I'm off Down the rabbit hole.
Ordered some bits from MCRU and should be made up in the next few days.
I'll post links to the bits when I get a minute.
SO, am I wasting my time?
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I'm off Down the rabbit hole.
Ordered some bits from MCRU and should be made up in the next few days.
I'll post links to the bits when I get a minute.
SO, am I wasting my time?
:popcorn:
Absolutely not.
Had many bought in and DIY cables in various systems I've had.
They make a difference.
Buying an expensive one wont make a bad sounding box sound good though, more about letting you hear better what the bit of kit is capable of..
Go ferret.......
I think that they can, but not for the reasons that are often touted in marketing. When I used to spend a lot more time building hifi bits I noticed that having a good low impedance grounding scheme could make a huge difference on performance. My current theory is that the special mains cables make a difference because they tend to provide better earth connections. Couple some good mains leads with a good block and chances are earth currents between equipment will be lower and any filtered noise can be delt with more effectively.
Also screened cables can help especially near phono stages. If you ever wave an oscilloscope probe near some mains cables you can quite easily see the pickup on the scope.
Cases protect against this noise, but you need a good solid ground connection scheme in order to get this noise away from the equipment.
Interested to see what you results you get with your experiments.
The question you should be asking is, do they make a difference to you? No-one can answer the mains cable question as there are simply too many variables to account for. As always, trust your ears, if they make a difference then great, if not move on. ;)
I think so, as I doubt your equipment would switch on without them:D
Marco.
Im yet to be convinced , cant see how , my home was built in the 50s with 50s ring main wiring , how can a 1mtr length of super duper cable make a difference , have you seen the wiring inside some hifi units ?
mains 240 v ---------------------------------super duper cable -------------------------------------hifi
Where's Jez when you need him?
Just hardwire your kit with thick wire, less connections, no oxidisation, simple. No iec socket and plug combination can be better than, "no-plug-and-socket". Hard wire and be done with it.
The secret is though, to hard-wire something in place that's decent - and in that respect you can do better than a cheap 'kettle lead', whilst stopping short of wanking the foo-monkey;)
Almost anything from the likes of Belden would do the job nicely - and pretty cheaply.
Marco.
IEC - https://mcru.co.uk/product/iego-pure...v=b2659594fd01
Purchased ddue to price and perceived quality. Also has copper connections.
Cable,
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F152136104589
Plug,
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F251102854284
The plug may change to one with copper connections for continuity.
...only with a few more exclamation marks on the end!!!!!!! :D
Marco.
The owner thought that his £27k mains cables had made a huge difference in my system. The only problem was that the wag behind the system had plugged my kettle leads in again for a laugh!
No worries. The most important thing with a mains lead, used for hi-fi purposes, is to eliminate it acting as an aerial for noise and interference [or at least reduce that effect as far as possible]. In that respect, pay particular attention to shielding.
Marco.
I'm sure there has been a discussion or two about this subject before on AOS?:scratch:
Well, at least the 'China Export' mark is nice and clear to see...
Not at all - you should use the cheapest, thinnest mains cable you can get away with., That way, only the strongest electrons will get through, thus improving your sound.
Your phone needs charging Oliver :D
Paul
What are some simple things to do to implement a low impedance grounding scheme in a bog standard domestic settings? That is without ripping out ring mains or the like.
Additionally is there an easy way to measure things and from that work towards improvements?
A good start is to use a good quality mains block and mains leads as short as is feasible. A simple but limited way to measure is to use a multimeter to check for voltage differences of earth connections between different equipment. Without making it complicated you can check between metal casings if you can’t get to a mains earth directly. You can also measure between signal grounds without the interconnects connected. Ideally there should be no difference in voltage and this is the goal.
Its not a perfect way but its simple and should expose the bigger issues if they exist.
I am sick of this bloody hobby.
I genuinely didn't believe a mains cable could have any effect lf the main PSU of the equipment was sufficient. How wrong was I!
How can a shielded mains cable improve the sound??????
Seems to me the Micro dynamics and separation of the instruments has improved whilst adding a further depth of dimension to the soundstage. Background seems quieter and further away.
I realise that this may not be a universal result but I'd recommend trying it.
Ingredients at the top of the thread. Took about 10 minutes to make and £60 all in. I'll be making more for the Monoblocks and I'll be putting one on the BMU too.
This hobby is Madness.
I did try it, made zero difference. See if you can tell the difference when you don't know if the fancy cable is in use or not before spending any more money on them. You might get another surprise.
It's easy to imagine improvements in things like soundstage and separation, as opposed to 'tonal' changes, because the harder you listen the more things you notice are going on. They were always there before, but you are listening differently because you are evaluating.
When I discovered that I could improve the soundstaging and micro detailing of my system just by thinking about it was when I gave up on these sort of tweaks.
I've done it mate, I got the wife to swap them without me knowing which was in and I could tell, more importantly, so could she when I sat her in the chair.
The waybill could tell was in the bass. It's bigger and fuller. Better defined. I wish it wasn't true, believe me!
Foo or not foo cable, depending where you stand on it. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8f72b8e1ba.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f294897500.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d54c16bcbf.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...794811078c.jpg
I must have the only fancy mains cable in the world that does absolutely nothing special I suppose.
Ignore me, nowadays I'm not sure I would believe it even if I heard it myself :)
Hahaha no mate, you're right in your assesment based on your experience. My phonostage is a homebrew one so maybe that's why it's making a difference.
I'm not making a universal statement just that it's made a difference here. I'm glad I've tried it and I think it's worth an experiment if someone has 10 minutes and a spare £60 knocking about.
[B][U]I am really interested in how hearing, listening and memory effect our experiences, I'm doing a little digging I'll probably post some information as I find it.
“Deep Listening explores the difference between hearing and listening. Though we receive sound waves through the ears these waves are transduced to electrical impulses by the mechanisms of the ear and transmitted to the brain where listening takes place. The ear does not listen – the brain listens.
Listening is a lifetime practice that depends on accumulated experiences with sound. Listening can be focused to detail or open to the entire field of sound. Listening still is a mysterious process that is not the same for everyone although we have consensual agreements on the interpretation of sound waves delivered to the brain by the ears. We know more about hearing than listening.”
– Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening institute
That's cool. I'll be watching for further info on that.
It is, surprisingly, and it does look the business too so it's fair to say I was very disappointed not to hear any benefit.
I'd be happy to conclude that it was just me and that I am unable to hear the subtle improvements, which would not surprise me. But everyone else seems to have the 'Wife immediately asked me what I had done to the system' type changes so, frankly, I'm feeling a bit left out.
I read somewhere that someone suggested while listening you imagine that instead of your usual system you are listening to an ultra high end system that cost £100,000 per component and see if your perception of how good it sounds changes. I tried that and it did indeed work, although you sort of had to keep the thought in your mind as if you didn't it went back to normal.
(Obviously if your system already cost £100K per item it won't work at all).
As it says in the quote, it's the brain that does the listening.
The brain can be tricked, I don't doubt that. Some people are more astute at listening than others. A few weeks back, Steve popped round with Alan and out of all the folks who'd been here, he's the only one that picked up on the fact I have a bass problem. There is a very boxed in corner by the left speaker due to two walls and a piano. He instantly recognised the bass imbalance. I was impressed with his level of hearing BUT I think you also need to know what to listen out for. He obviously did and helped me sort it out with some very simple ideas.
Everyone hears at different levels but knowing what to listen for is different to having great hearing.
What I am trying to explore is the ability to take suggestion and perception out of the equation, so it seems that hearing and listening could be differentials. Long or short term memory in musical context may also be involved.
Combinations of the above could contribute to the very polarized views that appear when discussing the original post topic.
Very true. I've been at bake offs where someone says 'listen to that' pointing out a problem. I hadn't heard it but as soon as they point it out I hear it. If I was having an extended listen on my own then eventually I would also hear it without being prompted but I am always impressed by people who pick up on these things right away. As you say, it's experience, not golden ears.
You've also got the 'wood for the trees' situation where people are listening so hard for the micro details and so forth that they don't notice that the sound is shit. I've been in a room with about 8 other people and they are all enthusing about various aspects of the sound and I'm the only one thinking that I don't care that it captures the expression in her voice, the sound is hard with nasty distortion.