[sdiy] O/T Hi-Fi Snake Oil - UKP700 power lead

[Clarke Robinson]

Colin f wrote:
>
> There is a simple and accurate way to establish whether something affects
> audio quality or not - the double blind ABX listening test.
> Applied to a statistically meaningful sample of people, this will show,
> regardless of whether the reasons are psychological, physiological or
> physical, whether people can hear a difference or not.
> Snake-oil salesmen rarely submit to this sort of testing, and when they do,
> and it proves their wares worthless, they attack the method, since it
> totally eliminates the Placebo effect they make their money from.
>   
I spent several years as a would-be audiophile, in fact I think I'm 
still on the masthead at enjoythemusic.com, where I've published a few 
reviews. I spent quite a bit of time trying to determine fact from 
fiction in that wacky world...never got so far down the rat-hole as to 
try out different power cords, but I've tried most of the known testing 
methods, and one thing I can assure you: a double blind ABX listening 
test is not at all simple to perform.

Hardest is the "double blind" part, where neither the tester *nor* test 
subject know which component is playing. How would you change a power 
cord in an audio system without anyone in the room knowing that you 
changed it (including yourself)?

That said, I'm sure you'll get a kick out of this article, if you 
haven't read it already:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/feature-article-blind-test-power-cords-12-2004.html

...in which probably the looniest of all audio reviewers subjects 
himself to an ABX listening test of power cords. It's actually a 
single-blind test, for reasons explained in the article (and above), but 
an amusing read if you're in to that type of thing, although you know 
already how it turns out!

- Clarke