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Review: Ernie M's (Subaruguru) DIY Power cord/PCK 12 Power cord

Category: Cables

This has been a wonderful addition to my stereo system. In relation to its cost ($35, +$3/ft above 5'), by far the greatest tweek I've ever done. It has added warmth, improved the bass/midrange/treble and has elevated greatly the pleasure I've received from listening to my stereo. It has added refinement and has removed all traces of glare/harshness I had w/my previous PC.(An XLO which I upgraded w/better IEC/AC connectors. Least expensive model that I purchased 5 yrs ago.) The quality of the Belden 83802 12awg. wire is superb. It has an excellent shielding
braid around the wire. (Also another foil sheilding wrapped around the wire.) The connectors which are supplied w/ the kit are surprising good and provide good electrical contact to the wire. (Also, solder is not used, unlike the unmodified XLO which I was previously using. On IEC connector.) I like the design of this DIY kit because the 12awg. solid THHN ground wire(Slight extra $)is wrapped around a plastic tubing(which the Belden wire is enclosed in). This isolates your ground wire from close proximity from the hot conductions, which I believe helps sonically. The kit is fairly easy to assemble but you must be careful not to cut into the inner braid shielding located benneth the cable jacket. If you are unsure of your abilities, one could be made by Ernie at a slightly higher cost. Also, decide if you want to order the "Switched Safety Ground Wire (12 AWG THHN w/ switch!) $3/PCK. I personally did not use any switch because I was using this PC w/my Jolida int. amp which must be grounded at all times. In conclusion, this is a great product/price and person to deal with. I could not imagine before I ordered one of these PC kits that it would bring such an improvement to my system. Please don't get me wrong, the XLO was a fine PC w/the upgraded connectors, but this is vastly superior product. Recommend very highly. Bill

Associated gear
Jolida JD 102b, JM Lab Chorus 707, Creek T43 Tuner, CAL Icon MkII, MMF-5 TT, VDH 102 interconnects, Cardas Quadlink 5-c spk. wire, Tice Solo AC/power condition.

Similar products
XLO
128x128kotta
jbullock32
6 posts
 
Kotta, Thanks for the review. It was right on. I've got a little more than 100 hours on 3 PC cables and the powerbox kit. The background is much quieter and it has cleaned up a lot of the glare. It's pretty funny that when people now see my system, I get more comments on the PC's than on my components. Nice high tech look with the red cable, clear casing, and blue ground.
As I travel this audio nirvana journey, it is really refreshing to have someone in the business providing significant improvement to my system without trying to pick my pocket. Go Ernie!!
kotta's avatar
kotta OP
649 posts
 
After re-reading my original post I wanted to clarify one thing just in case there may be some confusion. I GROUNDED the int. amp w/solid 12awg. THHN wire but I didn't use any sort of switch. The Jolida needs to be grounded always for safety.
grahamndodder
9 posts
 
Hey, Ernie - Little off topic, but how do you like the 707's with your 102b? Does the 91.5db get you any more volume, compared with the typical 89db speaker?

I understand the mids are real sweet with the Chorus 707's. Is it true with the 102b?

What do you like/dislike about the speaker/amp combo and where did you purchase the speakers? I am seriously considering them for my 102, which I absolutely love. They seem to be almost as much of a bargain as the 102b itself.

Thanks much,

GnD
subaruguru
1,375 posts
 
Thanks for the reviews and recommendations that seem to keep popping up more everywhere else but here! Ha!
Graham, you must be thinking of a different Ernie...I've got an Aleph-Parsifal/Encore chain in 2ch and Spendor/Boston HT. Also have introduced an ULTRAFLEXIBLE (40% smaller yet full 13AWG Quad-twisted variant) PCK13Q recently, in addition to a reference silver-matrix high-density non-magnetic immersion "bath" Prelude No.13 in Ag.
for well under $200. Thanks to all.
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