I could have started this on the cables thread.....but....

I am not surprised. There always seems to be something that seems unimportant in the system, but then we find out otherwise!

Glad you solved the problem and have a better system!

I have owned many components throughout my lifetime and career where the component designer chose to use an external power supply, typically preamplifiers. PS Audio, Superphon, Forte, Threshold, Pass Labs, B&K, Classe’, Krell and some others. Sold them all but kept my single chassis units. Always a believer that cables were important but never paid attention to the umbilical cable. Followed Brad and his company for many years and heard some of his umbilical cables in systems, never able to do a side by side comparison. Was going to give up on the Usher, but really enjoyed many characteristics it offered my senses. This umbilical cable by Revelation Audio Labs has taken my listening enjoyment to another level. It is astounding the improvements. I encourage everyone who owns a preamp with an external power supply to contact Brad and consider one of his builds. Dynamics, punch, bloom, detail, frequency extension at both top and bottom, coherence, tonal and timbral enlightenment, larger and deeper soundstage, and for me, the big three. Greater sense of the musicianship, better connection and understanding of the composition and a greater involvement and closeness of the performance. Just hearing more, and from an over-looked cable. More to come. BTW, I am in no way affiliated with Brad or Revelation Audio Labs.....just a very happy customer, and it keeps improving...yes, the cable break-in is very real. My best, MrD.

@mrdecibel The use of an umbilical means that the wiring within must not cause a Voltage drop for the tubes used and it must be bypassed at the preamp end to prevent noise being a problem! If its not bypassed properly, the stray inductance can result in parasitic noise at RF frequencies. So its not a trivial matter.

I was very happy with the RAL umbilicals on my Pass XP-22 and XP-20 Preamps..

Ralph, hope you are well, as always. These have always been ss preamps I am talking about. The tube preamps I have owned and used have always been single chassis units, if this makes a difference to what you are saying. My best, MrD.

@gbmcleod , @jl35, hope all is well, and thank you for your contributions. My best, MrD.

It's a wonder that cable doesn't catch on fire or at least have the outer covering swell with all those electrons not being able to flow at the normal speed of electricity. 

roadcykler

194 posts

04-17-2025 at 12:25am 

It's a wonder that cable doesn't catch on fire or at least have the outer covering swell with all those electrons not being able to flow at the normal speed of electricity. 

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More words of wisdom from a true genius........

Sorry Ozzy62--But he does have a point. How could the FACTORY cord be a bottleneck??

Cheers,

Wow, and not unexpected, doubters of cable differences, jumping in here. The laugh is on you. "Bottleneck"...= anything that delays development or progress. A point of congestion or blockage that leads to inefficiency and delay in a process, system, or supply chain. I have a new preamp, as I never knew what I was missing, and what was hiding within the design. Enjoy! My best, MrD.

The tube preamps I have owned and used have always been single chassis units, if this makes a difference to what you are saying.

@mrdecibel It doesn't. If you don't bypass an umbilical for a solid state circuit you're asking for trouble!!

@mrdecibel 

Glad you are enjoying your preamp. Maybe the factory cable was somehow damaged?

Cheers,

I contacted Brad yesterday morning to build me a umbilical cord between my HD Plex LPS and my Legacy Wavelet II.  He built it immediately yesterday and notified me last night it would ship today. Tha was unexpected service. I have heard nothing but good about his cables. It will replace a Ghent cable I had made.

@grunge1000  I am so sorry you are a non-believer. The factory cable was not damaged, but a "throw in", based on keeping the cost down. I am now assuming every other preamp I have owned with an outboard power supply, without question, would have been "better" if this RAL cable was available. Power cables, imo, make a huge difference in performance, and generally, for the better. Even the connectors used sound different from one another, so system matching, known as synergy, is very important. Interconnects and speaker cables...the same. This cable by Brad, has been the most significant upgrade, more so than many other upgrades I have made, in a very long time. Seriously! I wish you my best, MrD. @fthompson251, Brad was a delight throughout the process, and it went great from the beginning, and fast, although not in one day, as you. You will not be disappointed. My cable is still breaking in, as everything is smoothing out, has become more liquid, with a greater sense of ease and flow, to each musical note. Oh, and the dynamics! Your system/room looks wonderful, and I believe, you will have the same reaction I am having. BTW, I too have been using those "portable door stoppers" as damping weights, and they do a great job. Let us know your experience with Brad's Revelation Audio Labs cable. My best, MrD.

@mrdecibel,

I am glad you see an uptick in performance.

Happy Listening,

Some miraculous breaking in of the RAL cable going on the last 12 hours. Brad states his cables can take 250-300 hrs. to fully break in.....I have always believed in cable/equipment break in, but this is a preamp that is truly, now, showing what it is capable of. My best, MrD.

Ralph, what do you mean by " if you don’t bypass an umbilical? The cable is directional, and reading Brad’s material talks about grounding at one end (source), and not the other (component). The power cables I have built, I do this the same way. My best, MrD.

There has never to my knowlege been any sound quality issues with RAL cables.

I own a RAL umbilical for my MF Titan power amp, It's excellent.

You should be careful handling them because they are solid silver and cryoed and can break if you twist them aggressively.

If Brad is back in customer support mode I'll order a pre-amp umbilical soon.

@lordmelton Brad has been extremely professional with me during my cable design/purchase process. In my case, the cable is "set and forget", meaning it suspends from the preamp chassis down about a meter to the power supply, and all is well. Your preamp (very nice, btw) will give you more of everything it is giving you now, with the RAL cable by Brad.... I have no doubt, and you already know with your MF Titan. I do not mean to sound like a salesman for Brad and RAL, but I am truly "blown away" by the SQ improvements by this one cable. My system has morphed into another dimension of blissful enjoyment............Brad will certainly obtain more of my business in the future. Happy listening....always, my best! MrD.