Change power cord to the Ultra

[Emmdub]

I don’t think you understand the level of audible difference, otherwise I would not recommend the cable if “I thought “ I heard a difference . The difference is in your face , so it sticks in your working memory ,in clarity and dynamics ,and you do not need to rely on echoic memory that you have a 2-4 seconds window before you forget the raw audio information related to spatial cues , pitch , precise phase information , faint reverb tails etc before the brain groups them in concepts and “compresses” them .

Of course there is less fatigue also for which you need long term listening to appreciate and also familiarity with how your system sounded on familiar tracks therefore you need a basis for comparison with actual long term memory impressions .

Oh, but I do understand….a difference that profound is obviously measurable. Get back to me when you’ve got proof.

 

[mlsstl]

On the issue of subjective listening, I'd like to recommend this book: "A Mind of Its Own - How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives" by Dr. Cordelia Fine. It is a great read and explains in great detail how our brains can fool us. The titles of the nine chapters are pretty self-explanatory:

1. The Vain Brain
2. The Emotional Brain
3. The Immoral Brain
4. The Deluded Brain
5. The Pigheaded Brain
6. The Secretive Brain
7. The Weak-willed Brain
8. The Bigoted Brain
9. The Vulnerable Brain

The book is not about audio per se, but there is also nothing about audio that constitutes an exception to how our brain functions when it comes to subjectivity. After reading this, you'll not be surprised by any of the subjective stuff that you read about audio equipment.

The only silly thing to me is that so many of these people think they are somehow exempt from this human condition. That said, I'm not overly concerned about the issue. Our day-to-day listening is routinely done in sighted conditions with full awareness of the makes and models of the equipment involved. It is no surprise that the gear's physical appearance, pride of ownership, investment cost and all the advertising and reviews we've read are circulating in our brains as we listen. The net result is that if it makes that person happy, great!

 

[steadyshot]

Oh, but I do understand….a difference that profound is obviously measurable. Get back to me when you’ve got proof.

On the issue of subjective listening, I'd like to recommend this book: "A Mind of Its Own - How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives" by Dr. Cordelia Fine. It is a great read and explains in great detail how our brains can fool us. The titles of the nine chapters are pretty self-explanatory:

1. The Vain Brain
2. The Emotional Brain
3. The Immoral Brain
4. The Deluded Brain
5. The Pigheaded Brain
6. The Secretive Brain
7. The Weak-willed Brain
8. The Bigoted Brain
9. The Vulnerable Brain

The book is not about audio per se, but there is also nothing about audio that constitutes an exception to how our brain functions when it comes to subjectivity. After reading this, you'll not be surprised by any of the subjective stuff that you read about audio equipment.

The only silly thing to me is that so many of these people think they are somehow exempt from this human condition. That said, I'm not overly concerned about the issue. Our day-to-day listening is routinely done in sighted conditions with full awareness of the makes and models of the equipment involved. It is no surprise that the gear's physical appearance, pride of ownership, investment cost and all the advertising and reviews we've read are circulating in our brains as we listen. The net result is that if it makes

When we talk about proof in situations like this, the only honest standard is that two things must align. First, there must be a physically coherent mechanism that can influence the device in a predictable way. Second, the sonic effect must be repeatable in the same environment. When both the physics and the repeatability point toward the same conclusion, the experience is not arbitrary. That is exactly what happens in my system.

The Cambridge MXN10 uses a C7 connector, which leaves the chassis floating without a fixed reference to earth. In a home filled with WiFi, Bluetooth and mobile signals, a floating chassis naturally accumulates high frequency interference because it has nowhere to drain it. This interference couples through parasitic capacitances into the internal ground plane and subtly modulates the reference that the digital clock, the DAC and the analogue output stage rely on. The modulation is small in amplitude but large in sonic consequence, because it affects phase noise, micro timing, dynamic precision and the clarity of low level detail. What the AudioQuest NRG Y2 provides is a cleaner and lower impedance path for this energy to escape, which stabilises the ground plane and lowers the RF pressure the MXN10 normally experiences.

The design of the cable matters because RF behaves very differently from the 50 hertz mains waveform. At high frequencies, energy travels along the path of least impedance, which is determined by geometry, spacing and dielectric behaviour. The NRG Y2 uses controlled conductor layout and a stable dielectric structure that lower RF impedance and guide high frequency noise toward the wall earth instead of letting it scatter or reflect inside the device. Long grain copper reduces microscopic boundary effects inside the conductor, which further limits reflections and standing wave behaviour. A basic molded cable, with random geometry and higher RF impedance, simply cannot provide this type of behaviour.

In my system the effect is not subtle. When the floating chassis finally has a proper drainage route, the entire presentation becomes clearly cleaner and more stable. The grain that used to sit on top of vocals and high frequency details disappears. The sound becomes more dynamic because the micro timing that gives music its sense of drive is no longer blurred by noise induced modulation. The slight hash or haze that used to ride on transients also vanishes, because the ground plane is no longer wobbling under RF load. Nothing is added and nothing is coloured. What happens is that the interference that used to mask fine detail is simply no longer present.

Regarding placebo, I fully acknowledge that expectation can influence perception, but only within limits. Placebo cannot consistently remove grain, increase dynamics and eliminate hash across multiple days, multiple sessions and multiple A and B comparisons under identical conditions. Placebo does not turn on and off with the same precision as an electrical mechanism. The change I hear matches exactly what the cable is doing in the RF heavy environment of my home and the grounding topology of the MXN10.

I am not claiming that every system will behave in the same way. I am saying that in my setup, with a floating streamer in a noisy wireless environment, giving the device a proper RF drainage path produces a very pronounced improvement that is cleaner, more dynamic, grain free and devoid of the hash that the stock cable allowed to remain.

 

[slartibartfast]

When we talk about proof in situations like this, the only honest standard is that two things must align. First, there must be a physically coherent mechanism that can influence the device in a predictable way. Second, the sonic effect must be repeatable in the same environment. When both the physics and the repeatability point toward the same conclusion, the experience is not arbitrary. That is exactly what happens in my system.

The Cambridge MXN10 uses a C7 connector, which leaves the chassis floating without a fixed reference to earth. In a home filled with WiFi, Bluetooth and mobile signals, a floating chassis naturally accumulates high frequency interference because it has nowhere to drain it. This interference couples through parasitic capacitances into the internal ground plane and subtly modulates the reference that the digital clock, the DAC and the analogue output stage rely on. The modulation is small in amplitude but large in sonic consequence, because it affects phase noise, micro timing, dynamic precision and the clarity of low level detail. What the AudioQuest NRG Y2 provides is a cleaner and lower impedance path for this energy to escape, which stabilises the ground plane and lowers the RF pressure the MXN10 normally experiences.

The design of the cable matters because RF behaves very differently from the 50 hertz mains waveform. At high frequencies, energy travels along the path of least impedance, which is determined by geometry, spacing and dielectric behaviour. The NRG Y2 uses controlled conductor layout and a stable dielectric structure that lower RF impedance and guide high frequency noise toward the wall earth instead of letting it scatter or reflect inside the device. Long grain copper reduces microscopic boundary effects inside the conductor, which further limits reflections and standing wave behaviour. A basic molded cable, with random geometry and higher RF impedance, simply cannot provide this type of behaviour.

In my system the effect is not subtle. When the floating chassis finally has a proper drainage route, the entire presentation becomes clearly cleaner and more stable. The grain that used to sit on top of vocals and high frequency details disappears. The sound becomes more dynamic because the micro timing that gives music its sense of drive is no longer blurred by noise induced modulation. The slight hash or haze that used to ride on transients also vanishes, because the ground plane is no longer wobbling under RF load. Nothing is added and nothing is coloured. What happens is that the interference that used to mask fine detail is simply no longer present.

Regarding placebo, I fully acknowledge that expectation can influence perception, but only within limits. Placebo cannot consistently remove grain, increase dynamics and eliminate hash across multiple days, multiple sessions and multiple A and B comparisons under identical conditions. Placebo does not turn on and off with the same precision as an electrical mechanism. The change I hear matches exactly what the cable is doing in the RF heavy environment of my home and the grounding topology of the MXN10.

I am not claiming that every system will behave in the same way. I am saying that in my setup, with a floating streamer in a noisy wireless environment, giving the device a proper RF drainage path produces a very pronounced improvement that is cleaner, more dynamic, grain free and devoid of the hash that the stock cable allowed to remain.

So did you do a blind test?

 

[tabata]

[whatever the heck all that was - Ed.]

Cool story, bro.

The most generous interpretation of your situation is that you have poorly designed or malfunctioning equipment in your system.

If the MXN10 is such a piece of crap that isn’t fit for your purpose of living next to an array of cell and airport and NASA antennas, why is it still being used? You cover up a problem like that with a magical power cable, not a component with a proper ground path?

 

[JAB]

No one can have enough popcorn and beer for all this at hand

 

[HansD-NL]

<snip>
When the floating chassis finally has a proper drainage route.

It doesn't, it still has no connection to the ground path on the power side! (Not that it cares because it was designed that way) You are talking nonsense and the other long text is just like straight out of Cardas, Chord, AudioQuest etc marketing material. Some technical terms mixed in with a word salad.

This is a really funny one (lots of others are in the text) "At high frequencies, energy travels along the path of least impedance"

 

[mlsstl]

Yup, will repeat the blind test question.

Theories are nice but just that until proven repeatably by others. I've read elaborate quantum physics justification for improving sound by putting photos in a freezer. Those people swear by it, too.

 

[taube Taube]

Some technical terms mixed in with a word salad.

Why, everything becomes coherent and logical if you imagine that the text was written by a plumber.

 

[cooky560]

1. Plug in your wiim using all the provided cables that are needed in your system.
2. Say “oh well that’s nice” that wiim gives you everything you need in the box. No need to go cable shopping.
3. Turn on the wiim and any necessary equipment connected to it, depending on your setup.
4. Enjoy the music.

That’s literally all there is to it. Why are we making it more trouble that it is?

 

[JAB]

All this stuff is really entertaining. For sure I am on both sides, in a way.
But, to make life more relaxed I once gave me three golden rules:
- Never justify or discuss my audio setup.
- No brown shoes or sneakers later than 18:00.
- Don't f*ck the company.

 

[Emmdub]

Why, everything becomes coherent and logical if you imagine that the text was written by a plumber.

 

[steadyshot]

Cool story, bro.

The most generous interpretation of your situation is that you have poorly designed or malfunctioning equipment in your system.

If the MXN10 is such a piece of crap that isn’t fit for your purpose of living next to an array of cell and airport and NASA antennas, why is it still being used? You cover up a problem like that with a magical power cable, not a component with a proper ground path?

So did you do a blind test?

It doesn't, it still has no connection to the ground path on the power side! (Not that it cares because it was designed that way) You are talking nonsense and the other long text is just like straight out of Cardas, Chord, AudioQuest etc marketing material. Some technical terms mixed in with a word salad.

This is a really funny one (lots of others are in the text) "At high frequencies, energy travels along the path of least impedance"

The MXN10 is not poorly designed at all. The measurements published by Stereophile show that it performs cleanly and predictably for a compact streamer, and the listening impressions match my own. The point is simply that any device using a two pin floating input will interact with its electromagnetic environment differently than a device that is earth referenced. Even though the MXN10 itself does not connect to earth, the cable feeding it still sits within the household wiring system, and the Schuko side provides a lower impedance return path for common mode high frequency noise. RF does not need a direct pin to the chassis to influence how much of that noise is allowed to accumulate or how easily it can flow back toward the household earth reference. Changing the impedance profile on the mains side of a floating device changes the RF conditions it operates in, and that is enough to affect how stable its ground plane behaves in a real home.

Regarding the blind test question, even if I said yes, you would not believe me and we both know it. More importantly, short term memory for spatial cues and microdetail is extremely limited. It is good for identifying large, obvious differences but not good for assessing low level changes in stability or grain. That is exactly why serious research in psychoacoustics does not rely on two second memory snapshots for subtle changes. The fact remains that the improvement in my system is not subtle at all. It is stable over days and repeatable under the same listening conditions, which is what matters.

About the grounding comment, a floating device does not have to connect to earth to behave differently when the cable feeding it changes the common mode noise profile. A power cable can influence the RF energy riding on the mains, the capacitive coupling into the chassis and the way the device interacts with the rest of the household wiring. None of this requires an earth pin. It is simply how common mode paths behave in a real home with a lot of wireless energy. Describing that interaction does not make it marketing material. It is basic electromagnetic behaviour.

Since you highlighted one line, let me clarify it because it was interpreted out of context. At high frequencies, impedance is controlled by geometry and dielectric behaviour, not by DC resistance. This is why two conductors with the same DC resistance can behave very differently in the RF domain. That is not a controversial statement. It is the foundation of transmission line theory and it applies whether the frequency is kilohertz, megahertz or gigahertz. There is no mystery in this.

I am not asking anyone to take my word for anything. I am simply describing what happens in my system with my equipment in my environment. If someone prefers to call that a “cool story,” that is their choice. I prefer to stay with mechanism, repeatability and what I actually hear over time.

 

[Bozzz]

My new power cable has made a subtle difference in the sound

Can you blind test tell wether it’s connected vs the stock cable?

 

[Bozzz]

No one can have enough popcorn and beer for all this at hand

That’s why people post questions and statements about power cables. Nothing much more to it than the comments they know they’ll get

 

[Pcryan5]

Don't forget to buy magic pebbles

Kirkville - How Hi-Fi Magazines Write about Cables, Part 19: Magic Rocks

I really thought this was a satire…

kirkville.com

These sort of replies bug me. Don't forget to buy magic pebbles - shake them - throw them at the wall.
Don't be lazy provide the whole answer.

 

[dtc]

Guys - give it a rest. This disagreement is as old as audio and will not result in any productive discussion. Let's get back to Wiim issues - please.

 

[cooky560]

Post Snip

My property was built a very long time ago, until recently, it still had cartridge fuses for the ring main, and those were themselves were added in the 1970s.
I can argue that my mains is dire at best, and yet I've never experienced a notable impact on sound quality because of it.
Modern (and indeed older) electronics were designed to cope with all sorts of different quality mains supplies, a cable won't change what's being fed to it from the mains.

 

[slartibartfast]

The MXN10 is not poorly designed at all. The measurements published by Stereophile show that it performs cleanly and predictably for a compact streamer, and the listening impressions match my own. The point is simply that any device using a two pin floating input will interact with its electromagnetic environment differently than a device that is earth referenced. Even though the MXN10 itself does not connect to earth, the cable feeding it still sits within the household wiring system, and the Schuko side provides a lower impedance return path for common mode high frequency noise. RF does not need a direct pin to the chassis to influence how much of that noise is allowed to accumulate or how easily it can flow back toward the household earth reference. Changing the impedance profile on the mains side of a floating device changes the RF conditions it operates in, and that is enough to affect how stable its ground plane behaves in a real home.

Regarding the blind test question, even if I said yes, you would not believe me and we both know it. More importantly, short term memory for spatial cues and microdetail is extremely limited. It is good for identifying large, obvious differences but not good for assessing low level changes in stability or grain. That is exactly why serious research in psychoacoustics does not rely on two second memory snapshots for subtle changes. The fact remains that the improvement in my system is not subtle at all. It is stable over days and repeatable under the same listening conditions, which is what matters.

About the grounding comment, a floating device does not have to connect to earth to behave differently when the cable feeding it changes the common mode noise profile. A power cable can influence the RF energy riding on the mains, the capacitive coupling into the chassis and the way the device interacts with the rest of the household wiring. None of this requires an earth pin. It is simply how common mode paths behave in a real home with a lot of wireless energy. Describing that interaction does not make it marketing material. It is basic electromagnetic behaviour.

Since you highlighted one line, let me clarify it because it was interpreted out of context. At high frequencies, impedance is controlled by geometry and dielectric behaviour, not by DC resistance. This is why two conductors with the same DC resistance can behave very differently in the RF domain. That is not a controversial statement. It is the foundation of transmission line theory and it applies whether the frequency is kilohertz, megahertz or gigahertz. There is no mystery in this.

I am not asking anyone to take my word for anything. I am simply describing what happens in my system with my equipment in my environment. If someone prefers to call that a “cool story,” that is their choice. I prefer to stay with mechanism, repeatability and what I actually hear over time.

Regarding the blind test all you have to do is identify which power cord is connected. Nothing to do with short term memory. Just listen multiple times without knowing which cord is connected and identify which one is connected.

 

[cooky560]

Remember everyone, the console unit that recorded your music includes miles and miles of tin, it's unlikely to be anything else, or the mixing console would be more valuable than a house.
It still sounds amazing when it comes out, so I think almost everything on the market is overspeccing.