Transparent Audio power cords

Ok, I will address the requests for more info.

BTW, to those who contend that power cords or even all cables make no difference, I consider you and your wallet to be lucky since you have no need to spend lots of money on wire. The rest of us are just stuck with the audiophile burden of trying to satisfy our hearing perception.

Next, I need to preface by saying that I have a hearing condition that is called hyperacusis. For me, the main characteristics are having an extreme sensitivity to high pitched sounds, abrupt sharp sounds and abrupt volume changes. Examples: I have to use sound attenuator ear plugs just to unload the dishwasher, can't take the clanking together of the dishes, cant' take crying babies, screaming children, high pitched female voices/vocalists (some female vocalists sound like, to me, that they are yelling instead of singing), metal on metal screeches, squeaks, etc., etc.

So, please keep in mind that what sounds frequency balanced to most people will sound way too tilted toward the upper midrange and high frequencies to me.

Now on to the details.

Room - 14' x 23' x 8' dedicated listening room.

Acoustic treatment - Front corners have four, stacked two high in each corner, 16" round Tube Traps with Room Tunes corner triangles at the ceiling corners. Side walls have two each (4 total)  8" -  1/2 round x 5 ft. tall Tube Traps at the first and second reflection points. Rear corners have four stacked two high Acoustical Solutions corner bass traps, also with Room Tunes corner triangles at the ceiling.

Speaker placement - the front wall is the short wall - tweeters are 7' + from the front wall and 4 ' from the side walls.

The system from end to end -

Power is two dedicated 12 ga. lines on the same electrical phase feeding two 2 gang boxes or 4 plex boxes if you prefer. Each 4 plex box has one Maestro (un-plated) receptacle and one Oyaide R-0 receptacle (the R-0 is un-plated beryllium copper). The two different receptacles allows for more flexibility with tailoring the sound.

The two power cords feeding two power conditioners - DIY Acrolink 7N-P4030 II, 10 ga. wire with Oyaide 004 white body cord ends. These are the same base metal as the regular 004 but, are un-plated. You have to buy these from Japanese eBay vendors. As you can see, I mostly prefer un-plated receptacles and cord ends.

Power conditioners - Two Transparent Powerisolator PI-8. These are from the mm2 generation and have the benefit of being able to be stacked up unlike the newer versions with their curved tops.

Power cord to phono - same as the above Acrolink cords.

Power cord to preamp - Transparent Reference Gen 6 with Oyaide 004 ends in the regular plated version.

Power cord to amp is the cord originally discussed - Transparent Powerlink MM2 with Oyaide plated 004 ends.

I have tried using various Transparent cords from the wall to the power conditioners and have always preferred the Acrolink cords there.

Interconnects - phono to preamp Transparent Ultra Gen 6 RCA,

preamp to amp Transparent Ultra Gen 6 balanced.

Speaker cable - Transparent ultra Gen 5.

Turntable - highly upgraded Linn LP12 with Karosel bearing, the full Stack Audio Ultimate upgrade kit (no longer in production), Audio Origami tonearm, Sumiko Celebration 40 cartridge (brand new - 4 hours) and an old Sumiko PIB-1 phono interface box that is upgraded with Cardas Clear tonearm wire.

Phono stage - Manley Chinook with the Soviet era Reflector tubes.

Preamp - Aesthetix Calypso - Eclipse version (the top dog) with the French Mazda tubes and the Reflector tubes.

Amp - the afore mentioned DNA-500 (SMC silver plus upgrade).

Also the Sopra 2 speakers have the Stack Audio Auva feet.

In addition, there are two Add-Powr harmonic resonators, one current version X4 and a first generation X2 (now replaced by the Apprentice). The power cords here are also the Acrolink with the plated Oyaide 004.

While there is a cd transport and DAC in that system, I'm not factoring them into this question since the playing time of them has diminished greatly.

Streamer? -  I have a node 2i in system #2 which is much more centrally located in the house and is probably about 95% casual listening usage.

Is there room for improvement? Sure. For one, the room treatment probably needs a few things added or replaced.

So, I think that's most of it. 

Thanks for everybody's input.

 

 

 

 

 

@roadcykler 

 

Power cords make a very big difference, and especially on amps. Generally more than interconnects and on the order of speaker cables (on amps). Transparent Generation five and six further lower the noise floor, improve balance across the audio spectrum, and increase detail. 

@mwh777 that’s a really nice system. 
so if I understand correctly, the new power cords result in your system sounding leaner but do not aggravate your hearing condition. There are also some qualities that you enjoy with the new sound. 
Are the cords new? I’m still wondering if you gave it all enough time to break in and get accustomed to new sound. It may take couple of days or even couple of weeks to let it all sink in. If you gave it some time and still don’t think it’s the kind of sound you like, then may be try few other cords?

OP: Great system! I suspect that it already sounds pretty amazing.

My initial suggestion would be to experiment by removing one (or more) of the Add--Powr resonators. Wait several hours and re-evaluate.

In my experience, the Add-Powr ElectraClear resonator did not play nicely at all with the TA PIMM’s. The HF became unpleasantly fatiguing. Same problem with an Akiko Corelli conditioner. I tried for months to figure out where these tweaks would work best - plugged into different circuits. They never did. For some reason, the TA Power Isolators are particular with whom they play. It came down to which type of conditioner to use - but not both simultaneously.

On the other hand, the PIMM’s loved joining forces with balanced power - such as Balanced Power Technologies. For source components, the two togehter produce excellent SQ in my system. I moved the Add-Powr ElectraClear over to my HT system - which definitely improved the TV picture quality.

My discovery was that different brands and types of power conditioners may or may not play well together. A returnable trial period is a wonderful thing. YMMV

_ _ _ _

P.S. Just copy & paste your latest post, take a few pictures and your Virtual System is pretty much done. It’ll be available for future discussions after this thread fades away.

I used a DNA 500 amplifier for more than 8 years - it's a wonderful amp with effortless power.  The best results I had with power cords was with a Shunyata Research Sigma.