[Jon L]

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

L80229 Cords





"There are 6 individually insulated strands plus 3 runs of heavier gauge silver plated gold/copper alloy wire per each hot or neutral.  In addition to the complex alloy and individual insulation, the wire bundle is then wrapped up in cotton to fill up the voids (note the white fuzzy wrappings on each bundle) and make the entire bundle cylindrical before sent to be made into a cable.  Then 2 runs of the complex (hot and neutral) and one run of the simpler cable (ground) is then bundled up again, and again all void are filled with lots of cotton to make the bundle cylindrical.  The now cylindrical is then wrapped with copper foil shield and very supple PVC skin make it into the final L80229.
All strands are continuously casted via IeGO's exclusive PUM-OCC for the longest crystal and highest purity." 



Cord A
8095 (pure silver + Rhodium plating)
1.5M/5ft of L80229 with 8095BU= $340 USD 


Cord B
8075BU (Pure Furukawa copper + Rhodium plating)
1.5M/5ft of L80229 with 8075BU= $220 USD 


Cord C
8085 (Pure Furukawa copper + gold plating)
1.5M/5ft of L80229 with 8085BU= $190 USD 

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L70530 Cords



"The L70530 itself is made up of 14 strands of individually insulated copper, silver plated copper and silver alloyed copper in different gauges for the Live and neutral line, and multi strand silver plated copper of the same gauge for ground. With copper foil (not aluminum like most other cables) for shielding.

..copper used is sourced from Furukawa .., their 1020 Copper/Rose copper is rated at 4N purity.  It is then alloyed with 0.1% of gold before it is made into wire (all the copper in the cabling have been alloyed with gold) and use OCC casting process with diamond drawing die to create it.  The silver plated copper additionally receive between 120um to 240um of pure silver plating (plating thickness depends on wire gauge).

It is then cryo processed in liquid nitrogen for 22 hours @ -240C/-400F to relieve all internal stress, and then bundled up to make the wire you see above.

..end connectors (IEC & AC plug), which are also made with Furukawa 1020 copper.  The copper plate is first acid bathed to remove any surface impurity, and then chemically treated to prevent oxidization/discoloration.   In addition to the raw rose copper connectors, a heavy silver plate (240um on average) version is also available, the ultra thick plating allows silver to provide its best attribute without causing any over-brightness or sharpness in sound.   Of course, the metal used is also cryo processed in liquid nitrogen like the wire is before assembly."


Cord D
L70530+8065CT, .. surface is chemically polished smooth, and processed before it is heavily silver plated to 240um thick.
1.5M/5ft   =  $95 USD + Shipping"


Cord E
L70530+8055CT, copper tone on 8055's pins made with furukawa copper.  The pins are acid bathed to resist oxidation.
1.5M/5ft   =  $65 USD + Shipping"

[Jon L]

*IMPORTANT READ BEFORE USE*

The IEC blades on Iego cords are quite a bit tighter-fitting than usual.  Since a lot of equipment use flimsy male IEC male sockets, I strongly recommend that before using a new Iego cord, you should plug it gently into sturdy male IEC jack somewhere and leave it there to loosen up some before actual use.  I used a spare IEC socket I had around.  I asked about this, and this is Iego's explanation:

"The tightness is a necessary evil due to purity of the material used.  As we use very pure copper and silver, it is inherently softer than bronze or brass, thus the design must make it a lot tighter to prevent it from loosening up after repeated use."
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LISTENING IMPRESSIONS



Cord A (pure silver + Rhodium plating)

This cord is ultra-smooth like baby’s bottom, which works especially great for recording that may not be immaculately clean.  There is grace and refinement through the spectrum that seem to caress each and every note and float them to your ears.  At the same time, detail resolution is superb in a self-effacing way; it’s the type of resolution that simply exists in the soundfield if you choose to listen for it but not the type that tries to throw “detail’ at you, which can sometimes distract you from the actual musical message. 

Audiophiles who are particularly sensitive to digititus, harshness, and coarseness will appreciate this cord very much.  Those who worship high frequency extension and air without grain will also love this cord, as the decay goes on and on, almost floating away. Just like a great silver wire, there is silky, liquid, feathery extension with gobs of refined information riding on the note.

Compared to other Iego cords to follow, this cord has perhaps the most impressive amount and quality of high-frequency ethereal energy while not being harsh or bright at all.  There are people who will absolutely love this  quality while some people's tastes will prefer a different presentation, perhaps a more obviously lush or warmer balance.  Neither is right or wrong, and you get to choose what you like with all the Iego varieties.
 

Cord B (Furukawa copper + Rhodium plating)

Since the actual cable for 80229 cords are identical with differing plugs/IEC, one expects their sound to be very similar, and they are.  For the purpose of trying to convey the differences that do exist, I will describe them, but do keep in mind these are not night-and-day differences by any means. 

Two things struck me going from Cord A to Cord B.  Firstly, the midrange stands out a tad more forward or noticeable but perhaps not 120% smooth like baby’s bottom as in Cord A.  It’s rather similar to going from a great silver interconnect to a great copper one, just much less in degree; the former will be very “extended” sounding yet extremely refined in the mids, almost liquid (if silver is designed correctly) while the copper will be richer, bolder, yet a bit more brusque.  Which you will prefer will depend on your tastes and system.

Secondly, it’s almost as if a bit of energy in high treble of Cord A was transferred to upper/mid bass in Cord B.  Cord B doesn’t quite have the note float in air as high or decay as long, but it’s a bit warmer and feels a little closer. 


Cord C (Furukawa copper + gold plating)

This brings up the question of the sound of Rhodium vs. Gold plating as the base metal is the same copper.  It’s amazing that the exact same cord with the only difference being AC connector plating can sound perceptively different, but they do, even if just a little.  Those of you who have worked with gold wire or gold-alloy wire will recognize this golden glow and tonal richness of Cord C.  Once again, we’re talking about relatively small differences, but Cord C has the “largest” midrange and bass presentation with just an extra helping of richness and warmth all over.   

Those who crave tube amplifiers for their midrange presentation with warmth will love this cord, especially when playing deep male vocals, e.g. Buddy Guy, Leonard Cohen, and Johnny Cash, whose vocal power will project straight into your chest.  Bass is also a bit warmer than Cord A or B, and if you like your bass, this seems to have the most quantity, though none of these cords can be called overly bassy. 

As can be deduced by now, Cord A and B both sound a smidgen more articulate, but hot dang, I’m sure many folks will simply eat up Cord C’s lustrous tone.  All of the L80229 cords, including Cord C, do justify their extra cost by having more resolution available when one chooses to listen for them, like having an extra level of zoom power with a camera. 
-----------------------------------------

Cord D (Furukawa copper + silver plating)

Now we are getting into the original, cheaper L70530 series.  Given the rather large relative price difference between the L80229 and L70530 series, one might reasonably expect a drop in performance.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the initial excitement over the L70530 series was not hype at all.  From what I can gather, the more expensive L80229 series has more silver-content in the wires, all with larger overall AWG. 

Via Cord D, there is nothing amiss as music sounds well-balanced and beautiful.  There is a sense of refined relaxation with all the Iego cords; thy are the antithesis to all those other cords we know that sound overly bright, tearing, forward, and grainy.  I must guess that the copper foil shielding (vs. usual tinned braid shield), the supple and soft damping of the jacket material, as well as the “0.1%” gold alloying of all copper wire must have something to do with this refinement.  Once again, the resolution is there for you, but nothing is being shot at you.  Frankly, with a lot of music material, you would have to be somewhat concentrating to tell Cord D from Cord B or C.  One caveat with this sense of refinement and relaxation is that Iego cords won’t come across as overtly “dynamic” or aggressive like some cords that have more forwardness and grainy detail, so you metal-heads may want to look elsewhere. 

So why pay more for the L8 series?  With certain music that is hard or grainy, especially rock/pop, the L8 series does seem able to show more musical “pixels” than L7 series and get in there to dig out just a wee bit more information from the poor recording without accentuating the recorded grain.  With clean recordings, it’s more difficult to notice the higher resolution of L8 series b/c L7 already is quite detailed; however, rest assured that the more expensive L8 cords definitely arise from a more resolved sonic fabric when you pay attention.

The L8 series also has a bit more high treble air and decay and more defined bass; but once again, you wouldn’t notice this with much recorded material.  How much is this cord again?  $95?!  I’ve spent more than that on ONE footer/cone.

Cord E (Furukawa copper + acid bathed)

So here we have the cheapest, no-frills, most basic Iego cord at $65.  People sell certain AC plugs alone for TWICE that price!  So is Cord E the ugly child of the Iego line they hide when guests come over?  Absolutely not, as it also shares the Iego line’s refinement and ease.  Cord E is the same as Cord D, just without the thick silver-plating of the AC plug and IEC, and as such, the two do sound very, very similar. 

However, Cord E is perhaps the most vivid-sounding of the Iego line.  That copper “brusqueness” is smidgen more present in the upper-midrange and low-treble, still much less than many other cords I’ve listened to.  For example, this region is still smoother than Black Sands Violet Z1, which has its own charms including dynamics and vivacity, albeit at the cost of exacerbating certain recording’s hardness and brightness.
 
Black Sands Violet Z1


Of all the Iego cords, Cord E is closest to the Violet Z1’s signature, and since I enjoy a vivid sound, I kind of like what the Cord E brings to the table with the unplated copper plugs.  In fact, I think it would be an interesting exercise to compare Iego’s unplated copper connector’s to Furutech’s unplated copper connectors. 

[Jon L]

--------------------------------------
Lessloss Power Cord



It's particularly problematic comparing Iego cords (any other cords, really) to Lessloss due to what seems to be a unique property of Lessloss:  it seems to sound its best plugged directly into the wall, not power conditioners.  I assume it has something to do with their "dynamic filtering," reportedly accomplishing AC filtering in the cord itself without need for a conditioner. 

You can read their theory at their website:
www.lessloss.com

If you plug the Lessloss into a power conditioner, even good ones, it sounds over-filtered, i.e. losing too much sparkle and air, becoming too warm and too rich.  Plugged into the wall, however, Lessloss is a great cord with its uniquely dense, full tone and warmth as well as "analogueness."  It doesn't lack detail resolution, either, conveying plenty of texture and body.

On the other hand, Iego cords, just like other cords, sound better to me plugged into my power conditioner.  This is especially true of digital gear, in which case Iego+power conditioner sounds silkier with quieter background and deeper, denser tonal hues compared to without power conditioner.  Thus in order to compare the best of each, it has to be Lessloss+wall vs. Iego+conditioner, so it will be the case.  For those purists who feel the conditions have to be exactly the same to gain any information, let me state for the record that Lessloss w/o power conditioning is significantly preferable to Iego w/o power conditioning, and that Iego with power conditioning is just as preferable over Lessloss with conditioning.   

Given their respective optimal setup, Lessloss still has a bit bigger tone and body in the lower-midrange/upper-bass area, which is its unique sound, even compared to Iego's tone cord, the Cord C (gold plated).  Iego's counter with overall smoother, more silky extension with more liquid presentation.  It's difficult to say which presentation one will prefer b/c Lessloss has a good vinylesque, matter-of-fact, dense presentation whereas Iego's have more like a 24bit/96kHz type of finely-delineated "airy" sound.  Luckily, I get to use whatever I feel like at a given time.


SO WHERE ARE WE?

Power cords are somewhat like tube-rolling or capacitor-rolling.  Ask 100 audiophiles, and you're likely to get at least 50-60 different preferences and "rankings."  In all these cases, it would be counter-productive to music-reproduction and enjoyment to obsess over which is the "best" and so on.  The trick is to try as many different ones as you can in your own system with your own music and pick the ones that meet your performance/price expectations.  This is where Iego cords completely shine, especially the lower-priced models.  I have auditioned and bought many cords in past that easily cost 5-20x the cheaper Iego cords, and quite a few of those had glaring colorations that were unacceptable.  Some of these were quite famous and sought-after in their own time. 

None of the Iego cords have glaring colorations and most would fit in nicely into most people's systems without causing undue stress and deviations that will require tweaks elsewhere.  I realize many folks simply cannot try some of these cords themselves, so I would say a safe bet would be something along the lines of Cord C (L8 gold plated plugs) and Cord D (L7 silver plated plugs), and then move up or down the line as you see fit in your system.  It wouldn't surprise me if somebody said the cheapest Cord E was what worked best for their tastes, either, b/c in the end, it's still the synergy and personal preferences thing. 

[Zyca]

Thanks Jon, the photo looks great.


I myself get slightly dizzy looking at that much info too. hehe

Anyways, I'm really looking forward to read your review and comments on the cables.

[kbuzz3]

i bought two of the original copper version when they first came out. They wonderfully smoooooooooooth. Im enjoying them a great deal

[Zyca]

i bought two of the original copper version when they first came out. They wonderfully smoooooooooooth. Im enjoying them a great deal

Thanks, for how L80229 would sound in comparison to the originals, check out Jon's last update. blows my description away~~ 

[Big Red Machine]

I've probably asked this before, but where is the best bang for your buck with PC's?  My thinking was the preamp, amp, and then maybe the DAC in that order.  I usually worry less about a Squeezebox power supply item.

I have a Lessloss on the pre and a nice Moon Silver Dragon on the Pass Lab and the original Iego's silver platedon the other stuff with a few Signal Cable PCs thrown in.  Not sure where to apply one, but was interested in the gold version C for more body.  But needing almost 3 meters for the amp attempt and only 1 to 2 meters for the pre.....

[kbuzz3]

i bought two of the original copper version when they first came out. They wonderfully smoooooooooooth. Im enjoying them a great deal

Well, check out Jon's last update. blows my description away~~ 

Just read his update? I see that my prior post jibes with his findings...glad im not just "hearing things" an my audio perception is still there. Did i say i like these cords?  Now who has listened to the kces dac? Id love some opinion of that one on the monica, paradesa, prometheus, modded lite 60 spectrum

[Zyca]

i bought two of the original copper version when they first came out. They wonderfully smoooooooooooth. Im enjoying them a great deal

Well, check out Jon's last update. blows my description away~~ 

Just read his update? I see that my prior post jibes with his findings...glad im not just "hearing things" an my audio perception is still there. Did i say i like these cords?  Now who has listened to the kces dac? Id love some opinion of that one on the monica, paradesa, prometheus, modded lite 60 spectrum

Sorry, I didn't mean that, I was talking about L80229 before I edited it.  After I post the message regarding your comment on the L70530 that you already have, I posted some info on the difference between it and the newer L80229.  After I posted that, I saw his update and thus edited my message but I forgot to say that the difference between the two cable itself was pretty much highlighted by his recent update.

[saisunil]

Excellent review!
Congratulations

[slbender]

Hi Jon,

I am sure you have the best of intentions here, but I kinda get pretty pissy about people hearing differences between power cords.

First, the purpose of a power cord is to have a "proper" 0 ohms ( in the real world - less than 0.1 ohm ) between the equipment input and the power supplying AC socket, pretty much anything with 20 gauge, 18 gauge or thicker wire, and less than a 25 feet in length, and a metal plug thus qualifies as proper unless there is significant corrosion or connection failure where the wire meets the plug or where the wire meets the IEC.

Next, the AC power wall socket that you are using probably is not likely gold plated, or silver plated, it is brass and is at the end of 150 feet or more of ordinary copper or aluminum NEC Spec ROMEX wire inside the wall, which connects to a breaker or fuse box, which has multiple hand crimped connections both in and out, on very ordinary NEC spec brass terminals, and that then goes to a master inlet where it is broken down from three separate phases on a feeder transformer and that (maybe) hopefully is properly grounded and wired according to the NEC.  Further up the line you have the feeders pole transformer, where from 1 mile, to up to 150 miles of ordinary copper wire transports the AC from a power plant or secondary station down your way.

So.... Changing the last five feet of wire in a possible 150 mile run of ordinary cheapest possible that still meets NEC spec run from the power station is going to influence the overall sound of a Stereo System ?

IF the last five feet of wire and connectors changes the overall sound of a stereo system, then there is something SERIOUSLY WRONG with the Grounding or the Power Supply that wire is connected to.  Power Cables should not affect the sound in any way, since AFTER the power inlet plug, there is usually a filter, a power transformer, diodes, or tube rectifiers, smoothing capacitors and resistors, coils and other items that prevent the AC Power from having anything to do with the equipment - which always runs from DC Power.

Second, if the user thinks the sound has changed just by changing power cables, then more likely, the USER is fooling himself, or the USER has changed.

Since the effects from fuses or power cords are usually rather small,  teeny-tiny, infinitesimally small, or smaller - when compared to things like: speakers or amplifiers in general; ONLY under the following condition would I accept that audiophile fuses or power cables are likely to cause a change...

If changing the power cord, or changing the fuses remarkably improves helps the sound, then the possibility exists that you are either totally deluded about said change, or the power supply was built really, really badly, or there was massive corrosion on the inlet terminals or the fuse holder or some other glaring fault.  Possible items include: a fuse that was badly damaged and really was about to blow, or something else that unnoticed, and unavoidably was corrected when the fuse change was made...  Otherwise there is likely a problem in the power supply, the grounding, or the overall design, or there was corrosion causing the "diode effect" a high resistance condition between similar or very much more likely between dissimilar metals in a connection.

In which case, through a total comedy of errors, that change has come to light through the interaction of the associated and attached equipment with either complementary or non-complementary imperfections, and that is causing the change, which means the power supply and/or the grounding has some serious fault.

Or, in reality, there was no actual change in the sound of the equipment - but the listener, himself, instead has changed (also called: the placebo effect).  Seriously - proper testing would require it be done "blind" eg: minions go about changing the fuses and/or changing the power cords while the listener is strapped into a chair, with a straight jacket, body armor, and surgical metal head restraints, so he is effectively screwed in place, and cannot move his head, or body..  And the listener would not know which item is currently being used.  Then in the ensuing hours and given at least fifty trials - the same recording is played, at the same SPL Level, and he has to say is it the old fuse or new fuse; the cheapie power cord or the expensive power cord - whatever single change is being tested.  And if he gets it right in 50 out of 50 trials, then either the minions are giving it away by smiling, or farting, or maybe there actually is a difference!  Hmmm. I dunno.

In other words, unless I am allowed to change between a 20 gauge cheaper than cheap tin-plated over brass plug molded power cord that came with some cheapie device ( like my Mad Dog External DVD Writer's power cord ) with your 24K gold IEC and plug plus silver plated, gold/copper wire or 99.95% purity rose copper on copper, or whatever plugs plus cords sight unseen, and you - in a blind test can tell which 5 foot cord is actually present 100% of the time ( even if I choose too always use my cheapie cord and never switch to the gold plated ones ) your responses have to be suspect because there will be no audible clues to hear in any case - except your imagination.  And that is because all power cords meeting the NEC and other International Specs - will sound exactly the same regardless of price!

BTW, it seems that in the pictures you posted above ( cords C, D, & E ) that there are ALREADY SCRATCHES ON BOTH THE GOLD AND SILVER PLUGS that have scraped away the 120um or 240 um gold and silver platings.  Are those the cords you tested or photos from the manufacturer?  Basically they are  already down to brass on brass into your wall socket ( your wall socket likely has brass contacts ).  So, heard any difference between the first trial and the fifth one?  And the IEC on many CD players, amplifiers, Preamps, etc.. are also tin plated, only a minority are Gold Plated, but all, no.

Actually Brass on Brass or tin on Brass is better than Gold or Silver from a connection standpoint, as there is such a small thin layer of gold or silver, it will tend to bleed into the Brass or Tin over time, depleting the Gold, or Silver, leaving basically brass on brass, or Tin on Brass which is why NASA never uses gold on gold or gold on brass connections, expensive yes, but less than optimum.

Then again, Tin doesn't bleed away, so the cheapie tin plated cord or a brass on brass plug/socket cord really makes a firmer connection than most audiophile power cords like it or not!

Sure... I spent $15,675 for a new power cord, and $385.00 for ten new gold plated fuses from Germany that Certified Virgins farted on.... Of Course it sounds better 


-Steven L.. Bender, Designer of Vintage Audio Equipment.

L80229 Cords etc.

[Bucky]

Steve,

I think you should have dedicated the time it took to write this post to update the design of your dated website.  Its fine to be skeptical, but alot of us like to read reviews.  Just to let you know that you are not going to convince anyone with your rant. 

[marvda1]

Steve,
There are a lot of things I don't believe in, but I would not waste one second of my time going into someones post, reading the info and then try to dis-prove it or change their mind.
WASTE of my time, energy, and peace of mind.
I prefer vanilla ice cream to chocolate but I would not go into someones chocolate ice post and put it down.
You have too much time on your hands!!

[kbuzz3]

geez someone does not believe a cable makes any difference...im shocked shocked. Next thing you know we will be shocked shocked to find gambling here in rick's audio cafe. i mean bender's post is well written but this was not the subject of this thread

Frankly the only post on AC that deserves such a rant is an alleged audiophile mentioning: (1) celine dion, streisand or mandy pantinkin or; (2) that magico speakers are a breakthrough and a good value

[Russtafarian]

Steve,

Next time you're in So Cal, let me know and I'll arrange a listening get-together.  Jon will bring over a bunch of cables and we'll swap them out and comment on what we hear.  We'll have fun with it and let the results and conclusions fall where they may.  I'm sure we'll all come away better informed.

Russ

[cryoparts]

  In fact, I think it would be an interesting exercise to compare Iego’s unplated copper connector’s to Furutech’s unplated copper connectors. 

It is quite enlightening!   aa  I will say that the IeGO's are really quite good.  I'm happy that Zyca has been getting the word out about these great products.

It is then cryo processed in liquid nitrogen for 22 hours @ -240C/-400F to relieve all internal stress, and then bundled up to make the wire you see above.

FYI--The boiling point of LN2 is -320F, so that is as cold as these could have been treated. 

BTW--really nice review, I enjoyed reading your impressions.   

Peace,

Lee

[cryoparts]

I prefer vanilla ice cream to chocolate but I would not go into someones chocolate ice post and put it down.

How about pistachio?   

Lee

[Philistine]

Nice review Jon, I enjoyed reading it. Thanks.

Not sure what the agenda on silbenders post is, particularly when he critiques the value of different power cords but yet posts this on another circle:


I can possibly bring the battery CD Player, and maybe a SET Amp (or two). As for cables, I recently made up three new power cords that have yet to be compared or tried.

Cord #1 - is 10' in length, 18 AWG, soldered, neoprene unshielded, ferrite core, brass plug, gold IEC.

Cord #2 - is 7' in length, 14 AWG, crimp, unsoldered, PVC, shielded, brass plug, gold IEC.

Cord #3 - is 10' in length, 18 AWG, soldered, neoprene unshielded, brass plug, brass IEC.


-Steven L.. Bender

If PC's are so irrelevant I'm not sure I'd go to all the trouble of making them up and showing them to my friends

[Zyca]

  In fact, I think it would be an interesting exercise to compare Iego’s unplated copper connector’s to Furutech’s unplated copper connectors. 

It is quite enlightening!   aa  I will say that the IeGO's are really quite good.  I'm happy that Zyca has been getting the word out about these great products.

It is then cryo processed in liquid nitrogen for 22 hours @ -240C/-400F to relieve all internal stress, and then bundled up to make the wire you see above.

FYI--The boiling point of LN2 is -320F, so that is as cold as these could have been treated. 

BTW--really nice review, I enjoyed reading your impressions.   

Peace,

Lee

Thanks!  IeGO's stuff have always been excellent even when compared to other high end products, I've myself been using all IeGO power cables as well.

[Zyca]

As for power cable working magics or not, consider this simple fact...

I think most people can agree that most people did work hard and work smart to earn their money, and when those people spend money on home audio, do you think they would suddenly lose 80% of their intelligence and become easily "shaftable" by stereo dealers selling snake oils and hocus pocus stuff?

I don't think so, high school physics and measurements only goes so far in stereos, as there are a lot of stuff that doesn't quite compute in the audio industry.  Like how can a massively distorted signal from some tube amp sound good?  Well some does exactly that, and people like it...  Thus I now always take the position that it's better to try audio tricks out and hear it first hand.


Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but it would be best to form the opinion after giving these cable a shot.   I'm personally using a lot of L80229 (C) and L70530 (D and E) on my system at the moment, and might drop an (A) on my power conditioner, but I have not yet decided on that.


For example, those anti-static stuff and demagnetizer, they actually works quite well on CDs... No idea how they actually can have any effect whatsoever...