PC: KS Elation, Elrod or Stealth?

Newly, Last year I replaced 5 of my Elrod Statement power cords with the new Elrod Statement Golds and was shocked at the phenomenal improvement. For detailed observations, see my review "Elrod Statement Gold PC compared to the old Statement":
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?fcabl&1243482931&openmine&zzPuremusic&4&5#Puremusic

if powercords change the things such a magnitude that you describe, it means something quite wrong with your setups!

Mert, The components Newly listed in his system are highly resolving as are those in my system (listed in the link above). Generally, the sonic differences between power cords is made more obvious in highly resolving systems.

Also, AC power is usually very contaminated by the appliances and switching devices in your home (and your neighbors' homes). Dedicated lines may reduce the ill effects but can't eliminate them. AC conditioners and filters help to further reduce the noise. Same is true for appropriately designed power cords such as the Elrod Statement Golds. In my case, the Golds reduced the AC noise significantly over and above what my AC re-generator was able to accomplish. Consequently, the signal to noise ratio was increased and all the glorious sonic benefits outlined in my review followed.

If result is a jaw dropping, or night or day, hell or paradise, then, it means something wrong(not matched) particular electronics.

Mert, Among other things, it could *also* mean that the specific technology designed into the power cord to reduce EM/RFI noise is working *very* effectively.

Besides your previous post's suspicion about the owner's ears, you are insisting that mismatch is the only explanation for large sonic differences that power cords can make. Perhaps there is a semantic issue here in what you mean by mismatch.....what you would include under that term. According to what you mean by mismatch, would you agree that it's also possible to have a "mismatch" between the contaminated AC and the electronic components? If you agree that such mismatch is possible, then would you agree that it's possible to significantly improve this mismatch by reducing that contaminating noise sufficiently?

Correction to a typo in my first post above: I have 3 Golds not 5.

Mert, In your first post, you wrote:

if powercords change the things such a magnitude that you describe, it means something quite wrong with your setups!

However, in your second post, you stated that on your dCS Puccini you were happy with 2 power cords, but some other power cords were "so so", "No Chance", or "No Way".

For instance, let's take dCS as example: I could use Elrod and Purist 25th Anniversary happily, Kubala Sosna Emotion so so, Shunyata Helix Anaconda No Chance, Nordost Valhalla only 5 minutes, Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC-7100 Mosquito sound,..........No Way!

In my book, there is a big difference between being happy and "No Chance". Am I interpreting your words correctly to mean that you are now agreeing that power cords can make a big difference? Or, if you are still standing by your first post, then according to it, are you saying that something is quite wrong with your setup?

Based on my experience with some very fine components, I agree with you that "if setup is good, it will be ''good'' with stock powercords." However, for my personal taste and my highly resolving system, "good" isn't good enough. Actually, my Boulder 2060 amp sounded better than good with its stock power cord. But the Elrod EPS 3 Sig added more fullness, power, and better flow. I agree with you that the EPS 3 is a fine PC. But it gave me only a taste of what the Elrod Statement gave me on the Boulder. And when I added the Elrod Statement Gold to the Boulder 2060, I got a shockingly pleasant surprise: incredible cleanliness and clarity, rich organic fullness and coherence, pinpoint imaging in a vast 3 dimensional space, nuance and delicacy, richer harmonic texture, and jaw dropping fluidity. The added sonic value was well worth the cost of the Gold. I had similar experiences when I added 2 more Golds for my APL Hi-Fi NWO 4.0SE CD player and the Pure Power 2000 re-generator. That does not mean that the old Statement is not a good PC. It's an excellent PC. Amongst the PCs I was exposed to, it's the best at it's price point. But the Statement Gold removes another layer of noise from the AC juice, increases the signal to noise ratio, and allows the audio system to reveal more fully what it is capable of. It's in a higher league.

I agree with Mert. If powercords change your sound so much, you either have a problem with your system or the powercords act as equalizers somehow...

Argyro,

It seems to me that you agree with Mert's first post but not his secord post. In his second post, he stated that on his dCS Puccini he was happy with some power cords but some other power cords were "so so", "No Chance", or "No Way". Apparently, he noticed that power cords can make a big difference.

Given the high quality of his components, it doesn't appear that something is wrong with his system. The same can be said about the components in your system and mine. So, a big difference must be in the kind and quality of electricity the power cord delivers to the component. As a conduit for the flow of electrons, the power cord could degrade or enhance that quality. One way of enhancing the quality of AC is to reduce the noise that rides on the AC stream. Generally, the more noise you reduce, the greater the signal to noise ratio; resulting in clearer and more resolving sonic presentation. The improvement can be as startling as seeing the difference between a VHS and High Definition video.

I strongly prefer harmonic textures that are not contaminated with EMI/RFI noise. Fortunately, some power cord manufacturers, like David Elrod, are incorporating more effective noise-reducing technology into their designs. There is nothing more convincing than hearing first hand how great of an effect EMI/RFI have on your audio system. I am not affiliated with the Elrod company. I found the Elrod Statement Gold to be one of two outstanding power cords that were head and shoulders above all others I heard. The other outstanding cord was the Nordost Odin, which was 2 to 3 times more expensive than the Statement Gold.

Mert,

Congratulations on recognizing that every aspect of the electrical system can influence the sonic presentation. You obviously have an open mind and are willing to experiment. I've been chasing the electrical culprits for the past two decades. Having dedicated lines is not enough. I've worked with my dealer (Rainwater Audio, 843-665-6113) on a number of other improvements. I use the Oyaide R1 wall outlet with the WPZ wall plate and filters (parallel and peizzo electric). I also have the Oyaide R1 outlets on my Pure Power 2000 re-generator. Pure Power puts out a constant 120V/60Hz stream and does not limit the current. Experiments have shown that the AC current converted out of its battery is actually greater than what comes out of the wall. Dampening the vibrations of the electrical system (in the circuit box, at the wall, and on the PCs) further improves the sonics.

And yet, with all of these upgrades, the Elrod Statement Gold power cords made a big difference in my system on every component. How can this be??? 1) RFI originating outside and inside the house is in the air and gets into power cords that are not sufficiently protected from this noise. 2) The components can generate RFI/EMI and pass it on to other components. 3) Some appliances generate noise which gets to the audio components. With a little bit of work, it's not difficult to verify these observations about the effect of RFI/EMI on the electrical system (as well as on interconnects and speaker cables).

For me, the audio forums have been a valuable source of information contributed by audiophiles and a platform for sharing my observations. Thank you for sharing your observations.

they act as equalizers

Argyro,

What is *wrong* with even the super high-end audio systems is the contaminated AC and an atmosphere full of RFI. And the high-end market is full of products, including conditioners and special power cords, that are aimed at solving those problems at every link in the chain from the circuit box to the speakers.

Also, usually the word "equalizer" refers to a devise in the audio signal path. So, your conjecture/belief about power cords would be more appropriate for interconnects and speaker cables. Since the audio signal path does not go through the power cords, the cords cannot act *directly* on the audio signal. However, some power cords, like the Elrod Statement Gold, are designed to reduce noise on the AC stream. The lower noise floor then allows the components to reveal what was masked by the noise. Therefore, power cords can *indirectly* affect the sonic presentation. Perhaps, you are using the word "equalizer" in a very loose sense to include anything that affects the sound, directly or indirectly. Since barometric pressure, temperature and humidity affect sound, would you call these equalizers? To avoid uninteresting semantics, I prefer the more traditional use of "equalizer".

The goal of every change that I make to my audio system is to increase realism. In the last 4 decades, I attended well over 600 live classical concerts and I'm familiar with how the different instruments can sound. That experience has been most helpful for the evolution of my audio system. In my system, the Elrod Statement Gold power cords significantly increased the sonic realism and my enjoyment. For me, that is an excellent bottom line.

I will cut the chase short: Powercords must be last thing you may deal as long as you setup a system.......before reducing EM/RFI, we need to match electronics and speaker, then interconnects, speaker cables........the voltage must come before the contaminated AC.

Mert, I totally agree with all these statements. In the last 18 months I completely upgraded my system. I first changed my amp and speakers. The Boulder 2060 amp replaced the Jadis JA80 mono blocks. And the Wilson Maxx2 replaced the Watt/Puppy/WHOW. I have heard the Maxx2/Boulder 2060 combination in 3 different rooms. It's an excellent combo. Next, I had my APL HiFi NWO-2.5T digital upgraded to the NWO-3.0SE (20DACs per channel, tube output stage,etc.). Then I upgraded my Kubala-Sosna Emotion interconnects and speaker cables to the Kubala-Sosna Elation series and replaced my Sound Application RLS AC conditioner with the Pure Power 2000 re-generator. The Pure Power puts out a constant 120 volts with a very pure 60Hz sine wave. All my components performed better through Pure Power than going directly to the wall. Next, I replaced the Elrod Statement power cords with his Statement Gold and was shocked how my excellent sounding system was transformed into a phenomenal one. Then I replaced my Critical Mass Systems (CMS) Grand Master Black label platforms to the CMS QXK racks. Next, I installed the Nordost QX4 in the system and upgraded my NWO again to 4.0SE version. With the new system complete, I retested my choices and configuration to see if the recent changes affected my previous choices. Finally, I tweaked the system with a few tweaks. It's been an educational experience. Information exchanges on the audio forums has been helpful. Good luck with your sonic adventures.

Jfz,

Although there is some overlap between the sonic benefits of signal carrying components and the non-signal carrying ones, it's like comparing apples with oranges. So, the way I try to compare them is to ask "Is the degree of improvement resulting from the new power cord on the order of a component upgrade or a tweak?" In the case of the Statement Gold, the enhancement is definitely on the level of a component. Its cost is also on the level of a component, not a tweak.