iFi audio iPower X - The Official Thread

[szore]

Killer cable I have a venom 3 love it!

Good to know!

 

[cdacosta]

Anyone???

https://www.denafrips.com/bic500

https://www.musicdirect.com/cables/Shunyata-Venom-HC-v2-Power-Cable-15A-15m-OPEN-BOX

I have not tried the Denefrips power isolation PLC but I can tell you using power isolation units to separate digital gear from analog can give you a huge sonic upgrade. From my experience in the last 25+ years in this hobby I think power is one of the most overlooked areas in a system. I have two custom power isolation units in my headphone setup. PC (source) is powered by one. DAC and Modem is powered by the other. This keeps the digital component power from corrupting the analog component in the system. This will usually dramatically lower noise floor. Again, in my humble experience this holds true whether a dedicated AC line(s) are used or not.

As for the power cord, I have not tried the Shunyata Venom you referenced to. I have tried Shunyata's higher end offerings in the past in cable shootouts and liked them but they are probably too expensive for headphone setups. Power cord recommendation is harder because if a system is resolving, power cords will tilt sonic balance at that portion of the system chain either more neutral or more to the warmer presentation. If you are looking for a power cord that is on the budget side and do not mind a tad push toward neutral but is still musical and will add more resolution I can give a recommendation. Otherwise I do not know of any $300 power cords I like or would use. Be forewarned the power cable I am referring to is a Chinese clone. If you would like this recommendation let me know.

 

[szore]

I have not tried the Denefrips power isolation PLC but I can tell you using power isolation units to separate digital gear from analog can give you a huge sonic upgrade. From my experience in the last 25+ years in this hobby I think power is one of the most overlooked areas in a system. I have two custom power isolation units in my headphone setup. PC (source) is powered by one. DAC and Modem is powered by the other. This keeps the digital component power from corrupting the analog component in the system. This will usually dramatically lower noise floor. Again, in my humble experience this holds true whether a dedicated AC line(s) are used or not.

As for the power cord, I have not tried the Shunyata Venom you referenced to. I have tried Shunyata's higher end offerings in the past in cable shootouts and liked them but they are probably too expensive for headphone setups. Power cord recommendation is harder because if a system is resolving, power cords will tilt sonic balance at that portion of the system chain either more neutral or more to the warmer presentation. If you are looking for a power cord that is on the budget side and do not mind a tad push toward neutral but is still musical and will add more resolution I can give a recommendation. Otherwise I do not know of any $300 power cords I like or would use. Be forewarned the power cable I am referring to is a Chinese clone. If you would like this recommendation let me know.

Yes, please, do tell! And thanks for that great response.

 

[cdacosta]

Yes, please, do tell! And thanks for that great response.

Before I share the power cord I was referring to and where to get it, I want to say that I do not know the sellers and have never tried a Chinese clone of an audiophile cable before I got this power cable. Of the 60+ audiophile power cables I have tried (laughing as I type this) this is likely the best under $1000 power cord I have listened to. This power cord is plugged into my source which is a Windows 10 based PC and a custom isolation PLC. For reference, headphones are Audeze LCD-XC (2021 model) and is EQed, amp is Schitt Jotunheim 2 and DAC is Schitt Modius. My setup is highly tweaked but this post is not about that. As an aside, the reason I even purchased this cable was two clients of mine that are audiophiles have the original cables on mono blocks that power their Wilson speakers. They told me the clone cables perform 95% of the original cables and are 1/170th of the price! They told me this with straight faces. I laughed so hard I was tearing. They dared me to try the cable and the rest is history. I have since purchased and am using the ethernet cable, digital, balanced XLR and on order now the Gold version of the power cord.

The Chinese clone power cord is a Nordost Odin 2. I will include some pics of my cable. Now this cable is not all sunshine and roses. Below I will list in my opinion, in my system the pro and cons. I have not tried this cable anywhere else in my setup because it performs so well where it is. The other power cables currently in my setup lean a tad to the warmer side which are 2 XLO Reference (hard wired to isolation PLCs), Electro Glide - Electro Glide Signature (amp), custom power cord designed with Alan Maher based off of the XLO Signature wire. All of these cables came from my home reference setup which is currently in storage. So no, I did not purchase expensive cables for the headphone rig. I have a lot of high end cables before the headphone rig. Oh, the power cable that was on the computer before was a VH-Audio Flavor 3, also tried a ZU Event power light and couple others I can't remember now I was not fond of. The Odin 2 clone out performed these be huge margins.

The Pros:
- Dirt cheap, I paid $102.70 shipped for a 1.2 meter version
- Compared to the cables that was powering the computer before, it added a deeper and wider soundstage, more micro resolution and clarity throughout the frequency spectrum, quicker and better PRAT. Also felt like the lower and higher frequency extremes were expanded, which kind of surprised me.
- Fast, between pure copper and pure silver speed. What I mean is a pure silver power cord feels very quick when listening, this feels close but not quite as fast.
- Build quality from inspection is very good. Connectors appear of high quality with highly polished contacts. I doubt I could buy connectors of this quality for what was paid for the entire assembled cable.
- Balanced sonically, meaning did not emphasize any frequency range on my setup.
- I have listened to the original Nordost Odin 2 power cable on 3 home reference systems. In all three cases never preferred the cable to another when doing comparisons. The reason is the cable is fast, exceptional resolution BUT was not musical to me. The clone is not quite as fast, not quite in the league of the original in the resolution dept and not as neutral leaning as the original. The clone feels more musical. Pretty much what my clients told me.
- Cable performance is elevated when Furutech Nano Liquid is applied to contacts, also Oyaide EMI tape at the two connector ends improve performance.
- In the 25 years I have been in this hobby this is the best bang for $ power cord I have experienced. Performance is amazing if Furutech Nano Liquid is applied to contacts, also Oyaide EMI tape is used.

The Negatives:
- Took 3 weeks to reach California
- Leans a tad toward neutral. So if a system or component already leans neutral this cable may not work well in that system. Probably work really well on a tube component, which I have not tried yet.
- If a cable burner is not used on this cable to condition it, takes "at least" 600 hours for the cable to come into its own. So patience is required.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought just telling you what the cable is would be of little value. Hopefully this was helpful. As a closing thought, the more resolving a system and discerning a lister is, the more cables matter. Here is where I purchased it from:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/325...tList_2002815841771.5&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

 

[szore]

Before I share the power cord I was referring to and where to get it, I want to say that I do not know the sellers and have never tried a Chinese clone of an audiophile cable before I got this power cable. Of the 60+ audiophile power cables I have tried (laughing as I type this) this is likely the best under $1000 power cord I have listened to. This power cord is plugged into my source which is a Windows 10 based PC and a custom isolation PLC. For reference, headphones are Audeze LCD-XC (2021 model) and is EQed, amp is Schitt Jotunheim 2 and DAC is Schitt Modius. My setup is highly tweaked but this post is not about that. As an aside, the reason I even purchased this cable was two clients of mine that are audiophiles have the original cables on mono blocks that power their Wilson speakers. They told me the clone cables perform 95% of the original cables and are 1/170th of the price! They told me this with straight faces. I laughed so hard I was tearing. They dared me to try the cable and the rest is history. I have since purchased and am using the ethernet cable, digital, balanced XLR and on order now the Gold version of the power cord.

The Chinese clone power cord is a Nordost Odin 2. I will include some pics of my cable. Now this cable is not all sunshine and roses. Below I will list in my opinion, in my system the pro and cons. I have not tried this cable anywhere else in my setup because it performs so well where it is. The other power cables currently in my setup lean a tad to the warmer side which are 2 XLO Reference (hard wired to isolation PLCs), Electro Glide - Electro Glide Signature (amp), custom power cord designed with Alan Maher based off of the XLO Signature wire. All of these cables came from my home reference setup which is currently in storage. So no, I did not purchase expensive cables for the headphone rig. I have a lot of high end cables before the headphone rig. Oh, the power cable that was on the computer before was a VH-Audio Flavor 3, also tried a ZU Event power light and couple others I can't remember now I was not fond of. The Odin 2 clone out performed these be huge margins.

The Pros:
- Dirt cheap, I paid $102.70 shipped for a 1.2 meter version
- Compared to the cables that was powering the computer before, it added a deeper and wider soundstage, more micro resolution and clarity throughout the frequency spectrum, quicker and better PRAT. Also felt like the lower and higher frequency extremes were expanded, which kind of surprised me.
- Fast, between pure copper and pure silver speed. What I mean is a pure silver power cord feels very quick when listening, this feels close but not quite as fast.
- Build quality from inspection is very good. Connectors appear of high quality with highly polished contacts. I doubt I could buy connectors of this quality for what was paid for the entire assembled cable.
- Balanced sonically, meaning did not emphasize any frequency range on my setup.
- I have listened to the original Nordost Odin 2 power cable on 3 home reference systems. In all three cases never preferred the cable to another when doing comparisons. The reason is the cable is fast, exceptional resolution BUT was not musical to me. The clone is not quite as fast, not quite in the league of the original in the resolution dept and not as neutral leaning as the original. The clone feels more musical. Pretty much what my clients told me.
- Cable performance is elevated when Furutech Nano Liquid is applied to contacts, also Oyaide EMI tape at the two connector ends improve performance.
- In the 25 years I have been in this hobby this is the best bang for $ power cord I have experienced. Performance is amazing if Furutech Nano Liquid is applied to contacts, also Oyaide EMI tape is used.

The Negatives:
- Took 3 weeks to reach California
- Leans a tad toward neutral. So if a system or component already leans neutral this cable may not work well in that system. Probably work really well on a tube component, which I have not tried yet.
- If a cable burner is not used on this cable to condition it, takes "at least" 600 hours for the cable to come into its own. So patience is required.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought just telling you what the cable is would be of little value. Hopefully this was helpful. As a closing thought, the more resolving a system and discerning a lister is, the more cables matter. Here is where I purchased it from:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/325...tList_2002815841771.5&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

Wow. This exactly the kind of 'inside' information I crave... The 3 week delivery is a bit of a put off because I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on the power transformer I want to buy (Denefrips BIC500)...but this has given me something to think about.

This was an absolute epic response and I am so gratefull to you. I am planning to get 3 cables; one for the transformer, one for my Jot2 and one for the Ares2.

Again, thanks so much!!!!

 

[cdacosta]

Wow. This exactly the kind of 'inside' information I crave... The 3 week delivery is a bit of a put off because I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on the power transformer I want to buy (Denefrips BIC500)...but this has given me something to think about.

This was an absolute epic response and I am so gratefull to you. I am planning to get 3 cables; one for the transformer, one for my Jot2 and one for the Ares2.

Again, thanks so much!!!!

My pleasure. The Odin 2 clone should work extremely well with the Ares 2 DAC. Something else you may want to consider is Furutech Nano Liquid. VH Audio is where I purchased it. This is a contact enhancer that makes an extreme difference to enhance audio performance. Addresses micro arcing of electrical signals between mechanical connections. The performance upgrade is so impactful that it would shock you. Dramatically lowers noise floor which increases system resolution, provides a more organic feeling presentation and more natural/realistic timbre across the entire frequency spectrum. Will increase how musical the overall presentation feels. Especially if used at “all” mechanical connections, even inside gear or PC/source. Absolutely a bargain for what it does. Works like magic on all mechanical connections from power (including fuses and fuse holders), line level signals to PC components like memory, SATA cable connections, etc., etc. One bottle is enough to treat an entire system and more. Clean connections with isopropyl alcohol first. Apply a very light coat on to both mechanical connections. Is not conducive, which is counter intuitive. I cannot recommend this product enough. For about $150 one can upgrade performance to every cable and component in a system.

 

[dcguy73]

My pleasure. The Odin 2 clone should work extremely well with the Ares 2 DAC. Something else you may want to consider is Furutech Nano Liquid. VH Audio is where I purchased it. This is a contact enhancer that makes an extreme difference to enhance audio performance. Addresses micro arcing of electrical signals between mechanical connections. The performance upgrade is so impactful that it would shock you. Dramatically lowers noise floor which increases system resolution, provides a more organic feeling presentation and more natural/realistic timbre across the entire frequency spectrum. Will increase how musical the overall presentation feels. Especially if used at “all” mechanical connections, even inside gear or PC/source. Absolutely a bargain for what it does. Works like magic on all mechanical connections from power (including fuses and fuse holders), line level signals to PC components like memory, SATA cable connections, etc., etc. One bottle is enough to treat an entire system and more. Clean connections with isopropyl alcohol first. Apply a very light coat on to both mechanical connections. Is not conducive, which is counter intuitive. I cannot recommend this product enough. For about $150 one can upgrade performance to every cable and component in a system.

Does this stuff dry or does it stay liquid when you apply it? I went through a phase where I applied High Fidelity Cables NPS contact enhancer to all the cables I owned, but the stuff never technically dried, so it got on everything and was kind off a mess in the end. Black nano-carbon everywhere.

 

[szore]

My pleasure. The Odin 2 clone should work extremely well with the Ares 2 DAC. Something else you may want to consider is Furutech Nano Liquid. VH Audio is where I purchased it. This is a contact enhancer that makes an extreme difference to enhance audio performance. Addresses micro arcing of electrical signals between mechanical connections. The performance upgrade is so impactful that it would shock you. Dramatically lowers noise floor which increases system resolution, provides a more organic feeling presentation and more natural/realistic timbre across the entire frequency spectrum. Will increase how musical the overall presentation feels. Especially if used at “all” mechanical connections, even inside gear or PC/source. Absolutely a bargain for what it does. Works like magic on all mechanical connections from power (including fuses and fuse holders), line level signals to PC components like memory, SATA cable connections, etc., etc. One bottle is enough to treat an entire system and more. Clean connections with isopropyl alcohol first. Apply a very light coat on to both mechanical connections. Is not conducive, which is counter intuitive. I cannot recommend this product enough. For about $150 one can upgrade performance to every cable and component in a system.

So I just ordered the Odin 2 Clone! Woo hoo, all in , baby!

I figure by the time it gets here I'll have the BIC-500...

 

[cdacosta]

Does this stuff dry or does it stay liquid when you apply it? I went through a phase where I applied High Fidelity Cables NPS contact enhancer to all the cables I owned, but the stuff never technically dried, so it got on everything and was kind off a mess in the end. Black nano-carbon everywhere.

Not messy. You apply a very thin layer to the contact areas. Does eventually dry in about a week.

 

[cdacosta]

So I just ordered the Odin 2 Clone! Woo hoo, all in , baby!

I figure by the time it gets here I'll have the BIC-500...

Nice, remember the burn-in is long. Since it is plugged into the PC I had that running 24/7 with volume of the Jot 2 turned all the way down when I was not listening to it, to burn the cable in. A small fridge or cable burner would of been better but both are in storage at the moment. Let me know how the cable works for you once burned-in. I think the silver is why it takes so long to burn-in.

 

[BattousaiX26]

Got ipower elite for my pro idsd. First impression was everything was more detailed. Bass is tighter and well controlled.

However, I think it also adds a bit of brightness which I don't like as I am treble sensitive.

Anyone experience the same?

 

[cdacosta]

Got ipower elite for my pro idsd. First impression was everything was more detailed. Bass is tighter and well controlled.

However, I think it also adds a bit of brightness which I don't like as I am treble sensitive.

Anyone experience the same?

I have not personally tried or owned a iPower Elite but I know people that have. They mentioned the same as you when the unit was new. They mentioned changing from the stock power cord and burn-in changed the sonic character of the unit. IIRC a couple of them mentioned 150-200 hours to burn-in. The iPower X I have took over 250 hours.

 

[szore]

Nice, remember the burn-in is long. Since it is plugged into the PC I had that running 24/7 with volume of the Jot 2 turned all the way down when I was not listening to it, to burn the cable in. A small fridge or cable burner would of been better but both are in storage at the moment. Let me know how the cable works for you once burned-in. I think the silver is why it takes so long to burn-in.

Since the Ares 2 is 'on' even when in stand by would it be better to burn it in on the dac, or is that just dumb, lol.

 

[cdacosta]

Since the Ares 2 is 'on' even when in stand by would it be better to burn it in on the dac, or is that just dumb, lol.

Not dumb. But a DAC does not draw enough power even when being used. In stand by mode draws even less power. Once everything is setup and you have some burn-in to everything you are buying you may want to try swapping around the different power cables on the different components. Meaning try each cable on every component. You likely will find certain cables will work better with specific components within your system. Just have to experiment with it.

 

[BattousaiX26]

I have not personally tried or owned a iPower Elite but I know people that have. They mentioned the same as you when the unit was new. They mentioned changing from the stock power cord and burn-in changed the sonic character of the unit. IIRC a couple of them mentioned 150-200 hours to burn-in. The iPower X I have took over 250 hours.

Thanks, will just try to observe for now and see if it will change later.