NEW ZenWave PSR-14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable

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DaveC113

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NEW ZenWave PSR-14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« on: 16 May 2019, 06:05 pm »
I'm excited to announce ZenWave Audio's new power cable!  :D

This cable is intended to be an all-out, no-holds-barred, cost-no-object power cable that is CLEARLY better vs top of the line copper power cables such as Furutech's DPS-4 and my own PL11 cable. It has a very vivid and dynamic effect that will highlight the shortcomings of other power cables and make you reconsider how much difference in sound is possible due to AC power delivery. It makes the DPS-4 sound colored, slow and a bottleneck to dynamics, both macro and micro.

I've been wanting to offer a UPOCC silver power cable for a long time now, but making a PC using the same wire as my D4 line of interconnect cables would simply cost too much. With the silver ribbon conductors I can now add a UPOCC silver power cable I am happy with in all areas... the silver ribbon geometry adds a touch of warmth round UPOCC silver wire does not have, and it costs A LOT less than UPOCC silver/gold alloy. Part of this is less overall wire is required, the ribbon type wire can be made larger gauge without the same negative effects as round wire. This also requires less teflon, which is a major expense when using small gauge round wire, in fact with UPOCC copper it costs more than the copper does, and adds a significant expense to smaller gauge silver. 

So while the new PS14 cable isn't inexpensive, it can be compared to Siltech and Wireworld's top-end UPOCC silver cables which easily reach into the 5-figures... The PS14 is very reasonable in comparison and IMO should be judged on what it does for your system... I think many will find it to be a relatively great value for what it offers despite it's high price vs typical copper power cables. In this way it's a lot like Furutech's NCF receptacles. Grossly expensive for a receptacle, but a true bargain for the effect it has on a system's sound!

Now, let's talk about ribbon cables... they can be excellent sounding IME but they can also have significant drawbacks including:

- A cable that can't be bent without failing. Ok, so one of the major design requirements of a cable is it needs to be able to bend. Many ribbon cables are designed in such a way that excessive mechanical stress is put on the cable when it's bent, which causes failed insulation and terminations. I've been asked to repair and reterminate enough ribbon cables over the years and have seen these issues first-hand.

- A cable with conductors that corrode. It's not easy to protect ribbon cables from corrosion as most start out with bare metal ribbons. Even with round wire many cable manufacturers use silk or cotton insulation, which does little to nothing to prevent corrosion. Those who use very thin ribbons, or foil, have a very large surface area and very thin conductors which makes this even more difficult.

- Geometry that is too lopsided in terms of LCR and not noise-canceling. Ribbon cables often place the conductors side by side without any shielding, this is very susceptible to picking up noise. Also, if the ribbons are placed one atop the other you may have too much capacitance, in fact some cables strongly resemble an unwound film capacitor and require corrective networks.

- The ground leg of power cables is often an afterthought, and has poor spatial relationship vs the ribbon conductors.... but the truth is ground is very important. With conventional cables the ground is often run parallel to the hot and neutral which allows ground noise to couple... this is not ideal.

- Almost all ribbon cables are unshielded as the design doesn't allow for it without massive diameter.


How does the new ZenWave PS14 Cable Differ?

- The UPOCC silver ribbon I use in my new power cable solves LCR, noise-canceling AND bending issues described above by using an array of ribbons in a noise canceling geometry that allows the cable to bend evenly in any direction and allows balanced LCR.

- The UPOCC silver ribbon conductors are teflon insulated to prevent corrosion.

- The ground wire uses ZenWave's exclusive 14g UPOCC copper litz wire for ground. This ground has low impedance at high frequencies, and is run so that the silver ribbons do not couple closely with the ground wire. This makes for a blacker background and better resolution.

- The PS14 cable is shielded and uses pure, unbleached cotton filler in between the cable and the shield for best mechanical damping and dielectric properties. 


Please feel free to ask any questions... and if you're interested and want to give it a shot, I do have demo cables making the rounds. :)

Price is $2500 for 1.5m and $350 for additional 1/2 meter increments. I recommend 1.5m as the shortest length and longer can be better for PCs, but I can make a 1 meter cable for $2150 to cut costs a bit. A good bit of the cost is labor, this cable takes forever to build and the ribbons are a huge PITA to terminate... I wrap them in UPOCC silver round wire and coat them with Furutech nano-liquid, and the litz wire requires a solder pot to terminate. Not to mention the cotton filler, shield and techflex jacket. It's by far the most difficult cable to deal with I make but the results are well worth it! :)





« Last Edit: 13 Aug 2019, 01:39 am by DaveC113 »

witchdoctor

Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #1 on: 16 May 2019, 07:07 pm »
Hi Dave,

If you were going to add this power cable to your system which component would have the most impact? Source, pre, or amp?
Thanks

DaveC113

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #2 on: 16 May 2019, 07:14 pm »
Hi Dave,

If you were going to add this power cable to your system which component would have the most impact? Source, pre, or amp?
Thanks

Source or preamp would be my 1st recommendation, but it's good for some amps too. For monster amps I may make an 11g version. :) 

paul79

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #3 on: 25 May 2019, 02:41 pm »
Dave is really on to something with this power cable! I am still wrapping my mind around everything, but will say, this is next level amazing.

Jon L

Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #4 on: 25 May 2019, 04:19 pm »
That's a lot of heroic effort placed in power cord design :thumb:

I have love-hate relationship with ribbon-based cables.  I love most of what they do over non-ribbon cables, but the one thing that always bothers me is how they lose a bit of definition and solid impact in the area around upper-bass/low-midrange.  I wonder if some of the design features of this cable improves that tendency...

DaveC113

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #5 on: 26 May 2019, 02:36 pm »
That's a lot of heroic effort placed in power cord design :thumb:

I have love-hate relationship with ribbon-based cables.  I love most of what they do over non-ribbon cables, but the one thing that always bothers me is how they lose a bit of definition and solid impact in the area around upper-bass/low-midrange.  I wonder if some of the design features of this cable improves that tendency...

This cable is honestly somewhere in between a normal cable and a thin ribbon cable... It's not foil-thin and there are a bunch of ribbons in a geometry that allows for balanced LCR, noise canceling and the ability to bend the cable without over-stressing it.

If you'd like to try it out let me know, I'd be happy to include you in the current tour. :)

DaveC113

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #6 on: 26 May 2019, 02:36 pm »
Here's a message left on another forum about the new silver ribbon power cable:

Quote
Dave sent me this new PS14 cable to demo last week. and I'll be short and sweet here: I think it's phenomenal. Surprisingly so.

The biggest impact it has in my system is connected to my phono stage, with my current-favorite DIY cable powering my amp (instead of vice versa). I could wax poetic in describing what I hear with this cable, but instead I'll just say the overall change it brought to my system is simply frustrating given that it's a damn power cable. Its impact on the sound would have you swear something had changed in the signal path. But, briefly, what I hear with this cable is clean, expressive, extended, detailed, layered, non-fatiguing, tight and controlled sound. More accurately, it is probably that these are attributes of my phono stage itself, and this power cable is somehow bringing out the best in it, like no other cable has to date.

I'll be passing it along to the next person in line soon. You're in for a treat.

RDavidson

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #7 on: 26 May 2019, 03:08 pm »
That's a lot of heroic effort placed in power cord design :thumb:

And that's what REALLY separates Dave's cables from the rest. Sure, other manufacturers have access to many of the top of the line materials he uses. BUT, most manufacturers don't have the resources to hand build these geometries and combinations of materials that Dave does. And that's how he is able to provide cables that absolutely compete with anything on the market, yet sell it direct at a reasonable price. That's the value offering here and it's off the charts. To top it off, Dave is a great dude and very knowledgeable. Try an in-home demo. You have nothing to loose. :thumb:

MttBsh

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #8 on: 26 May 2019, 04:07 pm »
Try an in-home demo. You have nothing to loose. :thumb:
[/quote]

…. but don't expect to try them and send them back...once you've heard Dave's cables you won't be taking them out of your system. I certainly haven't.

pursuitofnow

Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #9 on: 26 May 2019, 06:45 pm »
Awesome! I'd like to get in on the tour action and try it out in my system.

paul79

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #10 on: 26 May 2019, 11:18 pm »
Try an in-home demo. You have nothing to loose. :thumb:


…. but don't expect to try them and send them back...once you've heard Dave's cables you won't be taking them out of your system. I certainly haven't.

Yes, that will surely be the problem, right there......

DaveC113

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #11 on: 27 May 2019, 04:41 pm »
Thanks for the support!  :D


Awesome! I'd like to get in on the tour action and try it out in my system.

Sure, you are now on the list!  :green:

paul79

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #12 on: 6 Jun 2019, 02:05 pm »
My brief time with this power cable has really taught me.... Never have I ever, heard a power cable do what this one does.

I have tried so many power cables on my preamp (Sutherland Director) and none of the custom cables did what a simple 14ga stock rubber cord did for this preamp. It was always a night and day type of thing. 14ga rubber cord, preamp is happy.

I didn't mess with moving this cable around in my system, so I left it on the preamp. I just did not want to do that to myself. They are expensive! But I have a feeling my entire system loomed with this cable would be a different and wildly better one.

This power cable added weight in unimaginable ways to bass, mid-bass
Lowered the noise floor considerably filling all the space in my room with sound
Brought out more of everything with no detectable sonic character

A very intoxicating, clear, and natural sound. It in no way makes me think it is silver. I know some wonder about this aspect, and I can assure you. None of that. To be fair, I have not tried other silver power cables, only interconnects, speaker cables, digital cables.

On my preamp, it is the most neutral sounding power cable I have tried to date. It improves everything with no trade-off in any way. It is very hard to describe this one as it just does not make me think about the sound.

Congrats on your efforts here Dave. You have succeeded in making a neutral power cable that perfectly compliments your D4 interconnects.
« Last Edit: 31 May 2021, 09:39 pm by paul79 »

ketcham

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #13 on: 7 Jun 2019, 04:46 pm »
Having known Paul Hovenga (Paul79) for many years now, I have never heard such words of praise spoken, ever.

This cable has my attention.

John.

Tubeburner

Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #14 on: 7 Jun 2019, 05:21 pm »
My brief time with this power cable has really taught me.... Never have I ever, heard a power cable do what this one does.

Paul, what other silver cables have you tried? What have you compaired them to?

paul79

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #15 on: 7 Jun 2019, 07:37 pm »
This is the first silver power cable I have tried, that I know of, as some manufacturers are not as transparent about what's inside.

I would rather keep with this threads trend myself, being about the PS14. I will say though..... For me and in my system, this is a profound power cable on the level of or even exceeding a fundamental component upgrade. A real head scratcher if you will....
« Last Edit: 24 Oct 2019, 05:56 pm by paul79 »

DaveC113

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #16 on: 7 Jun 2019, 08:41 pm »
Here's a comment from a person who tried out the PS14 that was posted on another forum.

I just noticed I already posted it....  :duh:

Quote
Dave sent me this new PS14 cable to demo last week. and I'll be short and sweet here: I think it's phenomenal. Surprisingly so.

The biggest impact it has in my system is connected to my phono stage, with my current-favorite DIY cable powering my amp (instead of vice versa). I could wax poetic in describing what I hear with this cable, but instead I'll just say the overall change it brought to my system is simply frustrating given that it's a damn power cable. Its impact on the sound would have you swear something had changed in the signal path. But, briefly, what I hear with this cable is clean, expressive, extended, detailed, layered, non-fatiguing, tight and controlled sound. More accurately, it is probably that these are attributes of my phono stage itself, and this power cable is somehow bringing out the best in it, like no other cable has to date.

I'll be passing it along to the next person in line soon. You're in for a treat.
« Last Edit: 16 Jun 2019, 06:05 pm by DaveC113 »

bazelio

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #17 on: 9 Jun 2019, 11:53 pm »
Yeah, that was me (the other forum poster who demoed the PS14).  Great, great power cable Dave has here.

A_shah

Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #18 on: 10 Jun 2019, 05:31 am »
Having known Paul Hovenga (Paul79) for many years now, I have never heard such words of praise spoken, ever.

This cable has my attention.

John.

 Hmm now you got me interested :P Question is where would it work for me best ??  Source :scratch: or Pre-  :scratch: which means would need more than one for sake of synergy ?

DaveC113

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Re: NEW ZenWave PS14 UPOCC Silver Ribbon Power Cable
« Reply #19 on: 16 Jun 2019, 06:03 pm »
Update on the demo tour: An AC member Ben currently has the demo cable, pursuitofnow is up next followed by A_shah. A reviewer has a 2nd demo cable and if he's done with it soon the demos will go quicker.

A_shah, sorry I didn't see your question earlier! This cable makes a pretty big difference, I don't think you'll need two to get a good feel for what it does. When I built the prototypes I had 2 in my system and the 2nd just added more of what the 1st one did. I think for some though, you may end up removing too much warmth, even a very neutral copper cable will sound warm in comparison to this cable. It's a good reference cable for what a neutral power cable is imo. Most who haven't already tried 5-figure UPOCC silver power cables are going to be surprised. ;)

I do think your pre or source are the best place to try it, but feel free to try it anywhere you like... just not as an extension cord for your weedwhacker please. :)