All:
I thought I’d post the results of my mini power cable shootout. This may help you figure out which cords to listen to.
I was shopping for a cord for my new integrated amp which is an Audio Note Soro SE w/ Phono, and I had several to consider. At current, I am using an Asylum Cable which I built a year or two ago from that Bob Crump design with the 19364. It had been a heavyweight contender for a while! It bested the Cardas Twinlink, and the Stealth HAC that I listened to. But I knew there were so many cords to choose from, and thought why not try some.
So, Wayne was kind enough to send me some cords to try. I met Wayne at Kimber Summer Vacation #1, and he is one cool guy. I knew how serious he was back then, and I have watched his progress with great interest, so I was anxious to hear some of his new product. I can’t afford a Palladian, so I didn’t even listen to it. Hehe
Anyhow, Wayne sent me a Bolder Type 2, which is what I was interested in, but he also sent me one of the new power cords from his Nitro series. I knew how people had responded to the Nitro interconnects, so I was excited that he was willing to let me try the Nitro cord.
I listened to the cords when I first got them, and greatly preferred the Type 2 to all the others. Wayne told me to listen to the Nitro for a while and then switch back to the Type 2. So I listened to the Nitro for about 2 weeks, and last night I decided to shoot them out. I had to make a decision.
The power cords I had on hand for the shootout were:
Cardas Twinlink
Crump/Asylum cord
Bolder Type 2 w/ gold Furutech’s
Bolder Nitro
My system at the time of the shootout was:
Audio Note Soro SE w/ Phono
Audio Analogue Paganini CDP
Scott Nixon Tube DAC
Michael Green Classic Chameleon speakers
Bolder M-80 interconnects
47 Laboratory speaker cables
Quantum Symphony, and 3 Electro Clears
MG deluxe amp stands for racks
MG Pressure Zone controllers for my corners
Audiopoints
I only had to use 2 discs for the shootout. The differences were not subtle, but I didn’t want to do just one disc. I used Johnny Cash’s new one called The Man Comes Around, and Beppe Gambetta’s Blu Di Genova. This disc is Beppe’s magnum opus, and his best work to date. Both are great real world non-audiophile recordings. I used track 1, 3, and 10 on the Cash disc, and track 8 on the Beppe disc.
Here are my impressions of these cords in order of preference:
Cardas Twinlink
The Cardas in my opinion is a very sterile cord. It is sterile, but it doesn’t have the detail that one would expect from such a dry presentation. I did not like the Cardas much, although it did best the Crump cord for detail. It was not musical at all, and didn’t have much cohesiveness to its presentation.
Crump’s Asylum Cord
This has long been the reference cord in my many setups. It is a sweet cord, and one that cannot be beaten for the price. The Crump has a way with midrange smoothness but it is also exaggerated in the midrange. Midrange is emphasized, leaving the rest of the frequencies behind. So, it is not the most accurate cord, but very pleasing to listen to, especially on vocals. So, unless you have heard these other two cords, the Crump is awesome! Track 3 on the Cash disc was not as convincing. This is a very real track where Johnny is in your room, and he is playing a Gibson. I know it’s not a Martin, and that’s how real it is. But the Crump did a worse job of convincing me that Johnny was in my room, than the other cords did. At 1:48 on the Beppe Gambetta track, many more instruments join in, and the Crump sort of sounded more confused on this. But not if you haven’t heard a better cord.
Bolder Type 2 with gold connectors
The Bolder was very clean, and right off the bat I noticed how much more soundstage I had than with the Crump. Vocals were very accurate, but not as forward as the Crump. They had much more air, but almost to the point where the vocalists seemed a bit hoarse. Bass was way tighter, and way deeper than the Crump. The guitar was sweet on this, b/c I heard more detail. But it was also more compressed than with the Nitro. It sounded a bit flat by comparison. Just a bit two dimensional. It was much more believable than the Crump, but less than the Nitro.
The soundstage was a bit less cohesive than the Type 2, and I think it had a bit less bass as well. There was a lot more information there than with the Crump, and at 1:48 Beppe did not seem to get lost in a haze of music as with the previous cord. More ambience, and more accurate attack, and string buzz was present on the Type 2. Overall a great cord. Until you hear the Nitro. Against the Nitro, the Type 2 is much less listenable, and more fatiguing. Not harsh, but borderline compared to the Nitro and the Crump.
Bolder Nitro Power Cord
As you may have guessed by this point in the review, this cord was the cream of the crop. It took some convincing though. At first, I preferred the crazy detail of the Type 2 over the Nitro. I think because that was what I missed most with the Crump cable. But once I had the Nitro in the system for a few days, and went back, I realized that all the detail was still there with the Nitro, it was just cleaner, and smoother, and more accurate. The Nitro seemed more like music.
On the Cash disc, Johnny’s voice was as natural as I had heard it. The piano goes very deep on this track, and it sounded sweet with the Nitro. The bass is more together with this cable. The soundstage was at the perfect height, but that didn’t really change throughout swapping the cables. This cord is very spatial, and there is a point at 3:00 where the separation of instruments within the depth of the soundstage becomes very apparent.
The Nitro had some of the Crump’s midrange sweetness, but none of the bloat, and without exaggerating any frequencies. Every bit as detailed as the Type 2, but way better in every other way. At :40 in the Beppe track, I could hear his voice trying to break up. I had not heard that with either of the other cords. This was a lush cable that is seductive, but very accurate at the same time. Very listenable, and not tiring to listen to.
I am not returning this cable, or the M-80’s to Wayne.
Combined with the M-80’s, this is magical! The best sound I have had in my system. I’d like to hear some Bybeed Nitros, and some speaker cables, but for right now, I am very happy with the sound. As good as the M-80’s sounded over the 47 Labs, I’d like to hear the speaker cables. The 47 interconnects sound a bit forward, and bright compared to the M-80’s.
L8r,
B
