Leonard Cohen's "Nevermind" mostly features a calm perfectly articulated vocal line which neither the Ansuz nor C-MARC had difficulties portraying as such. The former simply took a firm turn towards extra radiance, openness and hydration which rendered Cohen's voice more distinct and suspended within more tangible breathing space. Also each word came off more explicit. His virtual silhouette felt more vivid and greater insight into layers behind him made space deeper, more organic and tactile. If the C-MARC prioritized textures over image outlines and ambient complexity, the D-TC Supreme had everything under its scope and in that sense profiled more evenly. The voices of Veloso and Cohen introduced a firm spatial pattern which Lorde's "Writer in the Dark" from Melodrama reinforced further. Once more the Ansuz rendered the singer more specific, direct and lifelike yet wasn't stingy on heft and color and kept at bay sharpness in the upper vocal range which is typical for this track. These are the reasons why I don't listen to it often. Most components won't tolerate these flaws. The D-TC Supreme sounded properly full to make the usually thin piano pleasantly gravitational. The C-MARC was as shout-free as its rival but cloudier and less developed on image specificity to steer the song into a somewhat distant, darker, rounder, dreamier and more picturesque direction. It was lovely in its own right but the Dane's take on the vocals, soft yet remarkably pronounced edges and hefty treble that decayed for ages had me sold. These cords simply weren't from same league.
Although up to this point the D-TC Supreme would seem groomed for a fully open quick controlled delivery smooth beyond belief and amazing on imaging, it offered far more than this brief psych profile which didn't yet cover its greatest asset. But let's pause here. The two comparator cords proved similarly capable on background blackness, canvas width and overall meticulousness but then all else set them apart including speed and impact. Just two spins of "Prison Sex" from Tool's Undertow were all it took to hear which cord rendered its guitar line more upbeat and elastic, hefty and raw and which didn't go as far to instead emphasize instrumental mass and textural pigmentation. This particular track was a good reminder that power cables can radically morph well-known playlists. It also became a lesson in humility. For years I'd poked fun at individuals who claim rediscovery of their entire music collections after adding hifi accessories. Now the idea of doing just that with today's loaner seemed very appealing.
At a performance level as high as this, there are no weak links or sacrifices, only personal priorities. That's why labels like agile/open/shiny followed by calm/thick/voluptuous or vice versa don't apply. This is an extremely balanced product which to my ears performs flawlessly across the board. Instead of following pre-set patterns, it proved chameleonically adaptive to any music challenges. Still it elevated them all exponentially. That extracted their very best. It expanded dynamic contrast and injected extra power to revitalize songs already energetic and snappy. Tracks focused on mood and sensuous qualities became still more moist, soothing, soft and charming. It was as brilliant on lucidity, directness, immediacy, air and quickness as it was texturally complex, earthy, smooth, vibrant and artful. In that sense it had many facets. The repertoire dictated which to show. All shared feeling lively, seasoned and posh. Needless to say, the best power cord from Ansuz isn't a situational product. It's the most universal I've come across. Here I should mention Siltech's Triple Crown which already turned things upside down and left me thoroughly impressed. Without having one nearby, I simply can't know how it would fare against the Ansuz.
It's time to call out that the D-TC Supreme's greatest strength is its efficacy. It is so staggering, profound and obvious that comparing it to a substantial DAC or amp upgrade is no exaggeration. That's key to grasping why this big heavy cumbersome cable is so dear. Its appetite for space and funds simply won't be an issue for its target clients who don't sweat such casual expenses and often place orders tall enough to fully rewire their entire setups in one go. After spending several weeks with the Ansuz D-TC Supreme, it's clear to me that its makers demand bleeding wallets and melted credit cards for all the right reasons. Peak performance without compromises is their speciality after all. That said, in my roster today's stunner now stands tall as the Mount Everest of its kind. Upon reaching that summit, the view can only be red. Hence our Victor award.
