Review Purist Audio Design Limited Edition Part2


In started to work in audio in july 1998. The first day I started to work in a specialty shop in sound and vision, I started to make notes from the differences between all the speakers. Here it all started of doing tests in audio. After a few months it became so addicitve for me that I was busy with audio for 80 hours a week. I started testing in the evening after I worked. Even on my free Monday I visited distributers so I could listen to the stuff we did not have. I Always take my own music with me, wherever I go. You need to know the music very well when you want to test.

After doing tests for many years I started to call; sources, amps, cables, speakers, conditioners TOOLS. When you test a lot after time you can give the different tools the properties/qualities they own. This made it so much easier to use them at the max. I use these tools so I can create the sound I have in my head. Audio is all about making the best/perfect combination. It is the art of sound what makes the 'absolute'sound possible. Doing thousends of tests in all these years I did train my brain very well. Without knowing I now have a photographic memory in sound. When I listen to 1o seconds of my own music I know were all the instruments/voices are standing. As I know how much detail there is, and the sound. And how much depth there is. When I go to a second audition after adapting a part I can compare them exactly. This makes audio so much easier to understand. So I can create a much higher level in sound.

What is the 'absolute' sound? It is like a blueprint of the Original. So what is needed to create this what I call TOTAL SOUND. Which parts needs to be there?

Soundrealism; I want instruments to sound like they sound in real. Sound is very important how it influences your emotion. I love the sound of a violin in real. I hate demos with violins when they sound so different. Another example is when you use a recording with 2 different acoustic guitars. I want to hear exactly the difference between them. For this part I love Pass Audio amps who can do this very precise.

3-Dimensional soundstage; I love those speakers who are able to create a stage what is far behind, beside and even in front of the speaker at the same moment. This gives you the freedom on focussing on every single instrument of voice of the recording. This is priceless. This make listening so much more fun. It gives me a big smile on my face all the time. I want to hear the room were it was recorded. The level of decay makes the image wider and deeper.

A sharp individual focus of instruments and voices. Or what I call intimate sound. Listening to instruments and voices during intimate concerts learned me how small they are in proportion. This part is also very important for the extra emotion it can give. When instruments and voices ( at many shows this mistake is made often) are too big in proportion the distance between you and the music is bigger. There is less emotion and you are not pulled into the music as it should be.

Blacks; The space between the instruments and voices with there acoustic information of the recoding room. The level in blacks make a very big influence in what it does with your emotion. Instruments and voices become so much more apparent. Just like instuments and voices are playing in front of you. You can touch them and point out exactly were they are. The germans use the word; Darstellung.

timing/speed: How better the speed how better the realism in the overwhole sound will become. I had often less acoustic problems when the speed became better. It gives you more different layers of the lowest freq. Every part of the recording becomes so much easier to hear. More details become apparent. Professional roomacoustic measuring gives me the first time of what I call 'Stealth'low freq. This makes the subwoofer fully dissapear. And even the energy of an instrument comes from the place were it was recorded.

resolution; You want to hear as much information/details as possible. But.......the details must be placed at the right place of the recording. Often you can hear lots of details, but you don't know exactly were they come from.

air: you need the air around instruments/voices to hear them loose from eachother. This level in separation makes listeinig to music much more appealing.

a big freq. response; How lower your system goes, how much more information of the recording you can hear. This extra information gives us humans a more emotional feeling then when a system does not go that low. Even if we can hear to 20khz max,higher freq. still influence our brains. Above 20 kHz can make a difference.

articulation of voices; this is a part what got my attention after using professional roomacoustic measuring. This became so much more apparent then I ever could hear. Even at shows and many demos with the most expensive highend it was not this easy to hear. We are talking about word endings like sss,ttt and th. But also the breathing of singers and even the moving of lips.

hights; you want to hear the differences in hights of voices and instruments. When you use the best cables this part becomes so much earier to hear.

Now I go back to powercabels. To be honnest I started testing many powercabels in 2002. Before this time I did not test them a lot. It was a time when there was not a lot of information of it. But we were wrong. It surprised me how much influence it has on the overwhole sound. I started doing blind tests for clients with expensive sources and amps with normal priced powercables against a lot less expensive sources/amps with expensive cables. It was so much easier to get a higher endresult with less espensive ams/sources with expensive powercables then with more expensive amps/sources with normal prices powercables. Clients were all surprised. I had so much fun of doing these tests. My focus is Always on creating the best endresults.

At shows and also at many visits I made at highend sets of clients you often hear the same limitations:

- Often they do not have the right combination of audio and cables. When you do not understand the properties/qualities of the different tools you don't know what you are doing.

- Second they use cheap cables or not the right ones with the properties you need.

Let's talk about the Purist Audio Limited Edition. When you have done tests with many of the best powercabels on this planet you are aware how good they are.

They are in a league of there own. That is why I call them the Pagani of powercabels. These handmade powercables by Jim Aud are made with a dedication and devotion to die for.

What makes them different compared to all other powercables?
For that I can give a very easy and clear answer; THERE IS NO POWERCABLE WHAT CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE OVERWHOLE SOND SO DRAMATICLY.

I never heard a powercable giving so much more AUTHORITHY AND GRIP over the overwhole sound. Many poweramps which are 2 times as expensive like there cheaper ones do not give this improvement in authority and grip.

It has grip from the lowest freq ( for my set this is 16hz)
to the highest freq. The lowest freq. are so well controlled and give you all the different layers you want to hear. The same I can say about the speed, it is dry and fast as a rocket.

In the mid freq. Purist also makes a big difference compared to others. They are much more open and you hear more flavors of the whole mid freq. compared to others.

The high freq are extreme open but never sounds harsh like some competitors.I could hear many new details I never heard at mu own set or during shows and other demos in almost 16 years of time.

Blacks; Purist Audio is in this part with another brand the best on the highend market by far in my opinion. Singers and instruments have a stunning level in standing in front of you just like in real.

3D stage; mannnnnn what can I say; I play far behind, beside and even in front of my speakers at the same time. It is playing my beloved music fully loose from my speakers.

Sound; Purist Audio is also the master in a realistic musical sound like in real. A violin or cello give me the emotional feeling as it should be.

Conclusion; These cables are essential parts to the 'absolute'sound'. Without them you miss to many important parts what need to be there. Even with sources of 50.000 dollar you cannot solve it.For me they are the best you can get regardless money.
128x128bo1972
Thanks! for sharing. Most of these upper tier cables/cords are going to be system dependent. PC do make a difference!
It's been over 2 years since I responded to this thread and had always enjoyed PAD cables but like stringreen I've also moved on. To my tastes now S.I.N. Audio cables and Audiomica Labs suite my system better. More definition, more realistic, more 3D and just more of everything I've been looking for. System changes have also happened but still power cords can still make or break a system.

(Dealer disclaimer)
All cables sound different depending on what they are connecting.  Purist makes some good cables ....(you need a fat wallet for the really good ones)....there is never an end.   You (I) can always find better. I had Purist and moved on.
Hi Bo

I also found that the faster the system, the less room acoustic problems. Can you elaborate on your experience?

Have you had any experience with Argento power cables?
I tested many conditioners in 16 years of time. Seldom I like them. Most of them have limitations at the end in some parts were you Judge the conditioner for. The KE Powersource plus can give more drive to any powercable you connect to it. Compared to a direct plugin into the wall. The KE powersource plus also gives you a more musical sound. There is a lot more decay compared to a direct plugin. It also improves the individual focus of instruments and voices dramaticly.

All the people I sold one still own it. For example; clients who used PS Audio many sold it at the end.
Garebear I have found the PAD LE ac cord best used when plugged directly into the wall myself. I've tried plugging into a conditioner and did not like it.

(Dealer disclaimer)
Hello fellow PAD owners. I am fortunate enough to have all of my equipment connected with a PAD LE Power Cord......I thought that these cords should only be plugged into the wall socket and never used with any Power Conditioning products. I recall having this conversation with Mr. Jim Aud in the past. So, I am curious about these cords being used with a good high end conditioner if the results were favorable and or improved. Great review by the way......
@ Audiolabyrinth; We had a very warm winter overhere in the Netherlands. Always above 0 degrees.

http://www.kempelektroniks.nl/FilesContent/menu/menu000201/pdf_ps_power_source_en_plus__eng__logo_scherpe_foto.pdf

This one I use. Powersource plus
@ Sksos1, Hi Steve, Bo1972 is a dealer too, He is in the neitherlands, Holland I believe?, were it is very cold, Bo is a audiogon friend of mine, we have alot in common, like testing everything, LOL!
Bo1972 what conditioner do you use?
I use a PAD Canorus from the wall to a PAD conditioner. (I don't believe they make this conditioner any longer).

(Dealer disclaimer)
In use another conditioner which is superior to any PS Audio filter or conditioner. This one gives more speed and drive than without using it.It works great with the LE as well. I have connected a Purist Audio Design Dominus Praesto Revision powercable to my conditioner.
Bo1972 GREAT review of the PAD LE ac cord. I use one myself and 3 of the Canorus ac cords as well as several from Pranawire. Do you use the PAD LE plugged directly into the wall or a conditioner? I have the PAD conditioner and find the LE doesn't like to be plugged into anything but directly into the wall.

(Dealer disclaimer)
I use only Purist powercables. I own 6 of them. This is my second LE. I will buy more later. I have the freedom to test a lot of cables. Testing is one of the most fun parts in audio. I am Always looking for the best possible. When you are a perfectionist even very good is never good enough. Audio is all about understanding music so you can create that sound what comes near the real thing. You only can achieve the 'absolute'sound when you use all the different properties of tools togheter. You need to understand the art of sound.
Congratulation for this nice review of PAD cables. i own previously NIRVANA cables ( not bad) and also STEALTH cables ( close to be bright sounding). Now my system is completely wired wit PAD cables for a total amount of 40K.$ never regret my move. They do not reproduce music they reproduce the event, very smooth and organic sounding cables. Close to that are the YAMAMURA ( a little fuzzy in absolute term). I also own few TARA LAB THE ONE POWER CABLE that do a very good match with the PAD. So charming the PAD are, i feel they slow down the sound to please you more….
Claude