Mapleshade - Clearview Double Helix Power Strip
Oct 18, 2001 at 12:41 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 5

BenG

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If anyone is familiar with Mapleshade recordings, then you how fanatical they are about sound - in fact, they recently introduced a custom line of cables and tweaks that claim to slay more expensive products, according to their website : http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/tweaks/index.html

Their "clearview" line of ICs, speaker cables, power cords, and power strips are of interest to me since I'm such a fan of their recording quality - they custom make and modify their mike cables, tape recorder, etc.

Their 6-outlet Power Strip using a "...superb dielectric used in the very best sounding audiophile caps we know and with low skin effect internal conductors... " is going for $195 plus shipping. It uses a version of their clearview power cord as well. On the website it also claims:

"At both our rural recording studio and downtown wire lab, our Double Helix Power Strip smokes every AC line conditioner we've tested: PS Audio, Chang, Tice, Power Wedge, Monster, Tripplite..."

That's quite a claim for what looks like a plastic strip w/ a fancy cord.
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There also alot variables that come into play with power conditioners - quality of power in a particular location, house wiring, etc. So I thought I'd ask some fellow nutts on AA and got an enthusiastic response from one person:
http://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/t...cables&m=33074

Sounds good to me! I'll give it a try(Mapleshade has a 30 day guarantee) and hopefully post a review in the future. I'm always interested in over achieving products, and I have not been totally pleased with some of the cheaper power products I've tried in the past. Hopefully, this will be the cheap solution I'm looking for.

*Note*This is not a surge protector to my knowledge, only a conditioner.
http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/tweaks/powerstrip.html

powerstrip_lg.jpg
 
Oct 23, 2001 at 12:11 AM Post #2 of 5
I wouldn't call the cord fancy, at least based on looks. I got just the power cords from them and ended up sending them back. I didn't spend too much time comparing them to stock cords but the differences clearly weren't obvious to me. What was obvious is that it's really ugly and stiff. Where I wanted to use them was for some power amps which happen to have the AC connection near the front of the amp where it's easily seen. This is because they wanted to keep the power at one end and the audio at the other end. I also tried one of them on a Headroom MOH and didn't hear a difference. Maybe my power is fairly clean, as I live away from a big city.

I also have one of their Clearview interconnects. Again it's pretty wierd as it's an almost invisible wire inside a cheap looking plastic sleeve. It sounds very fast but a little light. Their Clearview speaker cable is fairly small diameter but very stiff but sounds pretty good. I also use the Omega Mikro speaker cables on another system and these are also very wierd flat thin cables but sound better than the Nordost SPM that I was using.

I'd be interested to find out how it works out for you.
 
Nov 5, 2001 at 8:30 PM Post #4 of 5
I use the double helix interconnects and have found them to be the best I have tried. By best I mean they are very good at preserving the the suddeness of transients and therefore the excitement of live music. They are much more fun to listen to and represent incredible value compared to other high-end cables. They can sound a little light in sometimes in the mids, but the bass still has great kick.
 

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