June 28, 2013
-
Audience powerChord "e"
The subject of today’s review represents a foray into another company’s power cords, the Audience powerChord “e”. This cord retails for $689 for a six feet length although the Cable Company is currently running a special and is offering the powerChord “e” at $489 while supplies last. Other than being a satisfied customer, I have no other affiliation with the Cable Company.
Technical details for this cord include:
- Termination with Wattgate IEC and plug
- Multistrand, unshielded construction
- Low resistance, low impedance design
Two of these cords reside in my system at the moment. The first was placed on my conrad-johnson CA200 integrated amplifier. A second powerChord “e” was placed on my Oppo BDP-95 universal player three and a half weeks later. This second cord had been modified by its previous owner who replaced the IEC end with a Furutech FI 11Cu IEC. As far as I could tell, the basic sound of the powerChord “e” was retained with this modified sample.
Listening Impressions:
- Clarity and transient response are near or at reference level within the context of my system.
- A smoothness to the overall sound that is more similar to the Taipan Helix Alpha as opposed to the more incisive original Taipan Alpha.
- A full, rich, almost tubular sound with a noticeably low noise floor.
- Excels at projecting a nicely dimensional sound stage populated by life-size images.
- Bass response may be slightly less prominent but still articulate.
- Voices are especially clear and nuanced.
Within its price range, the Audience powerChord “e” is a worthy contender. Its flexibility makes it especially attractive when compared to more unruly power cords that seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to placement.
