purist vs. concierto vs. elrod vs dcca power cable

I'm pretty happy with the Purist Audio Dominus power cord. I use it on my amp. I have not heard the others you mentioned so I can't make any comparisons, but the PAD does exhibit the traits you desire, and it will lower the noise floor.

I use an Elrod EPS2 Sig from Hydra to PS Audio Ultimate Outlet, snd then an Elrod Statement from UO to wall. Sounds great. I have used Elrod cords for years. They are full-bodied without removing too much detail. I have tried PAD cords as well but I found them too recessed.

Neal

warmth and detail is a contradiction. detail implies low coloration. warmth implies attenuation in the treble and a "bump" in the upperbass/lower midrange. so, which is more important--warmth or detail ??

i have several; dcca power cords and have reviewed their cable. if you wish to read my review, go to audiophilia.com.
i would say that the dcca cable is well balanced and cable of presenting detail without exaggeration. however, look elsewhere for warmth.

there is another power cord i am auditioning, the voodoo gold dragon. i believe others have commented about this company's products. i will have more to say about this in a while.

tried DCCA Source cord on the cdp. haven't tried the others you mentioned.
the "Source" is heavy, very stiff and will be tough to work with if space is limited.
In my system it presented more of a general sonic picture rather than drawing everything clearer and individualizing instruments and performers within the soundstage. Soundstaging depth was pretty decent. Overall sonics and the sonic picture did not appeal to me though. As far as I know, Don from DCCA is usually able to adjust the sonics of his power cords, but I didn't want to bother so I sold it.
Just didn't work out for me in my system.

I like the sound of Shunyata power cables so I recommend these. I am using Python VX on the cdp and Taipan Helix Alpha on the preamp with Audience powerChord on the amp and am very happy with the sound. Also, all of these cords are flexible, light and easy to maneuver and in my system perform extremely well.

Hello Tcheathertree,

Sorry to be getting in on this thread rather late, but here are some more thoughts on your post.

I have owned many of the DCCA products and would agree with Tvad that they are transparent in nature with excellent detail and dimensionality across the audio spectrum. Personally, having owned one Purist Dominus fluid filled pc, it was for my tastes too dark in presentation, but as you will read in many posts YMMV depending on what components you are using with any given pc. Let your own ears be the guide here.

I would tend to disagree with Audphile on the following points:

1) The stiffness that he experienced with the "Source" pc was not what I experienced. Perhaps he didn't have the newest version but the Source that I have is stiff in the middle but very flexible on the ends to make placement rather easy IMO.

2) I also found that with the Source pc on my preamp, it provided excellent detail on recordings. I have a pair of Magnepan Tympani 4a's and with the source in the mix the soundstage is wide and deep with all of the detail that I could ever want.

Audphile stated that the sonics did not appeal to him which of course is his prerogative. There is no perfect pc for every situation or every system. The fact that Don at DCCA is willing to "adjust the sonics" of his pc's to fit your musical ear and system IMO speaks volumes about customer service. I would bet money that neither Purist nor Elrod will do the same. He also offers a demo program so what is to lose here if you choose to give them a try.

At any rate, I wish you the best of luck with finding the perfect pc's for your system.

Happy Listening,

Scifi

The fact that DCCA gets mentioned in the company of all these other excellent cables is in itself a testament to the sonic and build qualities of the DCCA power cables.

I've owned Audience, Virtual Dynamics, CPCC, TG Audio, Wolff, and VH Audio power cables and auditioned Epiphany and Shunyata cords in my system and I wouldn't trade my DCCA power cables for any of them. The DCCA give me all the fullness and warmth that I need in my system, but maintain the tranparency, detail and air that is evident on fine recordings.

Couple the sonic qualities with good pricing and the commendable customer service that DCCA gives (not to mention the trial period), I am one happy customer!

Scifi, my bad I did not bring up that the cord was more flexible at the ends. I did have the latest version.

I also failed to mention that the "Source" was a better fit on my preamp than ot was on the cd player. I did end up using it on the preamp towards the end before I sold it.

There is definately no universal power cord for every system and every listener. Shunyata cords in my system seem to provide the sonics I like.

having tried all but the dcca pc in my system i can say ..without stuttering...that the jps 'aluminata' is far superior to 3 of the 4 above..it is more expensive but will probably be much better then the others in your system and 'the cable company' has them to audition..which is how i started buying the ones that i now own...i,too,own a fs preamp..a paramount mkII and they sound fantastic on the power supplies...just my thoughts..there is a current review of the 'aluminatas' in the current stereophile magazine

I totally agree with 1markr,Iam also a happy costumer of
DCCA,Don cables are exceptional.I also own Audience pc,
VD nite,TGaudio,Costum Power Cords Top Guns.Good Luck.

gentlemen:

could someone explain to me how you can have fullness, warmth and transparency at the same time ?

warmth is a coloration, while transparency is the absnce of coloration.

if you mean that the source is warm, i can understand that but you can't have both at the same time.

ps, you can read my review of the dcca cables on audiophilia.com .

the cables are well balanced, but definitely not warm.

Mrtennis aren't you missing a big part of the midrange in your system where you can hear warmth?

04-14-07: Mrtennis
gentlemen:

could someone explain to me how you can have fullness, warmth and transparency at the same time ?

Is it even wortyh the effort?

MrTennis, is it possible a cable that is transparent and well balanced will allow existing warmth in the system to show itself when a cable not so transparent would not allow this to happen?? Don DCCA Audio

A system can have 'fullness, warmth and transparency at the same time'. Mine does. Isn't that the real life situation?

gentlemen:

i will define the term warmth. it is a coloration because it implies a slight peak in the upper bass/lower midrange and a slight dip in the upper midrange/lower treble.

the condition of warmth is a euphonic coloration which to some extent, changes the spectral balance and may cover up some musical information.

transparency is affected.

if you have a different definition, please specify.

Have owned PAD and Elrod. Haven't found anything better than Elrod Statements for back end(amps) in my system. Detail, soundstaging and full frequency extension are their strengths.

MrTennis, is it possible a cable that is transparent and well balanced will allow existing warmth in the system to show itself when a cable not so transparent would not allow this to happen?? Don DCCA Audio

I think so :)

gentlemen:

i think the concepts of warmth and transparency are being misinterpreted.

warmth is a frequency response phenomenon. it affects transparency. if a component has a frequency response which has a bump in the range of 100 to say 250 hz and, at the same time, a dip in the range say, 3000 hz on up, there will be a loss of transparency.

now let us say there are two cables--a and b. if a is well balanced, clear and relatively uncolored, the warmth of the system will be heard. such a system with cable a would not be considered transparent. now suppose cable b is euphonically colored, emphasizing the lower frequencies and again attenuated in the treble. cable b will create a presentation that might be considered dark and warmer than what you would hear with cable a. thus a cable that is not transparent could add warmth to a system that is already warmth, making it warmer.

i will now anticipate what you might say. suppose cable b is unbalanced, with an emphasis in the treble and a dip in the lower midrange. the resulting presentation would be less warm than the system would sound with cable a, but still, the sound of the stereo system may not be transparent.

so your point that a transparent cable with warm components = a warm sounding stereo system may be true as long as the transparent cable doesn't have other problems.

my original point was that a cable can not be both warm and transparent. would you agree to that ?

so, when describing the sound of a cable, it is either warm, transparent, bright or some other adjective. if it is essentially transparent, it should not affect the sound of the other components, other things being equal.
i'm sorry to write so much, but don, you know i have been looking for warm components and warm cable, for my own personal listening. there are very few components in production which are warm. most tend towards transparent, with minor frquency response imbalances.

MrPainInS, can you please repeat that, 'cause I didn't get it?

MRT, are you suggesting any bloom in upper bass and midrange is always matched by a corresponding attenuation of energy in the treble?

gentlemen:

a peak in the upper bass/lower midrange is independent of any other deviations from flat frequency response.

MRT, that's what I thought. And what would you call a PCS displaying such slight flare in the mid/upper-bass frequencies and being otherwise extended/flat elsewhere?

mr g, that's an excellent question. the answer is obvious--unbalanced. warmth requires a dip in the upper frequencies. a bump in the lower frequencies is only partly warm.

allow me to digress and add another line cord to the thread, for your consideration, namely voodoo gold dragon.

i own this line cord along with some dcca. It's a worthy competitor to purist, elrod and dcca as a power cord for preamps and digital components.

There is "only" one real way to know if you will like a product in "your" system...hear it for yourself! Don DCCA

Mr. Tennis,
Several questions about the VooDoo PCs. Have you heard the VooDoo Tesla 3? Accoding to their net site VooDoo recommends the Gold Dragon for amps over 200 watts. Are you using it on your front end? Just curious.
Thanks

hi rja:

i have not auditioned any other voodoo product. i tested the ac cord on my cd player, preamp and amplifier.

i am using it on my cd player, as i preferred it to my reference cable, a home made cord based upon outlaw audio interconnect cable.

I have both Purist (amp) and DCCA (cdp) in my system and have found the DCCA Source to be an excellent match on my cdp. Very full sounding with excellent detail and transparency. Don is also a delight to work with as well. His advice in this thread rings true for me, you have to hear any component in your system to know for sure....

I also recommend trying the DCCA PC's. I have the Musical Essence II PC on AMP and CDP and "Source" PC on PREAMP. On my system these PC's are very natural sounding, neutral with a slight warmth, powerful, detailed with texture and BIG on transparency. Really nice PC's.

Please allow my clarification : There is natural warmth in instuments and good recordings. There can also be added warmth from components and/or cables. Now you have to determine ; is the warmth you are hearing the natural warmth or is it added ?

I have found that the right cable, whether it is a power cord or interconnect will allow the natural warmth, clarity and dynamics that are in the recording to come through.

If you like to add a little more transparency, slam, warmth or detail, go ahead !

Components, speakers and recordings are not perfect anyway, but they can be extremely good.