Nordost Blue Heaven AC Cord Review

[Multicore]

Very funny, if it weren't so sad.

It's like buying a Rolex instead of a Seiko, isn't it? Both are a little bit sad, I suppose.

I'm curious why fancy over-priced cables are derided on ASR while fancy over-priced components of other kinds (assuming they work adequately) are sometimes applauded. In both cases the fancy over-priced version works the same, for all practical purposes, as the off-brand alternative. But in one case aesthetics may be allowed to justify the extra expense but not in the other. If aesthetics and pride-of-ownership are permissible, and clearly they are at ASR in some cases, then I'm curious why this doesn't extend to cables.

There was a thread here recently about Are you a recovering subjectivist? or something like that. That makes me wonder if the special negativity reserved for fancy over-priced cables comes from bitterness at having been burned in the past by the silly techno-bafflegab marketing used to sell them.

 

[Multicore]

You'd actually expect a low-speed cable. If you want to filter out stuff, you'll need to limit bandwidth, not widen it.

Maybe you want to get a hi-fidelity mains signal to your fancy over-priced power conditioner :>

 

[fpitas]

It's like buying a Rolex instead of a Seiko, isn't it? Both are a little bit sad, I suppose.

I'm curious why fancy over-priced cables are derided on ASR while fancy over-priced components of other kinds (assuming they work adequately) are sometimes applauded. In both cases the fancy over-priced version works the same, for all practical purposes, as the off-brand alternative. But in one case aesthetics may be allowed to justify the extra expense but not in the other. If aesthetics and pride-of-ownership are permissible, and clearly they are at ASR in some cases, then I'm curious why this doesn't extend to cables.

There was a thread here recently about Are you a recovering subjectivist? or something like that. That makes me wonder if the special negativity reserved for fancy over-priced cables comes from bitterness at having been burned in the past by the silly techno-bafflegab marketing used to sell them.

Back up a little. I can only speak for myself, but what irritates me here are the snake oil claims. I buy Blue Jeans cables at times just because they're well-made.

 

[misureaudio]

You'd actually expect a low-speed cable. If you want to filter out stuff, you'll need to limit bandwidth, not widen it.

What a bunch of nonsense. I have no idea what this is supposed to prove.

1) It's about speaker cables.

2) it's not about supporting Nordost claims.

Audioreview's paper explains how to make an estimate of field propagation speed in the experiment.

With your statement 'what a bunch of nonsense' are you saying that it isn't an allowed physical estimate?

Did you read and correctly translate the whole paper?

Notice that absolutely no correlation with listening is given in the paper.

For the rest the author is a well reputed physicist with about forty years of experience in measurement systems.

 

[fpitas]

I think you're in the wrong thread for speaker cables. That snake oil comes from a different part of the snake

 

[Ricardus]

By the way, before someone says the Topping A90 is too good to test with this cable, keep in mind that the A90 costs almost the same as this cable at $499!

"Too good to test"? That would directly contradict the normal audiophool rhetoric about needing a RESOLVING piece of gear to hear the differences. Clearly the Topping is resolving enough.

If you give these people enough time, like most liars, they contradict themselves,

 

[Short38]

Thank you Amir.

Had I been aware
Of this luminous haven
I would not have drunk

I had hoped for
Micro detail and much more
Colonoscopy

Poorer now than then
Wiser possibly somewhat
But reclocker next

 

[Zensō]

It's like buying a Rolex instead of a Seiko, isn't it? Both are a little bit sad, I suppose.

I'm curious why fancy over-priced cables are derided on ASR while fancy over-priced components of other kinds (assuming they work adequately) are sometimes applauded. In both cases the fancy over-priced version works the same, for all practical purposes, as the off-brand alternative. But in one case aesthetics may be allowed to justify the extra expense but not in the other. If aesthetics and pride-of-ownership are permissible, and clearly they are at ASR in some cases, then I'm curious why this doesn't extend to cables.

There was a thread here recently about Are you a recovering subjectivist? or something like that. That makes me wonder if the special negativity reserved for fancy over-priced cables comes from bitterness at having been burned in the past by the silly techno-bafflegab marketing used to sell them.

It’s not about aesthetics, it’s about fraudulent claims by manufacturers.

 

[D700]

For Sale: Complete set, new in box "Uplift - Wide Body" ceramic speaker cable lifters.

 

[Multicore]

Back up a little. I can only speak for myself, but what irritates me here are the snake oil claims. I buy Blue Jeans cables at times just because they're well-made.

Right on. Blue Jeans cables are good.

Snake oil and silly techno-bafflegab are the mark of true audiophillia. When I needed a new TT about 5 years ago, before I read ASR, I read some reviews on Stereophile. I was really amazed at the stuff I read there. Much of it was completely incomprehensible. It's like a niche literary genre in its own right. I remember reading a reviewer named Herb Reichert, iirc, and I loved it, it was so funny and eccentric, but of absolutely no practical use. I ended up buying a refurbished Dual CS-5000 because it had the features I wanted. But I kind miss reading Herb and his weird audiophile poetry.

 

[poxymoron]

Right on. Blue Jeans cables are good.

Snake oil and silly techno-bafflegab are the mark of true audiophillia. When I needed a new TT about 5 years ago, before I read ASR, I read some reviews on Stereophile. I was really amazed at the stuff I read there. Much of it was completely incomprehensible. It's like a niche literary genre in its own right. I remember reading a reviewer named Herb Reichert, iirc, and I loved it, it was so funny and eccentric, but of absolutely no practical use. I ended up buying a refurbished Dual CS-5000 because it had the features I wanted. But I kind miss reading Herb and his weird audiophile poetry.

Poetry is one word for it.

 

[Multicore]

It’s not about aesthetics, it’s about fraudulent claims by manufacturers.

Well, ok, but I thought that in the world of audiophillia it was an unspoken but generally accepted truth that snake oil and silly techno-bafflegab are how we justify buying ourselves luxuries.

 

[fpitas]

Well, ok, but I thought that in the world of audiophillia it was an unspoken but generally accepted truth that snake oil and silly techno-bafflegab are how we justify buying ourselves luxuries.

That could be true for some people. But I'm afraid a lot are just willing to buy into delusion.

 

[CapMan]

It's like buying a Rolex instead of a Seiko, isn't it? Both are a little bit sad, I suppose.

Very different from one important perspective - a fine watch may appreciate in value, unlike a foo foo hi-fi cable or DAC/Amp/Streamer etc.

 

[voodooless]

1) It's about speaker cables.

I don't see how this matters.

2) it's not about supporting Nordost claims.

That's fine, I didn't expect it do that.

Audioreview's paper explains how to make an estimate of field propagation speed in the experiment.

With your statement 'what a bunch of nonsense' are you saying that it isn't an allowed physical estimate?

I don't have a problem with that. The question is what any of this is trying to prove? We already know that various cables have various measurable parameters. Measuring "speed", sure go for it.

Did you read and correctly translate the whole paper?

Who knows, ask ChatGPT

Notice that absolutely no correlation with listening is given in the paper.

Oh, yes there is, the conclusion reads:

We have described the results of a series of measurements aimed at identifying the conduction speed of power cables, finding that the final speed ranking for the tested samples (those still available from the set analyzed in AR 246) is compatible and largely consistent with the empirical ranking of preference published at that time.

So it's very clear where this is going...

 

[Multicore]

That could be true for some people. But I'm afraid a lot are just willing to buy into delusion.

You might be right. I rather think that, or perhaps I just like to think that, if you get a couple of drinks into him or her, and ask if listening to Sultans of Swing really sounds that different with this power cord, there's a decent chance the answer will be, "Nah, probably not."

 

[antcollinet]

If aesthetics and pride-of-ownership are permissible, and clearly they are at ASR in some cases, then I'm curious why this doesn't extend to cables.

Because cables are not sold as aesthetics -- they are (fraudulently) sold as making audble improvements to your music.

If they were just sold as jewellery without any audio improvement claims, no-one would care.

 

[Short38]

As I'm being kept up all night by a purgative while awaiting for my every decade routine colonoscopy, it's nice to see I won't be the only one getting hosed. Obviously anyone buying the Blue Heaven will as well. Btw, I bet that ac cable probably has about as nice looking of a sheathing as the one being employed in my GI tract later today. You would think for $417 they could at least make it look like something better than hospital grade tubing.

Thank you for colonoscopy reference, an excellent five syllable word.

 

[Zensō]

Well, ok, but I thought that in the world of audiophillia it was an unspoken but generally accepted truth that snake oil and silly techno-bafflegab are how we justify buying ourselves luxuries.

My point was that Rolex (for example) are not making extraordinary claims about the technical performance of their watches. In other words, they’re up front about the fact that they’re selling luxury. The same can’t be said about most high priced audio cable makers who make extraordinary claims about the performance of their products.

 

[misureaudio]

Oh, yes there is, the conclusion reads:

We have described the results of a series of measurements aimed at identifying the conduction speed of power cables, finding that the final speed ranking for the tested samples (those still available from the set analyzed in AR 246) is compatible and largely consistent with the empirical ranking of preference published at that time.

So it's very clear where this is going...

True, the conclusion cites a preceding test, comprising listening sessions that were described by a different author, (and were widely criticised for what seemed arbitrary correlations). However my point was about how even correctly measured parameters percolate through the pores of an unverified info spreading system to be used in a wrong way by marketing. It was the sense of exposing field propagation speeds in the Nordost catalog for speaker cables, using that parameter alone to rank the cables, (and try to suggest that prices are justified).