Another Power Cord Comparo?

My Kuzma Stabi SD set up, with 12 inch arm and Benz Micro LP cartridge, still same as before. However, I never though switching power cords to the AC speed controller(left) can make so much changes to the sound

Agree or not, power cords do make a difference to the sound of hifi that we hear. My experiences with power cord, or any other audio cable, is well documented in these pages. However, almost all the power cord swapping I made was direct to electronics, such as power cord to CD player, or cassette deck, pre-amp & power amps surely. Love the journey so far.

However lately, I am a little baffled when I swapped power cords to the AC speed controller of my Kuzma Stabi SD turntable. Why am I baffled, you asked? Well you see, unlike a CD player or cassette deck, the AC speed controller has no electrical connection what so ever to the turn table, tone arm or cartridge! The AC speed controller only powers the belt drive motor, which only point of connection to the turn table is the rubber belt, which is mechanical! So, in a way you can say electrical changes the working properties of mechanical, if the sound I heard is different from swapping each of the 4 power cords below? I will run down what I distinctly heard with each power cord below:

    

Audi Agile Concept Tuning is a shielded power cord design. However in this application, it just sounded very un-refined with white hash, not very good for a shielded design 

First up, the Audio Agile Concept Tuning power cord. Once plugged in to the Kuzma AC speed controller, the music has a nice rhythmic sure foot ness to the sound, as some would recognize as PRAT factor. The tonality was very neutral balanced high, mid & low. Bass was bold, solid and nicely tuneful. Mids are un-colored but the highs is where this cable fails. There's a constant white hash mixed in to the high frequency reproduction which results in a somewhat streaky and shrill treble. Cymbals are splashy & high hats sound edgy & hardened. May be that was why the Kuzma CAR-30 cartridge sounded the way it did? Because at that time of the Kuzma CAR-30 review, this power cord was used and perhaps the Kuzma was just reflecting the contributions of the Audio Agile Concept Tuning power cord? Was I being fair to the Kuzma? I think it might be time to re-visit that cartridge in the near future..........

  

Supra Lorad 2.5 power cord is a very soft and nicely shielded design, which I used in a variety of application, but doesn't seems to work well enough for this AC speed controller use

The Supra Lorad 2.5 power cable is next. Once I swapped the Supra in, replacing the Audio Agile, the first & immediate relief is the high frequencies. Gone are the splashy cymbals and hardened high hats. The white hash that's mixed in to the music's high frequencies are much, much reduced too, but nevertheless, I still heard a bit of the white hash. Much like the Audio Agile, the mids are neutral but bass is a little less tuneful, or bouncy as they say. Bass body is no longer as bold, but still maintained a nice degree of solidness. Overall, this is a much better cable, for the Kuzma AC speed controller for it's sins of omission which is for all purposes, less offensive, but no less enjoyable.

PS Audio Punch power cord. I have more than a few PS Audio power cords used in my hifi system, and it's one of my go to power cords usually. Not sure why it's the worst sounding cable here?

Next up replacing the Supra Lorad, is the PS Audio Punch power cord. This is the thickest and least flexible power cord of the group. I had to wrestle it like a cobra before I could get it to plug in to the Kuzma AC speed controller IEC socket. And once plugged in the weight & the rigidness of the PC Audio Punch power cord caused the light weight AC controller to stand on it's hind legs! I had to put a weight on the AC speed controller for a day to keep it on all 4 feet. Once I started listening, the sound ain't that pretty either! 

The PS Audio sounding so slow, that I have to re-calibrate the speed controller for 33 &45 rpm a few notches faster. Next problem is the bass, which is fat & muddy. Mid range is totally over warm to the point of sounding over riped. The highs are rolled off and surprisingly, not too refined either! The only good thing was that the white hash is gone! I waited a few days, hoping for the power cord to settle down, and hopefully things will improve. However it still sounding more or less as described above even after 2 weeks in the turn table system. I had come to a point where enough is enough!

To be fair, I later used the PS Audio Punch power cord on my Teac UD-501 DAC and it sounded extremely pleasant & nice, which took off some of the digitalis grain from the streaming music. Well at least it didn't go to waste...............

    

This Gotham 85025 cut from reel power cord & Copper Color plug combo really surprised me for it's low cost to performance ratio. Possibly one of the best DIY power cord one can make

The last and final candidate is a DIY effort where I bought Gotham 85025 cut from reel power cord and self terminated with Copper Color Rhodium plugs for both IEC and NEMA ends of the power cord. I must remarked that from my experience using those China made Copper Color plugs, they are some of the best value, nicely built and great sounding plugs, if your budget does not stretch that far or you may feel Furutech plugs are not required. The Copper Color plugs are probably the best China made plugs you can buy today.

Sorry, I digressed. I proceeded to remove the PS Audio Punch and use this Gotham power cord instead. The moment the needle first dropped, I knew I am experiencing musical bliss again. Yes, the AC controller speed had to be tuned down again for 33 & 45rpm, after the PS Audio adjustment. Once the speed was set right, everything is nice and balanced, with a top down coherent of frequency reproduction. No more white hash audible in the highs either. The highs were clean yet refreshingly airy, smooth with no trace of edginess or hardness. The mids are nicely rounded and projected slightly up front, which makes the vocals stand out from the music. The bass starts & stops accurately, with clean note to note transfer, and no hang overs. The cables are not overly thick, slightly stiff, but still very bendable and at the very least, no need to wrestle it like a cobra.

Of the 4 power cords I tested here, I found the Gotham cable & Copper Color plug combo most balanced & satisfying to listen to. So impressed with it, I made another set of the same combo to power my Linn LP12 Mose kit external power supply box for the Hercules Gold II board.     

I can neither explain or validate what I experienced with the 4 different power cords and how it effects the sound of the turn table, despite being non electrically connected. It's just another of those things in hifi that baffles the mind. If you are reading up to here and think you have a good explanation to my experience, please comment below. I am looking forward to learn from you guys too!

PS Audio Xstream Statement SC Power Cable.

The multi gauge, crossed weaved with damping and sheilded PS Audio Xstream Statement SC.

Like I said earlier, buying pre-onwned cables can be a great way to pinch those pennies!

Here is one that I bought recently.

I was putting the PS Audio Perfect Wave 10 through it's paces. I came away highly impressed by it's performance. I am not ready to spend RM$3K on a power cable yet.

During the PS Audio Perfect Wave 10 review process, I borrowed a PS Audio Xstream Statement SC, which is the predecessor and by now obsolete product from a buddy, for comparison purpose. The good chap didn't mind, err...... in fact he was just as keen to find out!

Another look at the power cable.

The PS Audio Xstream Statement SC looked and felt very much like the latest Perfect Wave 10, except which it uses a less up market looking plugs at both ends with chrome plated contacts. All I can say is, the performance levels of the older cable is very nearly 90% of the latest model. A look up at the latest used hifi clssifieds(a.k.a. Hifi4sale, see our link on the right side panel) at the time, I spotted 2 pcs of the PS Audio Xstream Statement SC being advertised by an individual, and get this, the asking price was just a little over 1/3 of the new cable, at RM$1.1K!

I bought both the cables with a small discount and came away pretty happy with my purchase. When plugged in to my system the PS Audio Xstream Statement SC replaced my existing AOR Reference 003 on duty powering both my CD player and phono stage. All I can say is the system noise floor was further reduced, sound stage back grounds darkened further, and bass response is beefier. Go read the complete review of the PS Audio Perfect Wave 10 review dated 20th February 2010 on this blog site to get the fuller idea of the sonic signature on offer.
3 generations of PS Audio power cables in a row, from left, Perfect Wave 10, Xstream Statement SC and lastly, Xstream Plus.

90% performance at 35% of the price compared against the latest model, who's going to argue with that?

Perfection? PS Audio Perfect Wave 10.

PS Audio Perfect Wave 10 power cable. Note the new oval shaped plug with rubber grip pads for easier handling of the thick and rather heavy 10 AWG gauged cable.

I've always been a fan of PS Audio power cables, since the xStream series. In my personal experience with PS Audio power cables is that they always effectively lower system noise floor, enhance bass performance and in general, offer good value to money performance ratio. I also however know, that many will disagree with my above statement. These folks would claim that PS Audio power cables tend to fattened images and makes bass bloat, some even say the PS Audio power cables will introduce veiling(blur, or in cantonese speak, "mung cha cha") to a system's performance! See, how different horses for different courses do apply in power cable reviews as well. The attractive packaging, just like before.

If you've experienced PS Audio power cables like I did, then read on!
The new gold plated contact points.

The latest series of the PS Audio power cables are called Perfect Wave. I am assuming they(PS Audio) are referring to the delivery of the perfect sine wave in A/C power to one's hifi system? The model on review here is the second top, Perfect Wave 10, which supersedes the well received Statement SC. Build quality is up to usual PS Audio high standards, with multi core braided internal construction using single crystal copper stock. The biggest improved area must be at both ends of the termination. The A/C plugs are now oval shape with rubber grip pads for improved handling of the cables(it's not easy wrestling snake like stubborn cables in to place!). The connector pins on the input plug and contact points on the IEC end are now gold plated for smoother high frequencies presentation. Many users have suggested that the previous series of PS Audio Statement SC's contact points are nickel coated which resulted in less than pristine high frequency reproduction.
Another look at the attractive and purposefully designed plug.

The PS Audio Perfect Wave 10 took a long time to burn in. I had to kable kook it for a full week before beginning it's formal review. The un kooked cable sounded bass sluggish, had rough mids and grainy highs. With the Perfect Wave 10 well kooked, time to start some serious listening.

Upon installing the Perfect Wave 10 in to my Pass Labs X2.5 pre amp, replacing my older series PS Audio Plus power cable, the sonic improvements were clearly apparent if both came from the same sonic DNA. The bass performance to the latest Perfect Wave 10 is very similar to the older Plus model(this cable has some of the most robust bass response), except that the bass lines are notably more well defined and bass note to note transfer is easier to follow. The mids are just as full bodied as before. The main improvements I feel, lie in the high mids onwards. The high mids are smoother and more flowing, the highs are definitely airier, more detailed and nounced, on the latest cable. I than switched the Perfect Wave 10 over to power my Marantz CD player, which I heard all the same qualities as when used in the pre amp, except only to sound more musically flowing too. Compared to the AOR Reference 003 that I have been using in the past year, I found the Perfect Wave 10 to offer substantially lower noise floor, resulting in blacker musical back grounds, allowing imaging stability to improve somewhat.
Comparing 3 generations of PS Audio power cords side by side! From left, Perfect Wave 10, Statement SC and Plus. Sonic comparison would show the latest Perfect Wave to be the most neutrally inclined PS Audio yet, the Statement SC to be some what darker and less sparkle by comparison and the oldest Plus to be the darkest and bass heavy sounding cable. Along the PS Audio cable evolution, the sound has gone from rather bass tilted to rather neutral tonality(but still warmer by the standard of most neutral). Let me try to make some sense by saying if Siltech is Yin, than PS Audio is Yang(but getting less Yang by each evolution).

For the sake of those using the previous series of PS Audio Statement SC, and curious how much improvements could be gained by switching to the Perfect Wave 10, I borrowed an example from a buddy whom have just upgraded to another power cable. Comparing to the Statement SC, the Perfect Wave does a few things better, if only just a little. Again, the main improvement are from the high mid frequencies and above. The Perfect Wave 10 does give better high extension, that bit airier, and slightly tidier separations on the high frequencies. High hats and cymbals sound a bit more open by comparison. All other prized sonic attributes of the "older" Statement SC is retained. I would go as far as putting the numeral indicator to the sonic improvements going from the Statement SC to the latest Perfect Wave 10 to be between 5-10%. This result is again system dependent and the usual YMMV caveat must be absolutely applied here.

Retailing at a little more than RM$3k, I'll again leave those already using the PS Audio Statement SC to make their own up grade calls. However, if one is looking to splurge up to RM$5K on a power cable, be sure to give the PS Audio Perfect Wave 10 an audition, as I am very sure it is one of the top contenders, for power cables within this price range.

PS Audio is sold by A&L Audio Station, contact Yap(Wah Chai), tel: 03-79582884

When Performance Matters. PS Audio GCPH Phono Stage.

PS Audio GCPH sitting on my audio rack.

The PS Audio company's first product back in the 70's was a humble phono stage, which was economically priced, yet sounded no less good than the more expensive competitor products. In recent years, PS Audio has made waves with their line of power re generators and cable range, but their amplifiers remain very much their core product line.
That's PS Audio's motto, clearly printed on the packaging.

What better way to get re-acquainted with PS Audio, than to re-kindle their first product, the phono stage? The modern GCPH phono stage belongs to the range of economically priced Trio Series Audio Product, yet boast a couple of technical features unique to PS Audio, like the Gain Cell amplification module, over sized power supplies and regulation circuits. For those following this blog, or my earlier contributions to another audio related blog, will know, that this PS Audio GCPH phono stage was one of my targeted up grades!(my recent pre-owned Pass Labs X-Ono purchase banished those thoughts)
The front panel in detail.

The PS Audio GCPH phono stage is shoe box size designed, with very short signal paths, high gain and flexible loading switches on the back panel for easy accessibility. The front panel has a fine gain tuning control knob, phase invert(very important switch to some as they switch from disc to disc), and mono switch(most important if you have mono recordings and cartridge), for easy fine tuning of tolerances, which can vary from disc to disc(we are talking about the vinyl disc here, just in case you're wondering!). There's also a blue LED "ON" indicator in the cetner of the front panel. The front panel controls can be remote controlled, but the hand held unit was not supplied with the review sample, so I can't test it's effectiveness in practical use.
The busy rear panel, note the gain and cartridge loading settings, no need to open up the box to do so, which is very convenient.

Build quality is sturdy, yet elegant. No complains from me here. I used the GCPH phono stage as a direct replacement to my resident Pass Labs X-Ono, as all the wiring is the same. A power cord, single ended RCA input and a choice of RCA or XLR out put, of which I used the latter. I then proceeded to set the gain to 66db, which is the same setting as the Pass Labs, and continue to set the cartridge loading to 100 ohms as per the Benz Micro Glider's recommended setting. I found the PS Audio phono stage very easy to set up and get good sonic results. I have one small quibble though, switching on the PS Audio again after the last listening session will see all the front panel switches and fine gain tuning knob go back to default, or zero setting.
The proprietary PS Audio Gain Cell amplification module.

From the first impression, I was pretty dumb founded! I found the PS Audio to sound so very similar to my Pass Labs, which was, not too long ago, considered a reference grade design! However, after spinning a few more disc, it slowly became clear, that while tonal quality is virtually the same, on the warmish side of neutral, there are some small but perceptible differences between the two phono stages. I slowly begin to recall hearing just a little bit more resolution from the Pass Labs. I also heard slightly better transient and macro dynamics. I also thought I heard slightly wider band width response on both the highs and the low ends of the frequency spectrum. Taken as a whole, I would say that the PS Audio can give the Pass Labs a very tiring run for the money, considering the Pass Labs X-Ono was costing at least twice as much, when it was last being sold, at the end of 2008! Just one more to note, setting the front gain fine tuning knob of the PS Audio to maximum, can sometimes lead to rather splashy highs and some uncontrolled sibilance in the music. Reducing the front gain fine tuning knob level to about 3 o'clock(7 o'clock being the zero out put and 5 o'clock being full out put) gave the best results.
The insides, note the over sized power supply transformer, the small audio board for short signal path and for nearest power supply regulation possible, and a pair of Gain Cell modules for stereo 2 chanel. Pretty simple but highly effective lay out, certainly less is more here.

Further listening also brought up a better side of the PS Audio. Over the longer term, I did find the PS Audio to be supremely musical, as it never failed to get my feet tapping through out my listening sessions. There's also a certain sweet, lushness to the mids, which makes vocal shine realistically with engaging emotion(with very little audio porn for good measure). Listening to Ella And Louis, a recently re-issued classic vinyl by Speaker's Corner, is a joy. I found Ella to sound so...... very seductive(but looking at the album art cover would surely banish all those thoughts!, no disrespect to the great diva meant of course) and Louis Armstrong so cuddly hug able. The GCPH phono stage brought out all those warm, fuzzy feelings of those classic vocal Jazz repertoire to the fore. I felt like wearing my homey pyjamas and warm socks in to my listening sessions, just to soak it all up. I also found the PS Audio GCPH to be very quiet in use, even in high gain mode, it's noise free, almost none existent back ground hum or hiss, when no music is playing, and pre amp volume wide open at normal listening levels!
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong duets album. Excellent for those who like classic vocal Jazz performance.

To summarize things, the PS Audio GCPH would offer almost 80% of the Pass Labs X-Ono's technical performance, but with it's very own twist of sweet lushness on the mid range, a quality that makes it that bit more special and a joy to listen to. When mated to a mid range MC cartridge(like the Benz Micro Glider) and turn table of similar price range, one can achieve a very respectable, not to mention, special sounding package of an LP play back system(if set up properly).
The recycle able packaging, with high quality printing.

Priced at RM$6,125.00 the PS Audio GCPH offers excellent value to sound performance ratio. Which is seldom the case in the hifi high end dom. Didn't PS Audio just said, "When Performance Matters"?

PS Audio is sold by A&L Audio Station, contact Yap(Wah Chai), tel:03-79582884