ESP MusicCord

[Robin Ruscio]

Your really think I'm capable of unconsciously changing my playing (as is Michael Rhodes) to such an extent that people can hear the difference that immediately? That's a default hypothesis which is unquestionable?

 

[4-string]

It would be cool if Bass Gear Mag could run some tests on this magic cord. Tom...?

 

[Febs]

Your really think I'm capable of unconsciously changing my playing (as is Michael Rhodes) to such an extent that people can hear the difference that immediately?

Yes. Quite frankly, given your academic background, I am shocked that you would dispute this.

 

[aborgman]

Alright, did a blind test with my neighboor, he's works in mutlimedia sound production, music lover type.

Didn't even tell him what I was changing. Played for thirty secs on cheapo cable, changed to magic cable, played for about 5 secs and he says "Sounds deeper- richer."

We switched back and forth a few more times. Both of us rated the ESP cable better.

This is not hard to hear.

I'll do the computer test when I have some time.

Don't switch it every time.

See if he still hears a difference when you say you switched cables, but actually kept the same one.

 

[scotch]

Here's what I'm getting on this thread:

Because said cable cannot possibly be affecting your amp the way you describe, you are unconsciously changing your playing to alter the tone, our your perception is faulty.

Both of those conclusions to not adequately explain to me a consistent experience I am and my friends have had with the cable. You cannot scream it's all psychological simply by default.

Well, I'm not "screaming" first off. My last few posts have actually been an attempt to help us all find some sort of communicative common ground.

As far as defaulting to a conclusion- I take exception to that as well. I'll repost my rationale (re-emphasis on the sentence in bold type):

I don't doubt for a second that you believe that you hear a difference, or that you indeed are hearing a difference!

I do question, however, where the difference is coming from. It's not a case of questioning your results, but rather what the real cause of these results is:
a) That the ESP MusicCord really does filter ac line noise (that your amplifier's filtering is not catching) and that it is transferring more current to the ampflifier than a standard consumer-grade iec cable...
-or-
b) Due to normal (and entirely healthy) personal selection bias and expectation bias, that your senses and personal interaction with your instrument/amplifier are actually subconsciously working together so that you play differently- resulting in a different tonal result.

Obviously, you are inclined to place more weight in scenario "a)". Certainly you can't be that surprised by the fact that many of us lean on scenario "b)", especially considering the physical knowns - right?

Again, I'm not trying to tell you what you are hearing, but rather questioning what is causing the difference.

I think that's a fair question, no?

 

[aborgman]

What does that mean in real world terms we know with small words?

It mean they're all the same.

 

[JimmyM]

It mean they're all the same.

 

[BadJazz]

Hell, the brand name should be a dead giveaway.

 

[calebbarton]

I see said the blind man as he picked up the hammer and saw.

 

[JimmyM]

Well I would like everyone to know that after numerous interruptions, I finally finished mowing my lawn.

 

[crentest]

grass-e-us....

 

[superbassman2000]

So the ESP power cord as depicted in the illustration is 14 AWG, and if it's 10 ft long its round-trip resistance is 51.5 mΩ. If you draw 10A of current through it, the cord will produce an AC voltage drop of 0.52V.

Compare that to a 10 ft 16 AWG cord, with a round-trip resistance of 81.9 mΩ: 0.82V. Or a 6 ft 16 AWG cord, at 49.1 mΩ: 0.49V

So a 10 ft ESP cable would have electrical performance roughly equal to that of a 6 ft 16 AWG power cord.

That could be an interesting comparison.

I think this is the post we've all been looking for (or at least me!). So for all the guys who like this cable, what are the specs on the other cable you've been using?

 

[BadJazz]

Well I would like everyone to know that after numerous interruptions, I finally finished mowing my lawn.

Quit posting in here, I'm trying to change my oil.

/honest

 

[3506string]

Ok here's another aspect that hasn't been introduced that I know of.

Let's think about how much money and R&D hours a reputable company might put into designing and amplifier or a audio device. What is the likelihood that they would ship their product after spending so much time and research with a power cord that didn't allow it to perform to the design specifications?

Also if the specifications of their product could be improved simply by improving the AC cord, why wouldn't they package all their items with a superior cable, or at least offer it as an upgrade.

AND last but not least it's far too hot to be working outside right now. Grab a lemonade and bask in the wonder that is Talkbass.

 

[scotch]

Well I would like everyone to know that after numerous interruptions, I finally finished mowing my lawn.

That's the only productive thing that has happened in this thread.

 

[JimmyM]

That's the only productive thing that has happened in this thread.

Bad Jazz is saving $5 by changing his own oil

 

[jnewmark]

Man, you guys have been going at it all day ! I mowed my dead grass, did the food shopping, and two loads of laundry, and I see no let up in sight !

 

[HugoM]

There are many lousy power cords out there. Some are obviously too skinny for amps and were only intended for low current draw devices such as effects units. Even worse, some fit loosely where they plug into the device -- I had a bad on-stage experience with one of those. Of course, there are the ones that combine both attributes -- absolute nightmares!

So yeah, I could be persuaded to believe that when you compared your ESP cord to one of those crappy ones, you thought you heard a difference.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Ok here's another aspect that hasn't been introduced that I know of.

Let's think about how much money and R&D hours a reputable company might put into designing and amplifier or a audio device. What is the likelihood that they would ship their product after spending so much time and research with a power cord that didn't allow it to perform to the design specifications?

Also if the specifications of their product could be improved simply by improving the AC cord, why wouldn't they package all their items with a superior cable, or at least offer it as an upgrade.

AND last but not least it's far too hot to be working outside right now. Grab a lemonade and bask in the wonder that is Talkbass.

A power cord conducts only for a few milliseconds every 1/120 of a second (every 0.01 second where the mains frequency is 50 Hz) to charge up the power supply reservoir caps.

The amp does a lot in between those periods when the power cord is essentially doing nothing and the circuitry is running off the reservoir.

In this sense, saying a particular power cord improves your amp's performance is like saying a particular filling hose at the gas station makes your car run better.

 

[kuys]

Just for the record, "expecting to not hear something" causes just as much misperception and self-delusion as the other biases mentioned here. Lots of people say "I expected to not hear any difference, but I heard one"--and it's just the same trick of the brain that fools the guy who expected great results.

I'm not saying that as anything negative toward anyone here--just stating something that people often don't realize, in general.

SCIENCE BAD! ARG, MUPMPMP! BAD!

Seriously though, I want one of these magical power chords and instrument cables that invalidate and repudiate electrical conductor behavior. After that I want a trip to Narnia sandals included.