Scott Dolan

Ah, thanks for the clarification. I actually was not aware of the difference between the two. Beautiful building, though. Inside and out.

Yeah, the cryo bullshit really takes the cake. That's right up there with speaker wire break in. Inanimate objects don't "break in". Oh, and just be fair to those with tube systems, vibration dampers can be handy if the shelf you have the amp on isn't as sturdy as it should be. But they are a waste of money for anything else.

It is indeed a beautiful cathedral.

It does connect better, it has tighter clearances. Thing is, I could take the bare wires from the romex in your wall and gator clamp it to the prongs on your plug, and you'd still be getting full power. As long as metal is touching metal, you're golden. As for their construction, they're really very simple. Plastic body with solid contacts usually made out of either nickel or brass. So it's basically a solid connection between the romex and whatever you're plugging in. Not sure if that helps either of us. ***WARNING: What follows are admissions not meant to be read by the weak of heart. Or stomach…*** But, let me get into something I had been thinking about after Mr. Bresnahan's most recent post. (didn't have time at work to respond properly to it) "Snake oil" can be a really funny thing. I've bought into it MANY times throughout my 44 years, and there's no guarantee that I'm immune to it even now. About 20+ years ago I got into a huge "new age" kick. Enya, yoga, herbal supplements, the whole nine yards. As a byproduct of that I got into all sorts of "natural" remedies and supplements of rather dubious efficacy. Now, I will say that I still try to adhere to yoga to this day (though poorly, lately) as it is great for strength training and flexibility. And Enya, hey, Orinoco Flow is still rather catchy. But, all the supplements and "natural" remedies? Oy, I would be embarrassed to even begin to calculate money pissed down that drain. But you know what? I felt on top of the world physically AND mentally! Unfortunately, I now know that a lot of that was the placebo effect. And that actually kinda saddens me to a certain degree. I almost wish I could have that placebo effect back. As the character Chris Stevens famously said on Northern Exposure, "we all need a little fantasy". To bring it into modern day, when I first got my Emotiva DAC, my wife and I were blown away by the notable difference it made in sound quality when hooked up to my 15 y.o. HK receiver (keep this in mind, because it's important). As well it should. 15 years of advances in electronics SHOULD yield some positive results, right? Well, later I got my Emotiva amp and preamp. Hooked them up and was duly impressed. The old lady said, "yeah they sound fine, but they didn't make anywhere near as much difference as the DAC". Now THAT'S the 'who cares, just play some music I like' old lady I've been with for 28 years! In my mind, and ears, she was just missing out! Then I added my Dynaudio speakers. The coo deh grah! To my mind and ears they sounded like angels singing down upon me from heaven above! Her response? "Yeah, they're 'nice'". All the while looking at me with both pity and love (both honestly earned, goddammitt!). Broads... But you know what? She was right. That DAC was a game changer. The rest? Minute improvements. What I'm really trying to get at here is that we all have a truly magical ability to bullshit ourselves. It's just nice when we have someone in the real world to point out the silliness of it all. So if you hear a difference in your power outlets, then fucking rock on, brother. Ultimately, I'm glad that you do. But, we all, and I mean WE ALL, need to take care when it comes to passing on these things to others. I accidentally got mjzee into the Emotiva rabbit hole, and I hope he's finding as much enjoyment from their equipment as I am. Either way, as you stated earlier Stefan, communicating in this intertube world can be problematic. I'm still learning everyday.

But an outlet, just by itself, can't do any of those things. It's like saying if I put gold terminals on my car battery, it'll start faster. It won't. It's simply a way to get 12 volts to my starter. There are no components in a power outlet that do anything beyond connect. A power conditioner could do something similar to what you're saying, if you have excessively "dirty" power. Outlets cannot. To do any of that you need components that can regulate/amplify/limit/etc.

What gauge was your previous power cable? Kevin, the lamp cord would likely be ok if properly terminated. But, I have also experience the same thing. Mine were damn near black!

The power cord thing is ridiculous. Right up there with cable elevators. But, their worst aspect being the absurd prices. A $20 power outlet is one thing (and not really that outrageous). But a $200 power cord takes thievery into a whole new frontier.

Dude, I honestly don't mean to be snarky. But you have to step back and read what you're telling me. If I came here and told you that I put hospital/industrial grade outlets in my home and proceeded to tell you that my table lamp just shines stronger than it did before illuminating my living room in ways it never had before, or that my microwave cooked food in a more thorough and even manner making the flavors pop(!), or that my refrigerator was just more evenly balanced keeping my food a little fresher, you'd think I was hiding out in the closet with my favorite tube of modeling glue a little too long. Brother, an AC power supply has a built in voltage regulator. It will only throughput enough power to satisfy its load. And in many cases, it's actually less than the 120 volts it's receiving from the wall outlet. Any more than that, and poof. So no, the outlet is not changing anything other than the force you'll need to plug and unplug a device from it.

Post the link/s to the article/s and I'll read them and give you my thoughts.

Throw it in the freezer for a week and charge him cryo pricing!

That was an interesting sequence. "It's the same, but…different!"

Here's another smallish percentage of audiophiles, and the results of their own ABX. http://matrixhifi.com/ENG_contenedor_ppec.htm Guess they just haven't "learned how to listen" properly. As for the CD question you still avoid for obvious reasons, it's a question of perception vs reality (which you are fully aware of). Any audio enthusiast is going to automatically have the perception planted in his mind that the $500 unit is far superior. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But, I can guarantee one thing, it isn't 10x better. Yet, all it may take is someone telling a potential buyer how "musical" it is, and waahlaah. Or how smooth and buttery the midrange is… Or how transparent it is… Or how they hear no jitter ... Buzzwords. Bullshit. It's all the same thing. Transducers can be referred to as "musical", due to response speed (especially when it comes to subwoofers since their main purpose wasn't meant for music). But an electronic component?

http://www.human-memory.net/types_sensory.html Most sensory memory is very short-lived.

Again, going out of your way to turn a paragraph worth of opinion into an epic adventure. No, "it" hasn't been proven. And let's not play make believe by drowning it in flowery rhetoric. The only thing proven is that you also have no concerns whatsoever with empirical evidence, and faith-based claims are enough to satisfy you. And sure, it is subjective to a certain degree, I suppose. But if I make claims, I offer further explanation as to what I'm talking about, and how I came to the conclusions that I did. I also don't make a habit of playing the knight in shining armor for people who are perfectly capable of defending themselves just because the other person is my enemy. I'll also note that you completely side-stepped my question about the two CD players. And obviously have use for the reality of expectation bias.

Nice! I have zero experience with Tripp, but from what everyone has said here they sound bulletproof. Stefan, that outlet delivers the same 120 volts to your equipment that a two dollar outlet would. There is no magical transformation, and if you speak to any electrician they will tell you that those higher grade outlets are built ONLY due to commercial building code, and for many of the reasons I mentioned before. Unless your outlet is in an area where it could suffer high levels of abuse, or if your system is on a rolling platform that you regularly move, 120 volts is 120 volts. It's either on, or it isn't. There are no magical transformations taking place. Now, if you live in a home where you are experiencing spikes or dropouts, than a surge protector and/power conditioner may make a difference in consistency. But the outlet itself only delivers the power that is fed into it.

Hahaha...ok. Again, if it exists it can be proven. As far as deep listening, I think we agree completely. That said, I seriously doubt there are many, if any, posters here who don't have finely tuned ears and minds. If they didn't they probably wouldn't have stuck with a genre like Jazz for very long. And from what I've seen, most here have serious listening systems. I take both of those equations as given here. As for "business" I was citing an example of expectation bias. Not attempting to break down business models, which you and I would essentially on anyway. No, I was speaking about quasi-religious proclamations such as a CD player which is "not musical enough" without any qualification or further explanation. That's not making anyone money here, but things of that nature can lead people down a bank account draining path.

Sure. Now, a question. You have a $50 CD player, and a $500 CD player. Which one sounds better? Price tags have a rather insidious way of "informing" our perception. If I had as much money sunk into my systems as Lon does into his, yeah, I'd be convinced they wash my balls while I sleep at night. And I already have MORE than enough wrapped up in my own systems. But the truth is far more mundane. The terms "mp3" and "hi-resolution audio" also create their own perceptions. The power of suggestion is at its strongest in the audio world. OK, maybe it's a half step behind religion. If that. Best part of it being that there is no need to volley hypotheticals because there are scientific tools that can proven/disprove every last bit of it.

Has it gotten that hard to get into? The year I went we walked up each night...

Ugh...

I have no idea what you're asking. ABX is blind and randomized, it has nothing to do with perception. You either hear the difference, or you don't. It's not like the results of each answer is given after you answer. Unfortunately, it's only useful for those who have bullshitted themselves into hearing things that don't exist, yet they're the ones who refuse to use it as a tool.

Yeah, a good place to start would be .wav vs 256 AAC. The whole "mp3" (generic term) inferiority thing is a thing of the past, except for in the minds of those who haven't heard anything from the latest codecs.

The only time I attended Viz it was in the Angel Orensanz Center. The sound wasn't ideal, but considering the cavernous layout of the building, it sounded better than one would have thought. Need to get back up there for another one.

No, if something exists, it can ideed be proven. And no, I don't know everything. But I don't just believe something on faith, either. A simple ABX test and results are all that's necessary. And can be done by anyone with a computer. But ABX to audiophiles is like a crucifix to Dracula.

Until they prove otherwise? Yes, it's exactly what it means.

Who props up their system as "high resolving", and boast of their excellent $4500 Blu-ray player as proof that they can hear things that others don't? Not this boy. The only thing superior is my ability to smell bullshit and steer clear of it. But, we've both had far more than our fair share of say, let's get this thread back on topic, shall we?