ESP MusicCord

[JimmyM]

Look, I'm finishing my masters in psychotherapy right now. I can have a lengthy discussion with you about scientific psychological research and post modern theories on subjective and constructivist reality. Im aware of how placebo effects work. I have to write a critique on the validity of a measure of psychopathic tendencies tomorrow.

If this were anywhere close to being something that I might be lying to myself about, I'd be ther first to admit it.

What I find so incredulous in this discussion is that most of the people who are in disbelief are invalidating the experience owners of this cable are having. Please stop telling me I'm not hearing something that I know I am.

Honestly, we believe you hear it, as it can seem very real to you. But if you do a blind test like I did where the cables are switched around 10 times and you can reliably guess which is which every time, then your findings would hold a lot more credence with the skeptics and scientists. Till then, you're just going to have to put up with it. That's how it go on da intraWebZ.

 

[3506string]

With the majority of these things I don't even believe you need double blind testing. Louder can easily be measured with a db meter. Walmart carries db meters. Differences in tone can be measured and shown graphically. However, I don't believe this is the job of the consumer. I believe it is the job of the company making these claims.

There are just far too many readily available ways to measure changes in both audio samples and electronic properties for all of their claims to be backed only by word of mouth. The claims of this cable are provocative and I wouldn't mind investing in a cable if they could provide some black and white proof the product performs as they say. A spectrum analysis, a FFT graph, a null test, white paper, double blind test results something that could be verified and repeated. I don't think this is unreasonable to ask of a company selling $150-$1000 power cables. Of course if they don't have to why would they, people will continue to buy their products.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

If this were anywhere close to being something that I might be lying to myself about, I'd be ther first to admit it.

You might not be the first to recognize it, though.

What I find so incredulous in this discussion is that most of the people who are in disbelief are invalidating the experience owners of this cable are having. Please stop telling me I'm not hearing something that I know I am.

This isn't the first time this circus has come through town. Some of us have seen this show a number of times. Same claims, same sorts of testimonials and endorsements. What makes this power cord different from all the previous hucksters claiming impossible things? A power cord can boost gain (i.e., make your amp louder)? No, it can't. It can change your EQ (i.e., more bass, clearer highs)? No, again. Sorry. Maybe knowing that the cable is there makes you play a little louder and with more snap. That's its psychological efect on you, not anything that the cable does.

The power cord doesn't even have to make any changes for people to believe that it does. We're all perfectly capable of believing that two identical things are different, especially if we don't compare them in a particularly rigorous way. Or if deep down we want them to be different.

Bottom line: it's a power cord, an it won't do anything more than a power cord can do, just like all the other supposedly magical power cords that have been marketed before do. The ESP seems to have more sustained marketing effort than its predecesors, but there's no reason to believe it's any less BS. If I paid $150 or so for a cord that does what a $6 cord does, I'd want to rationalize it too.

 

[bongomania]

Psychotherapy =/= neurology or psychoacoustics. Psychotherapy isn't even psychology. Furthermore, if you consider psychotherapy as a science (rather than an art) you have to ask yourself what kind of scientist flatly rejects the scientific method. If you consider psychotherapy as an art, then it has no bearing on the idea of placebo effects.

I will also say that I have several very bright friends (including my wife) that have either Masters or PhD's in Psychology, Psychotherapy, and related practices, and not one of them knows ohm's law or the first thing about psychoacoustics.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Interesting. So someone who makes a living evaluating sound quality, but doesn't know how power cords work, doesn't hear what he thinks he's hearing?

If you ask an artist how paint is made, you probably won't get a correct answer.

 

[seamonkey]

Yes, it's the cheaper one. Jimmy, try with the SVT.

Special pleading starts.

 

[JimmyM]

Bob, I totally get why some of these folks aren't taking your and other engineers' word for it. You have been tainted by the stink of knowledge, and you are only stating scientific laws and truths.

I am tainted by no such stink, though. I am a musician/entertainer. What I don't get is why MY knowledge is being rejected! And here it is...Let's assume that by some mutation of science it's possible for this cord to work a little bit better...practice an extra half hour a day and you'll get a million times the result of any stupid cord. Or amp. Or bass.

 

[silky smoove]

Please stop telling me I'm not hearing something that I know I am.

I'm guessing that people will stop telling you that when you stop telling them that your cable defies physics.

 

[Robin Ruscio]

I'm guessing that people will stop telling you that when you stop telling them that your cable defies physics.

Can we lose the sarcasm here?

 

[Robin Ruscio]

Special pleading starts.

I was trying to determine what he was using.

 

[behndy]

heh. i like that. the sarcasm that is.

and actually, i don't think SMooviE WAS being sarcastic. just stating a truth in a humorous and entertaining way. what an ASS.

hugz.

 

[Robin Ruscio]

I'm guessing that people will stop telling you that when you stop telling them that your cable defies physics.

Will you please explain this to me? (Watch the bass vid.)

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

This is exactly my experience of the two cables. EXACTLY.

Is Michael Rhodes defying physics? Can you not hear the extra bass response, warmth, etc?

 

[JimmyM]

I was trying to determine what he was using.

You realize, of course, that if you say that I shouldn't expect the results with the $150 cord as the $200 cord you have, you're saying that the $150 cord doesn't work as advertised.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Jimmy, if you want to try it, I'll send it to you for a test spin. It was a curiosity thing for me. Honestly, I'm not sure if it's more that this cable is awesome or regular cables really suck.

Or your original cable sucked, not hat'in just say'in.

 

[seamonkey]

If this were anywhere close to being something that I might be lying to myself about, I'd be ther first to admit it.

You can't assume you know this. Psychotherapist are needed because people have psychological problems. A person may not know they have a cognitive bias. It's invisible to them. It's part of their make up. For example you will run into people who don't think they need psychotherapy, but are referred by their family or friends and working with a Psychotherapist they may learn they are in need of help. Psychotherapist know better than to self diagnose or assume they have no cognitive biases.

 

[Robin Ruscio]

Bob, I totally get why some of these folks aren't taking your and other engineers' word for it. You have been tainted by the stink of knowledge, and you are only stating scientific laws and truths.

I am tainted by no such stink, though. I am a musician/entertainer. What I don't get is why MY knowledge is being rejected! And here it is...Let's assume that by some mutation of science it's possible for this cord to work a little bit better...practice an extra half hour a day and you'll get a million times the result of any stupid cord. Or amp. Or bass.

Jimmy, I'm not disagreeing with you here, you may not have been able to tell the difference. I agree with you about practicing- I'm getting a better tone than ever after playing twenty years, and I know most of it's in my hands from gigging 3-8 times a week for the last 15 years. I don't know your playing, and I'm sure that there are many things more important to your sound than this cable.

That being said, some days it's easier to drop a little money on a small improvement rather than wait for all the practicing and gigging to add up to the next level. Those changes are also hard to detect and sometimes not obvious until years have gone, even with as much playing as I do.

However, I can tell a subtle but significant difference to my ears without much effort with this cable, and that's easily worth the cost of a few sets of gigging to me. If the engineers here say it's in my head, well, than I guess I'll have to settle for deluding myself and be happier because of it.

You cannot scientifically disprove the extra satisfaction with my sound I've experienced since I got this thing. That counts as significant in social science, though I'm sure the engineers here will disagree again.

 

[seamonkey]

Will you please explain this to me? (Watch the bass vid.)

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

This is exactly my experience of the two cables. EXACTLY.

Is Michael Rhodes defying physics? Can you not hear the extra bass response, warmth, etc?

They should actually publish measurements. It doesn't take much to make a person hear something sounds better. Just playing a little louder can do this. True scientific measurements would reveal true differences. Careful blind testing where the subject and person conducting the test don't know which cable is in use can be a pretty good test. But you need a decent sample size, and moderators that insure the double blind or ABX tests are conducted scientifically.

 

[JimmyM]

Will you please explain this to me? (Watch the bass vid.)

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

This is exactly my experience of the two cables. EXACTLY.

Is Michael Rhodes defying physics? Can you not hear the extra bass response, warmth, etc?

He's playing harder in the ESP cord parts. Look at his thumb...barely touches the strings on the standard cord segments. He hits harder with the thumb when using the ESP. It's actually pretty obvious.

But if you want to argue that he's not changing how he plays, then what is he accomplishing that couldn't be accomplished by turning the volume up slightly? or boosting the lows a tiny bit? Between turning a knob or paying $150 for a cable of any kind, I'll turn a knob every single time. Ask Michael Rhodes if he ever had a session scrapped because he didn't have one of those cords.

 

[superbassman2000]

Will you please explain this to me? (Watch the bass vid.)

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

This is exactly my experience of the two cables. EXACTLY.

Is Michael Rhodes defying physics? Can you not hear the extra bass response, warmth, etc?

that video didn't really do it for me--i didn't really hear a difference.

However, I wonder if we are really just nit-picking at this point. I mean, will the audience notice?

 

[superbassman2000]

He's playing harder in the ESP cord parts. Look at his thumb...barely touches the strings on the standard cord segments. He hits harder with the thumb when using the ESP. It's actually pretty obvious.

But if you want to argue that he's not changing how he plays, then what is he accomplishing that couldn't be accomplished by turning the volume up slightly? or boosting the lows a tiny bit? Between turning a knob or paying $150 for a cable of any kind, I'll turn a knob every single time. Ask Michael Rhodes if he ever had a session scrapped because he didn't have one of those cords.

also, how did he ever keep a gig before this cable was ever put out?