AC Power Cable upgrade on xtreme monos?

PinotBob · « **on:** 31 Jul 2003, 07:33 pm »

Forgive me as I am new at this...

I am on the waiting list for a pair of extreme monos. In reading the posts, I haven't seen reference to AC power cable upgrades. Is there any benefit here or is it just high priced hype?

Also, I trust my decision on the x/monos to you in the forum and conversations with Klause. Hopefully I haven't gone off the deep end again. The last time I trusted someone on line, he took my $4k savings and left the country

.

PB

Marbles · « **Reply #1 on:** 31 Jul 2003, 07:38 pm »

Well if you paid Klaus already, I have to let you know he went back to Germany......

but he will be back in about a week

Klaus uses heavier duty power cords than most amp manufacturers so the upgrade from those may not be as big as if they were cheap 16ga computer type power cables some amp makers use.

Having said that PC's can make a difference.

TheeeChosenOne · « **Reply #2 on:** 31 Jul 2003, 08:17 pm »

PinoBob,

http://venhaus1.com/VH_Audio_Test.html

Chris VenHaus makes great PCs. His reviews are numerously raved. So much so that he started his own company.

I added a Flavor 2 PC to my Odyssey Dual Mono amp. What can I say? It made me a believer! The bass of my speakers came into more control and was deeper. It's one of the best upgrade/tweaks I've ever done to my system!

The money back guarantee, sensible price, and rave reviews make it a no-brainer to try.

P.S. You a wine man? What are your favorite wines in the sensible price category (red or white)?

MaxCast · « **Reply #3 on:** 31 Jul 2003, 08:32 pm »

We'll tell ya but ya gotta send out some vino to us first

What cable comes with the Mono's? I received a Quatro Ref with my amp. Is this the "standard" PC? I've only tried a few PC's with my amp and found the BolderCables Nitro to be a bit better than the Quatro.

Ferdi · « **Reply #4 on:** 31 Jul 2003, 10:28 pm »

I originally had the Quattro reference with my Stereo Stratos. That worked well but I felt I needed to try something else. I ended up with a DIY braided cable. This is short (about 50cm), has ferrites at both ends and for me works better than the QR. I used 6 lengths of 2.5mm^2 cable so there is certainly enough copper there...

I intended to contact Klaus in Germany and try and meet up but work is killing me at the moment. Maybe on the weekend....

BikeWNC · « **Reply #5 on:** 1 Aug 2003, 12:03 am »

I have been using the stock PCs with my Extreme Monos but, after reading this post decided to switch things around a bit. I replaced the stock cords with 2 Zu Mother PCs. It made quite an improvement in depth and resolution. The Zu Mother is more dynamic and a bit more forward, which is a good combo with my laid-back speakers. Overall a very nice switch!

Andy

Captain Humble · « **Reply #6 on:** 1 Aug 2003, 12:06 am »

TheeeChosenOne,
Did you go for the gold or standard?

TheeeChosenOne · « **Reply #7 on:** 1 Aug 2003, 01:55 am »

Quote from: Captain Humble

TheeeChosenOne,
Did you go for the gold or standard?

The Standard version my friend.

With cables, I can't stick with a product if the sonic change is "subtle."

However, with the VH PCs, they absolutely trounced the Groneberg PCs. The low end was OMG beautiful. The rest of the sonics also noticeably improved. Now this is what I expect from cable upgrades!!

zoltanmocsary · « **Reply #8 on:** 1 Aug 2003, 02:09 pm »

I had the opportunity to try the Cardas Golden Reference power cable in my system. Currently I'm biamping with two stereo Stratos amps. The Cardas cord made a shocking, jaw-dropping difference. The bass tightened up. The clarity. detail, soundstage, space around the instruments dramatically improved. Everything came alive. I just heard what I was missing (and I thought I had uncompromised sound! ).
The difference was so stark as when we compare lamp cord to a top notch speaker cable sonically. Everybody who heard it so far, was stunned by the difference.
I also compared the Balanced Power C-7 power cord to the Cardas--unfortunately, the Cardas blew it away. The improvent that the C-7 made over the the stock cord was marginal. I payed $99 for the C-7 and I wish I had saved my money for the Cardas.
Alas! A 6 foot Cardas costs $550 retail but even at that price, it is worth every penny. A friend of my can get it at dealer cost and at that price, it is a no brainer. It gives me the irresistible urge to upgrade all cords in my system to Cardas...

Zoltan

Anton · « **Reply #9 on:** 2 Aug 2003, 12:30 am »

I switched from the standard cable. I tried various cables, some co$$tly, others not so expensive and settled on the Kimber Palladian 10 (four of them, one for each monoblock). Yes, it is costly, but the difference is just short of incredibe. Dead silent, black backgrounds, perfect bass, clarity, speed, etc. In addition, I would recommend AC line conditioners. I use four Audio Prism ACFX, one for each of my four monoblocks, and they have cleaned all the grunge and noise. For low AC level equipment, such as preamps, etc., I use the Monster Signature 7000, which lets me lift the ground on the outlets and, htus, get much better sound. I was one of the many skeptics about power cables and conditioning, but since I tried them I can attest to their benefits (and I hate to admit it).

markC · « **Reply #10 on:** 2 Aug 2003, 02:06 pm »

I'll second the recommendation of the Chris VH flavour 2's. I replaced the 2 stock cords on my dual mono with them and the improvement was well worth the time and money to construct them. And besides, I had fun building them. Most notable improvement was tighter,deeper, more solid bass. So much so, that I have now replaced ALL of my power cords with various Chris VH designs! Also Chris is a great guy to deal with; he responded quickly to all of my questions. Highly recommended for a nice upgrade on the cheap.

speedcenter · « **Reply #11 on:** 3 Aug 2003, 02:41 pm »

here's another Venhaus Flavor 2 user - I actually never plugged the Xtreme's in with the stock cords. Before the mono upgrade, I used the original (non-Xtreme) Monos for a while with stock cords. then switching to "flavor 2" air hose type Venhaus cables. I also upgraded the wall outlets at that time to Pass&Seymour, and the combined effect was quite remarkable, but not as massive as some other people have described it at Audioasylum. Still worth the effort, since they are easy to construct and don't cost too much in materials compared to commectial upgrade cords.

The Xtremes are now breaking in for day 11 - getting sweeter every day. Bass control compared to the original monos with my maggies is just about incredible.

My neighbors a dozen yards up the street must have noticed that something changed in my house