Review: Zu Audio Mission Mk 1 Hi-Fi power cable

Budget Esoterica Review Magazine
December 2017 Issue

Zu Audio Mission Mk 1 Hi-Fi power cable

If you are looking for budget priced audiophile cables you might want to check out Zu Audio on Ebay. The nice thing about this is you don't have to pay retail since their cables are sold auction style. If you are a lucky bidder you can score this Mission power cord for under $50. At that price i would consider it a bargain. In some respects i found it to be slightly superior to my other audiophile power cords. If there is such thing as an universal power cord that works well in most systems, this would be it. I would characterize the Mission power cord as being clean and sharp sounding. It also has a nice open sound with a deliciously smooth mid range. Build quality appears excellent and it is also very flexible. 

Reference Discs

1. John Coltrane, Afro Blue Impressions, Disc 1, Track # 1,  "Lonnie's Lament".
2. Miles Davis, Live In Europe, 1967, Track #10, "The Theme".
3. The Cure, Boys Don't Cry, Track # 4, "Accuracy", Track # 7, "Subway Song".

While listening to the John Coltrane song i noticed that the saxophone was pretty smooth with a slight open sound. The percussion work was silky smooth and rather thick sounding. Near the end of the song the intensity of the drums picks up and i heard a tight bass with good thumps. The audience clapping at the end was very realistic. 

Miles Davis, Live In Europe, 1967, is a collection of some of his best work. I especially enjoyed track # 10, "The Theme". This song will show you the clean and sharp characteristics of the Mission power cord. The trumpet has a smooth and slightly "tangy" character. Neutrality seems to be straight on, as i could find nothing wrong with this power cord sonically. Drums did not go too deep, but they did have a nice slightly bouncy quality. 

Listening to the song , "Accuracy", by The Cure, i once again noted that the drums were rather light, however they were well placed and rather tight sounding. The sound stage had slight depth and the cymbal hits were clean and sharp. On track # 7 , the vocals have an eery and subtle sound that makes you feel like the singer is in your living room. The finger snapping was very accurate and organic sounding. 

A big thumbs up to the Zu Audio Mission Mk 1 power cord. While it may not be as dynamic sounding as some of my other power cords, it is probably sharper and cleaner with a notably smooth mid range. Excellent build quality and flexibility as well as close to perfect sonics , gives it my recommendation. I also love the fact that they are auctioned on Ebay for very reasonable prices. 

Reference Equipment

Fatman Itube amp
Jefferson Memorial T-amp stand
Sony DVP-NS3100ES dvd player / plugged into audioquest power strip with Cobalt Cable Ultimate power cord. 
NHT SB-1 speakers
Fatman Itube speaker cables
Atacama speaker stands
NVA stereo interconnect