AudioQuest NRG-X3 Review (AC Power Cord)

[fpitas]

He is pulling your leg.

Hey! I just simplified matters. And made up a lot of things.

 

[Offler]

To further extend the advice.

Don't buy any expensive "audiophile" cables.

For power cords the one supplied in the box with the gear is audibly identical to any so called "high end" cable.

For interconnect - just basic good build quality is all that is needed.

Sometimes you may find out that you need a cable for 220v 10 or 15 amps and it the price is within reason (30-50 dollars) it could be even reasonable purchase. Mostly its not.

 

[amirm]

but when it comes to audio, the slightest thing can make a noticeable difference in the sound quality/presentation.

There was no change in my testing, slight or otherwise. Your brain though has a ton of variation in how it hears sound. You ever had someone talk to you while you were not listening to them and had to ask them to repeat something? They say the same thing again but this time you understand it. Ergo, your brain changes based on what it is told to do. Next time have someone else swap cables for you so that a) you don't have to jump back and forth and b) you won't know which is which. Repeat this 10 times and see if you get 9 times right. Should only take 10 minutes. Do it and report back.

 

[Russell]

You should use paragraphs. This is a difficult read.

Your impressions are entirely subjective and could be influenced by bias. Nothing in physics indicates that a sufficiently specified cable should have any effect on sound quality.

I should have, but it was sufficiently punctuated, so it shouldn't have been that hard to read. Maybe slow down a little...

That's physics for you, but in reality, with a properly executed system, which includes the acoustic fine tuning of the listening room, amongst other things, the differences between cables/accessories is quite apparent to most audiophiles. Also, I'm talking about this specific cable, because the review came through my news feed and I just had to comment. Again, the difference is very apparent, and not just to me.

 

[kencreten]

I do not belong in any way to this writer's religion. I don't support religious or magical thinking in the engineering of audio devices. This writer does not, even, understand simple explanations regarding the weaknesses of human hearing and audio perception.

Poster said: "too lean and cold."
These are not audio engineering or scientific audio terms. They contain exactly no audio data.

Poster said: "completely different presentation of the sound."
What is this and how was this measured? It sounds like you're depending on the highly error filled human hearing system? What does "presentation" in audio mean? This is another useless audio term.

Poster said: "Goosebumps,"
That must mean it's true! Right?

Poster said: "Just because something looks very similar, when measured, doesn't always mean it will sound the same."
Things sound the same, when they measure the same. This point is proven. ... Proven. Using measurement to demonstrate the performance of a device, is standard in all industry, including the audio industry. This is one one aspect of Quality Assurance.

I say: Audio cables are not directional. Point.

I say: Cables do not "have a sound." Once you understand how electrical cables work, you do not need to listen to them. Just ask Maxwell.

Poster said "relaxed state, and then you have done the most comprehensive test, possible."
This is not true. Equal loudness curves and other human perception problems, are a feature of human hearing, and cannot be avoided - except through reliable measurement. Period.

Poster said: 'is it a complete and proper test' ... [by listening.]
This is subjectivist bullshit. This is only said by people who do not understand audio, it's measurement, and the weaknesses of human hearing and audio perception. This kind of talk represents religious belief, not demonstrable scientific measurements.

Sound is a low frequency phenomena that we've understood very completely for decades. These ridiculous subjective claims that somehow human ears are sacrosanct ways to "test audio," is beyond laughable, and can only be claimed by someone who is ignorant about specific aspects of audio.

Subjective interpretations of sound states cannot be objective due to human hearing system's inability to provide reliable test data. This is broodly and well known in the audio industry, except with the "church of audio," for lack of a nicer term.

 

[kencreten]

I should have, but it was sufficiently punctuated, so it shouldn't have been that hard to read. Maybe slow down a little...

That's physics for you, but in reality, with a properly executed system, which includes the acoustic fine tuning of the listening room, amongst other things, the differences between cables/accessories is quite apparent to most audiophiles. Also, I'm talking about this specific cable, because the review came through my news feed and I just had to comment. Again, the difference is very apparent, and not just to me.

Unless you're doing double blind testing, this opinion that, "there's a bunch of people who think this," is not helpful." Who cares? There are billions of people who believe that their religious person went to Heaven on a winged horse. Does that make more likely to have actually happened?

Who cares what people believe? We know their hearing systems are deeply flawed, and as humans they are not trustworthy sources for the behavior of audio. Rooms are well understood. Room treatment is well understood. Electrical cables are well understood. What you're talking about is bullshit magic, unless you have the double blind test data to prove it. Period. Meanwhile familiarize yourself with this.

Equal-loudness contour - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Russell]

The frustration GIFF is being used because everyday or two somebody comes along and thinks they have a magical cable. I've done it wayyy back and others have too but it does not make it any easier helping peeps that think they have a magical cable.

Jeez, I don't think I've suddenly got a 'magical' cable. I'm familiar with many cables over the years, and have ended up with the ones I have and love, the nrg, being the latest one.

 

[kencreten]

The frustration GIFF is being used because everyday or two somebody comes along and thinks they have a magical cable. I've done it wayyy back and others have too but it does not make it any easier helping peeps that think they have a magical cable.

BUT MAGIC. MAGIC!!! fucking magic.

 

[xaviescacs]

Again, the difference is very apparent, and not just to me.

You will need more than that if you want to convince anyone else. If it's that clear, it would be pretty straightforward to prove with a blind test as suggested. I can assure you that if you can prove you can hear the difference in sound produced by your system between a generic cable and this one, you would cause a significant turmoil.

 

[C. Cook]

Doesn't it just amaze that nowhere in all of the "audiophile" world has anyone ever read an anecdote about someone deciding to plug in a pair of 16 gauge lamp cord and being blown away by how much better they sound than the more expensive speaker wires? For that matter nobody anywhere ever in the "audiophile" universe ever says that a particular manufacturer's $500 speaker cables sound better than the same manufacturer's $900 cables, not even on different systems. Hmmm....I wonder why.

 

[DonR]

I should have, but it was sufficiently punctuated, so it shouldn't have been that hard to read. Maybe slow down a little...

That's physics for you, but in reality, with a properly executed system, which includes the acoustic fine tuning of the listening room, amongst other things, the differences between cables/accessories is quite apparent to most audiophiles. Also, I'm talking about this specific cable, because the review came through my news feed and I just had to comment. Again, the difference is very apparent, and not just to me.

Physics is reality. Most of these differences disappear in blind testing.

 

[kencreten]

Jeez, I don't think I've suddenly got a 'magical' cable. I'm familiar with many cables over the years, and have ended up with the ones I have and love, the nrg, being the latest one.

Your missing what I'm saying with "magic." You believe your perceptions. Your perceptions are flawed in very specific ways, and yet, apparently, you are using these flawed systems you have, to "measure the performance of cable," and have come to believe what you think based on those perceptions. It is magical thinking to believe you can perceive the differences in cables without double blind testing. My guess is, you haven't done this testing to verify your beliefs.

 

[DonR]

The coat hanger test always gives me a giggle.

 

[Russell]

There was no change in my testing, slight or otherwise. Your brain though has a ton of variation in how it hears sound. You ever had someone talk to you while you were not listening to them and had to ask them to repeat something? They say the same thing again but this time you understand it. Ergo, your brain changes based on what it is told to do. Next time have someone else swap cables for you so that a) you don't have to jump back and forth and b) you won't know which is which. Repeat this 10 times and see if you get 9 times right. Should only take 10 minutes. Do it and report back.

Ok I get what you're saying, but I'm talking from when I was 11 or 12 years of age to the present (57). Don't you think I haven't done every test that you can come up with, throughout the decades, on my own, and with other people?
In my hifi room (my lounge!) I've been here so long, that I, and others, who are familiar with the space, can tell, without bias, when the sound changes for the better or worse, very easily, due to the system being very fine tuned and revealing.

 

[DonR]

Ok I get what you're saying, but I'm talking from when I was 11 or 12 years of age to the present (57). Don't you think I haven't done every test that you can come up with, throughout the decades, on my own, and with other people?
In my hifi room (my lounge!) I've been here so long, that I, and others, who are familiar with the space, can tell, without bias, when the sound changes for the better or worse, very easily, due to the system being very fine tuned and revealing.

How do you know there was no bias? How did you measure how revealing your system is? What parameters did you measure to tune it?

 

[Russell]

Here is a video that clarifies Amir's point ... and why:

Audio Blind Testing - You Are Doing It Wrong! (Video)

Just uploaded a video on the basics of performing controlled tests in audio. It was motivated by saving myself text in having to write all of this down when telling someone who to do these tests right. And as a counter to a few online personalities to keep saying they do "blind" tests yet when...

www.audiosciencereview.com

So that you have an idea of your capabilities, this site has blind tests for you:

Blind Tests

Test your audio equipment online. Check for frequency response, dynamic range, stereo imaging and more!

www.audiocheck.net

Your post is #663 in this thread. I suggest you start at page #1 and at least skim through the 662 posts preceding yours. It would have been to your advantage to have done this already. I think you'll see a pattern.

Jim

 

[Deleted member 21219]

Ok I get what you're saying, but I'm talking from when I was 11 or 12 years of age to the present (57). Don't you think I haven't done every test that you can come up with, throughout the decades, on my own, and with other people?
In my hifi room (my lounge!) I've been here so long, that I, and others, who are familiar with the space, can tell, without bias, when the sound changes for the better or worse, very easily, due to the system being very fine tuned and revealing.

Tests only give true information if they are performed with discipline and under rigorous controls.

Not only that, but a group of people will reinforce each other's opinions by means of the power of suggestion.

That reminds me of another page you might do well to read:

List of cognitive biases - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Jim

 

[Russell]

Here is a video that clarifies Amir's point ... and why:

Audio Blind Testing - You Are Doing It Wrong! (Video)

Just uploaded a video on the basics of performing controlled tests in audio. It was motivated by saving myself text in having to write all of this down when telling someone who to do these tests right. And as a counter to a few online personalities to keep saying they do "blind" tests yet when...

www.audiosciencereview.com

So that you have an idea of your capabilities, this site has blind tests for you:

Blind Tests

Test your audio equipment online. Check for frequency response, dynamic range, stereo imaging and more!

www.audiocheck.net

Your post is #663 in this thread. I suggest you start at page #1 and at least skim through the 662 posts preceding yours. It would have been to your advantage to have done this already. I think you'll see a pattern.

Jim

Well, I wouldn't really be an audiophile if I didn't already know about blind listening tests, for Christ sake!

 

[Russell]

Physics is reality. Most of these differences disappear in blind testing.

For some undecerning people, maybe?

 

[kencreten]

Ok I get what you're saying, but I'm talking from when I was 11 or 12 years of age to the present (57). Don't you think I haven't done every test that you can come up with, throughout the decades, on my own, and with other people?
In my hifi room (my lounge!) I've been here so long, that I, and others, who are familiar with the space, can tell, without bias, when the sound changes for the better or worse, very easily, due to the system being very fine tuned and revealing.

No I do not believe you have "done all the testing." You speak as though you know - and my guess is this is about how far it actually goes. What's your actual data? Length of time, old ears, friends that agree, and the concept of "familiarity?" That's why you say you do not have bias? What you mentioned are things - that cause bias and must be eliminated to create meaningful test data.

Your personal beliefs derived over time are biased regarding audio, unless every feature claimed, has been exposed to scientific testing, and with audio some of these tests are null testing, double blind testing, and testing with high performance testing gear.

Do a null test on your cables. This will definitively tell you if there are differences between the cables.