I just got myself a Cardas Twinlink power cord to use with my DNA Sonett amp, and wow! I think it makes a huge difference. ($139)
In any audio system, I care about microdynamics, resolution, beauty, and emotional impact.
Microdynamics: I listen mainly to classical music, and classical musicians are always making subtle dynamic changes. Sustained notes swell or ebb. A new section is played slightly softer. There is so much expression in these dynamic changes. I want them to be clear and have emotional impact. Any cheap system will tell you the music is changing volume, but you have to listen closely for it and it lacks emotional impact. I want to feel these changes in my gut. I want them to be so clear I can't miss them.
Resolution: Some people talk about "detail." I prefer to talk about resolution. It's like comparing a 35 mm camera to a large format camera. With higher resolution you can hear the inner voices, you have transparency into the attack of a chord (so you can tell it is multiple instruments attacking the chord and not just undifferentiated mush), on sustained lines you can hear the inner detail of the line (vibrato, microdynamics) and make out the hall ambience at the same time. I like hearing this stuff not because I'm a detail freak, but because it's the music---the wonderful things the musicians were doing. Who cares about an audible inbreath, or feet shuffling.
Beauty: You know it when you hear it. Live music is beautiful, so a high-fidelity system should be too.
Emotional impact: I don't just want to hear that the music suddenly got quieter; I want to feel the emotional impact of that. I don't just want to hear that the tone of the music shifted from dark to light: I want to have a religious experience of salvation. I want to feel everything the composer and musicians meant for me to feel. I want a requiem to be spiritual. I want Beethoven's Ninth to be joyful.
So my test setup was
Naim CD5X -> DNA Sonett -> Beyerdynamic DT800/250 ohm
... with or without the Cardas Twinlink power cord attached to the DNA Sonett.
When testing two setups, I do not switch constantly between them. I always listen to many pieces on the first setup, for about half an hour, and taking notes. I rest my attention a bit, and then listen to the same music on the second setup.
I don't believe in rapid switching. I don't believe in striving to hear differences directly. Instead I just write down what I naturally notice. Let's say while listening to setup A, the beauty of the vibrato comes to my attention, so I note that. Let's say in setup B, I never notice beauty of vibrato. It's not in my notes. I trust this means "beauty of vibrato" was a key difference. I trust this way of using my attention.
Is it perfect? Am I a machine that gets everything right every time? No, but it's the best I can do.
Here's what I noticed about the power cord.
First the bad things (ha ha)
The good things:
In conclusion, I know that power cords are controversial things, and like every other human being I am subject to the placebo effect, but I think this improvement was very clear. A really great "tweak" for $139.
-Mike
In any audio system, I care about microdynamics, resolution, beauty, and emotional impact.
Microdynamics: I listen mainly to classical music, and classical musicians are always making subtle dynamic changes. Sustained notes swell or ebb. A new section is played slightly softer. There is so much expression in these dynamic changes. I want them to be clear and have emotional impact. Any cheap system will tell you the music is changing volume, but you have to listen closely for it and it lacks emotional impact. I want to feel these changes in my gut. I want them to be so clear I can't miss them.
Resolution: Some people talk about "detail." I prefer to talk about resolution. It's like comparing a 35 mm camera to a large format camera. With higher resolution you can hear the inner voices, you have transparency into the attack of a chord (so you can tell it is multiple instruments attacking the chord and not just undifferentiated mush), on sustained lines you can hear the inner detail of the line (vibrato, microdynamics) and make out the hall ambience at the same time. I like hearing this stuff not because I'm a detail freak, but because it's the music---the wonderful things the musicians were doing. Who cares about an audible inbreath, or feet shuffling.
Beauty: You know it when you hear it. Live music is beautiful, so a high-fidelity system should be too.
Emotional impact: I don't just want to hear that the music suddenly got quieter; I want to feel the emotional impact of that. I don't just want to hear that the tone of the music shifted from dark to light: I want to have a religious experience of salvation. I want to feel everything the composer and musicians meant for me to feel. I want a requiem to be spiritual. I want Beethoven's Ninth to be joyful.
So my test setup was
Naim CD5X -> DNA Sonett -> Beyerdynamic DT800/250 ohm
... with or without the Cardas Twinlink power cord attached to the DNA Sonett.
When testing two setups, I do not switch constantly between them. I always listen to many pieces on the first setup, for about half an hour, and taking notes. I rest my attention a bit, and then listen to the same music on the second setup.
I don't believe in rapid switching. I don't believe in striving to hear differences directly. Instead I just write down what I naturally notice. Let's say while listening to setup A, the beauty of the vibrato comes to my attention, so I note that. Let's say in setup B, I never notice beauty of vibrato. It's not in my notes. I trust this means "beauty of vibrato" was a key difference. I trust this way of using my attention.
Is it perfect? Am I a machine that gets everything right every time? No, but it's the best I can do.
Here's what I noticed about the power cord.
First the bad things (ha ha)
- There were more highs and a bit of stridency. Maybe the cord needs to break-in; or maybe it is revealing a fault elsewhere in the system.
- There was also subjectively much more bass. In fact the difference was remarkable. This was both good and bad: bad because I feel the DT880 is a little bassy and boomy and doesn't have terribly great resolution in the bass. I know that some people disagree with this assessment of the DT880. I wonder if it has to do with my particular head/ear shape. It did improve some aspects of bass; more below.
The good things:
- With the power cord, there was a wonderful improvement of transparency into the attack of complex chords; instruments could be differentiated.
- The microdynamics were extraordinary. With every swelling of a note, my body lifted a little; with every ebbing my body dropped. I was captivated, tracking every change. Without the power cord, microdynamics were still very good, of course. I think this is a great feature of the DNA Sonett.
- Everything had more emotional impact. When the music changes character, it has so much feeling.
- In a piece with a tenor voice, his vibrato was exquisitely beautiful. Still good with an ordinary power cord, but just lifted to the next level with the Cardas.
- In a piece for solo piano, there is a part that is very loud, and then gets suddenly quiet. The pianist uses the pedal to control the way the loudly vibrating strings get damped down to silence. It is a wonderful effect, and clearly noticeable with the Cardas. Not as clear without it.
- Very good differentiation of tone colors. Female voices differentiated from male voices; oboes from flutes; strings from winds; etc.
- Just plain more color. Without the cord, things were grayed out a little.
- There were some improvements in the bass. In particular, in the Brahms German Requiem, the resolution of the timpani was remarkable. You could hear every musical thing the percussionist was doing with the part.
- Also, pitch delineation in the bass was improved. This is very important (it's the ability to hear the actual pitch of a bass note and relate it to the upper notes).
In conclusion, I know that power cords are controversial things, and like every other human being I am subject to the placebo effect, but I think this improvement was very clear. A really great "tweak" for $139.
-Mike
