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Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Has anyone gotten their cable yet?
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I got mine Wednesday evening; I had to flip over my outlet (ground pin down) in order to plug in that beast, plus support it underneath in order to avoid it pulling itself out of my CD player's jack due to its massive weight! Then I started burning it in over the last couple days. I'm fighting procrastination and cramming to write a paper due this Monday, so I'm not able to write lengthy impressions right now, or at least I shouldn't get too carried away. But I probably will anyways... Suffice it to say that I was skeptical, but the improvement is not subtle. I replaced a generic 18 guage computer powercord that I had been using with my Eastsound CD player, which to date I have been pleased with. The differences are really apparent. I would characterize what I am hearing as:
1) I suppose this would be called 'blacker background'. I experience it as improved separation and an ability to hear minute sounds deep in the mix without focusing as intently as I had to before. Instruments seem to just appear out of nowhere, and disappear again. It's strange, because I thought I had a fairly 'black background' before, but again, this is not a subtle difference - it's readily apparent.
2) Improved dynamics, speed and attack. The leading edge of notes are better delineated, kicks and snares especially have stronger impact and sound more realistic. This is immensely satisfying!
3) More bass quantity and extension. On certain tracks I'm almost in disbelief at the monster bass I'm getting, and not at the expense of anything else. But this isn't a flabby, uncontrolled bass; it's highly detailed. Again, very satisfying!
The combination of the above tend to create a more organic, realistic, musical sound, with an amazing feeling of effortlessly picking out any part of the mix and listening to it... a very, very fun experience.
Also, I would say that this cable has tamed or smoothed my high end a bit. This is just what my RS-1's needed - they are sounding just awesome. With the 650's, I don't like this effect as much; it makes them sound a little too bass heavy, not as sparkly and detailed as they used to (or at least, this is my initial impression). Overall, I don't mind however, as I've been gravitating towards the RS-1's anyways... (but that's another story). I think that if you're looking for a bright setup, this might not be the best cable for that purpose, but again, these are just my initial thoughts, so I wouldn't put too much stock in them.
To qualify these observations, I might mention that I've read before that my Eastsound is quite dependent on a decent power cable. Perhaps these rather significant improvements reflect the woeful inadequacy of the cheapo cord I was using before. In any case, I must say that I'm very, very pleased, and was not expecting differences of this magnitude.
To those who doubt that power cables matter, I'd just advise to try them out for yourselves. I have never tried a fancy power cable before, was pretty skeptical, and also didn't pay anything for this so I don't think there's much of a buyer's placebo effect going on. I'm pretty surprised at the differences I've experienced, and I feel pretty darn lucky to have had the chance, thanks to those kind folks at Virtual Dynamics!
