Reviewing energy cords is comparable in some ways to reviewing crew socks. We want them, and we don’t take into consideration them. One pair does pretty much as good a job of stopping the sneakers from rubbing in opposition to our ft as one other, and that’s about it. Then once more, it’s possible you’ll choose tube or heeled. You may have them for jogging or for snowboarding. Cotton or wool? You might choose ankle-high, or calf-, or presumably even knee-length. Many insist socks are socks, whereas others received’t accept something apart from forest-green, calf-high crew socks made out of the hair of Tibetan llamas shorn on the sixth cycle of a pink moon.

Where am I going with this? Ah, energy cords….. Yes, the unimportant connection. Power is energy, and energy cords are the concentrated extract of high-end snake oil. Those who agree, please cease studying now and spend your time productively purchasing on-line for white-cotton, crew tube socks.

Ok. Are they gone? Then allow us to speak about some rattling good energy cables, individuals!

May I lower to the chase? With presumably the good names in energy cords immediately, the VooDoo Cable Air Phoenix, Air Dragon V, and Air Tesla jumped into my system like a bull right into a China store. They had been there and made rattling certain I knew they had been there. Yet, they bombastically introduced their presence in essentially the most uncommon of the way—by astonishingly turning my programs efficiency as much as 11, whereas hiding behind the bushes guffawing at my dumbfounded expression. Boy, had been they there! But in addition they weren’t there in any respect. Stage wider, bass deeper, timbre extra pure, harmonics extra complicated, dynamics extra wow, engagement extra “Oh, my.” They did what my earlier energy cables did, ramping it as much as ludicrous. Hyperbole? Absolutely. But well-earned hyperbole.

Fabricated like a advantageous British tailor would customized make a go well with for his royal shopper, they arrive in hard-shell circumstances and are introduced to their new proprietor as should you had been being handed the keys to your new Bentley. VooDoo energy cords should not the product of mass-production factories and cable mills. They are what Bruce Richardson, proprietor and designer, perceives as a bespoke resolution for these able to expertise all that their system has the capability to convey.

What did Bruce ship me, you ask? A little bit of this, a splash of that. Five energy cables and a USB cable (to which I cannot commit an unlimited period of time apart from to say that it outperformed what I had, and what I had was excellent. But it is a energy twine assessment, and I’ve already put an excessive amount of inside these parentheses). Five energy cords to fulfill my system’s wants. Five cords to rule all of them. An Air Phoenix, fabricated from what seemed to be Unicorn hair, took on the accountability of powering my DAC, two Air Tesla energy cords with huge rectangular modules of their facilities offered electrons to my dual-mono stereo amplifier. And two Air Dragon V cables offered the juice for my music server and preamp.

Bruce defined that “just like the acoustic resonance of a finely made stringed instrument, the supplies used and the development of {an electrical} conductor are the ingredient that attenuate and improve the resonance of the electrons passing by way of that conductor. The designs of the Air Dragon V, Air Tesla and Air Phoenix are fairly distinct from one another but are based mostly upon related design rules. Each energy twine is a composite of conductors fabricated from choose high-purity silver, copper, and proprietary alloys which might be cryogenically handled in our deep-immersion cryo course of. We make use of varied ranges of line-capacitance- and velocity-matched dielectric power within the induction area to create the signature resonance for every energy twine. But the outcomes of every design should not achieved by bench measurements. Trial-and-error listening and testing with varied audio parts are equally if no more essential to the event of our energy cords.”

So how about some tech specs? Cryogenically handled, Air Phoenix, designed for analog or digital sources, makes use of pure-silver, single-crystal, continuous-cast, Ohno eight-gauge conductors and rhodium-plated-over-tellurium copper connectors, individually insulated with velocity-matched Teflon dielectrics and closely braided silver-plated copper shielding, lined with woven static-resistant Nomex mesh. Also cryogenically handled, Air Tesla, designed for high-current energy amps and conditioners, makes use of six-gauge alloy conductors which might be individually insulated with velocity-matched Teflon dielectrics, and a inflexible buss-bar “reservoir” that “holds present within the type of line capacitance.” It is roofed with woven static-resistant Nylon mesh and has rhodium-plated-over-tellurium copper connectors. Once once more cryogenically handled, Air Dragon V, designed to extract essentially the most from any part, makes use of six-gauge silver and single-crystal copper conductors lined with individually insulated, velocity-matched Teflon dielectrics lined by woven static-resistant Teflon mesh. Connectors are, as soon as once more, made out of rhodium-plated-over-tellurium copper.

The VooDoo energy cords had been stiffer than the Shunyata Z-Tron Sigma NR V1 loom they changed, however not by quite a bit. I used to be simply capable of join them securely to my tools and the wall. My system has a devoted circuit panel fed immediately from the road, a devoted grounding rod, and 10-gauge braided-copper wiring from the panel to my wall shops (Furutech GTX-D-NCF Rhodium, cryo-treated shops with carbon-fiber plates). I make the most of Environmental Protections’ EP-2750 floor filters on every devoted circuit (one breaker for every outlet) and a single EP-2050 surge-protection/waveform-correction unit on the panel. My energy is clear and clear, and after I progressed to a sure stage of energy twine, I discovered that including conditioning had diminishing returns. So, I run all my tools immediately into my Furutech shops. That mentioned, I’d nonetheless like to check out a Stromtank battery system, if given the chance.

Bruce was form sufficient to ship me pre-broken-in energy cords, and I used to be capable of begin listening after a 2–3 day settling interval. I started my periods intensely within the temper for Natalie Merchant’s “Peppery Man,” difficult the brand new energy cables with a style of these great deep Fairfield Four vocals and Ms. Merchant’s sultry singing, mixed with a twangy guitar, Shawshank harmonica, and baritone sax and tuba oompah. There was instantly extra breath within the vocals and extra textural complexity to the brass. An general naturalness appeared to be there that was not there earlier than. A fast flip of the finger, and “The Blind Man and The Elephant” changed Mr. Peppery Man. If you could have by no means heard this monitor, hit your streamer of alternative up and take a hear. It’s an incredible music and a cute anecdote. It begins out with this nice, low-note baritone sax after which treats the listener to simply the correct mixture of clarinet, metal guitar, percussion, and storytelling. The clarinet will get fairly Klezmer-like with a contact of Bavarian and blues. The result’s a music of the best diploma—and a newly skilled expression of the best fashion. These energy cords washed away a proton-thick layer of “you’ll be able to’t have that” and freed my system to challenge a efficiency with the “I’m there”-knob turned up 15-20%.

Let us strive Mussorgsky’s Dance of the Persian Slaves. The decision and separation of devices had been immediately obvious. As I listened longer, I started to equate the enhancements, partly, to a lowered noise flooring and improved conveyance of pace and articulation. In addition, my electronics appeared to get a lift in channel separation. Take your palms and maintain them collectively in entrance of you, arms absolutely prolonged. Now unfold them aside shortly as extensive as you’ll be able to whereas saying out loud, “Fwuahhhh.” That’s what occurred to my soundstage.

“Down within the Hole” by John Campell is a superb monitor with a mixture of rhythmic bass guitar, haunting reverb, and John’s deep, phlegmy voice. That expansive stage was nearly intoxicating. The improved sense of resonance and timbre within the backside finish clearly comes from that lowered noise flooring together with what I detected to be an enchancment in part coherence—which I can neither perceive nor clarify however swear was there to be heard. At no time did I detect the music was taking part in louder, but it surely unquestionably had extra dynamics and authority. The air between devices appeared extra current, and the general aura of the stage was simply extra current.

I take into account it true serendipity that I used to be requested to assessment this loom, as I used to be fairly pleased with what I had and thought of that portion of my system finished and finished. Clearly, it was not. This expertise leaves me questioning what the astronomically costly energy cables can supply. I don’t suppose I wish to know.

In the tip, I used to be so impressed with the build-quality and efficiency of the VooDoo energy cords, and the modifications they produced in my system, that I informed Bruce to ship me an bill relatively than return transport labels. I’m not keen to surrender what these carry to the desk. To say that the VooDoo energy cables resulted in a profound enchancment in nearly each side of my system is flat truth—incontrovertible and astounding—though what they changed had bettered something I had heard in my room to that time. The VooDoo cables are dearer and make the most of dearer supplies than the Shunyata NR Sigma I had been utilizing, which had been the older V1 variations. I feel the Omega sequence of energy cords could be a fairer comparability. I work with and revel in what I’m provided to assessment, and I pay for what I maintain. (I put my cash the place my reviewing mouth is.) All I can say is, give the VooDoos a strive. In my opinion they’re a no brainer step ahead on our path to absolutely the sound. Is “no-brainer really useful” greater than “extremely really useful”? I feel it’s.

Now I would like to determine why I’ve an intense need to go sock purchasing.

Specs & Pricing

Air Phoenix: $4700
Air Dragon V: $3250
Air Tesla: $2900 (all costs 6′ size)

VooDoo Cable LLC
2020 Dennison Street, Suite 113
Oakland CA 94606-5242
(510) 535-9464
voodoocable.internet

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