After reading the test article again, it seems there could be several different conclusions.
1) There is not enough difference in power cords to be detected, therefore don't waste your money.
2)Blind A/B/X testing is not an adequate test to determine the differences, so different testing methodology is needed.
3)There is so much psychological stuff at play here that we can't tell if the differences are real or imagined, and the testing protocol provides so much stress that even if there are differences, the people can't determine them under those conditions.
4) Some people can hear the differences and repeatedly get them right, while some people can't. It may have nothing to do with the cables, but has to do with the people.
5) The test system and room, while being termed "state of the art", mucked up the sound so much that the cord differences were obscured in the mess.
6) The use of the Exactpower line scrubber did most of the work that the cables were supposed to do, thereby negating most of the differences that would have been heard when using unfiltered AC power.
7) We now can all go out and get cheap systems now, and get another hobby. We have seen A/B/X studies of cords and amplifiers finding no statistical proof of differences, and probably the same will be true of any other audio products they test. Therefore audiophilia as a hobby is extinct. How about flower arranging, or stamps?
I personally subscribe to conclusion #2, even though I have done A/B/X testing myself in the past, many times, and had no trouble with it. I think that too many variables are at play that can cause many of the participants to be unsettled and incapable of making good quality judgments under the conditions presented.
I congratulate all participants, especially Drubin, who gave it a valiant effort.
1) There is not enough difference in power cords to be detected, therefore don't waste your money.
2)Blind A/B/X testing is not an adequate test to determine the differences, so different testing methodology is needed.
3)There is so much psychological stuff at play here that we can't tell if the differences are real or imagined, and the testing protocol provides so much stress that even if there are differences, the people can't determine them under those conditions.
4) Some people can hear the differences and repeatedly get them right, while some people can't. It may have nothing to do with the cables, but has to do with the people.
5) The test system and room, while being termed "state of the art", mucked up the sound so much that the cord differences were obscured in the mess.
6) The use of the Exactpower line scrubber did most of the work that the cables were supposed to do, thereby negating most of the differences that would have been heard when using unfiltered AC power.
7) We now can all go out and get cheap systems now, and get another hobby. We have seen A/B/X studies of cords and amplifiers finding no statistical proof of differences, and probably the same will be true of any other audio products they test. Therefore audiophilia as a hobby is extinct. How about flower arranging, or stamps?
I personally subscribe to conclusion #2, even though I have done A/B/X testing myself in the past, many times, and had no trouble with it. I think that too many variables are at play that can cause many of the participants to be unsettled and incapable of making good quality judgments under the conditions presented.
I congratulate all participants, especially Drubin, who gave it a valiant effort.
