[music_man]

the hong kong guys have a bunch of stuff on the bay tonite. i wouldn't buy that. they do have a lot of good feedback though.

i am thinking it is possible these companies lost or had stolen bulk cable. or it just got into the wrong hands. they may be saying they are "fake" not in the true term of fake though. they just might be very mad this happened to them. these guys have them terminated with different connectors and they are in techflex. they have pictures of the inside of two obviously different cables on different auctions. i guess i will never know what the real story of this is. i just wouldn't buy it thats all i know. they have a lot of other companies cables as well. i have no idea what is going on there.

music_man

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seamaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif But there is only two thing I would like to add. The vocal with ZII could be just little more sweet, and little more forward, would be nice.

ZI and ZII sound fairly different, and from what you say, you may even prefer ZI, which does have more rich and forward mids, albeit with less precision.

Review: Black Sands Violet ZII Power Cord

 

[Seamaster]

Thanks, I will look into that.

Anyone tried JPS products? I visited ModWright shop, he use JPS as reference cable. Those cables look nothing special, but sounded serious. I can't tell how good they sound, since only for short time, and unfamilar setup.

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seamaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone tried JPS products? I visited ModWright shop, he use JPS as reference cable. Those cables look nothing special, but sounded serious. I can't tell how good they sound, since only for short time, and unfamilar setup.

I don't know too much about the low and mid-range JPS products, but the top end Aluminata is somewhat popular among reviewers and some manufacturers. I'm pretty sure Usher uses JPS Aluminata inside their Dancer series speakers. From what I've read the sound is a bit polarizing, and will either blow you away or bore you. Eventually I'd like to try some against Tesla Apex and Indra or Sakra.

 

[music_man]

there is a problem with power cords assuming you believe in them to begin with. ee background tells me differently but i still do. they are not like components where they are relatively easy to audition and pick out which ones you like. you can spend a lot of time and a fortune trying to get the right ones for your system. out of 20 expensive cables, only one might be the right one for you and your component. then figure you have at least 6 or so components.

now you guys are talking about botique cables not from the large manufacturers and this throws even more choices into the mix. i am always left wondering if i could have gotten a better cable. i am happy with what i have so i think i should stop looking for something better or i will eventually go crazy!

the intresting thing is the botique cables seem to be less money and higher quality then the super expensive ones from the big names. i wish i had tried those. i am going to quit before i go insane though.

music_man

 

[Seamaster]

All the cables I have, they all sounding good exception for Cardas golden reference. But they all have one or two audioble draw back some how and in some area. It is truly hard to get things right......

JPS Aluminata it is out of my price range. But thanks for the input, as they are polarized

 

[music_man]

that figures, the golden reference is on the headamp i am using right now. i guess it's not for everyone then. sounds good to me. i am not that picky about cords though. i just like collecting them, and working up quite a collection i am!

music_man

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif now you guys are talking about botique cables not from the large manufacturers and this throws even more choices into the mix. i am always left wondering if i could have gotten a better cable. i am happy with what i have so i think i should stop looking for something better or i will eventually go crazy! the intresting thing is the botique cables seem to be less money and higher quality then the super expensive ones from the big names. i wish i had tried those. i am going to quit before i go insane though. music_man

That's the thing about power cords, designing a really stellar one is totally different from interconnects and speaker cables, and the big name companies like Audioquest, Kimber, Cardas, and MIT don't really seem to understand how to do them properly.

I've tried lots of different cords. Some of them made absolutely no difference from a stock cord. Most of them changed the sound in some way, for better or worse. Only a select few have really brought huge across the board improvements with no drawbacks, but when they really gel with a piece of equipment, it's like nothing else.

I'm currently using Synergistic Designer's Reference X2 cords, which I'm quite happy with, and when I do eventually get around to upgrading, it will probably be to Synergistic Hologram A on the KGSS and Hologram D on whatever my ultimate DAC ends up being, with everything being fed by a Tesla Powercell.

 

[fhuang]

anyone have any gutwire cable? i'm thinking of getting a gutwire 3.1 for my cd player.

 

[pdhanwada]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlhm5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Every single recording studio has one of these, yet they don't have expensive power cords. That's something they don't spend their money on. Why do they use an isolation transformer? Well because it is a surge supressor, a line conditioner and on top of that it eliminates all ground loop problems, all EMI/RFI noise, equipment generated odd harmonics and takes care of all the problems between the power plant and the studio. For less than $200, you can rest assured that all those problems will be solved, something an expensive power cord cannot do. You can buy 250W, 500W and 1000W depending what you plug into it. The 250W is as cheap as $90 and the 500W for $149 + shipping. That's more than enough for most systems. Isolation Transformer

What do you mean by a isolation transformer. Over here in India we have voltage stabilizers. Which will moderate teh the higher and lower voltage comming from the power supplies.

Is this the same.

Let me know.

 

[tosehee]

I am not a power cord believer, but I appreciate all the hard work put into making this great review.

 

[Paul J.]

An isolation transformer is no panacea. Those are some outlandish claims. I don't understand how an isolation transformer on the AC line would have any effect on ground loops. Surely you aren't suggesting you run the safety earth through a transformer! That would be incredibly dangerous. A IE core transformer may filter some noise, but a good toroid will pass those high harmonics right through due to their wide bandwidth. Many isolation transformers will also make some mechanical noise, especially if you've got DC on the line. And, surge suppression here is like current limiting, right? So where does that leave us? It could filter some RFI/EMI noise. Maybe.

Now the line level 1:1 transformers would cure a ground loop. And, unless they are extremely expensive (and even then) they'd also greatly limit bandwidth and introduce all sorts of phase errors. That's what cheap transformers do. Expensive ones are less bad, but there are still much better ways to create a low pass filter that limits RFI/EMI or break up a ground loop. As a quick fix between low-fi components (or on a CATV line), they might be a fine idea. But, I fail to see how they are the correct solution to grounding or noise issues in perfectionist audio. (If you need to match impedances or do I/V conversion, then they pose advantages over an active stage).

Not that I'm a transformer hater. I've got them at each end of my system between the transducer and active circuitry (MC step ups at one end, OPT's at the other). And, I've got a 35lb 10A isolation transformer on my bench. It won't be used as a substitute for my $16 power cords anytime soon, though I have contemplated running all my digital stuff through it to keep the noise away from the rest of the system.

Paul

 

[sampson_smith]

Thanks for the awesome, expansive, epic review, Mark. It is very much appreciated!

 

[fhuang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sampson_smith /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the awesome, expansive, epic review, Mark. It is very much appreciated!

this thread sure is awesome. thanks Mark. care to do a new review? this is 2010

 

[gooky]

Hey, I just wanted to thank you too, I was amazed at the difference better power cords could make, and how it made components that were "okay" become "great." And I don't think I would have ever realized it without this review.
And Jon L, thanks for your comparison between the two versions of the black sand cord. Definitely gives me something to think about. And burn more money on...