Power Cord Shoot-Out: 14 Power Cords Reviewed

If I'm remembering correctly, Gerzon discusses the shortcomings of DBT but doesn't question its utility as the only paradigm available for reliably detecting audible phenomena. He was arguing that DBT techniques needed to be improved, not abandoned. And he went on record in the audio press to that effect when he found his position being routinely misstated - something that appears to be continuing. Perhaps someone with access to the article could correct me if I'm wrong.

You've managed to prove, among other things, that you didn't read my post. I was a happy subjectivist for almost a decade before testing my perceptions in circumstances that were entirely naturalistic and open-ended in my own system. I learned that I simply couldn't "hear" differences when listening blind that were obvious to me in sighted evaluation. No self image, predisposition, belief-in or anything else was going on; just curiosity about the objectivist-subjectivist argument and how I'd fare in blind testing. Your comment assumed incorrectly that I was arguing from dogma when it should have been obvious that I was simply describing an audio experience and drawing conclusions from that experience. And I think it's fair of me to inquire whether you've subjected your perceptions to a similar experiment if you're asserting that audiophiles would be able to detect differences among power cords in blind testing in their own systems. If you haven't, then I ain't the one who's being dogmatic.

My apologies to the board for violating the DBT rule; I won't repeat the mistake. And I hope you'll extend your indulgence to my attempt to correct the record re Dr. Gerzon's article and the mischaracterization of my comments.

Back to lurking...

P.

 

Well, this is certainly interesting!

 

Yes, because the same magazine is usually very open to expensive tweaks and upgrades, such as interconnects and speaker cables.

 

OK, so even though I'm supposed to be on a hiatus from power cable reviewing, my curiosity was piqued by a Head-Fier's review of the incredibly cheap Volex 17604. He liked it better than my number one choice, the TG Audio 688. Since it was so cheap, I thought, "what the heck, why not?" I've added a new section to the review, but I've cut and pasted it here so you don't have to hunt for it.

Here are my results:

15. Volex 17604

Pricing (6 ft. cord): $8-$12.00

Review
In other threads on this site, this cheap Volex cord has been compared favorably to cables costing 30X its price. The 17604 is the shielded version of Volex's basic cable which features wire made by Belden. How does it stack up for this reviewer among all the various cables I've had so far?

Surprisingly well. Let me amend that-- shockingly well (qualifier-- given the price). I can say that this power cord easily and handily beats out several of the much more expensive cables I've reviewed so far. To put that statement in perspective, though, as you've read, there are a number of fancy power cords I didn't care for at all, so it's in that context that this cheap Volex stands out ahead of them.

But saying the Volex is better than cables I really detested is not the same as saying it compares favorably with the really good aftermarket cables. A better, more fair and interesting comparison is against another mass-produced budget cable I think very highly of-- the Iron Lung Jellyfish.

I was quite surprised at the difference between these two budget cables. I suspected they would sound quite similar, but they don't.

The unshielded Jellyfish is much more extended at both ends-- there's clearly more treble and much more bass. The Jellyfish is more "hi-fi" sounding, where the Volex is more "natural" and warm. The Volex has the "tone" thing down. It *harmonizes* very well. It sounds very "real" and natural. In contrast, the Jellyfish has more "glare" than the Volex, sounds are more "recorded" than real, yielding an artifically sweetened sound. Tonally, Volex focuses more on the mid-range, Jellyfish more on the lows and the highs. Neither one is completely right; one has a smiley-face EQ (Jellyfish), the other a frowny-face EQ (Volex). Overall, the Volex is easier on the ears, the sound is "thicker", and less "exciting". If you want to relax into the sound, the Volex would be a better choice, but if you want to be a participant, rather than just an observer, the Jellyfish makes more sense.

The Jellyfish definitely is superior to the Volex in terms of PRAT and sheer slam. It's a much more forceful, impacting and energetic cable. In terms of soundstaging, the Volex is smaller, moving you back a couple rows. The Volex has less "air" and dimesionality than the Jellyfish, making it seem somewhat 2-dimensional and flat. They are roughly equal in terms of detail/resolution.

I estimated I switched out these two budget cables at least 30 times doing this comparison. This was a royal pain in the butt. It took quite a while to decide which one I preferred, it was not clear-cut. Overall, these are both terrific budget cables with different strengths and weaknesses, I think it comes down to where you are more willing to compromise. I can live without the extended highs of the Jellyfish (which can sound somewhat artificial), but the deal-breaker for me on the Volex is its pretty severely rolled bass response. I need every last drop of bass I can get, and the Volex withholds a little too much to overlook. And that's a shame because it's so tonally attractive and natural, very "musical" and quite enjoyable.

Flexibility: 9
Build quality: 5
Tonality: 9
Soundstaging/imaging: 5
PRAT/dynamics/speed: 5
Resolution/detail/transparency: 7
Value: 8
Overall Performance: 7.5


Adding the Volex to the equation, the ranking is now as follows (note: having spent some additional time with the Jellyfish I have upgraded my ranking of this fine little performer as well):

1. Split decision between the TG 688 (for my source), and the Wolff Source cord (for my headamp)
2. Virtual Dynamics Reference (since replaced/superseded by the David)
3. KAS Audio Primus (on my headamp)
4. VH Audio Flavor 1 and Flavor 2
5. Custom Power Cord Company Model 14 Series 2
6. Tek Line Eclipse
7. Iron Lung Jellyfish / Volex 17604
8. Straight Wire Blue Thunder
9. Audio Metallurgy Gold Alloy 9
10. Analysis Plus Oval 10
11. Absolute Power Cord
12. Zu Cable BoK
13. PS Audio XStream Plus

 

Mark, I find it interesting that you rank the PS Audio Power Plus last. I posted about it (see below) in a thread that I started a few weeks ago, no one responded but I think it would be of interest here. What I find interesting is that I am using the cord exactly as you suggested, it is driving two big monoblocks. Of course, my observation is not as rigorous as yours since I also replaced two older UO's with one new UPC that has circuit improvements in it. Anyway FWIW here it is.
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I am not sure that I can explain this, but I just sent the following to Paul McGowan at PS Audio.

"Paul, I thought you might be interested in this. For the last 4 years I have used two PS Audio UO's that were connected to one of your industrial grade wall outlets by two of your lowest-end first generation power cords to power my two monoblocks (c-j P12's each which has a hard soldered ordinary power cord (c-j though it sounded better with a hard soldered cord - where have I heard that before?)). When I saw that Music Direct was offering your new UPC-200 with a complimentary 1.5 meter power plus AC cable I decided to get it to eliminate one power cord and because the UPC looks so much nicer than the two UO's ( I will use the UO's in my secondary system). I really did not expect any audio improvement but to my amazement it sounds better with the UPC and the new cable. The bass is tighter and better defined and the noise floor has dropped another notch. Would have not believed it unless I heard it myself."
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