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Nanotec Systems soaks these conductors in a colloidal liquid of 1.5 x the density of their first liquid as used on earlier cables. For the Power Strada #306 the ratio is 95% gold to 5% silver. These particles are truly nano in size to vary from 3.5 to 8 millionths of a millimeter. Once soaked in the liquid the lightly twisted strands get covered in a PVC sheath color coded for the conductor’s use. The three conductors are subsequently sheathed in a black and blue PVC skin arriving at the cable total diameter of 13.8mm.
As usual for Nanotec this cable is available raw in rolls of 30 meters. We however received a terminated version from Nanotec’s Hayashi-San. The blue PS #306 now had a woven carbon fiber jacket and Furutech FI-E50-N1 Schuko on one end and a Furutech FI-50 IEC on the other. We asked Hayashi-San for current prices to terminate his power cords accordingly. Tokyo’s Akihabara district is a paradise for audio lovers. At Oyaide Denki the carbon mesh for the outer layer of the terminated cable goes for ¥ 2.100 ($27/€16) per meter. Takeshi Hayashi added that you need about10 to 20% extra length. Over at Akihabara Yodobashi you can find the Furutech connectors for ¥ 25.000 ($91/€61) each. All stated prices are approximate and at the shop 15-20% discounts are common. With its black jacket and the lack of any make or type indicators, the finished cable really flies below the radar.
Not knowing how long the cable had been run in, we let it settle in for some time powering some always-on household gear. We started listening for real with the PS #306 to power a PS Audio PWT CD transport combined with a Devialet D-Premier and a pair of Blumenhofer Genuin FS2 loudspeakers in for review. In this setup switching from a $2 generic power cord to the Nanotec was a day and night difference. The sound livened up and grew in size whilst tranquility replaced the jerky hyperactive ADHD-like presentation of the generic. Swapping the Nanotec power cable for a Crystal Cable CrystalPower which competes on price with a fully terminated Nanotec, our preference went to the Nanotec. The Dutch cable in this setup had the same benefits over the generic as the Japanese but added an extra forwardness to the sound. No pun intended but its sound was more crystalline.
Due to the wide Furutech IEC connector there was no room for the Nanotec on the crammed-for-space Devialet. Therefore we went to the other listening room where an Audio Note Meishu offered plenty of room for all manner of power plugs. Here the combination became a Dr. Feickert Blackbird turntable, Trafomatic Reference Phono One, Audio Note Meishu integrated and Arcadian Audio Pnoe speaker. Of course we made sure the power cable was properly phased according to the amplifier’s requirements which we had already marked accordingly with a red dot. [Here our global readers are reminded that the two-prong European Schuko power plug allows insertion either way to make it mandatory to test for proper power polarity. Three-prong plugs like we use in the UK, US or Switzerland are fixed in how they can be plugged in. For us anything miswired on polarity requires rewiring of either the wall or component sockets. -Ed]
