Ozzy, Your review reads like it is a great cord with a willing to try price. I actually ordered one yesterday.
How many did you finally end up using in your system?
How many did you finally end up using in your system?
Mad Scientist "NEO" Power Cord Review
Review: June 2014
Topic: The Mad Scientist “NEO” Power cord from New Zealand.
I must start off by saying that I was one of the original skeptics about power cords improving Audio quality. The first power cord that changed my mind was the Synergistic Research Master Coupler. Back in the day I think they sold for about $150 but once I inserted it into my system, the bass was much stronger and I was a believer.
So through the years I spent a lot of time and money getting the power cords that seemed to grab reviewer’s attention. That list includes, top of the line products from Purist, Virtual Dynamics, Nordost, and Synergistic Apex power cables. I borrowed many more to try from the Cable Company.
Well, one day on Audiogon a thread appeared about HiDiamond power cables and the comparison to most of the cables that I had owned. I ordered a few HiDiamond P3 power cords (which were less than half the cost of my current cables ) and to my amazement they did in fact better my high cost Synergistic Apex cables with all the active shielding modules and such. One by one I replaced the Synergistic with the HiDiamond P3’s. Then a few months later HiDiamond introduced the P4’s. Now these were much pricier than the P3’s. But, eventually I accumulated 6 of the P4’s and defended these to all that these power cables are the best ever made.
A few months back I found a thread on Audio Asylum about a New Zealand company (Mad Scientist) that was sending out free samples of some little discs that when placed atop of cables were to improve the sound quality. The tweaker that I am, I had to try them. So, that I could get an ample supply to try them at several places I had my wife and daughter order some of the free samples also. Well the Mad Scientist noticed that the same address with different names was getting extra free samples. I fessed up to my little scheme, and was sort of embarrassed.
Anyway, The Mad Scientist later came out with a new power cord, the “NEO”. This cord appeared to have some actual technology involved other than just a different type of wire or braiding techniques, shielding, connectors etc that ever other Cable manufacture claims is what makes theirs superior to others.
No, the Mad Scientist NEO Power cord design goes beyond just wires and uses some proprietary black sticks, and bell shaped things woven in and out of the AC wiring. I ordered up one of the NEO power cords with upgraded AC / IEC ends and 11 gauge wires.
Surprisingly, though New Zealand is on the other side of the world I received them in a matter of days.
I was in the process of remodeling my Audio room and placed the NEO power cord on my Audiodharma cable cooker for about a week. Once my room was finished I remembered that I still had the NEO on my cooker.
Well folks, I first placed this Mad Scientists NEO Power cord on my Pass Labs X350.5 amp (which replaced a HiDiamond P4 Power cord). To my surprise, immediately, there was a marked improvement in bass, bass quality and definition. The midrange showed that special quality that brought the magic of the recording into my room. This is my belief that the improved tonal quality accompanied by a very large soundstage was of such high quality that when compared to the HiDiamond P4 power cord, it made the HiDiamond sound, well, HIFI!
Now, the HiDiamond P4 power cord had beaten all other power cords in my 15+ year journey through the power cord jungle.
So here is a power cord that looks sort of homemade and costs 1/5 of the HiDiamond P4 and was making my system sound way more real sounding. I’ve heard people use the word “organic” to describe sound quality and never really knew what that meant. But organic or “realganic” is correct for the sound of the new Mad Scientist NEO power cord.
I then tried it replacing the HIDiamond P4’s power cord that was on my Pass Labs Preamp XP-10 and later on my BSG QOL. In both places, the sound improved to quite a large extent with the Mad Scientist product. I then ordered 3 more of these Mad Scientists cords. Each and every place, be it digital, analog, power conditioner, power amp the change in sound quality improved.
I just received the newly designed Dac from PS Audio, called the “Direct Stream”. Placing this New Zealand power cord from the Mad Scientist on it made an already fantastic sounding Dac into extra ordinary.
I have no financial interest in this company. I paid the price for all of the power cords. The newly designed power cords with 11 gauge wire sells for less than $500 with the better quality AC ends(a must). But consider how much all of the other power cords that I have mentioned in this review cost and you can see how great of a deal these cords are.
They don’t look pretty. They have a cotton outer covering and several shrink wrapped bulges at the end that is holding in the black sticks, magnets, copper plates and the power kegs.
But boy, is it one great power cord.
Topic: The Mad Scientist “NEO” Power cord from New Zealand.
I must start off by saying that I was one of the original skeptics about power cords improving Audio quality. The first power cord that changed my mind was the Synergistic Research Master Coupler. Back in the day I think they sold for about $150 but once I inserted it into my system, the bass was much stronger and I was a believer.
So through the years I spent a lot of time and money getting the power cords that seemed to grab reviewer’s attention. That list includes, top of the line products from Purist, Virtual Dynamics, Nordost, and Synergistic Apex power cables. I borrowed many more to try from the Cable Company.
Well, one day on Audiogon a thread appeared about HiDiamond power cables and the comparison to most of the cables that I had owned. I ordered a few HiDiamond P3 power cords (which were less than half the cost of my current cables ) and to my amazement they did in fact better my high cost Synergistic Apex cables with all the active shielding modules and such. One by one I replaced the Synergistic with the HiDiamond P3’s. Then a few months later HiDiamond introduced the P4’s. Now these were much pricier than the P3’s. But, eventually I accumulated 6 of the P4’s and defended these to all that these power cables are the best ever made.
A few months back I found a thread on Audio Asylum about a New Zealand company (Mad Scientist) that was sending out free samples of some little discs that when placed atop of cables were to improve the sound quality. The tweaker that I am, I had to try them. So, that I could get an ample supply to try them at several places I had my wife and daughter order some of the free samples also. Well the Mad Scientist noticed that the same address with different names was getting extra free samples. I fessed up to my little scheme, and was sort of embarrassed.
Anyway, The Mad Scientist later came out with a new power cord, the “NEO”. This cord appeared to have some actual technology involved other than just a different type of wire or braiding techniques, shielding, connectors etc that ever other Cable manufacture claims is what makes theirs superior to others.
No, the Mad Scientist NEO Power cord design goes beyond just wires and uses some proprietary black sticks, and bell shaped things woven in and out of the AC wiring. I ordered up one of the NEO power cords with upgraded AC / IEC ends and 11 gauge wires.
Surprisingly, though New Zealand is on the other side of the world I received them in a matter of days.
I was in the process of remodeling my Audio room and placed the NEO power cord on my Audiodharma cable cooker for about a week. Once my room was finished I remembered that I still had the NEO on my cooker.
Well folks, I first placed this Mad Scientists NEO Power cord on my Pass Labs X350.5 amp (which replaced a HiDiamond P4 Power cord). To my surprise, immediately, there was a marked improvement in bass, bass quality and definition. The midrange showed that special quality that brought the magic of the recording into my room. This is my belief that the improved tonal quality accompanied by a very large soundstage was of such high quality that when compared to the HiDiamond P4 power cord, it made the HiDiamond sound, well, HIFI!
Now, the HiDiamond P4 power cord had beaten all other power cords in my 15+ year journey through the power cord jungle.
So here is a power cord that looks sort of homemade and costs 1/5 of the HiDiamond P4 and was making my system sound way more real sounding. I’ve heard people use the word “organic” to describe sound quality and never really knew what that meant. But organic or “realganic” is correct for the sound of the new Mad Scientist NEO power cord.
I then tried it replacing the HIDiamond P4’s power cord that was on my Pass Labs Preamp XP-10 and later on my BSG QOL. In both places, the sound improved to quite a large extent with the Mad Scientist product. I then ordered 3 more of these Mad Scientists cords. Each and every place, be it digital, analog, power conditioner, power amp the change in sound quality improved.
I just received the newly designed Dac from PS Audio, called the “Direct Stream”. Placing this New Zealand power cord from the Mad Scientist on it made an already fantastic sounding Dac into extra ordinary.
I have no financial interest in this company. I paid the price for all of the power cords. The newly designed power cords with 11 gauge wire sells for less than $500 with the better quality AC ends(a must). But consider how much all of the other power cords that I have mentioned in this review cost and you can see how great of a deal these cords are.
They don’t look pretty. They have a cotton outer covering and several shrink wrapped bulges at the end that is holding in the black sticks, magnets, copper plates and the power kegs.
But boy, is it one great power cord.
65 responses Add your response
Thanks Ozzy for the review. I have never met an aftermarket PC I could live with long term. I have been using stock cords now for some time, but you have tweaked my interest especially with real world pricing. Could you describe the top end? That is my biggest complaint about most PC's I have tried they seem to round off the top end and take out too much bite. |
Lak the P4's were originally cooked and have been in my system for quite a while. I still think the P4 Power cable is one of the best power cables made. I now own 3 of them I had 7. I've moved them to my home theater equipment. Sometime later I will reintroduce them just to double check myself. Pops, I don't think these cords will disappoint you. The Mad Scientist also makes an even less expensive version called the "First" I have never tried that one, but on AA there is a favorable review on that cord. That review sort of prompted me to do this review. Ronnjay, I now have 6 and one prototype. Mr Schipo weren't you OJ's lawyer? |
Bing works best, I asked earlier because I did not know they HAVE a site, Awsome, I binged this after my first post, I like their humor on the site as well, pops, I bet this would work for you, I am going to try them out to, If it can beat out a $5,450.00 AC power cord I have, I, of course will be very happy, I always have said,All cables are over priced!, It's a shame I have to spend all that I have to get state of the art results, that said, I am tired of it, I hope this mad scientist neo power cord is a winner!, I will laugh my self silly if it is, Ozzy, I bet you are laughing too! |
Ok I got the free disks and must say I am impressed with the improvement I got after placing them on the + side of my speaker cables closest to the amp. I am not saying the differences are huge but I did notice a little improvement in a sense of realism and a more holographic soundstage. For the price I will definitely be buying some for my system. I admit that in the past I have paid much more for much less benefit so these are a no brainer for a crazy audiophile like me! |
Ozzy or anyone that can assist, please answer this question for me. I received the Mad Scientist Audio free Black Discus. I did not really find much information on their website unless I totally missed it. Exactly where and how are you suppose to use this tweak and where is the most benifital location? BTW; I picked up one 6' NEO power cord that I have had on my amp since yesterday (7/1) (as per their suggestion). All I can say for now is it sounded really good out of the box! |
Those of you that have ordered multiple NEO cords, what I have found that too many on the same outlet may actually reduce the soundstage. I think its due to the magnets in the power cord. I have a PS Audio P10 power conditioner and I have placed a NEO on each individual outlet and it sounds much more open. My Amp is on its own dedicated outlet so I have a NEO there. |
I was finally able to locate this: http://www.madscientist-audio.com/blackdiscus/ http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/tweaks/messages/19/191151.html |
Ozzy, I see you have obtained a High-fidelity cable, I believe it is an interconnect?, Instead of being on the High-fidelity thread, I want to know your honest impressions of that cable here, that way there will be no bias interference from others, I believe you will say it like it really is, so as the cable burns in, I look forward to what you have to say, I understand cables are system dependent, what may not work for you, may work for someone else, However, I like your post and believe you are a seasoned audiophile, so lets see how this cable works on your system, can you do this for me? |
Audiolabyrinth, I'm still trying to give this digital cable its due. Today, I got no signal for a while, but after I rebooted, it seemed to be ok. I hope the cable doesn't have a short... Anyway, thus far I have the digital cable and it is Ho-Hum. Definitely not worth all the hype. But it is a good cable but for the price and all the hoopla I really expected more. I guess maybe I disturbed it and it has to go back through its breakin changes. Kinda sounds like my wife! LOL. I shall see...or hear... |
I think this cord is good, but I am not quite as enamored as Ozzy. For the money, yes, it is good but I don't find it to be a "giant killer". The CH Acoustics X-20 is substantially better in terms of dynamics, resolution, soundstage, bass, and detail--basically, not much of a contest if you don't care about price. The cord Ozzy compares the NEO to is the HiDiamond P4. I bought two from Ozzy and find them to be warm sounding, euphonic, and bass-heavy. I prefer both the CH Acoustic X-20 and the HiDiamond P4 to the NEO, although the P4 is really best suited for taming a bright component and for adding bass heft. If you don't need or want that, the P4 is not an ideal choice or a great baseline for comparison. Almost any cord, including the NEO, will sound more neutral than the P4. The NEO performs at about the same level as the Fusion Audio Enchanter or a fully upgraded Mojo Audio Enigma. New, both are a bit more expensive than the NEO, but in the same general ballpark. Anyway, that is my 2 cents after extensive power cord demos and trials in recent months. |
I have four NEO cords in my system and have been waiting to post my impressions/conclusions until they are fully broken in, but since this thread popped up again, I thought I would check in with a few thoughts. First, while part of the character of these cords becomes apparent fairly soon after they have been installed--they are uncannily natural with excellent imaging and resolution--until they get at least a hundred hours or more on them, they are a bit light in the lower end and ever so bit a tad "thin" sounding. IMO, if you plan to try the NEOs, make absolutely sure they have at least a hundred hours before drawing any firm conclusions (and this remark is not directed at Mcondon or anyone in particular). I've been in the hobby about fifteen years or so and have grown increasingly skeptical--and weary--of A/B testing. I prefer to live with gear for awhile and see how it develops over a period of time. I can say for sure that the NEO cords are continuing to deepen and fill out in terms of texture, while their clarity and natural qualities remain intact. I think they are quite special and an amazing value. |
Lak, yes, I auditioned the LessLoss Reference from the Cable Company. Sorry I didn't post impressions earlier. Frankly, I don't think it quite competes with CH Acoustics. I didn't find music to be emotionally engaging when using it. It sounded a little flat in terms of soundstage and a bit grainy. One possible explanation is that my amp has an internal power conditioner and is not supposed to be used with a separate power conditioner, as the overall sound quality is degraded. So, the LessLoss cord may do too much power conditioning for my system. I actually was much more impressed with another power cord I borrowed from the Cable Company, a top of the line Silent Source cord. It shares many of the attributes of the CH Acoustics cord. Ultimately, the CH Acoustics X-20 was better, creating a more open soundstage and the best dynamics I have ever heard, but the Silent Source cord was pretty close and is a little less expensive than the X-20. If money isn't a big constraint, the CH Acoustics and Silent Source cords are both worthy of demos. Sorry to derail this thread. I am discussing power cords that cost over $2000, and this thread is about the NEO, which does deserve praise for performing so well at a non-stratospheric price. |
Audiolabyrinth, I only had the High Fidelity digital Ultimate and I am using the PS Audio Direct Stream Dac. I mention this because PS Audio claims that all digital inputs on this Dac sound the same. And in fact, they do. I could not find any difference between the High Fidelity Ultimate and the High Diamond Reference digital cables. Maybe they are equals or maybe its the Dac. So, I'm trying to get my hands on a High Fidelity Ultimate interconnects to compare. |
"So, I'm trying to get my hands on a High Fidelity Ultimate interconnects to compare." I for one would like to hear what you think of the HF cable as there are 4 or 5 guys beating to death the praise of this cable over on another thread. Seen this happen over and over and then it just dies out as fast as it starts and a new wire takes the Mt. |
07-28-14: Glory LOL! So you've noticed that too, huh Gary? The cable of the month club has been meeting regularly for over 10 years now. I'm already wondering what the hot new cable will be in 2015.... |
Jmcgrogan & Glory, such blasphemy. Magnetic conduction is a literal quantum leap for audio, and the $12K HFC "Ultimate" power cord surely elevates Rick to the pantheon of audio gods...move over Nelson Pass and Arnie Nudell. Oh, ye of little faith. It is only a matter of time before the old rule of thumb gets turned on its head, and we all realize we should be spending $15 on audio components for every $100 we spend on cables, not the other way around. |
