There's people out there that will always buy Intel chips no matter what(the Blue Man Group TV ads are neat). They'll never buy AMD's even though it's been proven they are superior and way cheaper. So it is with power cords and Bose speakers.
I want to thank the member who emailed me about power outlets. I already have a power cord...
One more last thing before I sign out of this thread: Is it true that Chesky records bought 30 Absolute Power Cords?
Peace to all. |
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Dkarmeli you are correct that my approach was maybe too much. In that after the first 60 or so posts had done nothing to get the facts out, I think I was successful in achieving my goal. Finally we have fact on what the product is. The claims from the dealer have gone from besting $2000 power cords to a rather humble "we can not guarantee this will improve..." I feel no need to apologize for getting a dealer to speak honestly about his product and what it is. I would hope this dealer is capable of seeing my motives and recognize that not once have I said that his product is a farce or that it doesn't work. I have however help to identify the nature of the produce, and allow people to judge for themselves. Thank you for you concern for me and must close by saying that Kevint, you would have received a polite inquiry had the product been represented honestly in the first place. Again I have no apology to make for that either. J.D.
P.S. With this post I politely sign off of this thread. |
Appreciate everyone's concern, and deplore the bad manners. It took 97 posts to get a polite inquiry about motives. |
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I just want to try the cords (still waiting for delivery). I thought of another application for one yesterday (on the new Pioneer CD burner). I just have to order the HT IEC converter plug mentioned in another thread and wonder if an upgraded PC will somehow improve the burned copies. |
People are going ballistic because they despise the tactics of the seller in this forum. The cords are great, the markup is great-Yee Ha free market. Jadem won't get sued. In fact it's the opposite, he's sold more of the cords than anyone. |
The temperamental efervescence we are seeing in this forum is, in my opinion, due to the fact that people have gone ballistic because they can't believe an audiophile power could be made for what an audiophile power cord should cost...both pro and con (that includes myself, of course).
It's like if people complained and argued because an AMD Athlon 500MHz chip is only 39.95 (which it is!). |
Sorry, it was long day! Thanks for pointing it out. |
Dkarmeli: It's defamation, not deformation, even Under Dog knows that. |
>> Given the length of time it has taken to disclose the final version and add the mysterious green dot that has disappeared, I think people can made an informed decision.<<
JD, what are you talking about, mysterious green dot that disappeared? All hospital grade plugs and outlets sold in the US must have the green dot. The dot is a sign of quality, not cheapness. If you look carefully some of your beloved cords that come with hospital grade Hubbell plugs have the same green dot too, nothing mysterious. Searching the web, you're going to come across many sites that carry very similar looking products, with the green dot, yet Hubbells are 4 to 6 times more expensive, does that mean that people are scammed paying $20 when they can buy similar looking wall outlets for less than $4 on the net? I suppose you think we're not informed enough about wall outlets either and you'd like to post a few of those cheap sites here too.
You have never met Parish, nor have you ever seen or heard one of his cords, yet you took it upon yourself to enlighten us all? You based all your accusations and went ballistic solely because of some Mama's sarcastic post and your baseless suspicions of members who initially started the thread? You unjust crusade is unjust and personal.
The following could even be grounds for a law suit:
>>I am disgusted by the approach of creating excitement, hyping a product to sound like a bargain while the guy inflates the price to $39.95, now $49.95. That is a 2000% mark-up. Now I realize there are $500 cords made with $10 parts, but they are hand made and researched with audio being the only user. I would rather pay a guy $50.00 - $100 for an honest hour producing something than $46.95 for being underhanded in his approach.<<
If I was Parish, I'd hit you for deformation of character if nothing else. You stop just short of calling the man a thief. Do the math $500 - $10 = $490, Parish is shooting himself in the foot by not decorating his cords to your liking and losing out on an honest $490 an hour. Let's see $10 cost, $500 sell, that's an honest 5000% markup you're willing to pay someone, but Parish is a crook for charging $39.95?
You seem to think that the cords just magically appeared on his doorstep one day, and he had no expense and time invested in researching, developing, finding a manufacturer for a musically sound cord; according to establishments like Chesky Productions and honorable Pulitzer winning composer and piano virtuoso, George Walker and other highly regarded musicians and technicians, let's not forget the many experienced fellow audiophiles who bought the product and vouch for Parish and his cords; and still sells for $40. Then there's the little matter of talking to customers, procuring, packaging and shipping the cords. I'm not sure about you, I see more than an honest hours work here.
JD, don't you think Parish deserves a formal apology and should be commended for his restraint. |
Thanks Dekay for keeping your wits about you, I have no doubt these cords make a difference. I will back off now that they have "disclosed" a story. Given the length of time it has taken to disclose the final version and add the mysterious green dot that has disappeared, I think people can made an informed decision.
Thank you GTT for telling the real story, you could have saved me a lot of time and maybe you some bussiness by telling it straight up front. |
JD: I do not have the energy (though I do have the time) to audition a dozen or so dirt cheap power cords. I believe that what has happened with this product is that one particular cord has been found that has superior sound. I would not expect any company that is not a nonprofit one to sell an item at cost, so do not see a problem with the selling price. I also do not feel that the cords will replace the BMI cords that I am breaking in, but am just looking for something more than decent (at a very low cost) to try on the other weak links in my system as I cannot afford to purchase three additional BMI cords at this time. I will of course give them a try on the other components, but will be happy to just use them to upgrade the PC's on my power conditioners and maybe the amp in our second system (these are the areas that I consider to be the weak links). If you would like to try the various under $5 cords (out of curiosity) email me and we can arrange to have you borrow one of my Absolute cords (not yet received) to do the comparisons. I am sure that you realize that most of them will probably suck, but you never know there could be a winner in the bunch (just like the Aiwa CD changer that has been discussed recently these things do come up now and then). I do find some discrepancies between the first and second press releases regarding the history of the cord, but I also find such discrepancies in many of the novels and other material that I read (including newspapers and magazines), and they could just be mistakes and/or a poor choice of wording. The true test to me will be how the cords perform in my setup and I have PC's from four different manufacturers on hand to compare then to. |
JD understand your concern, but these are legit, no bull.
These are not generic hospital cords.
* NEW INFO * just posted by GTT Audio, explains the design/construction of these cords, says Dave Chesky uses these in his studio, also price just went up to $49, go to link below for the story.
www.gttgroup.com/absolutepower.html |
Dkarmeli, I have no experience with GTT audio, and unless you see my add for a Electr-glide Fatboy as competion I have no intrest in there bussiness. I'm an Audio lover, and I don't like games! |
I had an Audiogon member write me today asking for help on this whole topic and I would like to share my responce to him for others benifit:
Hi xxxxx
I wish I could give you the "right" answer, but I don't know it. I'm a audio nut for thirty plus years, and have tried to keep my head about the latest new products. As you know, there are $1000 systems, $3000, $9000, $25,000-40,000 and +$100,000 systems. Those are levels I've found through my experience that make sizable improvements over the last. With-in each level there are some produces that are true bargains, and some that are names with big prices. Too bad for us audio lovers, there is not an audio cop who can give us the "right answer". We must make our own mistakes after reading reviews, listening in audio showrooms that are completely different from our homes, and listening to other audio lovers on sites like AudiogoN and Audio Asylum.
I'm clearly not the most informed or the best neutral resource on AudiogoN, my opinions get me in trouble often, but they are never unfounded. If you read my post "winter lessons" you will see I've bought my share of snake oil, and some products that have helped my system. Every system is different, every one of us have different taste and experiences. My answers are right for me, but might not be for you. Having said that, I believe power cords are a very volatile area for audio, and there are a lot of over priced products, maybe safe to say 90% are over priced. I own two of the most ridiculously price ones made, and no I'm not proud of that fact, they just happen to be the best I've heard of the fifteen or twenty I've tried. I can tell you that every cord I've tried did something, and it takes a while for me to know if that something was good or not.
As for the Absolutely Amazing power cord, I have no experience with it. I also have no experience with the Stealth you asked about. I've heard quite a bit regarding the Stealth and can only say from that input I've never bought one. This new cord, "The Absolutely Amazing Power Cord" is a product I believe to be the exact same cord available on the Internet through hospital supply houses. There are actually some that are even better built with thicker wire and better plugs that are available from the same places. If people want to try Hospital grade power cords for audio, great! I hope some true values come from it. My problem with this product is two fold, first the sales pitch used on our forums to fabricate interest by creating a number of posting members who never existed until this thread. Now Jadestick appears, gees that was original, to combat my warnings. The second problem I have is that these cords cost $2.50- $3.00! I am disgusted by the approach of creating excitement, hyping a product to sound like a bargain while the guy inflates the price to $39.95, now $49.95. That is a 2000% mark-up. Now I realize there are $500 cords made with $10 parts, but they are hand made and researched with audio being the only user. I would rather pay a guy $50.00 - $100 for an honest hour producing something than $46.95 for being underhanded in his approach.
I again encourage people to try the hospital grade cords, try $50 worth of $3 cords and let us know how they work. But if you chose to start a 2000% profit business from them then you will have to explain your self.
So in closing of this very opinionated reply, I can not recommend one cord or the other from the ones your looking at. I do think however that exploring some $3.00 cords may produce some good results. I also know for me that my equipment has never sounded better than it does right now, and that it took a long time to get to this point after trying a number of brands. The cords I use range from $400 to $3000 retail. Each cord has a piece of equipment it match up well with, and that was the determining factor. If my equipment sounded as good using the stock cords that were free with the equipment or the $100 cords I once had, or using all $400 cords, then those would have been my choices. Again please review my post for some specific results from my personal experiments, and good luck. I'm happy you found this great hobby, and hope I haven't completely confused you. J.D. |
Per Jadem6, I went to the NET and searched PCs. Yea,
I know I have too much time on my hands....But I love it!
What I learrned is that hospital grade certified power cords are all supposed to have a green dot on the male end, for all hospital staff to see before using. The picture that used to come up on the sales link for the Absolute power cord showed this green dot very clearly.
I fall well short of Jadem6's conclusions though. I did not find a green dot hospital grade cord exactly matching the Absolute, so I have no idea what that one should cost......point of interest though: LOOK now at the GTT Audio&Video sales items and follow the product link to their new picture of the cable. NO GREEN DOT is visible anymore. Then read what they have to say about the Cord. Hospital Grade cord made in Taiwan with some solder . Jadem6 is close, but I must agree with GTT Audio&Video in that their cord is not exactly the same as every other green dot cord. I still don't know how good the cord is ( I have not tried it ) and I still am not certain who or how many shills there were in this thread. I don't know how many games were being played here but if I never try one of these cords it will probably boil down to THIS THREAD. See-ya |
Don't get ripped off? If GTT wanted to "get rich quick" by designing high end power cords then selling them for $40, they'd have to be the stupidest con-artists in the world. How much can you make selling PCs at $40 each? If he charged $300, or better yet, $3000, he'd be way ahead of this PC game.
Have you tried this cord yourself? I have. In my system it sounded very good out of the box, and even better after 100+ hours of burn-in. Smooth, relaxed, quiet. Better than my (also high value) Whale Elite at $450? Not to me, but several steps in the same (musical) direction from stock cords, or even $100-200 cords I've heard.
Will it work the same for you? I don't know. If I wanted a power cord that emphasized speed, detail, etc. I'd probably look elsewhere. But warmth, smoothness, tonal integrity? Yes, this cord is very nice.
It's great that there are those out there who truly want to spend many hundreds, or thousands for a high end power cord. That brings the issue of proper audio power cords to the public, and pushes the envelope of attainable performance. Without those consumers looking for the ultimate and willing to pay for it, a product like the Absolute PC would not exist. For me, I'd rather spend less and still reap the rewards. JT |
J.D., do you have something personal against GTT Audio or are you just a disgruntled competitor. I have always thought of them as a well respected dealer. Buy some of those $3.50 cords and save YOURSELF from getting ripped-off. |
No question Megasam, my comment is not concerning if they do something. I'm just pointing out for $39 I could try 13 cords. Has anyone tried them? Have you tried the other hospital grade cords? How about the 10ga green dot Hospital cord with soldered connections for $4.00? |
JD tell me where I can buy a $3 cord that sounds as good as the best $250-500 audiophile cords available, because that is how good the Absolute Power cords are IMO, and I have tried quite a few in that price range.
Just because you can buy a cord somewhere for $3 doesn't mean anything about sound quality, you can buy Radio Shack Gold ICs for $10, that doen't mean they sound as good as
HT Truthlinks or whatever. Many members now have carefully
auditioned these cords and come to the same conclusion,
they have unbeatable sound for the price and embarass cables costing many time their price. You are telling us all cords sound the same, buy the cheapest one, I don't understand your point. |
Thanks for the great updates Wellfed.
Now how would you feel if I told you you could have gotten this same cord for less than $3.00. SORRY
That's right, it is avalible through a number of OEM electronics companies. If you simply type in "power cord" on your internet browser, netscape, internet explorer, yahoo, what ever you will be presented with a number of HOSPITAL GRADE POWER CORDS. They are supplied by a host of countries and come in a multitude of configurations, including the one for sale in this post.
The quanity cost is $2.50-$3.00. That's pushing a 1500% mark-up. O.K., maybe your fine with that type of sales game.
IF YOUR INTERESTED IN HOSPITAL POWER CORDS, BUY THEM OFF THE NET FOR THE REAL COST $3.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Psychicanimal you should be happy to know they sell outlets, plugs, and even extension cords.
Please don't get ripped off! J.D. |
Day 3: The Absolute Power cord on my pre-amp has been burning in for over 48 hours and the results have been phenomenal. My listening session tonight was probably the second greatest ever in the context of enjoying and evaluating a new component. Again, unhesitatingly recommended. I really hope people will take advantage of the availability of this inexpensive and superior product. I am not a shill for gttgroup.com, but I do hope they prosper due to sales of these. This has to be the greatest audio component ever for the money. Since this statement is bound to be controversial I would enjoy hearing what others believe is best component for the money. I will start a new thread entitled "Best component ever for the $$$..." please post your nominations to this other thread. God bless. |
I received my Absolute Power cords yesterday and am extremely impressed with what I hear so far. I have never heard any of the highly regarded cables mentioned in these threads, so I have no frame of reference to make any comparisons. They significantly better the cables I currently use, which cost many times what these cables cost. The soundstage improved, they a very finely detailed, I am sure they are doing things that I do not even know how to quantify. They have a "just right" quality to them, I however was happy with my "porridge" prior to installing these as well. There is no question that they provide exceptional performance and value. Given the low price, I unhesitatingly recommend checking these out. God bless. |
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Dekay, I am NOT selling the cord. However, I sell for a living (high tech robotic equipment). I have never heard the term over sell in any sales training. Maybe selling after the point where the sale must be closed is an approximate. My boss has me on the phone almost all day long calling people over and over. That's the company way. I also helped finance my college education working at two audio stores.
At the last store I bought a Proton AA1150 power amp and back then I knew that skinny power cord was not able to deal with the dynamic power requirements. It was frustrating looking at power cords that would cost as much as the amp, if not more. Having sold audio, I knew it was a hoax. I now will be able to rig my two preamps, two receivers and ancillary equipment. I am rejoicing. This is a revolutionary moment in audio, don't you think? |
Psychic: Ever heard of over sell? Listen closely. |
We should all be rejoicing...
That finally there is a product that is affordable and an excellent performer. It is openly challenging ANY power cord regardless of price. That's a bold statement. At least that is what I look for when I buy equipment. My budget is limited. I want money left to buy software.
To go on vacation. To go out on the weekends. We need more products with these qualities.
Wish there was a reasonably priced audiophile power outlet, too! |
Petern: Search under "Absolute" on Audiogon's first page and the ad will come up. |
Please provide me with an email address or BIll's telephone number so that I could order these power cords. Thanks. |
Thanks Pete: I really don't care about the Lammbaste anyway. |
The science behind the cord:
Bill explained to me that the reason power cords sound bad is because:
(1) Impurities in the conductor.
(2) Arcing of the current at the microscopic level.
(3) Coloration induced to make the cable 'better'.
All the explanations make sense. The bouncing of the electrons on the impurities will distort smooth flow and electric arcs accross an air gap make noise. Colored sound has, is and will be a marketing tool.
The cord is a deceptively simple, yet clever design.
It uses 14 AGW oxygen free copper, foil shield and synthetic outer casing made in China. The wire ends are then soldered and injection molded in place (both). This can be clearly seen on the power plug end because it is transparent. So is the sound of the cord. It is simply amazing. This Voodoo stuff starts to sound like those people who have to buy really expensive 'designer' clothes in order for their egos to feel good. The prices are actually inflated in order to fulfill this 'need'.
There's many other products that are rejected by the 'Voodoo community' and are simply awesome. Example? The Technics SL1200MK2 turntable (yeah, the DJ turntable...) I just bought one last week. My choices came down to the Technics or a Sota Comet. I asked Bill to guess which one I bought. He guessed right. His feedback? Good choice! Just make sure you isolate it.
Don't get me wrong, I will have this table rewired. I bought a JA Michell record clamp, Audioquest silver headshell wires, Cardas tonearm wires and Phoenix Gold interconnects and will get some silver solder to rig this Japanese armored beast. The cartride? Sumiko Blue point on a Sumiko Headshell stabilized with a Discwasher Disctracker (it adds four wheel drive!).
Peace to all. |
Dekay,
There is a post above by guy named Deano. He has really helped me out as a budding audiophile and has never steared me wrong. He is a big fan of this power cord. His word is enough for me. Deano has spent thousands of frogskins on high dollar power cords in his 30 years as an audio phile. |
Who knows his shit and who is Lammless? I'm confused. |
He knows his shit, trust me. |
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Carlos: Después que te doblas y le ves las bolas a un perro cualquiera dice que es macho.
Translation? Get a dictionary, then register like the rest of us. Are you a Voodoo priest? |
Carlos: Who doesn't own Lamm, etc.? There have been three claims to this. |
Hey Carlos, tell us where to get the cord!!!
The cord ends in soldered connectors and molded in place plugs. If you say you can get it for $10, let us all know...this would then be beginning of the end of Voodoo. |
I can check it out. He doesn't own Lamms or any of the equipment mentioned, nor do these cords cost more than $10 retail in catalog. Bet anyone out there can find these in about 1 hr. They are molded plastic cables.
GTT is hardly a top retailer |
Gjeong: If your Rotel has an IEC outlet, give the cord a try on it instead of the amp. I get a lot more duck for the buck on my front end components and less impact on the amps in regard to power cords. |
After spending too much time researching power cords. I ordered the Absolute Cord figuring $40 wasted wouldn't be too bad. The cord came in 2 days! Hospital grade end looks fine, IEC end kind of cheap. Cord says made in China, well I'm Chinese what can I say....The sound is improved by about 5-10%. I used it on an Audio Analogue Puccini Integrated. $900 bought used for $400. No way am I going to spend $200 on any power cord. Improved drive, more open high end, more detail on female vocals, a bit more midbass impact. I appreciate all the meaningful responses. Bottom line, it will improve a decent system, but no way will 'transform' your system. I have Sonus Faber Speakers. Rotel HDCD CDP. |
Hi Pete: I ordered two of them to upgrade the power cords "on" my Monster HTS2000's and a spare to play around with. I am looking into retrofitting male IEC plugs to the Monsters and will upgrade one to start so that I can do an A/B. I can't handle the sound with my power situation without the Monsters in the system during the day/evening (even playing "I Love LA" doesn't make a dammed bit of difference:-) and require the surge protection as well. You are always a little speedier than I am and I will look forward to your post. I also have a pair of BMI Whales cooking in right now that will be used on the player and DAC, so will be able to give an opinion (one anyway) on how these stack up. |
I'm going to take my Monster HTS2000 out of the system and run these straight into the outlet as the salesman recommended. I can't wait to see how it sounds. I hope for a big improvement. I'm using an Audio Refinement Complete amp and Magnepan MMG speakers. |
I am not bashing persons. The Voodoo cable community is a cult. Period. Its priests' main purpose in life is to make money creating an aura of 'magic'. As Deano said, audio is about creating the illusion of music in one's living quarters. The Voodoo has kept consumers from getting great products at reasonable prices. This is what I mean when I say that Bill has kicked the anthill. Once again, the free market economy has won and benefited the consumer... |
Psychicanimal-Thanks...it was looking grim for a while so I am glad you have spoken. I too am very pleased with the Absolutes. They have made me realize that my system is good enough to stand on its own. This is not about thumbing our noses at the big boy cable manufacturers or non-believers. It is about taking the illusion of music playback to a higher level and to turn our fellow Audiogon members on to a great product. Unfortunately there will always be people who do not believe. But did that come as a surprise? It didn't to me. Hell, I had red flags go up also. But it also took me back to a time long ago (1980?) when the owner of the store I would visit tried his best to convince me how my system would sound better with these fancy interconnects made by Audio Technica. HA! It was the same night he showed me a Sony "Walkman"... another novelty that will die quickly. Or so I thought. So lets all try to keep an open mind when it comes to these forums. That doesn't mean that the non-believers should stay quiet! Hell no! But lets keep it in the context of construction criticism of the component in question instead of bashing the person using it. |
I read Bill's challenge in Audiogon and after seeing his website and the fine brands he carries (I own JMlab speakers). I concluded that either he was a fool or a real well founded marketing strategist. I ordered a cord within a few days and just got it for a power amp I have back home. Bill told me to use it in my CD player (Cambridge D300SE) in the meantime...that I would be surprised. After receiving the cord and observing its construction I phoned Bill again. He told me the science behind its construction. The manufacture(Chinese)accounts for its cost. The feedback? HOLY SHIT!!! Bill has kicked the anthill...the Voodoo cable community is in deep shit. No more chanting, no more pseudomathematical explanations, no more silver...see you next life! |
Gregm: Where do you live? We ship packages to the UK, Italy and Australia on a pretty regular basis (family and friends) and the postage is not that much and some of these are fairly substantial packages. Tip: Don't ship chocolate to Italy for Easter unless the receiving party is intending to use it for fondue. Our average cost is $20-$35. |
Thank you for your kind support, guys. Dekay, Kevin & others, your opinion on these cables would be most welcome. My only excuse for exploiting (let's face it) yr finances is this: I also thought of trying one out, but the shipping cost to Europe (were I live) alone, is $~100 (+the item cost).
Thanks again. |
Gregm--don't let this s*** stop you from tooting your horn next time. Some times its a scam, and some times a guy has really found a great deal or a new sound. More detail would have helped, sure. I spent 6 months tracking little passonate postings about the Talon Audio speakers and after I bought the monitors I watched 6 more months of verbal s*** online about how they couldn't be any good (wrong). Bottom-line, I ordered one of the PCs to try. Thanks for bringing them to my attention. |
