Blind Listening Comparison

[NC Lee]

I am going to compare two different power cables.
I have listened to both cables and believe I know the relative qualities/differences of each. I want to confirm what I believe I hear.
My intent is to have my wife switch out the cables x number of times (6 maybe) based on the flip of a coin, and see if I can identify them.
I will not know which cable is playing. She will change the cable and leave the room. Same volume.
I will do it with one or two songs I know well.
I may listen to each cable with the song(s) immediately beforehand.
Any suggestions or comments on my plan?

 

[soliver]

Good luck, and may you prefer the cheaper of the 2 for your wallet’s sake.

 

[marty]

I applaud your effort. More folks should try your approach!

The only suggestion I have is that sometimes, if the material you select is complex, the discrimination exercise can be harder. Simple material is often more useful. The problem with simple material is that it can be limited in frequency response. So it may be good to pick different selections that each focus on one area such for example bass, or female vocals, or violin. An overall single instrument that spans a wide frequency range is piano. Whatever music interests you the most is a good way to approach it, but complex orchestral or rock might not serve you as well for this sort of comparison as more simple material. Sometimes, you might get simple material that is spaced out in 3 or more areas in different parts of the same track making discrimination and comparisons easier (i,e, Patricia Barber "Shall we Dance"- excellent bass, vocals, piano nicely sorted). Have fun and good luck. Looking forward to learning your results.

 

[Al M.]

I am going to compare two different power cables.
I have listened to both cables and believe I know the relative qualities/differences of each. I want to confirm what I believe I hear.
My intent is to have my wife switch out the cables x number of times (6 maybe) based on the flip of a coin, and see if I can identify them.
I will not know which cable is playing. She will change the cable and leave the room. Same volume.
I will do it with one or two songs I know well.
I may listen to each cable with the song(s) immediately beforehand.
Any suggestions or comments on my plan?

Sounds good. On the other hand, don't panic if you don't hear much difference under blind conditions. The stress factor can adversely affect the ability to judge.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

obviously the idea and value of blind testing is a subject that has been beat to death. the words make me cringe. the only kind of blind testing i personally put any faith in is when it is a surprise, eliminating all the stress and distraction from the process. i've accidently changed some variable and did not realize it and had a perception about what i'm hearing completely independent of any intention. that i believe.

sometimes though, blind testing is the best of many other bad choices we can use for a quick call. for 20 years i've been a judge every other year for our local audio club's speaker building contest. i'm one of 3 judges that hear 7-10 speakers behind a curtain and fill out a judging form. how else to do a contest? not many better choices. but after 2-3 hours of that process my head hurts and i'm spent. too much stress trying to be fair and through. it is what it is. we do the best we can.

i never even consider using blind testing for my own purposes for a simple reason. it is not fun. secondarily it tells you more about the process of testing, than any actual result. and it's way too quick and head trippy for the concept of how the gear makes you feel to take hold. whereas i love to spend hours listening to new gear or different choices and then see how i feel. then do it again. no hurry. take my time. enjoy. and when i'm ready, not sooner, i make my decision. and i'm invigorated by the process.

good luck with your test.

 

[Steveo]

I would like to add that swapping components, especially cables without allowing a settling, may prove disadvantageous. I typically insert a cable, play music for several hours before making any judgements. Often, a good 24 hours or so offers much of the house sound that defines the cable and it’s synergy within a system. There are those who believe longer run times are preferential. After a bit of critical listening followed by relaxed pleasure listening I assess the gains/losses incurred.
I believe you will likely determine which cable is most like music…good luck.

 

[Al M.]

I would like to add that swapping components, especially cables without allowing a settling, may prove disadvantageous. I typically insert a cable, play music for several hours before making any judgements. Often, a good 24 hours or so offers much of the house sound that defines the cable and it’s synergy within a system. There are those who believe longer run times are preferential. After a bit of critical listening followed by relaxed pleasure listening I assess the gains/losses incurred.
I believe you will likely determine which cable is most like music…good luck.

You can usually avoid settling times by avoiding bending. Just have both cables, which both already have recently played in the system, in turn lying there on the ground, and simply swap. I have found that quick comparisons are mostly possible in that manner.

It becomes potentially problematic only when you try to compare a cable that was just curled up for shipping or transport (e.g., from one audiophile friend to another). Even then sometimes meaningful comparisons are possible.

 

[Gregadd]

This issue was bound to sooner or later rear it's ugly head. If the difference is so small that it requires a blind test why bother. Seriously. Blind testing are designed to verify small differences (improvements)in audio devices. The rest is political. It is unlikely that you will be able to conduct a proper double blind protocol. I feel for your poor wife. Sh e truly is a team player and a good sport.
Ironically the people who a re best equipped in advising you on a DIY blind test would laugh at the need for a blind test for power cords. To them the ineffectiveness of power cords should be obvious.
Google will no doubt provide an adequate result for homemade blind test. Maybe even some free software you can download. There is a forum whose name I chose not to mention that can help you.
My point is if the difference is close enough to require a blind test, get the pretty one and enjoy the music.

 

[Alrainbow]

Does anyone who makes power cords say this effect can be seen on video devices , tv or cable boxes ?
years ago when I bought a PS audio regen I tied this on my cable box and 65 inch plasma the effective change was very obvious now on audio not so much.
On his forums no one seemed to care about video. And some still claimed his power cords improved video.

 

[jeff1225]

I would listen to the cables in both ways, blind and "not blind." Start with blind (having your wife note your preference) and then compare the results to your "not blind" testing. Please report back your findings.

 

[Gregm]

I suggest you give each cable a few mins before changing. Give yourself time to relax and actually listen to sonic cues. You're lucky to have a wife game for this! Enjoy!

 

[Tim Link]

My point is if the difference is close enough to require a blind test, get the pretty one and enjoy the music.

Yes. Another problem with blind testing obvious differences is that it can sometimes open a can of worms when you discover that the obvious isn't so obvious after all. I recommend blind testing obvious differences when you are auditioning new equipment and you are desperate to find a way out of making a purchase.

 

[Gregadd]

Yes. Another problem with blind testing obvious differences is that it can sometimes open a can of worms when you discover that the obvious isn't so obvious after all. I recommend blind testing obvious differences when you are auditioning new equipment and you are desperate to find a way out of making a purchase.

Or the inherent unreliability of informal blind testing. That is I wager that the overwhelming results are inconclusive. That result is then improperly interpreted as a negative result. As you just implied.
I am not going down this rabbit hole. As I told the OP Google has many informal ABX tests. Blind test to your hearts content.

 

[Alrainbow]

I think we need 1 hour to allow our brains to settle. What hear from what I read is a fast compare in areas of the brain to let us what think it is. Site is the same. so while a quick a b has merits it takes time to settle. now if it’s large changes as in bad freq roll off as an example yes
Fast is fine. Just my view

 

[Tim Link]

I am going to compare two different power cables.
I have listened to both cables and believe I know the relative qualities/differences of each. I want to confirm what I believe I hear.
My intent is to have my wife switch out the cables x number of times (6 maybe) based on the flip of a coin, and see if I can identify them.
I will not know which cable is playing. She will change the cable and leave the room. Same volume.
I will do it with one or two songs I know well.
I may listen to each cable with the song(s) immediately beforehand.
Any suggestions or comments on my plan?

So what are the power cables going to be powering? Is there a way to parallel the power cables during switching so that the device can remain powered up the whole time, or does this mean shutting down and restarting the device with each switch out? This brings up another question, what if you parallel the power cords and listen to that?

 

[Elliot G.]

I am going to compare two different power cables.
I have listened to both cables and believe I know the relative qualities/differences of each. I want to confirm what I believe I hear.
My intent is to have my wife switch out the cables x number of times (6 maybe) based on the flip of a coin, and see if I can identify them.
I will not know which cable is playing. She will change the cable and leave the room. Same volume.
I will do it with one or two songs I know well.
I may listen to each cable with the song(s) immediately beforehand.
Any suggestions or comments on my plan?

I think this is wrong way to do it. what you are doing is listening for differences not listening to the music and getting the emotional response to it and how your system is playing music
1) make sure both cables are fully burned in - plug them both in somewhere and put juice through them
2) insert one in your system and listen for a good period of time until you are hearing the sound of the system
3). switch cables and listen again. You should hear the difference/differences right away
4) determine which is better or which you like or which you prefer or made your system sound better
5) finish and enjoy

 

[gleeds]

I emphatically agree with Elliot's recommended approach. A quick switch of cables blind or not will offer little to no useful information, Best of luck.

 

[Gregadd]

Oops . Blind test people don't believe in burn in.
I suggest, as a certain ex-member stated. Begin with a sighted evaluation. If you don't hear any difference you are done. Then see if you can still detect the difference under blind conditions. I assume you have a control cable. You know, the stock cable.

 

[microstrip]

I am going to compare two different power cables.
I have listened to both cables and believe I know the relative qualities/differences of each. I want to confirm what I believe I hear.
My intent is to have my wife switch out the cables x number of times (6 maybe) based on the flip of a coin, and see if I can identify them.
I will not know which cable is playing. She will change the cable and leave the room. Same volume.
I will do it with one or two songs I know well.
I may listen to each cable with the song(s) immediately beforehand.
Any suggestions or comments on my plan?

The test you are describing is not a proper test. It suffers from many problems, mainly the methodology and the too short number of tests. It is the type of challenge hard objectivist people use to humiliate the high end subjective audiophile.

Proper stereo blind listening tests for the so called "small differences" - the usual power cables, signal cables or some electronics are extremely time and resource consuming. Otherwise their result is due to chance or not significant.

If audiophiles were forced to choose their systems in proper blind conditions they would need a lifetime to do it. Bias is part of the choice in the high-end stereo. IMO pretending that we are not biased is simply ignorance of the perceptual science and the very complex mechanisms of stereo sound reproduction, where a very small objective difference can become a huge subjective difference. We must know how to live with it and avoid being ruled just by bias.

Did you notice that we can't see in subjective audio forums the results of valid amateur blind tests, presenting the raw data and the proper analysis?

 

[andromedaaudio]

This Philosophy in audio has served me well.
When doing a listening test whether " visual included " , blind , double blind or completely clue less , in case you dont hear any difference always go for the cheaper option .
Dont listen to experts / reviewers / magazines just go for what you think sounds good /natural.
Go to a friends system a dealer/ shows and get a hand on the sound yourself.
If you go by magazines/ dealers/ other persons opinions you ll be chasing your tail .