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Filtering now becomes a legitimate playback option to optimize the workings of the various components in our playback chains and help us reproduce the musical signal as best as possible. In case of a power cable with built-in filter, the obvious mission is to filter out all the junk which modern living conditions dump into the power line. All we want from the AC power is a pure voltage at a stable fixed frequency, nothing more.
But the junk riding atop that AC power as noise and shape distortion of pure sine waves originates not merely with external sources well outside our homes down the block. We contribute ourselves to the overall electro smog. Just take your actual hifi system. Many of its components run at high frequencies to radiate spurious signal picked up by neighbouring components. Having all of it so conveniently placed together doesn’t help matters either.
In their today extensive cable portfolio Audiomica use four different filtering methods. For power cords they use TFCT or two filters current tension. By applying this filter method to a well-shielded power cable, the result is an inline power conditioner. The filter itself is built on a PCB with capacitors and small chokes. Protective earth or ground is filtered by some of the capacitors whilst the parallel chokes augment impedance of the hot and return legs. By increasing the impedance the other capacitors on the hot and return work more effective. Besides the standard TFCT filter, there is also the TFCT Double. In this filter an additional filter stage runs a third capacitor and second choke. To accommodate these extra components, the PCB is enlarged, hence also its housing. That sits roughly 25cm from the silver-plated Schuko plug of the cable.
Say hello to the Allbit Consequence. Its 8 conductors of 12 AWG or 2mm have a cross section of 3.3mm2 built up of 75 individual OCC copper strands. A FEP jacket isolates each of the 8 conductors before the first shield is applied. Next come a PVC jacket followed by a braided copper screen before a white PET sheath finishes the cable. Indeed, the Allbit power cable is a shielded power cord. That’s another no-no for certain audiophile purists but based on what rationale?
Together the Allbit Consequence and TFCT Double filter form the top of this power cord offering currently available from Audiomica. We received the cable in their signature wooden box which is classy but not over the top. The packaging also underlined the flexibility of the cable which easily fits inside the 23 x 23cm box.
Before applying the cable in one of our systems, we took it to one of our worst wall outlets. For some strange reason one electrical grouping of two wall outlets transmits a radio station’s signal plus an off-the-charts amount of noise. These findings are quantified with our Blue Horizon Mains Noise Analyzer. From these bedeviled wall outlets the Analyzer’s display shows a maximum 999 noise pollution value and over its built-in speaker emits a screeching noise plus a religious radio station broadcasting Hail Maries and the works. We aren’t kidding. When the Audiomica Allbit Consequence TFCT Double inserted itself between this wall outlet and the Analyzer, the display dropped to 087 and the tiny speaker fell silent.
