ferrites’ ability to absorb RFI/EMI from the electrical field around the power cord. Today, while I believe ferrites still do that, I question whether the sonic change from using ferrites has anything to do with the absorption of RFI/EMI. On the other hand, I now know ferrites change the sound of the cord mechanically. You can slide a ferrite along a power cord and get the same sonic signature you get from squeezing the power cord or sliding a wood block along it."
Re: Re: volts, amps, what does it really matter?
Rather a bit of a stretch.
I once tried looking for evidence of any mechanical movement to speak of and couldn't produce any even with rather high current inductive and capacitive loads.
Give it a try yourself. Take an old 18 gauge zip cord extension cord, split a length of it down the middle so the conductors are more free to move and then float the split portion in a dish of water placed on a good solid surface.
Use the cord to power whatever you like. A power amp, an AC motor, whatever. See if you can spot any rippling of the water which would indicate periodic motion on the part of the cable.
se
Peter Daniel said:
Rather a bit of a stretch.
I once tried looking for evidence of any mechanical movement to speak of and couldn't produce any even with rather high current inductive and capacitive loads.
Give it a try yourself. Take an old 18 gauge zip cord extension cord, split a length of it down the middle so the conductors are more free to move and then float the split portion in a dish of water placed on a good solid surface.
Use the cord to power whatever you like. A power amp, an AC motor, whatever. See if you can spot any rippling of the water which would indicate periodic motion on the part of the cable.
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