Cullen or Triode Wire Labs power cord?


Am about to pull the trigger but have some last minute doubt between:

— Cullen Cables Crossover II $379
— Triode Wire Labs The Obsession $1,399

Am curious whether Triode is worth 3.5 times the money.

Would love to hear your (indirect) experience with these cables.
robert1976

Presently in use in my main rig is TWL 8+ and 10+, and 3 Signal digital references.

Also have a Cullen Crossover and Signal magic.

Didn’t really care for the Signal magic and the Cullen was very good but a little bass heavy for my application on my then Had Inspire.

The TWL’s add a little warmth to the presentation, but if you’re looking for neutrality the Signal digital reference is the best choice. The problem with them is they’re stiff as a dead frozen snake.

No experience with the Obsession.

 

I have a TWL Obsession and a Digital American for my transport and Dac.A Cullen Crossover all on my ss amp.ZenWave psr on the tube amp,Audio Envy on the pre.I don't like the TWL cords on the amps and pre but the noise filtering they do make them perfect for digital components to me.The Cullen is very good, I don't think you could go wrong with that choice. A good solid powerful sound no matter what component I tried it on.

I'm using the TWL power cables throughout my system plus two power conditioners from PI Audio. It made a huge difference.

Pete is a great guy. I would email him and tell him what you are trying to power. I would also mention you are considering 'The Obsession'. He'll make a recommendation to you on which of his cables will best suit your gear. Even his cables on the low of of the price scale are fantastic.

 

 

System completely Cullen Crossover ll in conjunction with Decware ZLC power conditioner which is powered with Cullen Crossover ll. Can I say it's the best possible, no. Is it quite good, yes. The Decware works in conjunction with the cables making all things much better. Quieter background, more dynamic and better attack.

@zavato 

Now having the AQ Niagara 1200 power conditioner, I find myself wondering if that makes PCs after a certain level practically the same. If only one could go back in time and backwards engineer things to see.

All the best,
Nonoise

@nonoise 

I have Cullen Crossover cables all over my system and find the cable to be quite good 

 

I have both the Cullen Crossovers and TWL "Obsession". I found the Crossover to be wonderful, a real bargain. Then I tried the TWL Seven Plus and was wowed. Over the years I traded up to four Obsessions to handle the line conditioner, preamp, dac and transport. I still use the crossovers for my subs; I doubt more expensive cords could serve them better, and may actually degrade performance. 

TWL almost always uses PI Audio Group's Line conditioner. I use it as well. It cuts noise and adds slam. It is a bargain! I also use PI's "Mongo" power cord for my amp, which just works better than the others in that spot. 

Patrick Cullen and Pete G. are both great guys and pleasures to do business with.

I suspect that the cheapest TWL will sound better than the Cullen, but it's more money and very dependent on what equipment it is used with and system synergy. Should you want to sell your cord later, TWL holds it value well. 

BTW, I just put graphene on almost all my contacts. And WOW! THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK! It is eliminates the micro-arcing at contact points. But be careful. Graphene can migrate and create a short. 

I have owned Cullen. They're good, but..
I suggest you look into Underwood HiFi PCs
Don't forget about LessLoss C-Marc. I may be picking up 1 or 2 of those cables today. Would love to see a Presidents Day sale.
I used both brands and both cables you mentioned in my system before. As thyname said, TWL Obsession and Cullen Crossover II are not in the same price range so it’s not really an apple to apple comparison. I personally prefer TWL power cords and I’d suggest you to give their 7 Plus or Digital American HP a try. These 2 power cords sound good to my ears and they’re in the $400 price range (used). 
You picked two power cords that are way far in price 😂

As the others have said, Triode Wire Labs have other power cords in the line up that are cheaper. You cannot possibly go wrong with either one of them.

Another suggestion is Shunyata Venom NR v10 or v12
I use the cheapest Triode model and they work fine.  The 12 plus & Ten plus.  They are 10 years old & have never moved since plugged in.
I like and build. 
Editorial:  I would rather fly to Hawaii for the $1399 he is asking for the Obsession model. But maybe it would be worth it to you.
Cables are so unique to every person and system you really need to take advantage of their respective trial periods to make the right decision.  Honestly, you’d be foolish to decide any other way IMHO.  To confuse the situation further, PCs from Audio Envy, Raven Audio, and Core Power Technologies (Underwood HiFi) would also be on my radar.  I’d read reviews on them all and demo the two or three that seem to offer the sound/performance characteristics you’re most looking for.  Just my $0.02, and best of luck. 
I have the TWL Digital American Series PCs for my integrated and SACD player. At the time of purchase, Cullen Cables didn't have the Crossover series and the most expensive cable line he had was about half the price of the TWL. I had that PC before getting the TWL. 

The TWL were better than the Cullen Cable PC I had but I always wondered if the Crossover would have been good enough after they came out. The differences were there but they weren't huge and I think the Crossover would have narrowed the gap, if not equal it. 

I still use the Cullen Cable PC for my Niagara 1200 with the TWL PCs still doing duty for the integrated and SACD player plugged into the Niagara and it all sounds great. There is no downside to this present set up. In fact, it's never sounded better.

I'd try the Cullen first and then go from there. Saving a thousand bucks is something to consider. If you really want to go with  TWL, you can't go wrong with the Digital American series.

All the best,
Nonoise
Maybe you should try one of the Triode Wire Labs 10 plus cables at the same price point as the Cullen to be fair.
I think so, yes. Need to check if it’s valid for custom sizes too, or whether they want to send me trail samples first.