Blind test 16 times, audiophile USB Cable vs USB cable

[dragonspit4]

Anyone seen this video?
He claims there is a sound difference between USB cables and he did a blind test 16 times, and can tell them apart every time.

Another person claim USB cable make difference (PS Audio): Snake Oil Salesman?

 

[cjfrbw]

Of course they are worth it, as long as I am the one selling them!

 

[Erik]

PS Audio makes low quality products while being marketed as a science-based company. Paul McGowan is a charlatan who pretends to be "a good guy who tells you the truth" in his videos which are misleading.

Their DACs are bad.
Their amplifiers are bad.
They claim their power cords add a "significant improvement in sound quality over any stock power cable".

Also this charlatan sells a wall wart plug with a LED that "really makes a dramatic audible improvement".
"and the effect is cumulative: the more Noise Harvesters the better" - No, I'm not making this up.
https://www.psaudio.com/products/noise-harvester/
Here are measurements if you are interested.

So, yes, Paul McGowan is a snake oil salesman.

 

[mansr]

Also this charlatan sells a wall wart plug with a LED that "really makes a dramatic audible improvement".
"and the effect is cumulative: the more Noise Harvesters the better" - No, I'm not making this up.

A Tice clock by any other name...

 

[bravomail]

If the DAC using USB power then devices like Schiit Wyrd might help. The cable itself - will it affect jitter? - not sure.

 

[amirm]

Anyone seen this video?
He claims there is a sound difference between USB cables and he did a blind test 16 times, and can tell them apart every time.

Yes, I saw it when it had come out originally.

The big flaw in the video is that when it gets to the punchline of the blind test, nothing is shown really. What is there is a made up scene as said in the comments:

Switching cables will cause windows to go through plug-and-play and will absolutely stop the media player from continuing. Likely it will take a minute or so for music to restart playing. Conclusive tests show that even if there is an audible difference, it will be lost in high switching time like this.

Instead of posting so much stuff that doesn't matter, he should have simply shot the video showing the other person switching cables and keeping notes. If that showed 16 out of 16 correct outcomes, I would eat my shorts.

I am happy to offer him $1,000 if he can repeat this test on camera and show the results he is claiming. I am confident he will fail and fail badly. The science is simply not on his side. If it were, countless USB cable manufactures would run these tests and post them as proof. There is none of that of course, nor do they even post measurements that show improvements.

On measurements, I have done that. See: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/do-usb-audio-cables-make-a-difference.1887/

 

[March Audio]

How about 2 of my DAC1 (or 2 of any dac for that matter) with different usb cables playing synchronously from Roon. Roon can output to multiple devices. Followed by a switch box to flick instantly between the two.

 

[andymok]

PS Audio makes low quality products while being marketed as a science-based company. Paul McGowan is a charlatan who pretends to be "a good guy who tells you the truth" in his videos which are misleading.

Their DACs are bad.
Their amplifiers are bad.
They claim their power cords add a "significant improvement in sound quality over any stock power cable".

Also this charlatan sells a wall wart plug with a LED that "really makes a dramatic audible improvement".
"and the effect is cumulative: the more Noise Harvesters the better" - No, I'm not making this up.
https://www.psaudio.com/products/noise-harvester/
Here are measurements if you are interested.

So, yes, Paul McGowan is a snake oil salesman.

I laughed when he failed making a bass trap by using Helmholtz Resonators when making his music room.

 

[Wombat]

There is an old saying: "Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see". The internet tends to be nothing for both.

 

[Deleted member 4708]

I do not have any sympathy for the suckers that buy this kind of BS (audiophile cables). If you lack education, ask an educated friend - no shame in not knowing physics / electronics. Even better, read up basic stuff; put your money in the speakers / headphones - those make the biggest difference. And be honest when listening to "something audiophile / expensive" and you can't tell the difference.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I do not have any sympathy for the suckers that buy this kind of BS (audiophile cables). If you lack education, ask an educated friend - no shame in not knowing physics / electronics. Even better, read up basic stuff; put your money in the speakers / headphones - those make the biggest difference. And be honest when listening to "something audiophile / expensive" and you can't tell the difference.

I wouldn't look at it quite that way. One problem about some area of life where you don't know how things work is you are a lousy judge of who a properly educated person is to ask. If you read magazines, they'll do interviews with makers of gear and make you think they are the one to ask. Its probably better to try and show others how they are mislead than to call them suckers (hey I've been a sucker in lots of things unfortunately).

 

[Deleted member 4708]

I wouldn't look at it quite that way. One problem about some area of life where you don't know how things work is you are a lousy judge of who a properly educated person is to ask. If you read magazines, they'll do interviews with makers of gear and make you think they are the one to ask. Its probably better to try and show others how they are mislead than to call them suckers (hey I've been a sucker in lots of things unfortunately).

I've been suckered too - I'm not here to pretend otherwise but I believe it goes both ways: ASR / @amirm should tell people what they know but you have to fend for yourself too. There are many reasons why I visit this site and one of them is the solid approach to the reviews and the rigorosity I find here. Just hope more will join and learn a bit.
When you spend money on audio I'd expect you also spend at least a few hours online and look after measurements on the products you are about to buy. Then ask others, etc.

 

[jsrtheta]

I wouldn't look at it quite that way. One problem about some area of life where you don't know how things work is you are a lousy judge of who a properly educated person is to ask. If you read magazines, they'll do interviews with makers of gear and make you think they are the one to ask. Its probably better to try and show others how they are mislead than to call them suckers (hey I've been a sucker in lots of things unfortunately).

A bit off topic, but I think the problem really goes much deeper than that. "Audiophiles" are prone to tremendous insecurity (I know, I was one before recovery), and no matter the science, audiophiles will sit and read Stereophile, etc., while listening to their newest component, and then fret that they need something new, something different, something more expensive to achieve nirvana.

But when they get the next expensive toy, they fret now that there must be something even BETTER, and the whole process begins anew. It's a pathology, and one largely immune to reason.

 

[Deleted member 2944]

The audiophile ego is the size of a GoodYear blimp.
Even if two identical cables were used and an audiophile blind-tested them and couldn't hear a difference, he'd be pissed.

 

[jsrtheta]

The audiophile ego is the size of a GoodYear blimp.
Even if two identical cables were used and an audiophile blind-tested them and couldn't hear a difference, he'd be pissed.

For sure. And, sadly, I was a pretty smug ignoramus when I was an "audiophile." Now, mostly, I pay attention to speakers. And only mouth off in friendly forums like this.

Which is not to say that I can't spend hours perusing this forum and its testing. I can, and do, while knowing that most of this is over my head. A laudably tolerant bunch here.

 

[DaaDaa]

thats an awful that he has in the first place.

 

[Deleted member 2944]

For sure. And, sadly, I was a pretty smug ignoramus when I was an "audiophile." Now, mostly, I pay attention to speakers. And only mouth off in friendly forums like this.

Which is not to say that I can't spend hours perusing this forum and its testing. I can, and do, while knowing that most of this is over my head. A laudably tolerant bunch here.

Agree completely. I don't consider myself an "audiophile" any more. I think it's a derogatory term now that applies to folks with way more money than sense.
In the old days, an "audiophile" was an enthusiastic listener of music and interested in the technical aspects of the equipment used to enjoy that listening.

Dave.

 

[mansr]

In the old days, an "audiophile" was an enthusiastic listener of music and interested in the technical aspects of the equipment used to enjoy that listening.

 

[JJB70]

I do see why so many get suckered when there is a whole parasitic Al cottage industry of magazine shills pretending to provide independent advice whilst using a few relatively simple psychological tricks to mislead and manipulate. And now many manufacturers are very adept at guerrilla marketing on social media. Of course sites like this this one provide a counter view but we probably cannot match the group think pull of the audiophile magazines and the dark Web of audiophoolery.

I will admit that I really bought into it all in my youth and embraced the idea that I along with other audiophiles were blessed with golden ears and a sense of discernment that set us apart from cloth eared tone death idiots who were incapable of appreciating good hifi. That was an expensive lesson to learn........

 

[bennetng]

Instead of posting so much stuff that doesn't matter, he should have simply shot the video showing the other person switching cables and keeping notes. If that showed 16 out of 16 correct outcomes, I would eat my shorts.

Forget about using video as a proof. Maybe next year I can see you recommending the latest Schiit multibit DAC on Youtube, sitting beside the latest APx666 showing 140dB SINAD.