For what it is worth as a contribution to this thread i just purchased a Pangea 14SE MKII for my Schiit Freya once it arrives...
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I can only say I've reterminated a number of AC-14s using Furutech AC/IEC connects and think it's well worth the (considerable) effort in terms of improved sonics. Bear in mind that there are approx. 160 individual wires to deal with inside these cables and most are very thin requiring a steady hand with the wire stripper or whatever you use to remove what's covering the wire bundles. And don't even think about it if you haven't built power cords before. |
I am considering replacing the NONE detachable power cord to my 58 inch JVC TV.This would require cutting into the cord a few inches from the chassis and either placing a male IEC plug or splicing the wires using a "sleeve". Does anyone have any advice or an opinion on the merit of doing this.I would be using the Pangea Audio AC-14 power cable. |
I use them in my video system, they are a great value and will put a lot of the mom and pop stuff to shame, you can add this big names also. Like any power cord system depended. But for the asking price it's win win to try them. They take a month or so to burn-in but when they do they are quite good and for the money a steal. |
Has anyone compared the PS Audio AC-12 to the Pangea AC-9? Shouldn't the PS Audio AC-12 be superior with PCOCC oppose to the Pangea AC-9 with OFC? Is PCOCC-A the best kind of metal conductor for audio? I don't know how their cable shielding compare to each other. I know the Pangea AC-14SE has one PCOCC conductor with a mix of OFC conductors. I wish they can make an all PCOCC 8-9 gauge cable but that would probably be too expensive. |
Well I have decided to further break in the Pangea AC-9 on the power strip that the transport and dac are plugged into before eventually trying it again on the power amp. After two days I am really liking what I am hearing; in addition to an increase in deep bass the soundstage is now larger with more depth and body. I am going to order another AC-9 to put on the preamp. |
UPDATE! See my previous review on 4-15-10... Ok, previously I had not liked the AC-9 pangea on my power amp. Subsequently, I got a PS Audio Power Plant Premier, and the sound went in the wrong direction. The soundstage was congested, fatiguing, and not as dynamic as I had previously experienced. But I let everything burn in for at least a month before I decided to try another AC-9. I let the AC-9 burn in for about a month in my system. After extensive listening, it is better in this setup (with the PPP) then the AC-14. MUCH BETTER. Also, I bought one of the new AC-14SE to try on my pre-amp in place of the Signal Cable Silver Resolution cable. I liked the transparency of the Signal Cable and kept it in place after trying the AC-14SE for about a month. However, I put the AC-14SE on my Denon 5910, in place of the standard AC-14, and the sound got markedly better. So this suggests to me that the AC-14SE may be better for digital sources instead of the AC-14. The AC-14SE DOES need some burn in, however. I also bought both an AC-14 c7 and AC-14SE c7 to try on my phono pre-amp power brick, and the regular AC-14 was the marked winner here. The sound was more open and tone was more engaging. Anyway, I have even better sound than I had previously. Loving it! |
I was using PS Audio Plus SC cables exclusively in my stereo. I purchased Pangea AC-14 cables for my home theater's Pioneer Elite SC-25 receiver and KRP-500M plasma and was very impressed with their build quality so I decided to try the Pangea cables in my stereo. I purchased AC-9's to feed my PS Audio Duet and amp, and AC-14's for my preamp and disc player. I noticed no difference between the PS Audio cables and the Pangea. (I had previously noted a huge difference going from stock to the PS Audio.) I sold the PS Audio cables here on Audiogon. The sale of one of which funded the Pangea cable purchase; the sale of the rest bought me a Grado PH-1 phono preamp. I have never regretted the switch. I plan to introduce other Pangea cables as they are introduced. |
I got an AC-14 SE and an AC-9 last week. Upon opening the AC-9 box I was taken aback by the size and unwieldiness of this monster. Originally I was planning to use the AC-9 with my integrated amp, but the diameter (1") and bend radius are so big I plugged it into my bass amp instead and forgot about it for a bit. Normally I use a 12-gauge Monarchy Audio power cable on the bass amp, so the Pangea wasn't going to have an easy time justifying itself, and my current power cord on the integrated amp is a PS Audio Prelude (10 ga.). A couple days later I plugged in my bass guitar and gave it a test run. What I heard was an unexpected smoothness and organic naturalness to the tone. Sure, there was good bass fullness as one would expect from a 9-gauge feed, but it was the refinement that hooked me. Still, it's an awfully unwieldy cord to gig with. If I send it back, it'll purely be for mechanical issues, not sonic. Right now I have the AC-14 SE plugged into an Oppo DV-980H, which I use for CDs and SACDs. At $45 for a 1.5 that one's a no-brainer. Very sweet, detailed, refined. Digital never sounded so organic in my house. *** 15-minute break *** I just wrangled (and I mean *wrangled*!) the AC-9 onto my integrated amp and am playing a variety of music I just played this morning. Wow! This is a good power cord! It is *very* smooth, but not at the expense of transients and dynamics. The sound is richer and more organic, like what I heard on the bass amp, but obviously able to handle and delineate the much more complex waveforms of recorded music. If you can live with the weight and stiffness, the AC-9 is ridiculously good at its price. My amp is an Onkyo A-9555 switching amp, and this cord makes it sound its organic best. If you're thinking of getting the 1.5M like I did, spend the extra few bucks for 2M because the big bend radius takes up a lot of the length going around corners. |
I've pulled all the Pangea's and the Exact Power 15A's out of my system for now and am using all stock cords. The EP 15A's were choking the life out of my amps and I want to go with stock cords until the GIK 242's and 244's panels I've ordered arrive. I took an AC-9 to a friends and put it on his CD-7 in his all ARC system, he liked it enough to buy it!!! |
I purchased two AC-9's in late March for use with my Tad 1000 monos and I immediately noticed a difference between them and the stock PC. Like one of the posters commented the bass seemed a little bloated at first but settled down after break in. Up until last night I was still using the stock PC with my Tad-150 and just for the heck of it I swapped it out with one of the AC-9 and definitely heard an improvement in all areas right from the outset, So at least with my gear the Pre seemed to benefit from a better power cord than did the monos. I've recently added the Tdac to my system and I'm now curious how much of a difference it will make (if any) over the Iron lung stock cord Paul provides with the dac. I'll report back with my findings |
I purchased two AC-9's in late March for use with my Tad 1000 monos and I immediately noticed a difference between them and the stock PC. Like one of the posters commented the bass seemed a little bloated at first but settled down after break in. Up until last night I was still using the stock PC with my Tad-150 and just for the heck of it I swapped it out with one of the AC-9 and definitely heard an improvement in all areas right from the outset, So at least with my gear the Pre seemed to benefit from a better power cord than did the monos. I've recently added the Tdac to my system and I'm now curious how much of a difference it will make (if any) over the Iron lung stock cord Paul provides with the dac. I'll report back with my findings |
One week ago I put six AC-9's into my system, one to each Exact Power 15A, two to each Joule VZN-160. I'm headed towards installing dedicated lines and didn't want to spend a lot on P/C's at this time, thus the AC-9's. They created a very large energized sound that seemed a little forward for the sound I like. I think the AC-9's added increase in energy emphasized the faults in my room not some inherent cord problem and after dealing with some of the issues on the front wall the sound became closer to what I wanted. The Joule amps are very adjustable and after a little tweaking the sound was back to what i like with a bigger deeper soundstage and better 3D imaging It will be interesting to hear what happens when the cords settle in!! |
Not getting into much else, as I have my own biases as an "industry guy" (www.massivemastering.com if you're bored), I have to at least say that these are some very good quality cables at a very reasonable price. |
Philly-those are all very good points, and please let us know what you think of the 14SE. BTW I broke my cords in on my refrigerator for a week and a half before plugging them into my system. I found two 3 prong/IEC adaptors cheap from an electronics supplier online. I ran two cords at once in daisy chain formation on my fridge and the results have been very positive indeed. |
All power cords are system depended and for that matter any cable regardless of cost. You can read this thread of people who tried the same Pangea AC 9 and both had different results. This is normal for any cable regardless of cost. Though I should add some gear when you insert a new power cord can take time to adapt to it. So those who say it's too dark and slow might just need to run it for a month and see if things improve, you just never know, I have learned the hard way. If you purchased the cord and finding it dark let it run for awhile. I purchased those cords to try and I am finding that open, light sounding thus far. I am putting them on my TV system and sub to burn in for a month and see what I think then. But I am not finding them dark, only when I first inserted them, fat bass, lack of detail and openness, now it sound the exact opposite, so go figure. My guess that they settle in somewhere between the two extremes. I think for the money they cannot be beat and worth a try, what you may find out they one power cord may work wonders in your system when used with your current power cords. Mix and matching sometimes brings the best results. Only cable I have owned and still own that seems to work well with all gear is Lessloss and I think that power cord is very special out of all the power cords I have owned over many years. You insert that cord and you just never feel the need to what to replace it. The Pengea will be great for my TV/Audio system though and that is why I purchased it. I just ordered the 14SE due to only having the AC-9 on hand. I will mix and match them on the video system and then try them on my preamp and CD player just to see what they do to my system once the two LessLoss are pulled. The cables Pengea are well made though I must say. |
"The Pangea AC9 was too dark sounding and obscured details on each component i tried it on" Funny, I found the opposite to be true in my system. I switched out a Morrow MAP2 (which I hold in high regard)for the AC9 in my Bryston 4B-ST and my system opened up. The mid range fleshed out and the soundstage became wider and deeper. I am hearing details in familiar pieces that I have never heard before. I added another one in CAL Sigma DAC and the whole system is singing as never before. I just ordered another one for my NAD integrated in my secondary system. |
I've been testing the following power cords that I just purchased: Pangea AC14 Pangea AC9 Signal Cable Silver Resolution Power Cord Signal Cable MagicPower Cord I'm testing them along with an older Audioquest NRG-2 I have. My gear is the following: Mcintosh C2200 Tube Preamp Denon 5910 CI digital player Mcintosh MC202 200 watt stereo power amp Speaker cables are Morrow SP4 Reference BiWires JBL Northridge E90 Floorstanders ( a cheap speaker from a few years back that does nothing wrong and just about everything right to my ears-very musical and surprisingly not outclassed by the other gear, although i will eventually step up to something that i find with more transparency and depth) First, I NEVER expected power cords to make such a HUGE difference to the sound. The music changed in marked ways, but there were 4 basic categories that I put the cables in. 1) Stock power cable quality-Lack of depth to the soundstage and an overall flat sound, in that the music wasn't involving These were the OEM power cables and the Audioquest NRG2, which i found to be nothing more than a well made standard cable. It didn't change the presentation much from my stock power cables 2)Heavy Handed and dark dynamics First and foremost the Pangea AC9, and to a lesser extent the Signal Cable MagicPower cord. 3)Mid Range and dynamic presentation This would be the Pangea AC14 4)Transparent Depth This would be the Signal Cable Silver REsolution power cord. The two favorites of my shootout were the Pangea AC14 and Signal Cable Silver Resolution. The former emphasized soundstage, black backgrounds, dynamics, and midrange. I've never heard guitars sound as good. The latter gave more emphasis to the higher frequencies, the sparkle, if you will, and allowed me to hear deeper into the soundstage to hear more of the details of cymbals, hi-hats, and, yes, even cowbell and the panning of it in the mix (I was listening to tracks from Cheap Trick "In Color" for awhile) The Pangea AC9 was too dark sounding and obscured details on each component i tried it on. I was surprised to hear the Pangea AC14 sounding far superior on the power amp, as it's suggested for other line level components. The Signal CAble MagicPower cord was similar, but not as dark or dynamic. More neutral than the AC9, but still less than neutral to my ears. I ended up with the following setup: Pangea AC14's on my Denon 5910ci and McIntosh MC202, and the Signal Cable Silver Resolution on the Mcintosh C2200 PreAmp. That was the formula for the best music my system has ever made. The bass guitar sounds as if it's in the room and electric guitars the same. The sound came to life. I tried reversing the AC14 and Silver Resolution on the Denon and McIntosh preamp, but that didn't give the dynamics of live music to me. It's worth noting that i didn't like AC14's on everything at the same time. It was too warm, and not transparent enough. It is a sound one could get used to. It is involving, but I needed to find a little more depth to the soundstage, which i found by adding in the Silver Resolution in the preamp spot. It's also worth noting that the Silver Resolution cables were too revealing by themselves. It was as if the treble knob was turned up too high. I wouldn't be able to use it, if I didn't have the AC14's at the cd player and power amp. For what's it's worth, I'm also using Signal Cable Silver Resolution XLR's between the preamp and power amp. I tried these out before messing around with power cables and found them more transparent and better sounding than my bettercables.com silver serpent XLR"s. I didn't know what improvements I was looking for when i started my comparison, because i didn't know what was possible. In summary, I'd say my ultimate satisfaction came with the enjoyment that my system sounds more like live music, with increased clarity, separation between instruments and sounds (what I'd call a larger soundstage), and wonderful dynamics. I've never enjoyed listening to my system as much as i do this week. Cheers |
Mrtennis, You raise some good thoughts about these cables and the system and a persons own synergy issues. I pretty much agree with you about the AC9 being even handed in frequency. I would speculate that these are trult a bargain for those that can match them with their systems. Ciao, Audioquest4life |
i bought the 14 and 9 gauage versions. i preferred the 9 gauge because of the frequency response. it is fairly well balanced and provides bass impact and extension which seems that nothing is missing. at times, depeneding upon the cd, the sound can be aggressive at spl's exceeding 82 db. also i tried the 9 gauage on the amp. i did not like it. i found more treble emphasis than the referenece cable i use, which is ear to ear. it seems to work better with some dacs, transports and cd players, and maybe a ss preamp. |
I have been experimenting with the AC9 and AC14 since last week and though my systems sounds great with the stock cords, I am impressed by somewhat more of a relaxed but detailed and quiet listening sessions. This is equating to more detail. I think the AC9 sounds better on my Aesthetix IO Signature than the AC14 or my stock. In regards to comparing the AC14 to stock, well it seems like a toss up. The AC9 did make a noticable perceived difference in sound. My system is already pretty good at resolving high resolution so therefore I have not up until this point been happy with any high end cables for the IO. Something I was really not expecting since I have experimented with other cables for the Aesthetix. These cables are not broken in; if there is such a thing. I will try the AC9's for a couple weeks and switch back to stock to see if I can shocked by the difference. Right now, it seems to me as if the music is a little more refined and open. The same thing happened when I swapped in a $35K preamp, but it was not worth the price jump to get that "MUCH" better performance. It may be reasonable to assume that their is good synergy with these cables and my system, an all tube one at that. Time will tell. I am liking what I am hearing, so that tells me that I have not lost anything in perceieved sound quality and the music is doing what it always has, I am listening to my reference stuff this weekend to let the cables get more burn-in time and then listen for comparisons. Ciao, Audioquest4life |
I'm sure you can still get away using a AC-14 with great results. Go ahead and compare (a/b) using your existing ac-14 to a stock power cable on the plasma. It's not like the ac-14 is too small to handle to the load, it's just that the AC-9 can handle anything you hook it up to, it's designed for heavy duty items and it's cheap but the thing is ghastly & large. They have a 30 day test period refund through AA. |
I am certainly interested in these Pangea power cables. They appear to be well-built and are very affordable. The funny thing is that the AC-9 cord (designed for amps) is much, much thicker than the AC-14 (designed for sources). Given that my Headamp Gilmore Lite + DPS is a rather small amp, I wonder if the AC-9 is overkill? As best I can tell, I am using a 14 gauge cheapo Volex (the lesser 'made in China' variety) and it appears to be about as thick as the placement of my DPS can handle. Would the 14 gauge AC-14 source cord be a big enough improvement in my case? I know that the GLite supplies a high current and that the AC-9 is geared towards high-current gear, but I am starting to think that they are referring exclusively to full-size, high-power-consumption amps and receivers for speaker setups. __________________ |
The Pangea AC-9 is the real deal. It's inexpensive an will offer an incredible performance improvement against any low cost power cord you're using right now. I ordered one and placed it on my tube amp and the improvement was immediate. More dynamic with sweet highs and a nice round bass with clear lines to it. I'm buying a second one this week if that tells you something. |
I just received the 1.5m AC-9, purchased from AA, arrived very quickly and came in it's own box. It was heavy, over 3lbs! And this thing is huge, even a porn star would agree. It makes my Hovland AC cord pale in size. I felt I needed a heavy gauge power cord as my integrated is rated 250w @8ohm and 400w@4ohm. I had a Mac 3' HC Sound Pipe that sounded thin and closed in, the heavy gauge stock cord sounds much better. Very inexpensive for size and quality (ac-9). It looks well made and comes with a braided blue cover and it's own proprietary plugs which in itself are huge, bigger than the typical high end audio ac hospital plugs. Unfortunately it's too big for my set-up, you will need a minimum of 7" of clearance from the rear of unit to the back wall in order to make room for it to bend. I will have to say that it's pretty flexible for the size/diameter but still will not fit in tight or medium spots. I have it connected to my plasma so when it's broken in and have some time, I'll pull the MF A5.5 integrated out of it's spot and do an A/B test with it's current cord. I may go ahead and order a AC-14 to see if it will fit and compare the three cords. I wished it would fit. I will say that if your thinking about getting one, make sure you order the shortest length as the extra unused length can be hard to manage and takes up lots of space but keep in mind accounting length for large radius bends compared to a thinner stock cord. |
Love these cords. Changed over my whole system- integrated amp, CD, tuner, phono pre, turntable. Spent less on these 5 cords then what I sold one Cardas power cord for. And I absolutely feel I have given up nothing except the pretense. My search over the last year was to go lower cost & higher quality. Did away with an some CJ Premier gear (not cirrent, but 'last generation'), a Meridian 508.24 (as wonderful as it is, I find a current Rega CD spinner more enjoyable), various cabling including the aforementioned Cardas cord, cashed out many, many thousands and have in fact gotten a BETTER system. The Pangea cords were a key piece to this puzzle |
An audio friend gave me an enthusiastic recommendation about the Pangea power cords and had me over to hear an A/B comparison with the excellent cord both he and I have been using. This cord was made using 12 AWG cryogenically treated CryoMax III cable combined with high-end Furutech connectors. It had emerged as a clear winner in comparisons we've made to mid-priced cords by Mapleshade, Shunyata, PS Audio, Absolute and several other companies. Switching cables on the CD player, there was no doubt we preferred the Pangea. Same thing when switching the cord on a preamp. I was so impressed I went home and ordered 5 of them, two of the big AC-9s for my monoblock amps, and the smaller AC-14s for everything else. The cumulative effect they produce in my system is pronounced: they change the whole ambiance, creating a bigger, warmer sound with stronger bass, without reducing transparency. Since my overall system produces a highly transparent and detailed sound, the Pangeas helped take it to that sweet spot where richness and transparency are in balance. At the risk of sounding like a dealer, my inclination is to want to spread the word that these cords are a price/performance breakthrough. But a word of caution. How these cords work may well be system dependent. If your system has an overall warm sound and you're seeking more dynamism and brilliance, the Pangeas may not be for you. But what the heck, they're cheap (for now) and there's a money back guarantee. |
What power cord did you find worked best on your Denon 5910 dvd player?BuyFast1, Because each diff cords get slightly diff results, I switch/play/mix/match with them around. Cords and cables don't stay at 1 place in my system... |
I've been having the AC14 about 2 weeks now. It came with a clear zip lock bag with a piece of print out exactly like one those Cardas. Its looks, feel, and sized are similiar to one of the (entry level) AudioQuest. The prongs are very well made, well machined, smooth with full of "gold" coating; they snug in nicely every plugs. Because it needs break-in, and I was in testing something else more valueable in my system, I did not seriously pay much attention to it. Yet, I still gave it a quick "walk-thru" (1 or 2 days) in my system from Denon DVD-5910, Jeff Rowland Capri Pre, to Jeff Rowland D-class amp model 102. So how does it sound? Of course, it won't sound like Nordost Vahalla or any of Cardas. I'd say it may sound (very) close to 1 of the entry level PS Audio and AudioQuest. Smooth and neutral, easy to the ears. Other may say flat, and that's right, it doesn't have the punchiness (dynamic) like Custom Power Cord Company, model 11 or the high end sound of PS Audio AC-5. With their intro price,I regret not adding the AC9 to my collection. THus,it is absolutely worth more than $39+S&H. $8.75 to ship 1 cord, or $10.27 to combine 2 cords. Anything above $200 is free shipping. Expect the delay of 1 week to 10 days back order from Audio Advisor. Hope that helps. |
I wondered about them too, so I ordered the 14 gauge model to try on my Jolida CDP. It seems to be well-made and flexible. On a whim, I decided to try it on my Sony HDTV, since it only accepts the small plug size of the Pangea. I've noticed a subtle improvement in terms of definition and depth of color. In fact, I haven't even tried it on the CDP. I may order another one to try on that application. My conclusion is that with the AA 30-day return policy, it's a no-brainer to try one. |