Changing variables in a review
- Thread starter PeterA
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Ian, To my ears, they all change the sound, some more than others. I heard the same enhancement recently in Al’s system the other night. As I say, our preferences differ. No big deal.
I'm thinking that the word "accurate" is not a good word to have in our audio vocabulary. The more I think about it, the less confident I become wrt its meaning. Iran, this not a criticism of you.
Ian,
I never claimed anything different. Almost everything has a Sound when inserted into a system. My goal is to pick things that have as little a sound as possible I have made many mistakes, as have others. It’s very difficult to tell if a single power cord is accurate so I’m not making a claim but it is easier to tell that some are less accurate. Again, we each have different preferences and perhaps goals.
I was asked why I don’t have a particular power cord in my system and I attempted to answer that question. I am not answering the question of why others have particular power cords in their systems. That is for them to explain.
Rex, as far as I know, both my Pass Labs amplifiers and my Lamm amplifiers come with Ching Cheng power cords, but not the NOS Ching Cheng power cords that I currently use. I did no amplifier evaluations with fancy audiophile power cables. I only tried those after I made my purchase decisions and rejected all of the ones I tried. Whether you discount my findings or not is completely up to you.
Up to about 2 1/2 years ago, I did not use power cords so they did not factor into my amplifier purchase decisions at all. My amplifiers were hooked up directly to my electric panel with 30 amp dedicated circuits terminated with Furutech IEC connectors. I used JPS labs in wall AC wiring that was eight gauge thickness. There were no power cords or outlets involved with the evaluations. Every amplifier I tried in my system were connected to the electric service in the exact same way. The only exception were the two different Lamm amplifiers I auditioned recently because I had arrived at the Ching Chang power cords by then.
I abandoned the Furutech IEC connectors and the JPS labs in the wall wiring both for reasons of coloration.
I take great offense to you referring to me as Iran. Just so you know.
that said, I agree that accurate was a poor choice. I should have said non-colored.
Doesn't non-colored = lack of distortion = neutral = natural = accurate?I take great offense to you referring to me as Iran. Just so you know.
that said, I agree that accurate was a poor choice. I should have said non-colored.
I take great offense to you referring to me as Iran. Just so you know.
that said, I agree that accurate was a poor choice. I should have said non-colored.
Yeah I just saw that, mea culpa, Iron.
Is that at wink wink nudge nudge?? If it's not please explain an accurate power cord is??
Rob
One that supplies power with no coloration and perhaps an accurate depiction of a sound stage along with imaging that depicts what should be either an accurate reproduction of the sound during recording of that or an accurate sound reproduction of what the recording engineer wanted.
Either way? (I'll shut up now....maybe not) Change the speaker toe degree 2%? Oh hell. All hell breaks loose. Don't even think about tightening the screw on the 20amp outlet....
Don't even get me started on the tilt...
Tom
Either way? (I'll shut up now....maybe not) Change the speaker toe degree 2%? Oh hell. All hell breaks loose. Don't even think about tightening the screw on the 20amp outlet....
Don't even get me started on the tilt...
Tom
Exactly, Tom. It is impossible to say which power cord is non-colored, or accurate, or whatever, if such little differences like speaker toe-in or tilt (the latter, as I vividly experienced last night) matter that much. When and how do you know that your system is a "neutral substrate" on which to test neutrality of an inserted component?
Yes, you can try to avoid components that are *obviously* colored, but between two "neutral" components, how do you know which one sounds more "neutral"? When it comes down to it, this "neutrality" thing is all pretense that does not stand up to scrutiny.
Also, quite obviously, one person's neutrality is another person's colored sound, and vice versa.
The only thing you can gauge is if a system or component allows you to hear the most differences between recordings as possible. This means it doesn't impart too much color of its own, which would lead to a sameness across recordings. But "neutrality", no color of its own? Nah.
Also, how does anyone know how a given recording is supposed to sound or what the recording engineer had in mind? It's impossible to know. Anyone who pretends to be able to chase "accuracy" in that respect should read up on the "Circle of Confusion" by Sean Olive.
Instead of "accurate" or "neutral", a much better criterion is "believable". That gets you somewhere, at least in comparison with live unamplified music.
Yet that still has a lot of subjectivity in it as well, since different people hear the same live sound differently, and prioritize different aspects of it in their judgment of its gestalt. And thus they transfer a range of live sounds differently into a frame of "believability" against which to judge the sound of a system.
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I couldn't be more happy with my particular system in how it sings today! and is about the only thing that excites me now in todays world being 59 yrs old.No wonder why there are so many unhappy people out there! Once you dial your speaker positions in that's it. As soon as you start dragging them all over the room you are quickly going to get lost. The idea of changing speaker positions to dial in an amp is nuts IMHO
Now if you changed speakers then it makes sense.
Rob
We live and learn each day Robh3606, how many kg do your speakers weigh in at !
That's good Al. I like that analysis. Of course one needn't read Olive when you can read me. ha-ha
From a review in 2010: "Neutral" is an overused attribute in the reviewing lexicon. It is ultimately subjective and without a true baseline -- live music is never outside a venue that imbues itself upon the performance within it."
And more recently: What do you want your stereo system to sound like? I use live music as my reference. Vladimir Lamm likes to say the perfect audio review consists of a single word that defines the component. ...if forced to pick one word to describe the LP2.1, my word is: believable.
That's good Al. I like that analysis. Of course one needn't read Olive when you can read me. ha-ha
From a review in 2010: "Neutral" is an overused attribute in the reviewing lexicon. It is ultimately subjective and without a true baseline -- live music is never outside a venue that imbues itself upon the performance within it."
And more recently: What do you want your stereo system to sound like? I use live music as my reference. Vladimir Lamm likes to say the perfect audio review consists of a single word that defines the component. ...if forced to pick one word to describe the LP2.1, my word is: believable.
Well said in those quotes.
Nice to know we agree, Tim.
Different *perceptions*, preferences and perhaps goals.
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