the search for ultimate preamp power cord ends

experienced audiophiles would know that a good power cord for power amp is not necessary the best for preamp and vice versa. also, digital sources always require different power cords. my ps audio xstream statement is a very good cord for cd player but absolutely terrible cord for preamp. normally preamp prefers thinner power cords. in fact, cable company like jps actually have different power cords for different equipment/sources, e.g. digital ac for cd player, analog ac for preamp etc. etc.

my resident power cord for my ARC LS25MKII preamp is the brandless power cord i bought from absolute hifi 4 years ago. altho' it is relatively cheap at RM500, nothing could completely smoke it so far. in the areas of presence factor and PRaT, this UK-made power cord reigns supreme, which truly befits the reputation of those absolute hifi folks who are known to be "rockers".

so far, i have tried audience powerchord, jps analog ac, ps audio xstream statement, shunyata taipan, zu cable and many others. all of them lost to my brandless cord in presence factor and PRaT, two factors which rank high in my criteria. the major shortcomings of this brandless cord is that it is expectedly and sligtly rougher than those audiophile-approved cords; it smudges ever so slightly on imaging and it has a golden yellowish colouration (which could be intoxicating).

being the perfectionist i am, i am never totally at peace with this brandless power cord - i want the best compromise! presence, PRaT and refinement - i want the whole package. i know there is something better out there; i just need to search hard.

my fixation on refinement and resolution came after listening to some truly high-end sound lately, including the krell 700cx and goldmund telos 600 monoblock (which cost over RM200K!). there is two things constant in these systems - refinement and resolution. let's face it, these are the qualities that separate the men from the boys.

my answer came in the form of nbs (nothing but signal) omega junior power cord, the lowest model in the omega series. nbs is known to be exhorbitant but suprising the omega junior is reasonably priced. i got a loaner from high-end research in plaze mont kiara. (i will feature high-end research in my coming blog. watch this space!)

the nbs has 90% of the the UK-made brandless cord's presence factor and PRaT but has 20-30% more refinement. it also has tidier imaging and less colouration than the brandless cord. that's enough to make me draw out my cheque book...

one thing i observe about nbs all these years - the bass is superb!