AudioNervosa
The Market => Group Buys, Groupons, and Tours => Topic started by: Triode Pete on April 07, 2012, 12:02:15 PM
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Friends,
Just shipped one of my newly premiered "Seven Plus" American Gauge Version power cords to Mike (mdconnelly) in North Carolina.
More info on the cord here...
http://triodewirelabs.com/seven.html (http://triodewirelabs.com/seven.html)
Please let Mike know if you're interested in trying the cord on your system.
Thanks & Cheers,
Pete
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I'm very excited about your new cable Pete. I have a good feeling about it. I would like to compare it to my Black Sands V on Steve's AR vt100. Mike, let me know when you're finished. And congrats, Pete, on the new product!
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Rich, I'm expecting it early in the week. Pete indicated it's not quite fully burned in yet so I'll give it a few days before I give it some serious listen and will then pass it along. I'll give you a buzz!
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:thumb: Thanks Mike!
I presume it's a 15A for the tour, so are you using it on the Oracle? Will your amp accept a 15A nozzle?
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Yup, Pete is shipping a 7+ with 15a termination. My intent is to use it to feed my UberBuss but I'll also try it on the Oracle Pre/DAC as well.
You're right - the DNA-500 has a 20a IEC. I'm currently using one of Pete's older 8awg power cords on that so that will stay as is.
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Hey Mike, I've also got one of Petes 8ga on my DNA500. Wonder what difference the cryoed 7ga would bring to the table?
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Yep, I've asked Pete that same question but he didn't have a 20a cable in stock so he is sending a 15a cable. I do have a 15a to 20a adapter I could try but, of course, anything added to the mix changes the mix.
I'm also wondering about whether sending off my TWL PCs to get cryoed might be worth it. To be honest, I've been extremely happy with Pete's cables just as they are so it's a bit of the nervosa itch that I'm feeling... :duh
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I have the cryoed versions in my system. Just do it. A big improvement in clarity and soundstage. My customers agree and have ordered the cryoed version.
charles
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Hey Mike, I've also got one of Pete's 8ga on my DNA500. Wonder what difference the cryoed 7ga would bring to the table?
I switched from the 8 AWG toe the & 7 AW on my ARC VT-200 about two weeks ago. The two cords and a very strong "family" characteristic, but the 7 Plugs just takes thing s up to another levei. The blacks are a bit blacker, the soundstage a bit wider and deeper, the instrument placement a litttle more well defined ans the resolution just a bit sharper. All in all a great cable.
Thanks Pete.
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Hey Mike, I've also got one of Petes 8ga on my DNA500. Wonder what difference the cryoed 7ga would bring to the table?
There's only one way to find out!... "Seven Plus" 20 amp C19 IEC coming up! 8)
5 or 6 ft???
Pete
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I picked up the 7ga 15A PC from Mike this morn. Playing it now!
Thanks Pete
Rich
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I've had the opportunity to spend the last 8 days with Triode Pete's latest TWL 7Plus power cords before passing it along to Rich. I have to say, Pete has another winner in this power cord.
(Note that I posted the following review over on AC as well in case you feel you're seeing double ;-)
First a little background... about a year ago I tried Pete's somewhat earlier incarnations of his power cords and ended up replacing my mix of different power cords with his 8awg, 10awg and 12awg cords. Never looked back! What I said then is still absolute true... they provide an extremely relaxed, balanced, and highly musical presentation.
In my experience, every power cord (or any wire for that matter) functions a bit as a "tone" control to some extent. Some excel on tight and fast bass, some on clarity and extension, some on dynamics and transient response, some with blacker blacks and a bigger soundstage. But truth be told, we all want something that excels at everything while doing no harm. No easy thing! And therein lies what I think is the strength of Pete's TWL cords. They seem to excel across the board - tight and fast bass, open and clear extension, big soundstage, toe-tapping PRAT... all adding up to a highly musical and engaging sound.
OK, a few specifics... when I got Pete's new cord, I have to say I was a bit concerned... it was in need of burn in and for the first couple days it was a bit harsh and edgy. But Pete cautioned of that right from the start, so I just let it play continuously as much as possible. Skip forward 5 days and everything was as it should be. Well, actually, better.
I won't dwell on all the things his cords have already been praised for, but I do want to comment on where this new one excels above and beyond. Most of my listening was using it to feed my PI Audio UberBUSS replacing an earlier TWL BUSS cord with the new 7+. Pete has changed his design a bit and is also now cryoing his cords. You'll need to probe Pete for the details on exactly what the 'Plus' means. What I heard after breakin was a sound clearly of the TWL family but with a tighter, more impactful bass and a bit of a blacker, silent background. When I put the BUSS cord back, it confirmed what I was hearing, but that's when I realized that the 7+ had also been giving me more of the music venue & ambience. I could hear further into the presentation with increased awareness of voice and instrument decay. Nice!
The biggest surprise occurred when I swapped an early 8awg TWL cord on my Oracle DAC/preamp for the new 7+ cord there. The same differences became even more apparent. I have never really understood why a power cord seems to have the most influence as the last leg of the power chain, but damned if it isn't true. Perhaps it's because the UberBUSS is doing so much cleanup anyway so what feeds it may not be quite as important as what feeds each component. That's my theory anyway (at least until I hear a better one).
Of course, in the end it is all about the music. There's an album that I just love... Sarah Jarosz's Follow Me Down. She's a singer/songwriter and bluegrass instrumentalist. This album is not only very well recorded but the music, in its genre, is just wonderful. This ain't your grandaddy's bluegrass! The details and decay of her mandolin playing or banjo picking coupled with the power of the drum kit and backing band is something to be heard. But what I find really interesting is her voice... if your system is learning toward harse, edgy and/or bright, you might cringe a bit with this album because her bluegrass vocalization and simbilance can seem hard, but when all is well, this album and her voice just gives me goosebumps. When I was initially breaking in the new 7+ cord, this album was hard to listen to. Last night... nothing but goosebumps!
There are a LOT of power cords on the market and I've had my time with a few (and still have a bunch hanging in the closest). I do believe that after-market power cords replacing cheap stock cords are going to get you a nice benefit regardless of how much you spend. On the other hand, I think the megabuck cords are just silly money for all but a few that have the system, ears and money to warrant the investment. For the rest of us, there is an over-abundance of mid-priced PCs, each of which brings something a bit different to the table. IMHO, if you're wanting to try new power cords in your system, you owe it to yourself to give these a try. Pete is great to work with and his 30 day eval gives you plenty of time to hear these in your own system. But I bet you won't give them back ;-)
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Great, I just picked up his #8 :duh
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Bill, is it Pete's original #8 or the new Plus version? For what it's worth, I am getting all of my original TWL cords cryoed. I suspect that will take them quite close to the Plus versions.
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I believe it is Pete's Plus. I was just trying to be facetious, I should know better :oops:
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I've been listening for a couple days to the 7+ and I like it. I have to disassemble my speakers for mods so I won't be doing much listening for a few days.
My system is econowave delite diy speakers, AR VT100mk3, buffalo2 direct to amp via trannies. JPS wire except the PC. Dedicated 20A service to Hubbell hospital grade duplex. Amp and DAC share the duplex. Another identical Black Sand PC powered the DAC.
I compared the Triode Wire 7 to Black Sand Silver Reference 5. on the power amp. I mostly used my primary test track which is the 'Prelude' movement of Kalevi Aho's Symphonic Dances.
http://www.amazon.com/Kalevi-Aho-Symphonic-Dances-Symphony/dp/B0001LYG3A (http://www.amazon.com/Kalevi-Aho-Symphonic-Dances-Symphony/dp/B0001LYG3A)
Also some Felix Hell organ music and a run through my general test track playlist of well recorded pop, jazz and classical tracks.
In back and forth direct comparisons with the same music the Black Sands was slightly more macro dynamic and open sounding, with darker and deeper background space and slightly more tonal detail. The audiophile in me likes the Black Sand in these quick-switch comparisons. The Triode had slightly thicker and warmer tone which I liked because it prevented distraction from excessive details and allows deeper listening trance. The music lover in me likes the Triode. The tone density of the Triode is better, especially on non-acoustic instruments of popular music genres where audiophile cues less important than ballsy melody and feel. On acoustic instruments where tonal detail is the thrill, the slightly more detailed BS edged the Triode, but that's part of what I call distraction. On my speakers, with ultra detailed Radian 475PB compression drivers in a big horn, the Triode brought balance to a slightly antsy top end. In long listening sessions with the Triode Wire I liked the feeling of freedom to choose to focus on tonal details and spatial cues or I could choose to ignore those sonic illusions and listen deeper to melody and musical intent. With the Black Sands I am more prone to listen to sound quality and sonic realism cues more. The Triode 7 is plenty detailed, but not overly. In fact, the openness of the large gage conductor and lovely sunny feel of the copper is the first thing I noticed on first listen, before the comparisons.
Since the differences I heard between these wires correspond with stereotypical sonic difference of silver vs copper, I think that's mostly the reason for the differences that I heard. Both wires are very well constructed and adequate gage for feeding the big transformer of the VT100.
Both cables kicked ass on big crescendos and organ pedals where fast current matters. I could live happily with either of these wires.
Thanks very much to Pete for sending the wire down here for a tour. I haven't done a listening comparison in a long time, it was fun!
Rich
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Thank you, Mike & Rich! :thumb:
I'm glad you like my latest & greatest cord! :)
Who's next on the list? Anyone else interested for an aural taste?
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I'm bringing it over to Carlman's house on Tuesday for a quick listen.
Who wants it next?
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Rich glad you got a chance to listen to Pete's cords. They will be even better after 350 hours. The heavy GA. as well as thick dielectric just takes time. We have noticed the sound change several times before the 350 hour mark. After that more open, tighter bass and a very natural top end. A smidgen on the warm side of neutral but never thick or muffled, or colored enough to matter. Plenty of detail.
As you know Pete is one of our club members and personal friends. When Pete first started out I guess many comments were considered "friendly" hype or schilling by some members. Now that others have heard what we were talking about all is well.
charles
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For what it's worth, I had the cord powering my system for 8 days (barely half of that 350 hours), and of that time, it probably only got 50+ hours of playing time. I heard it change a lot in the first few days.
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Rich brought over Pete's cord today (THANK YOU!)... pretty nice sound, I must say... I compared it to the Black Sand Statement Elite series cable that never made it to market. It's John's best, over-the-top design. I have a prototype.
My preamp is the most sensitive to PC's so that's where I use it. McIntosh amps do something to condition power so PC's don't make much of a difference there. There is some, but it is very subtle.
Anyway, we swapped in Pete's cord after putting on a couple of reference tracks... Radiohead's latest album and a Beethoven septet doing music I've never heard that Rich brought over. (We also later swapped back to the BS PC to confirm what we were hearing)
After installing Pete's cord, everything got a lovely warm glow to it, round and beautiful.. yet forceful. Some transient attack edginess was missing and replaced with more subtle transitions. It did make for a more musical sound overall. The mids seemed thick and rich which I liked. It wasn't mushy, just rounded.
However, it's not my preference to turn off the snap or bite of my music. For someone with a more aggressive or cold system, this PC would bring a little balance by warming it up and giving it a little more tubey kind of sound.
It's a great cord and I would be quite pleased with it for musical satisfaction or to tone down a system with a little too much sizzle. I am looking for absolute purity and detail, though so I'm not going to switch what I have.
I would be very interested to hear it compared to the JPS AC+. I should've run up to Shane's and gotten one for this comparison but I thought about it too late. IIRC, the AC+ brought the best of the BS Elite and Pete's cord in 1.
-C
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Rich brought over Pete's cord today (THANK YOU!)... pretty nice sound, I must say... I compared it to the Black Sand Statement Elite series cable that never made it to market. It's John's best, over-the-top design. I have a prototype.
My preamp is the most sensitive to PC's so that's where I use it. McIntosh amps do something to condition power so PC's don't make much of a difference there. There is some, but it is very subtle.
That's interesting because in my case the power amp was where Pete's cords made the biggest impact. and it was not just with one amp the results were similar with the ARC VT-200, the Classe 25 and the Moscode 600.
I wonder what it is that McI does to their power supplies that makes them so insensitive to PC changes (and I mean this in a good way sinc ein my mind this means that the power supply is doing such a good job that it doesn't need any help from the PC.)
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It's definitely a Mac thing, Tom. They pride themselves on power conditioning within the amp... I'm pretty sure they enjoy the fact that any 'adequate' power cord will sound the same. Now, if they sold cabling, things might change. ;)
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I read the owners manual for your amp Carl. I didn't see any mention of power conditioner built in. I told you it did have built in conditioning yesterday because a local dealer once told me that he learned it at McIntosh dealer training he attended when they took on the brand. He said that their all-Mac demo sounded so awful on my previous visit because of the power conditioning they used on the whole system, but then added the lie that Macs don't need any additional power protection because it is built in. He was deceptive with me on other occasions. He was eventually fired, then the dealership lost McIntosh, then eventually went belly up. McIntosh is now at our big super-dealer and that salesperson also works there. Sorry for giving you the wrong info.
I submitted a question on McIntosh online form asking for clarification. I'll post the reply here.
Also, it is "only" 110 pounds, not 142 pounds. Maybe that is the shipping weight, or just more erroneous info picked up on the web.
EDIT:
Response from Chuck Hinton in one hour :thumb:
"There is some basic surge suppression in the amps, plus the very well designed power supply does not need filtering as much as some other brands might, but the main reason to not use a Power Conditioner ( a surge suppressor is fine) is many power conditioners can limit current to the amplifier and impede it’s performance. "
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Rich brought over Pete's cord today (THANK YOU!)... pretty nice sound, I must say... I compared it to the Black Sand Statement Elite series cable that never made it to market. It's John's best, over-the-top design. I have a prototype.
My preamp is the most sensitive to PC's so that's where I use it. McIntosh amps do something to condition power so PC's don't make much of a difference there. There is some, but it is very subtle.
Anyway, we swapped in Pete's cord after putting on a couple of reference tracks... Radiohead's latest album and a Beethoven septet doing music I've never heard that Rich brought over. (We also later swapped back to the BS PC to confirm what we were hearing)
After installing Pete's cord, everything got a lovely warm glow to it, round and beautiful.. yet forceful. Some transient attack edginess was missing and replaced with more subtle transitions. It did make for a more musical sound overall. The mids seemed thick and rich which I liked. It wasn't mushy, just rounded.
However, it's not my preference to turn off the snap or bite of my music. For someone with a more aggressive or cold system, this PC would bring a little balance by warming it up and giving it a little more tubey kind of sound.
It's a great cord and I would be quite pleased with it for musical satisfaction or to tone down a system with a little too much sizzle. I am looking for absolute purity and detail, though so I'm not going to switch what I have.
I would be very interested to hear it compared to the JPS AC+. I should've run up to Shane's and gotten one for this comparison but I thought about it too late. IIRC, the AC+ brought the best of the BS Elite and Pete's cord in 1.
-C
Thanks Carl! for your kind comments & to Rich for bringing it over!
After listening, you probably can understand why the word "Triode" is in Triode Wire Labs... my goal in testing & developing my cords was to produce an extremely quiet, natural & musically organic sounding PC without the overly detailed hi-fi sizzle found in a lot of audiophile products.
In my prototypes, I probably achieved (and some cases exceeded) the detail level you heard in your Black Sand Cable. Simply by changing one or both copper C13 IEC and NEMA 5-15 plugs to a Rhodium-plated type adds measurable upper end detail, which I thought appeared to be slightly colored to my ears & others in my test set-ups (using my 104 dB horns or my Tannoy Gold dual concentrics). Also, the engineer in me realizes that Rhodium is a poor conductor and in my testing, I put a full 15 amp load on my cords and the rhodium plugs consistently were warm to the touch whereas the copper were always cool. 8) Also, I noted that increasing the amount of passive filtering gave more detail as well. If an audiophile requires a very detailed cable while retaining the other TWL qualities, this is very achievable by simply changing some of the build materials and parameters...
Through the help of my ten beta testers, I was able to achieve what I thought (& others) was a very balanced & open sound... of course, system synergy is key as always & YMMV...
Thanks again,
Pete
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Pete, thanks for your comments. Glad you know enough about what you're doing to tilt it in the direction of a user's tastes... that's rare to come by. Also note that I am comparing changes to my own idea of what I want. "How does it sound compared to what I want?" And I'm asking what it gives me compared to what I have on hand to try...
If you can tailor your cords and offer that to your customers, that's unique and awesome. One recipe for everyone will always have a bell curve of acceptance. Having that tweak-ability will certainly widen the curve or open the door to more folks... but there has to be a line of where do you stop so you don't go nuts making a million different cords. ;)
-C
PS, Rich I was talking from my own experience.. I've tried many PC's on my amp. I've always heard/believed the power supply/circuitry is a form of power conditioning by design...
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So who has the "Seven+" power cord at this point? Anyone else interested in trying this cord?
Since it started with me, I kinda need to let Pete know where it stands and where it's going.
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I still have it. Does anyone else want to try it at home?
Shane, Richard, Steve, Ken?
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Hey Pete -
When the blokes in NC are done, any chance it could stop off in PA on it's way back to LI?
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Hey Pete -
When the blokes in NC are done, any chance it could stop off in PA on it's way back to LI?
Yo Gene...
I see why not... please make arrangements with Rich...
Happy Friday everyone,
Pete
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I did some beta testing of these cords and Pete experimented with many different versions of the cord. I feel he really perfected the balance between top & bottom extension, detail and maintaining naturalness. One of the things I hold above all else in music is that live intimacy and I believe Petes cord captures a live event in a cord (Please picture each member of Rush or Wilco wrapped in a protective black casing with pure wonderful copper plugs piercing from their chests) Ok Ive gone to far, but Pete kept it classy for sure!
M :rofl:
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Shipping to etcarroll on Monday if no other NC takers.
Last chance! PM me if you want to audition this great PC.
Thanks!
Rich
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Great - looking to see how the dynamic is with the 12 Plus I just bought.
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The PC showed today - and it was a moderately weird day, so nothing happened for a few hours.
Right now breaking the Seven Plus in with DAC playing THE COMPLETE VEE JAY LEE MORGAN - WAYNE SHORTER SESSIONS, in flac. The DAC got a Twelve Plus of it's own just a week ago.
The Seven running into a PS Audio Quintet which has all but my amp plugged into it. It replaces a diy PC fabricated from DH Labs The Power Plus AC power cord which is constructed with three twelve-gauge multistrand, high-purity copper conductors woven together to reject noise and cancel intra-conductor interference. The cable's geometry is claimed to lower system noise by preventing interference from surrounding electromagnetic fields . The terminations at both ends are high-quality WattGate connectors.
Let's play this through the night, and begin serious listening tomorrow.
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Shipping to etcarroll on Monday if no other NC takers.
Last chance! PM me if you want to audition this great PC.
Thanks!
Rich
Guess I'm late. :duh
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Dammit!
Dammit, Dammit, Dammit!
Time to send Pete another check!
Pumpkinman joined me today to finally perform some critical listening of Pete's wares.
Dammit!
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Dammit!
Dammit, Dammit, Dammit!
Time to send Pete another check!
Pumpkinman joined me today to finally perform some critical listening of Pete's wares.
Dammit!
I know the feeling :rofl: :duh :rofl:
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10 hours with Pumpkinman listening to music, ripping CDs and swapping power cables to see if they affect the sound, (they do), and finished day with martinis and Frank. I'm beat, time for bed.
More tomorrow.
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10 hours with Pumpkinman listening to music, ripping CDs and swapping power cables to see if they affect the sound, (they do), and finished day with martinis and Frank. I'm beat, time for bed.
More tomorrow.
I could certainly think of worse ways to spend a Saturday. 8)
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If it's still in the area, I'd like to give it a whirl.
Thanks
Don
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10 hours with Pumpkinman listening to music, ripping CDs and swapping power cables to see if they affect the sound, (they do), and finished day with martinis and Frank. I'm beat, time for bed.
More tomorrow.
It's a tough task, but somebody has got to do it! ;)
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As I've mentioned I spent yesterday with Bill listening to music and swapping power cables between my do-it-yourself cable and Pete's Triode Wire Lab Seven Plus cable.
Inserting Pete's cable into the mix made an immediate impact in improvement on the quality of the sound. First of all, in the bass, it became more detailed and lifelike and a lot of 'boominess' that was there that I hadn't realized was present - disappeared.
The overall presentation of music gave a sense of more space and air around the individual instruments. At the same time the appearance that music was coming out of the speaker boxes disappeared, the presentation took on a holographic or 3-D presentation while adding a width and depth to the soundstage not previously there. Quite simply, I was shocked the overall improvement, never having realized I didn't have all these attributes in my presentation already.
We did a good portion of listening via CD, and one of the first things we both noticed was a lessening of glare in the sound. The presentation was overall more lifelike. The same is true for listening to digital music via squeeze box, in fact even more so. Again the addition of a more lifelike quality to the music was significantly noticeable to both of us immediately.
And of course the same held true when we listened to vinyl. One example, while listening to a Stan Kenton version of Over the Rainbow, the finger work of the bass player on the upright bass, not previously noticeable, was readily apparent as he worked his way up and down the scale, it was a little spooky.
And the way the Triode Wire Lab 7 Plus improved base was shown in an additional manner, as follows. I've been experimenting with adding a small powered sub to my two channel system, I simply ran wire from one of my main speakers to the high-level inputs of the sub for now.
Though this setup has given me an appreciation for what a sub can add to my system, it's been with one readily apparent negative aspect, my soundstage has shifted to the side where the subwoofer-speaker combination is, or to my left. I assumed having the sub mated to the speaker has affected the load that the pair presents to my amp in such a way that it's shifted the soundstage in reaction to this. Adding the Triode Labs power cable to the mix immediately placed the soundstage back where it belonged with every instrument in its place with air around it - it was simply freaking amazing what was happening.
And these improvements seem to be a family trait of the Triode power cord family. I had recently purchased the 12 Plus power cord for my DAC, and so we swapped out the 7+ for the 12+ as the main power connection to my PS Audio Quintet. Again with the 12+ in place all the improvements listed above were still evident, the only difference is maybe a loss of the lowest of the low end grunt in the bass, otherwise a marked improvement all around.
All in all of full day was spent in both analog and digital, listening to an assortment of rock with a little jazz thrown in, all in all the improvements mentioned were there for everything we played. I simply have to rate Pete's handiwork as one of the best values in sound improvement I've come across, and if that sounds like hyperbole all I can say is give them a try to hear for yourself.
My system and environment here;
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=systems;sa=view;id=1402 (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=systems;sa=view;id=1402)
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10 hours with Pumpkinman listening to music, ripping CDs and swapping power cables to see if they affect the sound, (they do), and finished day with martinis and Frank. I'm beat, time for bed.
More tomorrow.
(http://www.bhg.com/uploads/pumpkins/10182011/426200012_large.png)
It's a tough task, but somebody has got to do it! ;)
Now look at what you did you made me cry
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Thanks for the review but please clarify, you say you have 2 (or more) of Pete's cables in the 'mix' for the review... but where? You previously had a 12+ for your DAC but were using it on your PS Audio power conditioner before you swapped it out for the 7+. Which components was the 7+ plugged into while you were making your observations and what gear benefits the most in your opinion. Thanks!
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The 7+ was only in the PS Audio Quintet. Everything but my amp goes into the Quintet. The amp is a 30 year old Bryston 4B I sent back to Bryston to recap and bring up to 4B ST status, it has the curly, non-removeable power cord.
Both the Quintet and amp get plugged into a hospital grade Leviton outlet.
The 7+ was swapped back and forth with my diy power cord. That was were the amazing difference was, all the benefits I spoke of arose when the 7+ went into the Quintet in place of my diy pc.
Just for curiosity's sake, I briefly took the 12+ off the dac and used it to connect the Quintet to the Leviton. Again, the TWL family sound was there, but lost a little grunt.
Since eveything but the amp goes into the Quintet, I can't point to one specific piece of gear that most benefited. Since the most amazing change was the re-centering of the soundstage I would have to guess the must be a great synergy between the Purity Preamp and power as supplied by the TWL. Same must have been happening for the Rega Apollo cdp. It really was a 'grab you by the lapels and slap you in the face' difference, I can't explain it.
The diy pc was no slouch, a quality cable, albeit 10 year old technology, and upper mid-tier hospital-grade connectors at each end. Last night I spent some time listening to flac via Duet -> EE Minimax dac and swapped the diy pc and TWL 12+ and again, no contest. Blacker background, less glare more analog sound, detail to die for.
I don't know what Pete does with these PCs, I spent time last night googling Litzendraught braided construction, and though I get the theory, it seems the payback is more than what I'd expect. Maybe it's the cryo he now does as well. I thought all this was magic 'pixie dust' meant to snooker the unwitting out of their cash, but not after this weekend.
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The 7+ was only in the PS Audio Quintet. Everything but my amp goes into the Quintet. The amp is a 30 year old Bryston 4B I sent back to Bryston to recap and bring up to 4B ST status, it has the curly, non-removeable power cord.
Both the Quintet and amp get plugged into a hospital grade Leviton outlet.
The 7+ was swapped back and forth with my diy power cord. That was were the amazing difference was, all the benefits I spoke of arose when the 7+ went into the Quintet in place of my diy pc.
Just for curiosity's sake, I briefly took the 12+ off the dac and used it to connect the Quintet to the Leviton. Again, the TWL family sound was there, but lost a little grunt.
Since eveything but the amp goes into the Quintet, I can't point to one specific piece of gear that most benefited. Since the most amazing change was the re-centering of the soundstage I would have to guess the must be a great synergy between the Purity Preamp and power as supplied by the TWL. Same must have been happening for the Rega Apollo cdp. It really was a 'grab you by the lapels and slap you in the face' difference, I can't explain it.
The diy pc was no slouch, a quality cable, albeit 10 year old technology, and upper mid-tier hospital-grade connectors at each end. Last night I spent some time listening to flac via Duet -> EE Minimax dac and swapped the diy pc and TWL 12+ and again, no contest. Blacker background, less glare more analog sound, detail to die for.
I don't know what Pete does with these PCs, I spent time last night googling Litzendraught braided construction, and though I get the theory, it seems the payback is more than what I'd expect. Maybe it's the cryo he now does as well. I thought all this was magic 'pixie dust' meant to snooker the unwitting out of their cash, but not after this weekend.
Gene,
My VT-200 does not have an IEC socket on it and to install one is a biog pain (you need to remove both of the output transformers - ugh) so I have the 7+ put onto the end of the captive cord using an IEC to three prong adapter. I am sure that this is not as good as using the TWL cord directly into the amp, but it still yeilds some significant improvements. You should definitely give it a try.
Tom
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Tom -
I never knew they existed, I'll go to hardware store today.
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Tom -
I never knew they existed, I'll go to hardware store today.
You may have to order from Music direct or Audioadvisor. I believe Pangea offers one.
charles
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Think you're right Charles, nothing at hardware.
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Tom -
I never knew they existed, I'll go to hardware store today.
You may have to order from Music direct or Audioadvisor. I believe Pangea offers one.
charles
AA gets about $20 a piece for them. I found the same thing on amazon for a little over 3 bucks each. :roll:
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Tom -
I never knew they existed, I'll go to hardware store today.
You may have to order from Music direct or Audioadvisor. I believe Pangea offers one.
charles
AA gets about $20 a piece for them. I found the same thing on amazon for a little over 3 bucks each. :roll:
I get my high quality adapters (to Daisy Chain multiple cords for burn-in) at StayOnline.com... you may want one of these... http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=6628 (http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=6628)
Pete
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http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=6628[/url]
Pete
On it!
Hey, you can send me the 8+ to try now. 8)
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One final test before I send the Seven Plus on to next lucky soul, bought an IEC to 3 prong adaptor, ran the Twelve Plus into the Quintet, and used adaptor to hang the Seven Plus off of the 4B captive cord, can't say that much of a change.
'Maybe' bass a little tighter
'Maybe' background a little blacker.
Or maybe not.
If I was going to keep the 4B I'd have an IEC installed, but I see myself going to something else for an amp, so I'll leave things 'as is' in that department for now.
Gene,
My VT-200 does not have an IEC socket on it and to install one is a biog pain (you need to remove both of the output transformers - ugh) so I have the 7+ put onto the end of the captive cord using an IEC to three prong adapter. I am sure that this is not as good as using the TWL cord directly into the amp, but it still yeilds some significant improvements. You should definitely give it a try.
Tom
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One final test before I send the Seven Plus on to next lucky soul, bought an IEC to 3 prong adaptor, ran the Twelve Plus into the Quintet, and used adaptor to hang the Seven Plus off of the 4B captive cord, can't say that much of a change.
'Maybe' bass a little tighter
'Maybe' background a little blacker.
Or maybe not.
If I was going to keep the 4B I'd have an IEC installed, but I see myself going to something else for an amp, so I'll leave things 'as is' in that department for now.
And yet on my VT-200 the change was quite noticeable.
Synergy, Synergy, Synergy :roll:
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You know what Tom, it was a quick test of Aja after booting up system cold.
Made my post.
Now, after an hour of playing, surfing the web while Kamakiriad plays, sans 7+, re-cued the CD and added the 7+, back to surfing.
After awhile I realized I was tapping my foot along with the bass line, and here's the thing, the ankle of that foot is swollen like a grapefruit, so I don't want to move foot at all!
Still not something I'd call 'significant improvements', but the PRAT elements are better, soundstage a little better defined, and the bass is so nice, it's got my bad foot going.
Still, the 7+ is trying to push electrons through a 30 year old, 16ga. curly-cue captive cable, only so much it can improve.
But if I was keeping the 4B, I would definately have Pete make me a cable unfinished at the amp end and replace the existing cable.