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Review: Cullen Cable 10 awg red copper Power cord

Category: Cables

Budget esoterica review magazine
Anniversary issue
June 2011

Here at budget esoterica review magazine we like to review products that fit the following criteria:

Good performance
Quality of workmanship
Aesthetically pleasing
Value for money

I have found a power cable that easily meets these standards , and it is available for purchase right here on audiogon for a very reasonable price of $100. I would like to introduce my fellow audiophiles to the Cullen cable 10 awg power cord. This is a power cord the size of a small size garden hose, yet flexible enough to be used in any application. The only flaw to the design i could find was that the ac plug doesn't plug into the wall tightly. As long as you can tolerate this minor flaw i can recommend this power cord without reservations.

I have picked out 4 selections from my cd library that i picked out specifically to highlight the positive traits of the cullen power cord. I will list them below with a short description , and also give you a list of the pros and cons of this excellent entry level power cord.

1. Kendra shank, afterglow, track 3 "photograph".
2. Yes, fragile, track 9 "heart of the sunrise".
3. Blue oyster cult, agents of fortune, track 3 "the reaper".
4. Sonny rollins , horn culture, track 2 "SAIS".

On the Kendra shank selection i heard a glassy tube like percussion. Good piano depth. Smooth mid-range with very good clarity. The vocals were solid with good presence. I also noted delicate highs.

The Yes cd stood out a little bit and made me take notice of a few things that i didn't quite get with my previous equally priced tara labs power cord. The bass had good control and definition. The highs were clean and i noticed a slight upper mid-range sweetness. I heard an open sound with good sound stage width and also a good rhythmic flow.

The blue oyster cult selection had a full, round bass as well as good bass timing. I also noticed a musical sound with very good vocal articulation.

The Sonny rollins cd is excellent and i recommend it to all jazz fans. This cd also made me take notice of its superiority over my tara labs power cord. The selection that i picked has a delightful light brassy sound. I noticed glassy highs with a very subtle golden hue. The guitar was clean, the bass solid, and a very nice snappy piano.

Pros

liquid
adds a little texture
excellent build quality
flexible
neutral
fairly pure sounding
good clarity
refined with a "high-end character"
good rhythmic flow
a touch of upper mid-range sweetness

Cons

Ac plug doesn't fit tight to the wall

I definitely recommend the cullen power cord. It kind of adds a slight polish to the sound and gives you a slight taste of high-end sound. I am going to reward the cable with a budget esoterica reference award and i am going to use it as my new budget reference power cord! Stay tuned for the next exciting issue of budget esoterica review magazine.

Associated gear
Arcam av50 integrated amp
Madisound studio monitors
sony DVP-SR500H dvd player
atacama speaker stands
white lightning moonshine speaker cables with dayton bfa connectors
Virtue audio nirvana interconnects
penn-elcom footers

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tara labs
honda6
5 responses Add your response
honda6 OP
22 posts
 
Power cords are system dependent. We liked what we heard in our system and therefore gave it a recommendation.
strateahed
303 posts
 
Regarding Mr. Johnson's response ... IMHO his sarcasm and downright cheekiness was uncalled for. Some of the world's brightest minds belong to people whose native language is not English. I suspect that may be the case here. No need for the underhanded slam of someone's honest opinion.
honda6 OP
22 posts
 
a note from Mr. Johnson, the editor of budget esoterica review magazine: Thank you for your response. Here at budget esoterica review magazine we appreciate all criticism either good or bad. You are obviously a knowledgeable and astute audiophile and we trust that your listening skills are just as good as your grammar.
shumilov71's avatar
shumilov71
2 posts
 
Patrick nice person communication. But it has nothing to do with its cables.
This cable for sound just awful. Reduced dynamics, poor detail, stuck to the sound speakers.
I was very disappointed.
Patrick suggested that I return the goods. He's honest.
But the question here about the quality of the cable.
I do not advise buying this cable if you do not want to disappointment.
dan92345
7 posts
 
I bought one of these to try after reading the background of Patrick Cullen and his father having a long history of making audiophile power cables. After all, the price was quite low for a quality power cable made by someone of their experience. I may be more sensitive to high frequency noise in a system than others, so I am always looking for ways to lower the noise floor. I did a lot of comparison testing with my previous favorites, PS Audio xStream Statement, and xStream Plus, between my power conditioner and CD player,Modwright modified Denon 3910 with tube output and outboard tube rectified PSU. I personally like the PS Audio cables very much, but I found myself pleasantly surprised and enjoying this Cullen power cable very much. I would agree with everything I read in the above review with the exception that mine had a snug fitting connector. A few months later when I needed two more power cables, I bought Cullen's. This time, instead of the red copper connections, which sound better than the nickle plated on PS Audio's, they came with his latest gold plated copper connectors, both ends. I have to say, after burning-in(which I did before trying them)that the gold plated copper connectors are even better sounding, smoother sweeter high vocals and highs in general. Overall, they are the most pleasant power cables that I have tried. The music I am hearing now is what I have been looking for, for a long time. The cost of these make them a no-brainer to try, at least one for your front end. Now I plan to replace all my power cables in my system.
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