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Reviewer: Paul Candy
Financial Interests: click here
Digital Source: CEC TL51X transport, Audiomat Tempo 2.6 DAC, Windows XP based laptop, M2Tech hiFace USB-S/PDIF interface.
Analog Source: Well-Tempered Lab Amadeus, Pro-Ject Tube Box SE phono stage, Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridge
Amps: Audiomat Opéra Référence integrated
Speakers: Green Mountain Audio Callisto (on sand-filled Skylan stands), 2 x REL Q108 Mk II subwoofers, Paradigm Signature S6 [in for review]
Cables: MIT Magnum M1.3 interconnects & speaker cables, MIT Magnum digital cable, Wireworld Equinox 6 interconnects & speaker cables, Sablon Audio Panatela interconnect [in for review]
Power cords: MIT Magnum AC1, Wireworld Aurora 5² & Silver Electra 5², Sablon Audio Robusto & Gran Corona [in for review]
Stands: Grand Prix Audio Monaco four-tier rack on Apex footers with silicon nitride bearings
Powerline conditioning: BPT Pure Power Center with Wattgate, Bybee Quantum Purifier and ERS cloth options, GutWire MaxCon
Sundry accessories: Acoustic Revive RR-77, Auric Illuminator, Audio Magic/Quantum Physics Noise Disruptors, Caig Pro Gold, Echo Busters acoustic room treatments, Isoclean fuses, HiFi Tuning Disc Demagnetizer, Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine, Soundcare Superspikes (on speaker stands), dedicated AC line with Wattgate 381 outlet, Cruze Audio Maestro outlets [in for review]
Room size: 11 x 18 x 8’, long wall setup, suspended hardwood floors with large area sisal rug, walls are standard drywall over fiberglas insulation
Review component retail: AC-5 $249.99; AC-12 $799.99
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More than any other audio component, I remain perplexed by audiophile power cords and the clearly audible effect they can have on not only a system’s sound quality but also their ability to enhance the engagement of the listener.
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Considering that power cords don't carry a music signal but rather a 50/60-cycle sine wave along with its harmonics and other AC related noise, other than a lower noise floor I can’t see how aspects such as bass, treble, soundstaging, imaging etc. could be so altered. But there it is. It’s plainly obvious to anyone I‘ve sat in front of a system while swapping out power cables.
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I don’t quite understand the actual mechanism responsible but it is plainly more than resistance, capacitance and inductance. As a reviewer all I can offer is my eyewitness account. I’ll leave the techie explanation to others better equipped to explain how a mere power cable can have such a dramatic impact on music playback.
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