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At this point in a usual power cord review, you would read that the earth opened up and angels started pouring out of the sky; how the reviewer almost lost his sanity over the details that were revealed like never before (or at least since the previous cable review). I am sorry to report that this did not happen with Ocellia's power cords. What did not happen either was any slowing down, any loss of resolution, transparency, body or tone. If anything I actually heard slightly greater tonal richness. When you think of the price and quality of the cables that were replaced this indeed was a very good start, especially when compared to the ASI cords which many of us at 6moons consider references when it comes to dynamics and speed.


I then replaced a Zu Varial interconnect between the Burson HA160D and FirstWatt as well as the interconnects between my Esoteric E03 and Burson. That's when the earth opened and the angels started dropping in on me. No kidding. I am first to laugh about cable reviews which wax poetic for pages over a few inches of cable. I have done enough cable reviews to know that differences are real but usually belong in the flavoring not earth-shattering category. Cables are what you call upon to finalize the overall presentation of your system when it’s 99% tuned to your liking. It’s not something that will radically modify how your system sounds. The Ocellias still belonged in that category but provided far more profound changes than expected or experienced before - not unlike what I hear between two good preamplifiers for example, i.e. not as radical as the differences between two speakers or between a triode and transistor muscle amp but clearly in the realm of meaningful nuances.


What I first heard or actually saw were the room boundaries disappear. That was very unexpected from interconnects but nonetheless real. The music simply expanded beyond the room laterally but depth increased too as did separation between the musicians. This wasn’t the artificial separation one sometimes hears from poorly designed amplifiers where each musician plays solo disconnected from the band. This was more air around the musicians which maintained the integrity of the music. On Vivaldi's Concerti for multiple instruments—usually a great test to assess separation and tonal veracity as well as very fun music to listen to—the various instruments became more easy to tell apart. They were not overlapping as much in this greatly enlarged soundscape and tonal accuracy had shot up significantly.
That was probably the second most striking quality of these cables. Complex harmonics that give instruments and musicians their unique personalities came through much better preserved. If you believe the MDI theory, those harmonics conveyed by extremely subtle nuances in the signal get masked by the wave created by MDIs. Whether the theory is real or not, there was not doubt that these subtle tonal cues were far better preserved than with the Zu Varial or the ASI (both known for their transparency and respect of small-level signal to highlight on what plateau the Ocellias operate).

Interestingly the Ocellia interconnects seemed to display even more of their body and harmonic magic in the bass, truly adding texture where ASI favors leanness and speed.That should not give the impression that the Ocellias were slow or somehow artificially inflated in the upper bass to create a false sense of greater weight. Their effect instead was true added micro resolution. This translated as more real instruments of wood and metal, not inflated frequencies. Compared to the ASI Livelines the Ocellias will not deliver the same caffeine and edge. The Liveline is a shot of Cuban espresso while the Ocellia is a very elegant Arabica from Jamaica's Blue Mountain. One is pure jolt, the other smooth and complex yet still energizing.


This translated as a slight difference in how both cables presented microdynamic contrasts. The ASI put me in direct touch with all those micro inflections and perpetually sprinted to the next one. If your inclination is towards the leading edge of notes and their physical impact, the ASI cables are still a better choice. If you are looking for a fuller more complete presentation of what happens after this initial edge of the note but want this with no negative impact on the flow of the music, the Ocellias are it!


I don't like to typecast gear with certain musical styles but the full effect of Ocellia's cables will be better felt with acoustic instruments and closely recorded voices. That's where the complexity of harmonics truly matters to the vividness of the painted picture. Not that electronic fare won’t benefit. Yet when listening to the Gorillaz I could not really hear much of a difference to the ASI. It was however gloriously obvious on Viktoria Mullova's recording of Bach's Violin Sonatas. With the ASI she was playing metallic strings. With the Ocellias she was playing gut strings. That's where the Ocellias made all the difference. If those nuances matter, you owe it to yourself to test them.


The other thing that emerged over time while listening to a full loom of Ocellia cables was a greater sense of relaxation. Music flowed and surged without limitation yet a certain earlier harshness, an undue projection of the upper midrange had been replaced by greater textures and sweeter tones. It was most obvious on trumpets and saxophones. Though they had not lost any of their attack and bite, they no longer tired me out over time as they used to. It was very obvious when swapping Ocellia and ASI interconnects between preamp and amplifier. With the ASI attacks were in my face. Miles Davis was in the room but after half an hour I wished he’d move to another part of the house. With the Ocellias he was still nearby and I could feel every nuance—and actually hear more—but it did not come from extra or undue projection. It came from extra low-level signal truthfulness without any fatigue.