[rydenfan]

I have been enjoying two week vacation as every audiophool should, driving myself crazy listening to different cables in my system  You can see my whole system in my Sig but for the sake of the evaluation the critical stuff is:
KEF Reference 205/2's
Modwright Transporter (W/ High Wycombe GZ37 Rectifier and RCA Cleartop 6CG7 Signal Tubes)
Modwright LS 36.5 (W/ Mullard Fat Base 5AR4 Rectifier and 6H30 DR Signal Tubes)
Plinius SB301
KCI Silkworm IC's (amazing! but that is for a different review)
Cardas Golden Reference PC's (W/ Furutech F11 connectors) on pre-amp and amp
Running Springs Audio Danielle

The LessLoss has been my current cable for about 8 months and both cables were given at least a 300 hour burn-in before being given any critical listening. Also, it should be noted that the Acrolink is the 4030 PC custom ordered with the Oyiade 004 plugs. The TelWire uses the 004's as well, and the LessLoss the Oyiade P79's.

I use a lot of different material when listening to the cords to really try and gain the most complete understanding of the cord that I can. Here is a sampling of some of the track I use:

1. Just like a Star by Corinne Bailey Rae used to check vocal reproduction and bass depth and weight.
2. Miami Gato by Medeski, Martin, & Wood used primarily for piano and drum reproduction as well as spacing and attack of instruments.
3. Another Brick in the Wall Pt.2 by Pink Floyd used to check guitar reproduction but also when the chorus kicks in and both Roger Waters is singing and the group of kids there is an incredible spacing and 3-D soundstage and image that can be created.
4. The Island-Come & See/The Landlord’s Daughter/You’ll Not Feel The Drowning  by The Decemberists this is a very tough track because it contains a full band with tons of ambient sounds as well as just Collin and an acoustic guitar so it runs a full range of a system.
5. Karma Police by Radiohead used for the intro of acoustic guitar and piano and also to convey the emotion of Thom's voice. Also this is not a greatly recorded album so it helps to hear how the cord does on the more average recording.

Acrolink 4030 with 004 plugs
This is a very good cord for the money and will likely work well in a lot of systems. I am not going to have too much to say though as it was outclassed by both the LessLoss and the TelWire in my system. It is excellent with drums and bass and has a truly rock solid bottom end. If you feel you are needing just a bit more bass extension and authority in your system this is likely an excellent cord for you. However, these pluses came at the sacrifice of vocal reproduction. The Corrine Bailey Rae track has so many nuances and subtleties to her voice but the Acrolink removed all of this. It was very flat with vocals. Also this cord was much more straight ahead than the other two. By that I mean it was much more of a linear 2 dimensional sound, rather than the spacious 3 dimensional sound that I enjoy. The Pink Floyd track should have Roger Waters voice on a different plane that the child choir and it just did not exist. I now felt ready to place the LessLoss back into my system.

LessLoss
This cord had gained a lot of notoriety in the last year or so, and for good reason. The LessLoss is an excellent power cord. Upon inserting the LessLoss back into my system all vocals that I had missed while listening to the Acrolink were instantly restored. It was nice to have them back Also when listening to the MMW track and the Decemberists track it still retained excellent reproduction of piano, acoustic guitar, and drums. Perhaps the biggest strongsuit of this cord to me is it's retrieval of microdetails. I always feel like when listening to this cord that I hear little details in my music that I have not noticed before. This happens with some frequency. My one con with this cord is that I feel like it occasionally gets a bit congested with multiple instruments being played at once. At the Climax of the MMW track the piano, drums, and bass and all being played at a feverish pace. And I begin to lose the detail and separation of each individual instrument and feel like they are ever so slightly being smeared together. Keep in mind that this is very slight, but it is audible to me. And now it was time for the cord I really new the least about.

TelWire
In the world of monstrous and stiff power cords, the TelWire is the antithesis of this. It is almost a joke how flexible this cord it; it feels almost like a beefed up piece of string. It comes from the less is more philosophy of using pure OHNO cast Copper, the Oyaide 004 plugs, and obviously a few proprietary tweaks. This cord was a last minute addition as I did not think an audition of it would be possible. I knew a bit about it from a few friends who have liked it very much as well as some positive press it had received on AudiogoN. Luckily Chris just happened to have a cord I could borrow for a bit. Lucky indeed 
The TelWire cord is an absolute home run for a source cord  Upon first placing it into my system that was an instant ease of listening that I had not felt before. It was as if a bit of edge had been removed that I did not even though it was there. I liken this feeling to stepping outside in the Spring after the Winter and taking what feels like the first breath of fresh air you have experienced in a great while. A bit of an over exaggeration, but you get the idea  This cord was an extremely quite backround and is completely tonally balanced from top to bottom. I felt like there was an air on the top end and instruments extended further in to space then before. I went first to that MMW track where I felt that bit of problems with the LessLoss and it sounded very different now. I could clearly hear each instrument not only in detail but also what felt like their proper spacing. I had the sensation of feeling like I understood where each member was placed within the studio while recording the track. Obviously I have no idea whether there is a shred of truth to that statement, but it was still a nice feeling  It really gave a holographic feel to the soundstage.
I do want to inject a bit of realism however. I don't want to give the impression that this cord is the end all be all and without fault. For everything in this hobby is a give and take and thus why you have to work to create the best recipe for your system and your listening tastes. For the first while listening to this cord I had a sensation I had lost a bit of the leading edge attack that the LessLoss has. I felt there was a bit more authority with the LessLoss and that the TelWire was perhaps ever so slightly soft. So, I went back to the LessLoss for a bit. However, what I discovered was that while I was initially taken with that attack, I would begin to get a bit of listening fatigue that I never experienced with the TelWire. That relaxed effortlessness seemed to now be gone and things felt a bit forced. So, I went back to the TelWire. This time I listened to the cord about 3 db higher than I had been listening previously. All the ease of listening I had first enjoyed was back, but now I had also gained the detail and attack I felt I was giving up. Perhaps it is due to the different structures of the cords? Perhaps it is just the ease of the TelWire and thus can be turned louder? Not sure... but increasing the volume with the TelWire gave me what I thought I gave up with the LessLoss plus all it's added attributes. The TelWire is so natural and balanced that I feel it is an easy recommendation for any system not looking to shape the sound in any particular way, but just convey the best of what is there.

[zybar]

Very nice write up.

How much does each cord retail for?

BTW, nice selections on the music.   

George

[rydenfan]

The Acrolink with the 004 is around $475, the LessLoss and Telwire both publish MSRP of $799 but both sell for $599.

[Jon L]

deleted

[rydenfan]

Thanks so much for posting those statements in  this thread 

[DavidS]

Interesting review, an enjoyable read - thanks for posting this.

I was reading a powercord shootout this morning that is just up on Enjoy the Music.  An interesting component of that review was the use of a basic black stock cord in the review - it was almost a base to compare the improvements the review cords brought.  I've always been amazed at how my system can lose its synergy by removing a power cord or even interconnects - would be interesting to hear how a basic stock cord compares to even the weakest in your system acrolink cord.

[ted_b]

As always, great write-up David. 

Note: he is sending me the Lesslosss to pair with my other one and try on the Spectron monoblocks.  I'll report back the quality of the Lessloss on huge power amps (currently using a pair of vintage Synergistic Research AC Master Coupler PC's with equally vintage Bybee Quantum filter IEC dongles attached).  Also look forward to mirroring your Telwire eval....

[satfrat]

I also enjoyed this good read. I've been hearing a lot of good things about TelWire power cords lately, I hadn't really heard about them. I hadn't read anything about the Acrolink cord either so that too was interesting. But the best thing about this review is you wrote it rydenfan. Hopefully we can see more interesting reviews written.

Cheers,
Robin

[mr_bill]

David,
Great findings.
how do you like the KEF 205/2 speakers?
Thanks,
Bill

[arthurs]

Well done David, thanks for sharing! 

(second George on the nice music selection)

[Jon L]

Thanks so much for posting those statements in  this thread 

OK, deleted then..

[Jon L]

duplicate

[funkmonkey]

Great review David.  Very good reading.  All this talk about power-cords lately!  Makes me want to try some out.
The Telwire would seem to be an excellent place to start.

Cheers,
Greg

[schw06]

David,
   Excellent review! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. I was wondering if you tried the cords directly into the wall or were they always running through the power conditioner?
Dave

[rydenfan]

Thanks for the all kind words guys  it is much appreciated. It is always a bit weird for me to put my thoughts together, but in the end I always feel like if we didnt take the time to write stuff how would we help one another?

Since the LessLoss is said to run best directly into the wall, that is how all of the cords were tested.

[rydenfan]

I should also note how great Chris at Telwire is. He has been super responsive and helpful via both email and phone. This is important to me because no matter how I feel about a product, if I dont also feel good about the company and the people behind it, then I will generally go in a different direction.

[satfrat]

Thanks for the all kind words guys  it is much appreciated. It is always a bit weird for me to put my thoughts together, but in the end I always feel like if we didnt take the time to write stuff how would we help one another?

Since the LessLoss is said to run best directly into the wall, that is how all of the cords were tested.

Just for clarification, which component were to trying the power cords on and if you did happen to try them all thru thr Running Springs, did this change your perception on any of them? Thanks.

Cheers,
Robin

[rydenfan]

Thanks for the all kind words guys  it is much appreciated. It is always a bit weird for me to put my thoughts together, but in the end I always feel like if we didnt take the time to write stuff how would we help one another?

Since the LessLoss is said to run best directly into the wall, that is how all of the cords were tested.

Just for clarification, which component were to trying the power cords on and if you did happen to try them all thru thr Running Springs, did this change your perception on any of them? Thanks.

Cheers,
Robin

They were all tested on my Modwright Transporter. I did not insert any of them into the Running Springs just to keep everything as even as possible. The outlet is a cryo treated Pass & Seymour outlet on a dedicated 20A circuit though. Now that I have decided on the TelWire as my cord it will be run through the conditioner and I can report back on that. I have only had added bonuses with components and cords going through the RSA, and never anything negative though, so I would not imagine any adverse effects.
I am also going to audition a second TelWire on my Modwright LS36.5 (keeping the first one in place on the source) and compare and contrast it to the Cardas Golden Reference I am currently using.

[satfrat]

Thanks for the all kind words guys  it is much appreciated. It is always a bit weird for me to put my thoughts together, but in the end I always feel like if we didnt take the time to write stuff how would we help one another?

Since the LessLoss is said to run best directly into the wall, that is how all of the cords were tested.

Just for clarification, which component were to trying the power cords on and if you did happen to try them all thru thr Running Springs, did this change your perception on any of them? Thanks.

Cheers,
Robin

They were all tested on my Modwright Transporter. I did not insert any of them into the Running Springs just to keep everything as even as possible. The outlet is a cryo treated Pass & Seymour outlet on a dedicated 20A circuit though. Now that I have decided on the TelWire as my cord it will be run through the conditioner and I can report back on that. I have only had added bonuses with components and cords going through the RSA, and never anything negative though, so I would not imagine any adverse effects.
I am also going to audition a second TelWire on my Modwright LS36.5 (keeping the first one in place on the source) and compare and contrast it to the Cardas Golden Reference I am currently using.

I took it for granted that you were using the Transporter but thought I'd ask, thanks. If I'm not mistaken, you'd normally use the conditioner with the Transporter so I'm wondering why you wouldn't make your own personal comparisons using the conditioner? I totally understand going thru the wall for the sake of this review but my point is that's not how you're normally using your Transporter so I would think for your own sake not not the review itself, making power cord w/conditioner comparisons would be of greater importance to you personally for choosing a power cord. Just saying that aside from making this review, comparing power cords as I would actually be using them in my system would be my major concern. Just saying out of concern and FWIW,,,, not making any critisizms whatsoever.


Cheers,
robin

[Philistine]

I have a couple of Lessloss power cords in my system and bought the last one about 3 months ago.  At the time I believe Robin raised the topic about not using Lessloss through a power conditioner and so I did a search on their website, couldn't find any reference so asked the question to them directly.  The response I received was that it depends on the system and the conditioner, so try both and decide what works best for you.  Not sure if this was a 'playing safe' response, but it will be interesting David to see if the rating you gave is the same when you feed them through the RSA.  Or maybe you're now suffering from PC saturation syndrome.