Many variations of power cords on the market appear to promote their luxury coverings, metallurgic connector prowess or simply promote or celebrate a companies high end profile. I'll resist naming companies that produce cords, and interconnects too, that in my opinion are stratospherically priced to gain kudos with the Audiophile Elite.
I realise that many W.B.F. readers may be able to afford these and have commensurate systems to lavish these cords and cables on, however, if we take a step back and realise there are many audiophiles out there struggling with their purchases having to 'go without' or needing to sell something first before affording an upgrade. I'd put myself among these audiophiles who have perhaps a system above the norm and over the years, and in many cases over many years, achieved a decent sounding system but occasionally wanting to improve the sound with judicious use of changes to their power cords, interconnects or perhaps a proven mains tweak.
It was with this aim that I finally succumbed to Sablon Audio Corona Reserva power cords after 12 years with my stalwart VH Audio AirSine cords. How I came about these was by being initially exposed to Sablon Audio Panatella Interconnects via glowing reviews on the internet where the reviewers musical preferences and sound criteria coincided with mine. Further enquiries revealed that Sablon Audio was a company run by Mark Coles and based in the UK and so I eagerly procured a demo cable to compare to my Kimber Select.
Wow! Immediately upon insertion this cable revealed the Kimber to be slow and harmonically deficient probably due to a thickness of sound as though it was rounding off transients and plumping up the midrange. I had to purchase one so sold my Kimber Select 1030 and never looked back. It wasn't long after installing the I.C.s that I chose to sell my Kimber Monocle XL speaker cable to purchase Panatella speaker cables. Thankfully the sale of the Kimber covered the cost of the Sablon due to shorter lengths now required in my dedicated music room. ..(Sometimes we get lucky.)
I run Avantgarde Duo Omega and Mark Coles kindly made a pigtail jumper set to accompany the main set. Apparently this was very tricky having to get two cables into one spade at the midrange end. This was the icing on the cake. I now enjoy greater precision, emotional connection and better dynamics completely across the frequency range than with the Kimber cables. There does indeed appear to be a synergy when using ICs and speaker cables from one brand clearly evident with the Sablons. There is a natural holistic sound to these cables. Nothing is forced and no particular frequency range dominates.
I thought I was done with upgrading for a while having been very happy with the AirSine power cords on my amps and CD player for many years and revelling in their luxurious sound. Some would say DARK sound but there is no getting away from them sounding BIG and BOLD, perhaps the Gold Furutech connectors contributing to their presentation of a deep and cavernous soundstage. My only reservation was the slightly compressed feeling when playing classical orchestral music. Less so with the addition of the Sablon ICs. Was this because of my low power SETs not having sufficient muscle or just a limitation of the Avantgarde Duo subs slowing and thickening the bass?
After many months I could no longer resist Mark Coles' offer to try a Corona Reserva power cord on my Audio Aero CD player. Knowing I could not really afford to replace the whole loom of PCs in the system I wanted to try a single cord to establish a future upgrade path though the feeling I might succumb to another round of upgraditis was a little daunting.
Well, It arrived, all looking handsome with the Oyaide C-004/P-004 and a 'reserved' look with an olive/gold-ish covering. For those believing in burn-in, it was 'cooked' on a Audioharma Cable Cooker for a few days. Count me in as a believer!
Here's where It gets interesting. I didn't like it! Why, I'm not sure. It sounded very thin and a little bright, a far cry from my AirSine, but decided to leave it playing for a few days. Improvements were there but ultimately I couldn't live without the warmth and golden glow, some would say molasses thick, presentation in the system wrought by the AirSines. Well that was an interesting exercise and both Mark Coles and I couldn't really fathom out what was going on and surmised that a combination of AirSines on the amps and Corona Reserva on the CD player was just one of those unexpected incompatibilities. Where the Oyaide Palladium plugs causing the thinness. Did the PC need more burn-in? I must point out that my system uses all US plugs even though I'm in the UK. , the distribution box (Furutech GTX-D (G)) was new and wired directly to a dedicated panel. (With hindsight it appears the combination of new sockets AND new cable threw the system adrift by a wide margin).
Anyway, some weeks passed and I asked to borrow two Corona Reservas after hearing what a whole pile of them brought to Spirit of Music's system. I thought, let's try them on my mono block power amps, a home made, direct coupled, single ended design nicknamed Supanova45. Mark Coles was amenable to lending me a pair for a week or so. No pressure to purchase, "just try them and tell me what you think" .
I could not believe what I was hearing after installing these two 'cooked' Corona Reservas onto my amps and this was still with an AirSine on the AA. A greater clarity and deeper soundstage with new sounds revealed within songs I've known for years. This was what I'd been looking for, a combination of the warmth of the vocals with the transparency of the soundstage. I just had to have them but in order to afford them, even though they are in my opinion a bargain and much more affordable than many hi-end cords, I had to sell something for funds. Luckily I trawled through my boxes of old gear, components and duplicate gold CDs and eBay came to the rescue. I could now pay for the two Reservas and live happily ever after, NOT! What if I now replaced the AirSine on the Audio Aero? Would there be a repeat of my disappointment and that perceived incompatibility?
A third Reserva arrived later that week and the moment came to try it out. My reaction was similar, though not equal to, my initial reaction in hearing a slightly bright balance with a slight thinning to the presentation, bearing in mind I'm used to that golden glow, only now with added clarity. I kept it on for a week and it settled down losing the bright edge to it, possibly due to the Palladium connectors needing longer break-in than the wire itself. I now had even greater resolution, a much wider soundstage and the depth was present but without the dark, hooded quality, and with slightly greater forward presentation too. This combination was most startling on classical fare, previously a little congested, now stunningly layered. The effect of being closer to the music and the reality of voices is so addictive. High power modern pop sounds dense, driving and studio compression artefacts appear reduced.
One evening I was missing the molasses like golden glow and the LARGER than life vocal presentation so thought to swap the Corona Reserva out and put back the AirSine onto the AA. That golden glow to vocals returned with very exaggerated depth of soundstage making it all mysterious, dark and cavernous. The front half of the soundstage transparent enough and projected well but the rear was now so far back it was unnatural. Another artefact most evident on classical was that pervasive congestion. Not a tribute I'd normally reserve for the AirSine but in this system, too heavy and dense. I found it hard to believe that I'd lived without the transparency the new cords brought to my system, being so infatuated with this velvety, mysterious sound. This was a case of resolution trumping excessive warmth. The Sablon Reserva power trio had now grabbed my attention and wasn't letting go. I now no longer miss the unnatural warmth having it replaced with accuracy, tonality, and vitality. A holistic sound. Think spring with warm sunshine and not winter in front of a smokey fire.
The last year also saw the move from dedicated Mac Mini using Audirvana + to Auralic Aries with external HD. This removed the computer from the music room and its associated noise from screen and powered 'whirring' Hard Drive. Call me impressed by the Aries performance. It's a wonderful, easy to use and musical device which gets better with improvements to connecting cables and improved power supply. Initially I used my legacy Acoustic Revive split USB cable with a KingRex UPower battery supply to send data to the dac in the Audio Aero player. To keep the Sablon theme going I replaced the AR with a Reserva USB. This brought the SQ from CD rips much closer to CDs played from the Esoteric drive within the La Fontaine. Music was much more organic sounding losing a slight digital sheen that the Aries/AR USB appeared to overlay onto the music. The addition of a UpTone Audio Regen appeared to increase resolution however I think this is dependent on the resolution of the digital files. Great for CD rips but a little too clinical for Hi Res files.
The Sablon Audio Corona Reserva are now permanent additions to my system. I've still to change the two AirSines on the Duo subwoofers, due for Xmas, to bring the speed and clarity in line with the horns. Plus, the Panatela speaker cables are now in Reserva spec. and with a little luck will be my birthday present.
To sum this all up there is no doubt these are truly great, affordable power cords, ICs, and speaker cables and able to compete with many of the top tier, read that as extortionate, audiophile cables out there.
I also have to admit to being blind to my systems faults but maybe it's a phase we go through, perhaps preferring one type of presentation over another depending on our music choices or just they way we evolve over time with our hearing. You could also say that there is always a danger of going down a rabbit hole of sound without the criticism of others to bring us back.
Thanks to Mark Coles, Spirit of Music, Jeff Medwin et al. for your contributions to my many evenings of musical pleasure.
Update: I just see the Sablon range have received a Brutus award from Positive Feedback and reviewed by Bill Malcom. A well deserved accolade in my opinion.
Blue58
I realise that many W.B.F. readers may be able to afford these and have commensurate systems to lavish these cords and cables on, however, if we take a step back and realise there are many audiophiles out there struggling with their purchases having to 'go without' or needing to sell something first before affording an upgrade. I'd put myself among these audiophiles who have perhaps a system above the norm and over the years, and in many cases over many years, achieved a decent sounding system but occasionally wanting to improve the sound with judicious use of changes to their power cords, interconnects or perhaps a proven mains tweak.
It was with this aim that I finally succumbed to Sablon Audio Corona Reserva power cords after 12 years with my stalwart VH Audio AirSine cords. How I came about these was by being initially exposed to Sablon Audio Panatella Interconnects via glowing reviews on the internet where the reviewers musical preferences and sound criteria coincided with mine. Further enquiries revealed that Sablon Audio was a company run by Mark Coles and based in the UK and so I eagerly procured a demo cable to compare to my Kimber Select.
Wow! Immediately upon insertion this cable revealed the Kimber to be slow and harmonically deficient probably due to a thickness of sound as though it was rounding off transients and plumping up the midrange. I had to purchase one so sold my Kimber Select 1030 and never looked back. It wasn't long after installing the I.C.s that I chose to sell my Kimber Monocle XL speaker cable to purchase Panatella speaker cables. Thankfully the sale of the Kimber covered the cost of the Sablon due to shorter lengths now required in my dedicated music room. ..(Sometimes we get lucky.)
I run Avantgarde Duo Omega and Mark Coles kindly made a pigtail jumper set to accompany the main set. Apparently this was very tricky having to get two cables into one spade at the midrange end. This was the icing on the cake. I now enjoy greater precision, emotional connection and better dynamics completely across the frequency range than with the Kimber cables. There does indeed appear to be a synergy when using ICs and speaker cables from one brand clearly evident with the Sablons. There is a natural holistic sound to these cables. Nothing is forced and no particular frequency range dominates.
I thought I was done with upgrading for a while having been very happy with the AirSine power cords on my amps and CD player for many years and revelling in their luxurious sound. Some would say DARK sound but there is no getting away from them sounding BIG and BOLD, perhaps the Gold Furutech connectors contributing to their presentation of a deep and cavernous soundstage. My only reservation was the slightly compressed feeling when playing classical orchestral music. Less so with the addition of the Sablon ICs. Was this because of my low power SETs not having sufficient muscle or just a limitation of the Avantgarde Duo subs slowing and thickening the bass?
After many months I could no longer resist Mark Coles' offer to try a Corona Reserva power cord on my Audio Aero CD player. Knowing I could not really afford to replace the whole loom of PCs in the system I wanted to try a single cord to establish a future upgrade path though the feeling I might succumb to another round of upgraditis was a little daunting.
Well, It arrived, all looking handsome with the Oyaide C-004/P-004 and a 'reserved' look with an olive/gold-ish covering. For those believing in burn-in, it was 'cooked' on a Audioharma Cable Cooker for a few days. Count me in as a believer!
Here's where It gets interesting. I didn't like it! Why, I'm not sure. It sounded very thin and a little bright, a far cry from my AirSine, but decided to leave it playing for a few days. Improvements were there but ultimately I couldn't live without the warmth and golden glow, some would say molasses thick, presentation in the system wrought by the AirSines. Well that was an interesting exercise and both Mark Coles and I couldn't really fathom out what was going on and surmised that a combination of AirSines on the amps and Corona Reserva on the CD player was just one of those unexpected incompatibilities. Where the Oyaide Palladium plugs causing the thinness. Did the PC need more burn-in? I must point out that my system uses all US plugs even though I'm in the UK. , the distribution box (Furutech GTX-D (G)) was new and wired directly to a dedicated panel. (With hindsight it appears the combination of new sockets AND new cable threw the system adrift by a wide margin).
Anyway, some weeks passed and I asked to borrow two Corona Reservas after hearing what a whole pile of them brought to Spirit of Music's system. I thought, let's try them on my mono block power amps, a home made, direct coupled, single ended design nicknamed Supanova45. Mark Coles was amenable to lending me a pair for a week or so. No pressure to purchase, "just try them and tell me what you think" .
I could not believe what I was hearing after installing these two 'cooked' Corona Reservas onto my amps and this was still with an AirSine on the AA. A greater clarity and deeper soundstage with new sounds revealed within songs I've known for years. This was what I'd been looking for, a combination of the warmth of the vocals with the transparency of the soundstage. I just had to have them but in order to afford them, even though they are in my opinion a bargain and much more affordable than many hi-end cords, I had to sell something for funds. Luckily I trawled through my boxes of old gear, components and duplicate gold CDs and eBay came to the rescue. I could now pay for the two Reservas and live happily ever after, NOT! What if I now replaced the AirSine on the Audio Aero? Would there be a repeat of my disappointment and that perceived incompatibility?
A third Reserva arrived later that week and the moment came to try it out. My reaction was similar, though not equal to, my initial reaction in hearing a slightly bright balance with a slight thinning to the presentation, bearing in mind I'm used to that golden glow, only now with added clarity. I kept it on for a week and it settled down losing the bright edge to it, possibly due to the Palladium connectors needing longer break-in than the wire itself. I now had even greater resolution, a much wider soundstage and the depth was present but without the dark, hooded quality, and with slightly greater forward presentation too. This combination was most startling on classical fare, previously a little congested, now stunningly layered. The effect of being closer to the music and the reality of voices is so addictive. High power modern pop sounds dense, driving and studio compression artefacts appear reduced.
One evening I was missing the molasses like golden glow and the LARGER than life vocal presentation so thought to swap the Corona Reserva out and put back the AirSine onto the AA. That golden glow to vocals returned with very exaggerated depth of soundstage making it all mysterious, dark and cavernous. The front half of the soundstage transparent enough and projected well but the rear was now so far back it was unnatural. Another artefact most evident on classical was that pervasive congestion. Not a tribute I'd normally reserve for the AirSine but in this system, too heavy and dense. I found it hard to believe that I'd lived without the transparency the new cords brought to my system, being so infatuated with this velvety, mysterious sound. This was a case of resolution trumping excessive warmth. The Sablon Reserva power trio had now grabbed my attention and wasn't letting go. I now no longer miss the unnatural warmth having it replaced with accuracy, tonality, and vitality. A holistic sound. Think spring with warm sunshine and not winter in front of a smokey fire.
The last year also saw the move from dedicated Mac Mini using Audirvana + to Auralic Aries with external HD. This removed the computer from the music room and its associated noise from screen and powered 'whirring' Hard Drive. Call me impressed by the Aries performance. It's a wonderful, easy to use and musical device which gets better with improvements to connecting cables and improved power supply. Initially I used my legacy Acoustic Revive split USB cable with a KingRex UPower battery supply to send data to the dac in the Audio Aero player. To keep the Sablon theme going I replaced the AR with a Reserva USB. This brought the SQ from CD rips much closer to CDs played from the Esoteric drive within the La Fontaine. Music was much more organic sounding losing a slight digital sheen that the Aries/AR USB appeared to overlay onto the music. The addition of a UpTone Audio Regen appeared to increase resolution however I think this is dependent on the resolution of the digital files. Great for CD rips but a little too clinical for Hi Res files.
The Sablon Audio Corona Reserva are now permanent additions to my system. I've still to change the two AirSines on the Duo subwoofers, due for Xmas, to bring the speed and clarity in line with the horns. Plus, the Panatela speaker cables are now in Reserva spec. and with a little luck will be my birthday present.
To sum this all up there is no doubt these are truly great, affordable power cords, ICs, and speaker cables and able to compete with many of the top tier, read that as extortionate, audiophile cables out there.
I also have to admit to being blind to my systems faults but maybe it's a phase we go through, perhaps preferring one type of presentation over another depending on our music choices or just they way we evolve over time with our hearing. You could also say that there is always a danger of going down a rabbit hole of sound without the criticism of others to bring us back.
Thanks to Mark Coles, Spirit of Music, Jeff Medwin et al. for your contributions to my many evenings of musical pleasure.
Update: I just see the Sablon range have received a Brutus award from Positive Feedback and reviewed by Bill Malcom. A well deserved accolade in my opinion.
Blue58