Details on the Audience "e" EnhancementAll audio and video components perform audibly and visibly better when they receive the best possible power. Since music systems do not plug directly into the wall, we use power cords to feed power to our equipment. The ideal power cord should allow all types of audio and video equipment to perform at full potential. We need a power cord that gets out of the way. The finest power cord should combine the qualities of wide-bandwidth, ultra-low resistance, and low impedance with high quality conducting and dielectric materials.
Many people use different types of power cords for different types of components. This is like using various values of resistors, capacitors and inductors in your power line to tune your system. These power cords effectively starve your power supply to varying degrees, which then creates various audible sound effects in the audio circuitry. Cords like this may indeed match some components better than some other cords. However, they do so by balancing one deficiency with another. To achieve the best, most musical results it is necessary to use a power cord that acts as a power conduit rather than a power limiter. Many cords have high impedance characteristics and very poor dielectric materials. Besides acting like a resistor these cords store some of the energy traveling through the wire and release it later back into the power supply. This is like trying to send energy down a spring and it reduces the quantity, quality and very importantly the timing of the power received by your music playback system.
The powerChord is a low resistance, low impedance design made with the finest conducting and insulating materials available in a rugged, flexible, "user friendly" configuration.
The powerChord being a low impedance design has the ability to naturally reject noise and interference and it also radiates much less energy. This improves performance and lowers the noise floor allowing for superior reproduction of low level detail as well as dynamics.
Flexibility is a lot more important than you may think. We all know that stiff solid-core cords and cables are difficult to install. But did you know the act of bending them irrevocably damages the conductors? This bending stresses the metal and causes fractures along the circumference of the bend. Solid core cable is actually intended for permanent installations where cost is the overriding factor. The powerChord is not solid core and does not exhibit these distortion-causing anomalies.
Damage to conductors is why some cords need "break-in" every time they are moved or bent. This is because current passing through the conductor partially repairs damage by micro-welding some of the damaged area. This helps but it will never restore the cable to its original state or its original performance potential. The powerChord conductors cannot be damaged by bending or normal use. The powerChord requires break-in only when first installed. In addition, powerChords also sound good enough used right out of the box. Then they get better and better with age.
The insulating materials used in cable and cord construction are also a significant factor in causing long break-in periods and in restricting the ultimate performance of the cable. Poor quality insulation will exhibit very high dielectric absorption. The insulation actually stores some of the energy passing through the cable and releases it back into the conductor later. This degrades the integrity of the power waveform, which reduces the power transfer efficiency of the cord or cable. The powerChord insulating materials exhibit extremely low dielectric absorption.
The powerChord has the unique ability to let each type of component perform optimally by quickly providing more power with better quality to your component's power supply. It does so in a flexible, durable, reliable design. In fact, all audience cords and cables are unconditionally lifetime guaranteed. If you return your defective or damaged cable audience will repair or replace it at no charge.
Audition the powerChord in your music system. Find out how your favorite musical performances sound when allowed to bloom naturally without the restriction of slow or inadequate power.
About Power Cords and ShieldingThe powerChord by Audience is not shielded. We have found that shielding power cords can be sonically detrimental. There is a common misconception that noise is something airborne, picked up by cables, which can therefore be cured with more cable shielding. In real-world AC-powered systems, small leakage or ground noise currents will always flow in any wire connecting two devices. This tiny voltage drop is actually what causes 99% of the noise in consumer audio and video systems. Shielding power cords will do little to help this situation. Ordinary cable shielding, whether copper braid or aluminum foil, has virtually no effect on audio magnetic fields. Shields can also cause audible colorations due to raising the impedance of power cords. Increasing the distance between signal cables and powerful magnetic fields is the best cure for either electric or magnetic field problems.
PowerChords are a low impedance design. This minimizes the possibility of airborne noise coupling even further.
Positive Feedback Review of the powerChordAudience's powerChord is something special among high-end power cords. Uncommonly flexible, the powerChord is refreshingly easy to install and place. Essentially neutral, the powerChord successfully combines high levels of resolution and coherence with a relaxed, musical presentation that draws the listener into the performance. With its overachieving performance and relatively low price, Audience's powerChord merits an unqualified recommendation.
Stereo Times Review of the powerChordThe essential set of enhancements to be discovered from the Audience "powerChord" can all be grouped within that elusive notion of MUSICALITY. I've not yet heard any power chord that accomplishes such an engaging reinforcement of genuinely musical values -- the pace, relaxation, and tonal elements that define the heart of seductive musical experiences -- at such a modest price.
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