Spectral + Shunyata

[ack]

I just went Black Mamba CX/HC all around, and the results are increased vividness (e.g. with piano, solo timpani, plucked strings, etc) and palpability, apparently due to improved transient response... evidently, I wasn't getting the leading edge of a transient right up until now, and this includes my Ayre phono stage and the Berkeley DAC. I had been using these cords on the amps and MIT power strips/filters for 6 months with no real audible benefit. It's only when I replaced the cords everywhere upstream that the benefits materialized (wire gauge is the same, 10AWG).

An expensive tweak for sure, but the results are easily verifiable; I would attribute the improvement to lower impedance between the wall and electronics - thus higher impulse current delivery - but I am not sure; and perhaps further noise reduction, although this is only easily evident with my phono and the Revox's input at maximum gain (where the VU meters no longer move). Considering, though, that my phono no longer clips with the loudest bass drum whack at the very end of the Telarc Carmina Burana (Shaw/Atlanta Chorus), as it used to before, and the fact that the chorus is no longer grainy or distorted, I think all this pretty much translates primarily to better instantaneous current delivery.

Not sure which part of these cords' design and construction is responsible for this result, but it's probably collective.

Curious what others are using for power cords with their Spectral gear...

 

[MylesBAstor]

I just went Black Mamba CX/HC all around, and the results are increased vividness (e.g. with piano, solo timpani, plucked strings, etc) and palpability, apparently due to improved transient response... evidently, I wasn't getting the leading edge of a transient right up until now, and this includes my Ayre phono stage and the Berkeley DAC. I had been using these cords on the amps and MIT power strips/filters for 6 months with no real audible benefit. It's only when I replaced the cords everywhere upstream that the benefits materialized (wire gauge is the same, 10AWG).

An expensive tweak for sure, but the results are easily verifiable; I would attribute the improvement to lower impedance between the wall and electronics - thus higher impulse current delivery - but I am not sure; and perhaps further noise reduction, although this is only easily evident with my phono and the Revox's input at maximum gain (where the VU meters no longer move). Considering, though, that my phono no longer clips with the loudest bass drum whack at the very end of the Telarc Carmina Burana (Shaw/Atlanta Chorus), as it used to before, and the fact that the chorus is no longer grainy or distorted, I think all this pretty much translates primarily to better instantaneous current delivery.

Not sure which part of these cords' design and construction is responsible for this result, but it's probably collective.

Curious what others are using for power cords with their Spectral gear...

Funny thing is that I find phono sections and digital gear are the most improved with swapping AC cords; amps are the biggest crapshoot for obvious reasons. Interestingly, the only component I've never heard improved by changing AC cords are the ML speakers. Always been worse with after market cord.

 

[nirodha]

Elrod Statement Gold power cord turns your Spectral into a SPECTRAL...

 

[ack]

Funny thing is that I find phono sections and digital gear are the most improved with swapping AC cords; amps are the biggest crapshoot for obvious reasons. Interestingly, the only component I've never heard improved by changing AC cords are the ML speakers. Always been worse with after market cord.

Indeed, I still use the stock cords with my ML... very interesting.

 

[naturephoto1]

Funny thing is that I find phono sections and digital gear are the most improved with swapping AC cords; amps are the biggest crapshoot for obvious reasons. Interestingly, the only component I've never heard improved by changing AC cords are the ML speakers. Always been worse with after market cord.

Myles,

I am not as sure about the affects of changes in the power cords on my Soundsmith Strain Gaue 410 Phono Preamp, I have definitely heard differences in changing the power cords on my modified digitial equipment including my Denon 5910 CI, Oppo 83SE NuForce Edition, Lavry DA10 DAC, and to a reasonable amount for my Onkyo 885 Pre/Pro.

Rich

 

[drewant]

I also went with the Shunyata Black Mamba CX/HC on my Spectral DMA-100S amp - thanks for the sense of vindication, ack! I went with an Audience "e" cord on my Berkeley and found that the Audience cord was better on the digital than on the amp and vice versa for the Shunyata. The Berkeley seems to benefit a lot from upgraded cords, and I'm surprised to find so little discussion on the web about what works well for others. I wasn't able to demo Black Mambas throughout, though, so maybe there's some synergies there that I wasn't capturing.

I went to my (ex) Spectral dealer with an eye towards MIT power cords and conditioners but the rep said he prefers Shunyata power products & had many happy Spectral/Shunyata customers. I'm curious if anyone has tried both and what they found. The power factor correction of MIT power conditioners intrigues me as a way to squeeze a little more impact from the system.