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!

2 Is Better Than 1, Supra High Speed HDMI With Ethernet Cable.

Supra High Speed HDMI with Ethernet cables supports up 4k resolution display devices.

I managed to get the second review sample of the Supra High Speed HDMI cable, with a purpose to confirm if 2 cables(one from Blu-ray player to AV Receiver, and another from AV Receiver to display device) of the same quality, can really improve audio and visual performance?

The simple answer is YES!, using the same Tora! Tora! Tora! Blu-ray movie as reference, colour palette becomes richer, and skin tone healthier(but never too red). Most important difference is the black details and grey scale linearity improvements. Again on the dark scenes where Japanese Zero fighters were taking off from the flight deck of aircraft carriers, in the dawn of the morning, I could now see all the whole dark green plane with full details, and the wooden flight decks of the carrier. Details like wing flap positions, exhaust fumes from engine as the planes goes full throttle upon take off, is now clearly visible.  It's remarkable how much more one can see in the dark!

Another area I noticed a difference is the sound, which now gives vocals a more anchored stability, and the 5.1 chanel separation of panning surround effects that much more vivid. This adds a more immersing quality to movies. However, I do suspect the improvements in sound is more due to cable length, rather than the effect of a second cable, due to the second cable only delivers visual signal to display device, not sound. I requested a 1.5 meter length Supra High Speed HDMI cable this time as opposed to a 2 meter one earlier. In the process of connecting the cables, I had swapped the shorter cable to connect between Blu-ray player to AV Receiver and the longer one between AV Receiver to display device. Hence only the shorter cable was carrying both sound and visual signals, as opposed to the earlier longer cable used.

To re-confirm my suspicion, I did another test on my other DVD player and plasma TV rig, but only this time, with RM$25.00 generic HDMI cables of the same brand, but different lengths. I got the same result, where the shorter HDMI cable out performed the longer cable by some margin, enough to be easily notice able, even with lower resolution format and display device.

This proves that if one does not wish to spend big $$$ on HDMI cables, the best solution is to keep it as short as possible. By the way, the shorter, 1.5 meter Supra High Speed HDMI with Ethernet cable retails at RM$395.00 each. I am now Supra HDMI all way!

Supra products sold by A&L Audio Station, contact Yap(Wah Chai) at 03-79582884.

Super Supra. Supra High Speed HDMI With Ethernet Cable.

Supra High Speed HDMI With Ethernet cable.

Many folks(especially the tech brigade) are in the opinion that HDMI do not make an iota of difference when it comes to picture quality. As for sound quality, a plausible "maybe" is the usual answer. Hence when the good guys at A&L Audio Station ask me to review the latest range of Supra High Speed HDMI with Ethernet cable, I was thinking about the tough "job" ahead. I mean if I plug the cable and see/hear no difference, the cable would have to be returned, and no review will be written, i.e. time(a precious commodity now days) wasted. Thankfully, and rather unexpectedly, this is NOT the case.

The rather basic blister pack packaging, which means more value for performance.

The 2m length review sample of Supra HDMI cable came in basic blister pack and the item it self does not look very fancy either(which is good, because audiophiles have a misplaced impression that thick, heavy cables are best! Not the case with HDMI cables, because thick, heavy and stiff HDMI cables have been known to break at the termination point after some time, or worse still, rip out the HDMI jack from your display device, from repeated plug in/outs!). Hence light weight, shielded and nimble HDMI cables are best for the job of transmitting audio and visual signals. I proceeded to plug the Supra HDMI cable between my Pioneer BDP-140 Blu-ray player to my Denon AVR 1612 AV receiver.

This 1970 release is more historically accurate and balanced version of the events leading up to the attack of Pearl Harbour, which started the Pacific War. Comparing to the latest movie by Micheal Bay tittled Pearl Harbour simply, has more fictional elements in the plot, and ends with the success of 1942 Doolittle Tokyo raid, which is the start of the war tides turning towards America's favour in the Pacific Theater.

The opening scene of Tora! Tora! Tora! The re-mastering for Blu-ray release is worth another view for it's pristine restored picture quality. Colour tone is beautiful and accurate at once.

From the very first disc, the re-mastered for Blu-ray Tora! Tora! Tora! I was immediately blown away by the opening scene, as pictured above, where a boat load of Japanese Imperial Navy sailors, all parading in their white uniforms. I noticed that all their uniforms had varying shades of white(some yellowish, some grayish, some slightly bluish and some just plain whiter than others, just like in those laundry detergent advertisements!), from one sailor to another. As I had just finished the very same movie just a few hours ago with my regular reference cable, a Chord Super Shield HDMI in place. My memory of the movie is still fresh, therefore was surprised by the detail colour tone portrayal of the different levels of whiteness on the navy uniforms. Another scene from the very same movie that showcased the Supra's talents were the Zero fighters take off from aircraft carrier at dawn, en-route for the Pearl Harbour attack. Some of the early take off scenes were rather dark, and the dark coloured Zero fighters couldn't stand out from the deck of the carriers when viewing with the Chord cable. However, with the Supra HDMI, I could make out a whole lot of dark details of the Zero fighter, as it takes off from the carrier, including it's darker shadows beneath the wings, reflected from the deck.  Such is the Supra's prowess when handling dark image details.

So far, so good, I also noticed better depth portrayal in the scenes where planes are flying with the sky as it's back drop. Human flesh tone is entirely realistic, be it Negros, Caucasian or Asian types. Whilst I only used Tora! Tora! Tora! as a reference illustration, I noticed nearly the same detailed improvements on both ends of the grey scale linearity spectrum on every movie I watched. I found myself pulling out old movies after old movies, just to have a go on what was missing previously. I became an obsessive videophile, all because the Supra High Speed HDMI cable allowed me to do so easily. Again, even my family members who are not normally not too bothered about such things noticed so, that they asked me not to return the Supra cable, since it's relatively affordable, priced at RM$406.00/2M length.     

The insides of the Supra High Speed HDMI With Ethernet cable.

The Supra High Speed HDMI(ver 1.4) With Ethernet supports 3D pictures and resolutions up to 4k on specification. I am now enjoying my movie pictures more effortlessly, but what about the sound? I am happy to report that this HDMI cable likes to rock! With soundtracks that feature rock music, like those from The A-Team and Battleship, I not only enjoyed the picture, but the slamming sound quality as well. Bass seems to dive an octave deeper, and the sub-woofer seemingly working harder than usual to rumble my sofa too.  This is my new HDMI reference cable, and it's so..... good in performance yet affordable in price, that I am beginning to wonder if having the second Supra High Speed HDMI cable from the Denon AV receiver to my Samsung plasma display is gonna yield further picture quality gains? Stay tuned to find out as I request for a second sample to see if two is indeed better than one!

Supra is sold by A&L Audio Station, contact Yap(Wah Chai) at 03-79582884.

Power Wow Now! Supra LoRad 2.5 Power Cord.

The Supra Lorad 2.5 has a simple shielding scheme, utilising only a gold coated tin foil, wrapped around the conductor cores.

Just when you thought I had my fair share of power cord play, here's another one to consider! It's the Supra Lorad 2.5, available from A&L Audio Station as loose cuts from reel at RM$89/meter, which is very reasonably priced, considering the quality on offer. The chunky 13AWG, tin plated conductor core is shinny and rated to carry power loads of up to 16 amp, now that's more like a power cord for feeding power amps. The shielding method is rather simple, with only a gold coated tin foil wrap around the conductor cores, but if it's effective, then why not?

The Supra Lorad 2.5 power cord is directional, do take note when terminating.

I bought a meter of the Supra Lorad 2.5 home for trial(with hope that it works). Termination is much easier and faster due to it's simple internal design and layout. Like the Furutech FP-314AG power cord, I choose to use the same grades of China made generic gold plated IEC plugs on one end and the Indian made, BS standard, 13 amp fused MK Duraplug, the other end, again in the interest of keeping cost low. The termination work took less than 30 minutes. I then proceeded to plug the Supra Lorad 2.5 in between the wall socket and the Denon AVR-1612 surround receiver.

The finished cable.

From the very first movie, tittled Red Tails, the solid bass response tells me that I've found what I've been looking for. The Lucasfilm movie which script fictionalized around the all African American member squadron of Tuskegee Airman serving the USAF during the closing days of WWII, has plenty of heroic dogfights and combat tactical fighter vs bomber scenes between the USAF and Hitler's much feared Luftwaffe. The rumbling engines of the WWII bombers and fighters were weighty and there's enough low end grunt now to carry the big aircraft engine noises and loud dynamics of explosive scenes convincingly. I should mention that the CGI graphics on this movie is impressive too. I've never experienced any symptoms pointing to lack of power or the 5 x 120 watts rated Denon receiver running out of breath, at least not with the Supra Lorad 2.5 delivering the juices. All other aspects being equal, I couldn't detect other areas of performance improvements.

A comparison, Furutech FP-314AG(left) and Supra Lorad 2.5(light grey).

I do find the qualities of the Supra Lorad 2.5(when used to power AV receivers) rather complimentary to the Furutech FP-314AG(used to power front end, in my case the Pioneer BDP-140 Blu-ray player), when put together. The results of both these power cords in my AV system are highly commended for what is a small budget outlay, in the scheme of things.

Supra is sold at all A&L Audio Station outlets, contact Yap(Wah Chai) at 03-79582884.

Best Cables 2011.

Cables remain controversial within audiophile community, because many are in the opinion that moneyed monkeys spend silly money on cables, while there are many in the high end community who are convinced that cables are just as important as any other equipment in the hifi chain.

We are pretty satisfied with the cables we had in hand, except for my search to obtain the best digital cable that I could practically afford. Hence the list below reflects my personal "best" choice rather than the ultimate.

I am a big fan only the JPS Aluminata range, this co-axial digital interconnect didn't disappoint.

JPS Aluminata Digital.

This was the first cable I tested during my search for a suitable digital cable, and has since remained my benchmark for other cables to emulate. Stunning transparency and zero noise floor results in digital music coming alive and breathing in my man cave. Every little detail and harmonic texture of each musical instrument, voice and emotional content is transferred wholesale to the next equipment in the hifi chain. Staging and imaging is life like, as if "I am breathing the same air with the musicians"(borrowed this from a good, good friend) experience! Possibly one of the best sounding digital cable money can buy today.

Wireworld Starlight Platinum is a top contender in the digital cable stakes.

Wireworld Starlight Platinum Digital.

This Wireworld equals the performance of the JPS Aluminata in so many ways, that it's hard to favour one over the other. However the Starlight Platinum out does the JPS in the bass department. I found the meatier bass quality highly enjoyable, only because it was just as articulate with a propulsive nature. It's only in the highs where the JPS sounds more open and extended, compared to the darker top end of the Starlight Platinum. It's a though choice between this two alpha cables and I know more than a few people who made this digital cable their reference, but for me it's the JPS Aluminata, if only by just a hair. It's that close a call!


Entreq Discover offers well rounded sound quality without silly prices. 


Entreq Discover Power Cord.

Entreq is a new brand represented by Swedish Statement. I had the chance to try out their Absolute Reference power cord, but ended up liking this cheaper Discover model instead. The Discover offers honest build quality for the price and more importantly, balanced, if a slightly immediate sonic character to suit a vast variety of high performance systems. It's not exactly cheap, but still offers excellent value.

VooDoo Reference Digital, my current reference.

 VooDoo Digital Reference.

VooDoo cables offers excellent price to performance ratio across the range. They may not be the best, but they certainly come very close in terms of sound quality, for a fraction of the asking prices compared to those snooty alpha cables. The VooDoo Digital Reference is lightly built, but will certainly be lasting with gentle handling. It's my starter cable while aspiring to something better in the future. 

Here are a few other cables that impressed me in 2011.

1) Wireworld Platinum Eclipse 6 Interconect
2) ASI Liveline Digital Co-axial
3) Supra DAC XLR Gold Digital
4) AOR Reference For Torus Power
5) MIT Shotgun MA Speaker Cables

Searching Still, Supra DAC XLR Gold AES/EBU Digital Cable.

Supra DAC XLR Gold AES/EBU digital cable.

Before I start this review, I've a confession to make! I feel the need to let you, my dear readers know about my fondness for Supra cables. In my past experience of using Supra cables have always been more satisfactory. So good actually, that I'd call them budget cable champs!

Lately, Supra cables, made by Swedish company, Jenvin SE has been spiffing up their product appearances and build quality, with use of custom built connectors and trendy blister pack packaging materials. The cable stocks though, seemed largely unchanged. The review sample of 2m length, cost RM$690.00, puts it right in the same price range as the Wireworld Starlight 6.

Supra's website tauts this as an extremely low capacitance cable, which results in fast response. Gold is apparently part of the cable's metallurgy, which is normally associated with refinement.
The custom made XLR connector with gold pins and classy gun metal coated finishing.

The Supra DAC XLR Gold went in to service immediately, replacing the Wireworld Starlight 6 which I reported about earlier. On first listen, the Supra does sound very much similar to the Starlight 6. The same warm, dark chocolate like tonality, with a slightly laid back sound stage presentation. While I would not call the imaging character cardboardy, it ain't exactly 3D in relief from the back ground either(The JPS Aluminata does that 3D thingy, for example)

The Supra has similarly smooth, refined highs, but only more "air" and extension compared to the Wireworld. I couldn't be exactly certain, but perhaps due to the extra extension on the highs, I get the impression of just very slightly better detail retrieval heard through the Supra. It does not have mid range density of the Starlight, by comparison, the Supra being more open sounding. I felt there were however, no notice able difference in the bass area.

In terms of noise floor, both cables are relatively quiet. Wireworld is better at highlighting the music's dynamic contrast.
I feel 2m is too long for standard length, but the cable is soft and pliable.

In the end, I would put both Wireworld Starlight 6 and the Supra DAC XLR Gold digital cables in the same performance level, as both have their strengths and compromises. Which ever one should you choose to buy, is more a matter of personal preference and system matching issues, I suspect. I also know that I want more performance from my digital cable, so my search continues.

Supra cables & accessories is sold by A&L Audio Station, contact Yap(Wah Chai) at 03-79582884.

Supra By Jenvin SE, Now At A&L Audio Station.

Supra DAC 110 ohm AES/ABU Digital Cable, on review now.

Supra cables and audio accessories, made by Jenvin SE, Sweden is now available at A&L Audio Station. These are truly high quality products at real world prices. I've always admired Supra cables, when I used their power cord stock in my DIY cable projects. Amongst the interesting items I spotted at the A&L showroom are IEC and NEMA 5 US style power plugs, which look like they could take on the established brands.

The Supra SWF-10 IEC plug certainly looks interesting.

Since I am on the hunt for 110 ohm AES/ABU digital cable, I promptly requested a sample to review and try out with my Bryston BDP-1/BDA-1 combo. Do hang around for the review to come!

Call Yap(Wah Chai) at 03-79582884 to enquire.