[SwedeSound]

I recently swapped out my stock power cords for Paul Kaplan's (AC's own Occam) new "Occam's Lazer" AC cords on my amplifier and CD player. (Some fellow AC'ers might have heard Paul's cords when they made their debut at the RMAF's "Tweak Geek" room). I've had them in my own system for a while now, and I can say the difference is nothing short of astounding.

I have a Harman Kardon HK 3480 two-channel receiver (120 watts/ch) and a Sony CDP-M333ES cd player feeding Monitor Audio Studio 6 monitors mounted on Plateau stands. I plugged the Occams into my Felix conditioner (thanks again, Paul), and I heard several improvements almost immediately.

Most noticeable was deeper tighter bass. I was not only hearing low frequencies that I hadn't heard before, I was suddenly FEELING them in my feet. The sound stage was also wider and higher, and the spacing between the instruments became more clearly defined.

Upper frequencies that were before etched and a bit brittle became less fatiguing while at the same time more precise (if that seems possible). Certain instruments (piano) and voices (female) were being rendered more authentically.

My system now seems more capable of handling fast and difficult musical passages. It's become more articulate AND more listenable. In sum, Occam's power cords make my system do exactly what I want it to do -- only better than it has ever done before. Scary good. Silly good. I don't necessarily get it, but I hear it.

Congratulations, Paul, on a remarkable product.

-Jason (Swedesound)

[lonewolfny42]

Jason....

As a point of reference....have you tried any other power cords in your system ?

Thanks.......

                 Chris

[Occam]

Hey Chris,

Jason's receiver and cd player came equipped with hardwired 2 prong cords. I replaced them with hardwired cords using the same wire type/construction as my grounded Occam's Lazer cords, but a different configuration, star quad, which is very appropriate for ungrounded powercords. The grounded and ungrounded versions are, IMO, indistinguishable. They also have the newly chosen plug, which you haven't heard yet. The ground blade on the plug is only used to establish proper hot-neutral orientation into the receptacle. Adding a mains ground to a Class 2 ungrounded component is a sure way to get ground loops. It was far easier to hardwire the cords than to put in an IEC socket. I did this for Jason because he bribed me with bagels and lox, and I wanted to confirm my experience with replacing the captive cord on my stock Sony DVD-7700 that I'm using as a transport.

Frankly, I'm gobsmacked by the subjective changes wrought by replacing a captive zip cord. Although I could measure the decreased inductance and increased hot-neutral capacitance, a good thing,  its simply not material enough to, by any means, account for the perceived changes. And it certainly strikes me as 'odd' to say the least, that a cord change could make such a difference in a transport.

Perhaps I and others who hear the differences are delusional. I am having a mechanism built that will allow me to make valid comparisons between powercords, interconnects and digital cables, not for proof to the naysayers, but for my own product development. The possibility of a valid, demonstrable experiment is simply a bonus.

What is so frustrating about this experience is how darn good Jason's system sounds. I spent more on a pair of Audience Au24 interconnects than Jason did on his whole system. I first met Jason at a Park Slope stoop sale where he was pondering the purchase of some Monitor Audio bookshelf speakers. I asked the seller the price, $10 [list $2k+], and said to Jason -'buy the damn speakers, if you don't, I will'. He bought them, they're singing happily at chez Jason. If I'd gotten there 10 minutes earlier, I'd have gotten the speakers, but not the friendship....

Back to the hardwired cords. I'm unsure if I'll be offering them for sale, as I'd be quite uncomfortable with anyone other than myself (or someone whose experience level I'm comfortable with) mucking about inside a component with the internal AC connections. If I can develop a database of which internal connectors are used to terminate the stock cords in various components, I could offer the replacements with teminations appropriate for different components and make the upgrade less experience dependant.

Regards,
Paul
[/list]

[lonewolfny42]

Cool Paul....thanks for the info...

What is so frustrating about this experience is how darn good Jason's system sounds. I spent more on a pair of Audience Au24 interconnects than Jason did on his whole system. I first met Jason at a Park Slope stoop sale where he was pondering the purchase of some Monitor Audio bookshelf speakers. I asked the seller the price, $10 [list $2k+], and said to Jason -'buy the damn speakers, if you don't, I will'. He bought them, they're singing happily at chez Jason. If I'd gotten there 10 minutes earlier, I'd have gotten the speakers, but not the friendship....

Yes....I remember Jason posting about his purchase....nice !!! [/list]

[SwedeSound]

Chris,

As per your question about other power cords, no. I haven't been able to compare others on my rig since mine were captured cords. I toyed with installing IEC ports, but I've heard several different cords in Paul's system, and the best sound was coming from his Lazers. A few bagels later, we had them installed on my amp and cd player. I am thrilled with the results.

-Jason
 

[BRN]

How is Occam's Lazer PC constructed? The reason I ask is that I have been very happy with the Felix I'm sure that this would be another great project.

Thanks,
Brad

[DaveC113]

Hey, I also replaced the captive ungrounded cord on my Yamaha burner / transport. I used a twisted pair of 12g mil spec silver plated copper / teflon wire and fitted it to the plastic clip inside the unit instead of buying an IEC socket an plug. It did make a difference. I made the same cord with a counter-rotating ground wire for the grounded components, again BIG difference... and I'm using budget level connectors.

Good luck with your powercords! 

Dave

[markC]

Paul, are you willing to share your recipie to fellow DIYers or are you keeping it under your hat?
I'm referring to iec connector type cords.

[mcullinan]

 --

[Occam]

Paul, are you willing to share your recipie to fellow DIYers or are you keeping it under your hat?
I'm referring to iec connector type cords.

Under my hat that shall stay.

But I would start a thread in the Lab on how to replace the captive cord on a Harmon Kardon stereo receiver (they're rather good, even stock), complete with a step by step pictorial record of the process. This will be applicable whether is uses Occam's Gewgaw 12000 Mk II rev.d replacement cord or your own twisted pair or star-quad cord.
This depends on if I can find a volunteer to provide a HK stereo receiver, model 3390 or 3490,
available from an J&R, an authorized dealer (and elsewhere) at good prices -
http://www.jr.com/category/audio/receivers/n/4294563044/
So what they'll get out of it is a HK receiver with different powercord, and the replacement of the removeable provided links between preamp and poweramp with ones that don't suck. Gratis. If they don't like the result, I'll reverse it all and make it bog stock again. This is what a competent electrical engineer or physicist might refer to a 'polishing a turd', and from their perspective, I see where they're coming from.
Go figure. 

The volunteer has to be local, and willing to drop off, and pick it up. I'm right off the Grand Army Plaza #3 subway stop in Park Slope, Brooklyn. If you're interested, PM me and tell me what you plan to slot it into, your source, speakers. I get to keep it long enough for a mini-NYAudioRave. Actually, if there is more than one rational volunteer, I'll accept 2 of the same receivers, one with the turd polishing and another unmodified for comparison at the miniRave, and afterwards, upgraded if its owner chooses, which they can also have reversed to stock if they later choose so.

-Paul

[richidoo]

Occam's Gewgaw 12000 Mk II rev.d replacement cord ...

     


 

[John Ryder]

Hey Chris,

Jason's receiver and cd player came equipped with hardwired 2 prong cords. I replaced them with hardwired cords using the same wire type/construction as my grounded Occam's Lazer cords, but a different configuration, star quad, which is very appropriate for ungrounded powercords. The grounded and ungrounded versions are, IMO, indistinguishable. They also have the newly chosen plug, which you haven't heard yet. The ground blade on the plug is only used to establish proper hot-neutral orientation into the receptacle. Adding a mains ground to a Class 2 ungrounded component is a sure way to get ground loops. It was far easier to hardwire the cords than to put in an IEC socket. I did this for Jason because he bribed me with bagels and lox, and I wanted to confirm my experience with replacing the captive cord on my stock Sony DVD-7700 that I'm using as a transport.

Frankly, I'm gobsmacked by the subjective changes wrought by replacing a captive zip cord. Although I could measure the decreased inductance and increased hot-neutral capacitance, a good thing,  its simply not material enough to, by any means, account for the perceived changes. And it certainly strikes me as 'odd' to say the least, that a cord change could make such a difference in a transport.

Perhaps I and others who hear the differences are delusional. I am having a mechanism built that will allow me to make valid comparisons between powercords, interconnects and digital cables, not for proof to the naysayers, but for my own product development. The possibility of a valid, demonstrable experiment is simply a bonus.

What is so frustrating about this experience is how darn good Jason's system sounds. I spent more on a pair of Audience Au24 interconnects than Jason did on his whole system. I first met Jason at a Park Slope stoop sale where he was pondering the purchase of some Monitor Audio bookshelf speakers. I asked the seller the price, $10 [list $2k+], and said to Jason -'buy the damn speakers, if you don't, I will'. He bought them, they're singing happily at chez Jason. If I'd gotten there 10 minutes earlier, I'd have gotten the speakers, but not the friendship....

Back to the hardwired cords. I'm unsure if I'll be offering them for sale, as I'd be quite uncomfortable with anyone other than myself (or someone whose experience level I'm comfortable with) mucking about inside a component with the internal AC connections. If I can develop a database of which internal connectors are used to terminate the stock cords in various components, I could offer the replacements with teminations appropriate for different components and make the upgrade less experience dependant.

Regards,
Paul
[/list]

Agree 100%

[SwedeSound]

Very generous offer, Paul. I imagine you'll have loads of volunteers. And I don't expect any of them will want to go back to the stock power cord... delusional or otherwise. 

-Jason

[whubbard]

Having listened to Paul’s system, I can say he has got the whole 'power' thing down pretty well. His power cords are very hefty, however since we did not compare them to others; I can't really give a fair comparison. I would just say that if there is anyone here who knows power...its Paul. There wasn’t even the slightest hint at a 60Hz hum and the background noise was almost dead silent [There were cars and such going by so it would be hard to say it was competely dead silent as I never quite heard it so...but maybe if it were in a different room it would be].

Paul,

I have a HK 3485 I can bring by at some point if you would like to try it out, and I would greatly appreciate it too!   

-West

[xsb7244]

How much are the Occam lazer power cords?

[BobM]

Well, it's official now. Paul (Occam) has gone commercial with his new cables and power conditioners:

http://www.tweekgeek.com/_e/dept/01-004-011/Kaplan_Cables.htm

He's got introductory pricing going for the next 2 months, so get 'em while they're at a nice discount.

I can say that I've tried both the copper and Rhodium versions and they perform better than described. The copper is a bit more organic, while the Rhodium has more sparkle. Both opened up and lifted a haze that I never knew was there.

I've done more than a few power cord comparisons (see the following thread for details: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=50799.0) and although I don't have all of the other cables at my disposal to compare against directly I can say that Paul's cables let me hear things that these others didn't. A nice and fairly dramatic improvement overall.

Enjoy,
Bob

[Mike B.]

I have the 80 watt version of the HK two channel receiver in my bedroom. They are driving cast off main room speakers and I am amazed at the sound quality. I can see how this could be a good platform for a system. Stereo Dave's in Portland Oregon does extensive mods to these receivers and I think one of the first things they do is install their cord directly into the unit.