Power Cords Rule

Melbguy1, Thanks so much for the excellent and detailed explanation. It is exactly what I was looking for. I am currently using CH Acoustic X-20 (2) on my Bybee Stealth PC and APL Master (modified Esoteric X-01), Valhalla (2) on my Esoteric Grandioso C1 preamp (it uses 2 PC's) and one Argento FMR on my Esoteric Grandioso S1 amp. The weak link are the Valhalla PC's. The PC's I am considering are: Mexcel 9500, Ch Acoustic X-20 and Jorma Prime or Origo. By the way, I added the F1/M1 connectors to the CH Acoustic from the Synergistic Black outlet to the Bybee PLC. It was a noticeable improvement. Thanks again.

Bart

You are the Man! Melbguy1

YW Bart. To offer another anecdote, my friend who owns Marten Coltrane 3's & Vitus Masterpiece series gear was using Siltech Double and Triple Crown cables and was not happy with the sound. Here is some of what he had to say..

"just be careful if u go down Siltech ruby double crown route. I just plugged Ruby Double Crown into the dac and the transport. Not good. Sounds much better with the Primes. Unless u want clean analytical - clinical sound. If you go around looking for the biggest bass and “see through” clarity and detail you will pick Siltech every time, but over the longer term and especially with speakers that need a little warmth somewhere in the chain then Siltech may not be the best answer."

"Yesterday i decided to try my last remaining Jorma Prime power cable on my Vitus MP Dac. Previously it was using an Andromeda, and I’ve also subbed in a Siltech Ruby Hill 2 a couple of times. I had never put the Jorma on the Dac before - it was instead feeding the gigawatt.

Well I’ve got to say, it was the single biggest change I’ve had for a while. Voices became noticeably smoother, especially through the Vitus amps, and also through the Cary. So once again your theories play out to be the truth. Don’t overlook any aspect of your system , synergy , and jorma for midrange!!"

Ps: Cheers jafant.
 

Melbguy1,

Thanks for the added info from yourself and Jafant. I am guessing in my system, based on the differences described here and in online reviews,  the Origo would be a better fit than the Prime. I am generally very happy with the sound and balance of my system. If I were to nitpick, I would think it could be nudged slightly in the direction of more detail. I have been a lifelong tubeoholic until fairly recently. I have a large collection of high quality NOS tubes. In the past I could experiment with minor tweaks inexpensively (relative to PC, IC and SC swaps) through tube rolling. I currently have only two E182CC's in the output stage of my APL Master SACD player. There are only two options here and one clear winner. Tube rolling is not an option in this family. It is possible with patience to pick up high quality cables used and if they don't work out, take a small hit on resale. Clearly, I am not in the financial league of Melbguy1 and Jafant. No jealousy, I am actually grateful that they can afford to experiment with components and cables regardless of price. I also trust their opinions and recommendations much more than audio magazine reviewers for obvious reasons. With patience and the information gleaned from the experiences of high end users on this and other sites, I can find a used PC here and there that I can try with some confidence it will be the right fit. Have you guys tried the Origo vs Prime PC's? Am I right in assuming that the Prime is a tad warmer than the Origo? Thanks.

Bart

@posbwp55 , I haven’t tried the Origo power cables, though I have one Unity pc which is very good for the money, with the only weak point being its fairly cheap connectors (which I re-terminated with Oyaide P-004/C-004’s borrowed from from one of my Prime pc’s). I previously had a full loom of Origo cables (sans pc’s). Origo uses similar technology as Prime, but has once less shielding. Yes, in my experience Origo is more neutral, but there is not a really bid difference in tonality. Jorma cables are basically neutral, though Origo is the most neutral of the top models.

Given the relatively small difference in price from Origo to Prime, and the fact I was planning an all-ss system, I decided to go for Prime pc’s when I upgraded to Jorma. If you are aiming for a bit more detail in your system, bare in mind Prime’s extra and more comprehensive shielding & slightly higher spec copper wire should give you a lower noise floor & improved resolution/detail. And you could always re-terminate the P-004/C-004 connectors later on with cryo’s M1/F1 connectors if it’s a keeper. Then if you wanted to subtly dial back the warmth from there, I would install a Furutech GTX-D(R) wpo.