AudioQuest NRG-X3 Review (AC Power Cord)

[Rottmannash]

It's a fantasy. Obsessing over stuff and one of those obsessions is looking for solutions to problems that don't exist. I have had some buying delusions. Mostly related to motorcycles accessories and sports gear. I just have to have something sometimes. I have made all sorts of excuses why I should buy useless stuff. I'm a lot more analytical about my purchases now but there was a time when it was common for me.

ooooh! We need to start a thread on obsessive motorcycle accessorizing. I'll chime in.

 

[xaviescacs]

Paul McGown, CEO or PS Audio now says I don't know about testing power cables:

View attachment 197096

Incredible that he doesn't bother to understand the testing to know that I never used the cable to power AP. I was very clear in the video that it was NOT such a test. I used the AP to measure the transfer function of the cable. And I also measured the analog output of audio products (DAC and amplifier).

This is a child reaction. How disappointing... again, this is the CEO of a serious company?

In this video he explains what is his comprehension about power cables and shows how to properly test them. Very instructive. It's not. Squander time alert.

 

[Rottmannash]

And I can broad jump 50 feet, deadlift 1500 pounds, solve the three body problem, and service an entire women’s volleyball team in an hour. Did I mention my wife, Morgan Fairchild, who I’ve seen naked?

...Googling "three body problem"

 

[pkane]

...Googling "three body problem"

Hint: it’s not related to the volleyball team claim.

 

[Rottmannash]

I don't even know what virtue signal means. All I know is it's a harmless hobby and to even use the words "crime against humanity" in the context of what's going on in the world now is pretty obscene.

Microcosm of society? Are you kidding? Anti-vaxers is a largely right-wing politico/religious thing by rather selfish people with a false idea of their personal freedoms. Over here in Europe anti-vaxers were few and far between and most people, me included, got vaccinated immediately we were invited to do so. Vaccination rates were 30-40% higher in the UK and EU than the USA. If there were any connection, that would mean there were almost no audiophiles in the UK and Europe, which isn't the case. It's just nonsense.

Most people aren't anti-science, they are just ignorant of science, so go with what they hear and enjoy. You are probably more concerned with the misuse of science. So how about all those commercials from soap power to shampoo and endless cosmetics referring to weird chemicals no one has any idea about? It's the oldest trick in the book and that marketing probably sold a million times more product than audio marketing ever did.

If you think the audio industry is failing because they don't know what they're doing, then you should be pleased.

"High fidelity is purely a luxury good trying to disguise itself as a technical ultimate." You could say that about a vast number of luxury goods. Are Louis Vuitton committing crimes against humanity selling a suitcase for $50,000?

Do Vuitton claim their luggage "cradles" one's undies better than a Samsonite?

 

[egellings]

Some people will see Amir's explanation of cable behavior and dismiss the explanation no matter what evidence is provided. Others, who are unsure about cable effects will see the presentation and go with it. It depends on whether the reader is belief based or science based.

 

[xaviescacs]

Hint: it’s not related to the volleyball team claim.

The chaos?

 

[Rottmannash]

Because of these reviews I have sold off my power conditioner and I am selling my exotic power cables.

but do you feel guilty selling them to others who may not know?

 

[amirm]

but do you feel guilty selling them to others who may not know?

Let's not go there please.

 

[JayGilb]

It is very strange. You would think he would watch the video where I plainly say I am not doing what he says I am.

What I find amazing is that he thinks he is so much on the right that my results "can't be." He really, really has drank his own Kool-Aid.

I don't think he hears "no" often during the course of a day and is active in his forums, where he has an almost messianic following who quickly defend him. Such a difference between the two forums, you get called out for missing data, mistakes or misspellings in your reviews and are expected to technically defend your measurements.

 

[DWI]

You are quite wrong. I suggest you start reading the comments under the videos I produce. For the first time people are seeing comprehensive data backed by engineering explanation of why such things don't work to improve fidelity. This is far from arguments and shouting matches of the past. We are starting to make a difference here and the rate of change is going to keep increasing.

I did and did not see any evidence that anyone did not buy a product that otherwise they would have bought. Moreover, measurement based technical reports ruled the day when I started reading audio reviews in the 1970s. The audio editor accepted there was a limit as to what you could measure relative to hearing, and he knew what he was talking about. (He was a serious academic engineer and leading recording engineer who trained most of the BBC engineers at the time.)

I had a look at YouTube. The ASR videos get 15-20k views. I hate to say PS Audio does rather better. The guy from Utrecht often gets 200k+. a contender for cheap hifi answers, and trashing audiophiles along the way, might be this guy.

Over 400k views, he has almost 4 times as many subscribers as ASR, he measures using the equipment on his head and it seems he warms up before each video with a few beers.

The winner is cleary Darko. His review of a $99 DAC got over 1 million views. I think the reason is you don’t have to trash audiophiles, you just have to show people good cheap products.

The numbers don’t lie.

 

[Ingenieur]

Why do some believe a power cord supplying an audio device is different than one supplying:
Medical equipment
Lab equipment
Signal analyzers
O-scopes
Telecomm gear
???

Do they believe somehow a music signal is more complex or magical?
Requires 'special' power?
That all the degradation cause buy the system from generator to outlet is 'corrected'?

 

[amirm]

The numbers don’t lie.

But the person quoting them does. YouTube has been those twos only job for years. My channel is recent and is an auxiliary to this forum. So naturally I have less views. But the channel is growing fast with 27000 subscribers. You don't get to that kind of number as quickly as I have without strong demand for its content.

 

[SIY]

I did and did not see any evidence that anyone did not buy a product that otherwise they would have bought. Moreover, measurement based technical reports ruled the day when I started reading audio reviews in the 1970s. The audio editor accepted there was a limit as to what you could measure relative to hearing, and he knew what he was talking about. (He was a serious academic engineer and leading recording engineer who trained most of the BBC engineers at the time.)

I had a look at YouTube. The ASR videos get 15-20k views. I hate to say PS Audio does rather better. The guy from Utrecht often gets 200k+. a contender for cheap hifi answers, and trashing audiophiles along the way, might be this guy.

Over 400k views, he has almost 4 times as many subscribers as ASR, he measures using the equipment on his head and it seems he warms up before each video with a few beers.

The winner is cleary Darko. His review of a $99 DAC got over 1 million views. I think the reason is you don’t have to trash audiophiles, you just have to show people good cheap products.

The numbers don’t lie.

Astrologers sell far more than astronomers.

 

[TrevC]

I wonder what you wanted to see on the measurements? What really affects the sound is impossible to measure with your instruments. I can perfectly distinguish the effect of a good power cable on the sound compared to the stock one. If you've never even tried to do that, I'm really sorry...

You mean your hearing is so acute you can hear differences that don't exist? Wow!

 

[TheBatsEar]

...Googling "three body problem"

... Googling ... the other things

 

[TheBatsEar]

You would think he would watch the video where I plainly say I am not doing what he says I am.

Paul watches your videos. He used this part precisely because he thinks it has the most impact in making you look bad.

I would call him a bitter

, but he lacks the warmth and depth.

 

[Ingenieur]

I wonder what you wanted to see on the measurements? What really affects the sound is impossible to measure with your instruments. I can perfectly distinguish the effect of a good power cable on the sound compared to the stock one. If you've never even tried to do that, I'm really sorry...

Sorry is not the word I would use.
If the power out of each cord is identical there can be no audible difference.
If a device provides the same signal with each cord there can be no difference.

We are measuring a 60 Hz signal and harmonics plus noise.
That is all. Not MHz, not the speed of light, not the gravitational force.
There is NOTHING in this domain that can't be measured.

How do you think we manage 1,000's of sq miles of a power grid with interties to others? You realize an a xxx GW grid a differenence of 0.01 Hz will appear as a short circuit?

It is not unknown magic, it is well established, century old fundamental engineering.
We did not get to the moon, electrification of the world, etc., without this being dead b@ll$ accurate.

 

[TheBatsEar]

The numbers don’t lie.

Luckily, truth is not decided by how many views on Youtube you get.

 

[Ingenieur]

I did and did not see any evidence that anyone did not buy a product that otherwise they would have bought. Moreover, measurement based technical reports ruled the day when I started reading audio reviews in the 1970s. The audio editor accepted there was a limit as to what you could measure relative to hearing, and he knew what he was talking about. (He was a serious academic engineer and leading recording engineer who trained most of the BBC engineers at the time.)

I had a look at YouTube. The ASR videos get 15-20k views. I hate to say PS Audio does rather better. The guy from Utrecht often gets 200k+. a contender for cheap hifi answers, and trashing audiophiles along the way, might be this guy.

Over 400k views, he has almost 4 times as many subscribers as ASR, he measures using the equipment on his head and it seems he warms up before each video with a few beers.

The winner is cleary Darko. His review of a $99 DAC got over 1 million views. I think the reason is you don’t have to trash audiophiles, you just have to show people good cheap products.

The numbers don’t lie.

Did you ever consider that people gravitate to those places because they don't understand the 'numbers'?

They need spoon fed and for someone else do their thinking for them.

Some folks research and make their own car buying decisions. Others let the salesman make it for them.