I won a Virtual Dynamics Power 3 Cable

This one:

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They had an online contest and I won it. Had to pay shipping - $28.00. I'm already into this for way more $$$ than I wanted to be. The contest appears to be over now.

The picture doesn't do it justice - it's freaking gigantic. Ridiculous. Thicker than a LARGE garden hose, somewhat flexible, but just barely. It weighs about ten freaking pounds - I'm afraid to have it dangling off the back of my amp; the weight alone is probably enough to do damage to the power input without some sort of support.

This cable is $305.00, and I must say I am TOTALLY skeptical. I am about to plug it into the back of my bass system and try it. I will try to be open minded, I just hope it doesn't work as they say it does. This is a power cable, I really can't understand how it is going to change the sound. The test report from the University of Toronto says the more expensive Power One Cable ($500.00) increases the slew rate very very slightly, but does change the noise floor quite significantly. Overall change - 2.6%. Whether that translates into something you can actually hear, well... we'll see.

Pictures and full review, probably skathing, to follow. I'm going to try it in everything; my bass amp, my effects rack, stereo, some recording preamps, toaster, cappucino machine, vaccuum, everything. The thing is totally ridiculous looking, like some kind of giant phallic marital aid/p**** extension/s&m device.

I sure hope it doesn't work, otherwise I'll have to put these throughout my system, which would be heavy, ridiculous, inconvenient, and very expensive.

Tom Bowlus, you need one of these! I'll sell you this one cheap.

Cheers,
Cameron

billfitzmaurice said:

Read this.
http://theaudiocritic.com/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=32&blogId=1

Probably not even worth the cost of the shipping.:scowl:

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till I plugged it in. I'm sorry, it works, a little bit. And I read the audio critic article, and agree with most of it; however...

the analogy to power cables not making a difference unless you go all the way back to the transformer in the power station does not hold up; it's like saying a water conditioner or filter won't work unless you go right back to the source. This is more like that, IMHO.

And I completely disagree with the digital vs analogue article, having never really liked 'digital' sound from the beginning, and also having heard the same recording on a high end cd player A/B'd with the same performance on vinyl played an Oracle turntable with a Koetsu moving-coil cartridge through a set of high-end B&W speakers and the same pre-amp/power amp combo - the turntable sounded VASTLY different and much better/ more natural, with immediate percussive impact that was sorely lacking in the cd performance inspite of it being a $6,000.00 cd player with a $4,000.00 DA converter. Sure there was crackling/hiss, etc. But there was a percussive attack that has been lacking in digital sound since it's inception. Could you measure the difference? I doubt it, not by any conventional means. Could you hear the difference? Irrefutably so. Digital has always sounded transparent to my ears, like the difference between videotape and film. Film still has a soft, natural look to it that can't be beat in certain applications (not to mention dynamic and tonal range, but that's a whole other story).

I have A/B'd this power cable with a regular one for about four hours, and what I find is:

1) The Power Three cable sounded 'darker' initially, but then I realized the scratchy, harsh treble response of the Eden amp had been smoothed out somewhat.

2) Slightly better dynamics - not a lot, but a bit

3) Better upper and low mid transients when played hard.

4) Top end a little 'sweeter', and with slightly less noise.

I'm sorry, but this thing works, a bit. Not a huge difference, maybe a couple of %, but I can clearly hear and feel a difference when I play. And I thought clearly this thing was going to be total ********. I was looking forward to completely ridiculing the company, its products, and anyone stupid enough to buy one, but you know, I just can't...

My test method - extremely unscientific: I played a groove for about a minute with one cable, had my girlfriend yank the plug out quickly and replace it with the high end one, so the amp was only off for a brief time (less than 3 seconds or so) and continued on with the groove. Did not touch a knob or even the on/off switch of the amp (not a good thing, I know). We did this back and forth several times. I hear a difference; I feel a difference. She heard a difference, and was able to describe it. Not profound, but it is definitely there. Maybe 3%.

Would I suggest everyone go out and buy a $300.00 power cable? - no. Will I be throwing this one in the garbage? - no.
Will I use this in the studio when I can plug directly into the wall? - yes.

I know all the standard caveats about placebo effects, etc. I have heard Bill Fitzmaurice rant on about scientific test results, etc. Is it measureable? I don't know - possibly not. Can you measure the difference between two identical Fender basses, same model, finish, strings, age, and everythings - probably not. As a bass player of 38 years, can I hear and feel a difference? Youbetcha.

I believe in science strongly, but I also know some things cannot be measured. Does a cheap violin put out the same frequencies as a multi-million dollar or priceless Strad/Guarneri/Amati? Probably pretty close. Do they sound different? Yes.

I operated the recording booths in both recital halls at Douglas College and at The University Of British Columbia school of music when I was a student back in the 80's (my part-time job), recording hundreds of professional and student concerts, and once got to record a breathtakingly beautiful Amati violin when the Purcell string quartet performed there (beautiful old British board whose name escapes me and a pair of AKG 414's in a gorgeous small concert hall). I can say it sounds PROFOUNDLY different. The second violinist had a gorgeous, high end violin, well over a hundred years old, and worth in excess of $50,000.00 at that time (mid 1980's). The first violinist had an Amati, estimated at that time in the mid-six digits ($300 - $500,000), probably several million today. Listening carefully through the Tannoy monitors, and through the AKG headphones, I can tell you that the Amati had an unearthly human-singing quality that the other violin did not have, and it was NOT just the player. One sounded like a very nice wooden box with strings on it, played extremely well. The Amati had this gorgeous, ethereal natural sound to it that you could not classify. No wood, no strings, just this gorgeous open, human-like vocal quality. Pure, sweet, buttery, lush, unreal. Could you measure the difference between the two? Maybe, but you'd have to do a LOT of samples, and measure extremely carefully, and I'm sure the differences would not be profound, but teeny and seemingly insignificant. Could you and I hear it, and every violinist in the audience hear it? Youbetcha. That's what costs the extra decimal place.

The same kind of thing with this power cable, believe it or not. I wanted to laugh, guffaw, blast the company out of the water with the stupidity of it, etc. But I can't. It sounds better than the other cable. A little bit.

Is it measureable? Who knows.

Tom Bowlus - if you like, pm me, I'll send it to you, try it with your IP's cabs, your Sadowski head, a bunch of basses, anything you like. Keep it for a month or two, but you HAVE to send it back. Give us your full, unbiased report. Blast it and me out of the water - call us idiots for believing in this trash. Give her.

I'll pay shipping to your place, do your review, but you HAVE to send it back, at your expense. What do you think?

I'm sorry, I wanted to say differently, but the Audio Dynamics Power three cable improves the sound of my bass system. Not a lot, but enough that I won't slagg them or their products. The $13,000.00 cable - ridiculous. The $300.00 one - it's a keeper for me. I'll keep it in my bag and use it whenever I can plug my amp directly into the wall because it sounds better, a little better, than a conventional cable, IMHO, as a musician and bass player.

The measurebators can get their slide rules out and tell me why I'm nuts now.

Sincerely,
Cameron

billfitzmaurice said:

It's the only scientifically valid method, and never has an ABX test of cables given a result any more definitive than random chance.

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with a few of my students this weekend. Also, I intend to do some recording with it and power a high-end studio pre with it, and without it. And I'm going to pass it around amongst my more knowledgeable musicians, high-end recording people, stuff like that, and ask for their findings, as well. I'm still skeptical about this and hope I haven't been bewitched by voodoo, but I seriously doubt it.

Just played my bass for another hour with the cable, then about 15 minutes with my regular cable, and went back to the monstrosity for another hour or so. It clearly sounds and feels different; better dynamics, which probably ARE measurable. Better low mids and mids. More and quieter treble. I am hearing the differences more and more.

Or I'm loosing my ******* mind.

Could be that when under load (I am a VERY dynamic player, esp with my MTD Chambered bass) my amp is demanding very fast transients up to 10+ amps, and this cable just maybe gets the power there quicker or more efficiently or something, with less resistance (it is 14 gauge solid copper conductor); maybe the huge shielding on this thing does block 'vibrations' or something, I don't know. As a musician, I can both hear it and feel it.

I don't consider myself to have 'golden' ears; however, I am a trained classical musician, with two degrees, and did four years of ear training for an hour 3x's a week, plus practice time in between, and for two years of that with a brutal-dictator of an instructor (but a wonderful person and musician), but he was tough. In addition to intervals and melodic patterns, scales, chords and all the regular stuff, we got into ancient tunings, (Pythagorian, mean-tone) temperaments, all kinds of stuff. Also, I have been a gear-head and audiophile since the 70's, and did some training as a piano tuner & technician (that is ******* HARD man, you have no idea), and have played fretless bass since the late 70's, so my ears are probably better than an untrained person in that regard.

Anyway, hopefully Tom Bowlus will take me up on the offer, as I know he has more credibilty that I do around here. Let's hope.

Cheers,
Cameron