Audience PowerChord

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Audience power cord

Listeners :

Marc PHILIP , reviewer/publisher magazine-audio.
Michel Doyon, guitar player and music lover.
Marq Doyon, music lover and audiophile.

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Features and protocol (3 set up)

Source :

Proceed PCD 2 upgraded with newer chip set and Furutec rhodium IEC inlet.
Rega Jupiter 2000
Drive Music Hall (with upgraded clock) + Bel Canto II numeric converter linked with Stereovox.

Preamplifier

SIMA P 2001 up graded, IEC rhodium chassis, solid state
Copland CTA 301 mk-2 solid state
Melos SHA1 Studio Series vacuum tube preamplifier

Amplifier

Krell KSA-100, Class « A », 2 X 100 W / channel
Pass Aleph 5 amplifier, Class « A », 60 W / channel

Speakers

Monsoon FPF 1000 hybrids, 3 ways, upgraded cross over (Mundorf Silver & Oil cap’s)
Meadowlark Shearwater
Wilson Audio Watt Puppy Clone

Wires

XSymphony speaker cable Pure Silver Rhodium. Connectors
Furutech Silver Rhodium I/C
Kimber Silver Streak I/C and Goertz MI2 tri-wired for the speakers.
A/C was delivered by 3 different line of BX wire on their owns 20A breaker each.
A Furutech RTP-6N was used on one of the system while on the other a PS Audio P300 was used on other’s system for the sources and preamplifier.

All this equipment was sitting on Tripods stand « AMADEUS » from inovaudio™ piano black lacquer + one steel & wood shelf on the floor.
Also one Tripods « Eva » from inovaudio™ Marc Philip Design
And of course the Audience powerChord made in USA

Audience Mike set up

Audience Marq set up

Audience My set up

Audience powerChord

Audience is located in California and may not be familiar for most of us here in Canada, but is a well established company in USA.
Leading this company to its success.
John Mc Donald, President/CEO.
Richard Smith, Director of Product Development.
Terry O’Neal Orders and Customer Support.

Trial session of powerChord Audience High Resolution.

The14, 5″/14″/2″ by 1/8, box arrived with 3 power cord including a tube of Caig Deoxit.
This product should be used to clean the connectors before using the cable in your system.
This proves that people at Audience are serious.

Audience Power Cord

Audience Power Cord

What’s so special this cable ?

Audience Power Cord

Features

Cables are made of 2X3 conductors with Wattgate copper at one end and a Marinco copper at the other end.
Since copper have a tendency to oxidize the Caig Deoxit is a great idea.
The cable is made of copper only and is not shielded. If you want efficiency, make it simple not simpler.

Made with multistrand, in a twisted configuration.

This cables are of low impedance and resistance (7 Ohm from company data sheet).
Audience does not use OFHC copper on their product as traditional copper use 1500 crystal /foot Audience use OCC pure copper from special processing, to reach 700 crystal /foot.
This process gives copper better purity and less air between the grains. It also reduces the risk of oxydation.
This process is called Ultra Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting Process (UP-OCC).
It was invented by Professor Ohno of Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan.
A process also used by other company such as Furutech

Audience powerChord

During the length of the review, we used the cable on 3 different systems.
In every case the Audience was a good match for the power amp and pre-amplifier. Unfortunately the result where divided with digital. The Audience was a great match with the Rega, but did not reach the same level of satisfaction with the Bel Canto and the Proceed.

The first thing that comes to our attention is dynamic and gut’s compared to the original cable. The cable doesn’t cut short the bass as some cable do and do nor leave any personal colour behind.
If we compare the Audience with our 2X more expensive reference, the Audience is not ashamed especially for its price. (450,00 $)

Synergistic Research AC Master Coupler, the Audience power Chord is more coherent in the high and mids with no lagging in the bass.

Wireworld Stratus III, bass is definitely better with the Audience.

Van den Hull MAINSSTREAM HYBRID, on a Krell KSA 100 we gained on guts slam and coherence on the bass. Depth and image was also greatly improved.

Wireworld Electra 5, the Elactra5 is more forward not as sweet as the Audience.

Conclusion, the Audience doesn’t have the We have done our test on 3 different systems

If you are looking for a cable to feed your digital gear, we suggest an audition before as we had different result with different equipment.
As far as power amp and pre-amplifier we were happy with the product for the price Audience is putting it out for!

Our usual music selection:

1 Chris Jones (No sanctuary here) 03:47
2 Blues Company (Cold rain) 05:44
3 France Gall (besoin de vous)Live Bercy 1993 03:36
4 Oscar Peterson Trio « You look good to me » 04:47
5 Monty Alexander Trio « Nite Mist Blues » 10:10
6 Georgia on my mind (jazz vocal) 05:14
7 Holly Cole (I can see clearly now) 04:13
8 J.Strauss (Tik-Tak Polka-Orchestre Pasdeloup en Répétition) 03:54
9 J.Terrasson (la Javanaise) 03:33
10 Jheena Lodwick (FIM) (Do that to me one more time) 03:57
11 Martin Xavier (Scene de la vie pastorale) 02:04
12 Musica Nuda (How Insensitive) 02:36
13 Patrick Husson (Casta Diva) 02:41
14 Rachelle Ferrell (Prayer dance) Montreux 1991 06:31
15 Sometimes I feel Like a motherless child (spiritual) 02:26
16 Vincent Bidal trio (La boheme) 03:33
17 Canon in D (Pechelbel) 06:43
18 Clochettes et sonnailles 03:09

Mick Listening session

– Lucky Peterson  » Lifetime » of 1995
– Dick Nyman « From the age of swing » of 1994 reference recording HDCD
– Lavay Smith & the red hot skilet lickers, « Everybody’s talking » bout miss thing »

Marq listening session

Doreen Smith « in the still of the night », a tribute to Julie London.

Most liked :

– Made in USA
– 30 days trial or fully refunded
– Respect the signal without coloration
– Doesn’t favour either end of the spectre if not a little bit light in the upper bandwidth.
– Tight bottom end.
– Connectors available for country worldwide
– Supplied with Deoxit cleaner.

Least liked :

– Wasn’t at ease as our reference with the Melos pre-amplifier, Bel Canto II converter and our Proceed PCD2.
-We wish we could listen to the Audience on a longer period.
Even after the prescribed break in period, the sound kept on improving!

Price for 6 ft or 1,80 meters : 150,00 $ US

Contact

Audience

1525 Brian Place
Escondido, CA 92025 (USA)

Manager : John McDonald
Richard Smith, Director of Product Development.
Terry O’Neal Orders and Customer Support.
for product and dealer/distributor inquiries.
tel: 760-720-9611
fax: 760-720-9544.

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This article as been written by Marc Philip independent writter to www.magazine-audio.com, all rights reserved, copyright 2006, texts and photos are the property of the author.