An early X'mas present from Santa!? I've been a good boy too, Ha!Ha!
My friend called and told me ecstatically that he's just got the JPS Aluminata power cord, and he'd like me to cook his new toy with my home brew kable kooker.
Packed with classy aluminium case, ribbon and all, inside a certificate of authenticity greets you.I cook the JPS Aluminata for about 18 hours or so, during which the cable ran moderately warm to touch, always a good sign when cooking! Stone cold cables when cooking means a non-effective cook!
Cooking the big snake.After which, I proceeded to plug the 2 meter length JPS Aluminata in to my Marantz CD7, replacing my AOR Reference 003, I heard a sound that is very familiar, but with much better resolving low level resolution. I guess it was the Marantz CD7 doing it's thing again, i.e., not responding to tweaks!
I then proceeded to plug the JPS Aluminata in to my Pass X2.5 pre amp, again played my favorite music, lo-and-behold! It was an immediate show stopping moment from time the play button was pressed on the CDP. The rest of the sound impression below is done with the JPS powering my pre amp.
The sound now took on an whole new dimension. The first thing I noticed was the bass, full, in control, gutsy and extends very low!, about as low as I've heard before in my room. The mids give vocals great body and mass(I listened to Tsai Chin's Lou Ge on a recently re-issued 180 grams LP), pianos and violins have just the right amount of balance between strings and wood reverb(I was listening to Tube Hifi Violin, by Wilhelm Dennigen playing the Sennhauser, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu 1735 violin, accompanied by back ground piano). On that CD, I have never heard Wilhelm breath so much in to the mike so closely and each with diferent intensity! Also never before apparent is the bowing and playing techniques which he executes that sounds so melodramatic! I didn't know I was missing that much of musical experience on this very familiar CD.
My all time favourite violin/piano duet CD! I must have listened to this a million times by now.The highs are smooth, extended and at once airy. The whole sound stage and image had an organic, believable aura to it! Compared to the PS Audio Plus, post listening to the JPS Aluminata, I've found the PS Audio to have a certain artificial, some what edgy sheen added to the violin, of the above same CD. I've never picked this out before. But to be fair, at RM$11K(recommended retail price, my friend told me he got it for a lot less as he ordered it during the JPS cable sales at Center Circle Audio) the top dog JPS is almost 10 times the price of the middling PS Audio!, no contest here for sure.
The JPS Aluminata, laying over the AOR Reference 003(underneath), for a size able comparison?That's my brief few hours with the JPS Aluminata, to date the most expensive, but probably, the very best power cord to have grazed my humble system! In a way, it made me felt that I've just graduated from a top dollar hifi lesson, hence my alumini! I would not call this a review, but rather a preview, just from a few hours of enjoyment with the JPS Aluminata.
My friend called up to ask how a felt about his new toy, I told him the above, he came over straight away, took it home, and as I checked on him in the late evening, he was still listening and immersed in his music! He sure is one lucky fella!
In case you're wondering, Center Circle seems to still have some stock of those wonderful JPS cables for sale! Do hurry if you've not check it out just yet!
JPS cables are sold by Center Circle Audio, tel:03 77282686.
19 comments:
Panzer,
Great fun you have! I think you can do a comparison later with Telos' Platinum pc.
In terms of powercords, I also found greater effect on our common preamp, the Pass Labs X2.5, than on my CDP. So my most capable pc is on it instead of the cdp.
Seems that this preamp is more responsive to powercord change than other components.
hifikaki,
It's too late to do a comparison with the Telos. By then my audio memories and perspective would have changed. It may no longer be a fair comment.
Hi Panzer,
What power cord are you currently using for the cd and preamp?
I always believe that one has to use the best stuff at the source, then the preamp and later the power amp. This is extremely important.
As such, I don't think you are maximising the JPS cord by inserting it into your preamp. This is especially true for Telos cords as well. You have to hook up at the source rather than the other way around.
For Telos products, if you hook the wrong way, you will get a less flattering sound. But if you do it correctly, you will be rewarded.
Regards
Hi Panzer,
What power cord are you currently using for the cd and preamp?
I always believe that one has to use the best stuff at the source, then the preamp and later the power amp. This is extremely important.
As such, I don't think you are maximising the JPS cord by inserting it into your preamp. This is especially true for Telos cords as well. You have to hook up at the source rather than the other way around.
For Telos products, if you hook the wrong way, you will get a less flattering sound. But if you do it correctly, you will be rewarded.
Regards
Ken,
I have the exact theory about power cords, just like yours. However, in this case, I was proven wrong!
I don't really think it matters, as long as you get the results. In this case, the JPS Aluminata did proved to be supperior to all my previous power cords.
hifikaki will be doing the Telos Platinum power cord soon, I believe. Let's see what he has to report.
Ken,
You are the YMMV guy, why you have to insist to Panzer after he and hifikaki say it is better on their pre-amp?
Anon @ 12.37,
Did I sound like I insisted Panzer to do what I ask him to do? I am sorry if you think so. I am just sharing my experience with Panzer. Please lighten up.
Now if Panzer and HFKK says that the cord sounds better when hooked to the preamp, then I think the reasons could be
1.they probably haven't maximised tweaking their cd player
2.the cd player is more neutral sounding than the preamp
3.the signature sound of the preamp is too prominent in their setup and the cord is trying to cover for that deficiency.
It could be other reasons as well but again YMMV.
Ken,
Though it is interesting to hear you speculating about the sound characteristics of my cd player and my pre-amp, I do not think it is going to bring us anywhere because I do not think you have listened to the equipment me or Panzer use individually for any extended period of time (yes, you have heard them in our systems' context, and only for short term).
Let's just let the matter rest and move on.
Thanks. :-)
Ken,the world is just so full of wise people,isn"tit?
Simon go,very agree you of view
HFKK,
I don't think I am speculating about your setup at all.
Having listened to your setup twice, and torquing and tweaking it for more than 4 hours in the second time, I have a pretty good handle of the sound you are getting.
But since you do not want to dwell on it, I am OK with it.
Sorry ,I am a bit late to join in the discussions.
I fully agree with Mr Ken's observations and explanations
That has been my experience too.
Anyway ,I might add that it Could be that the latest generations Meridian has an extensive built in filtrations that make changing PC not so pronounced in its effect.
Anyway,hypothesis abound ,the final results should be what your ears hear.
That is what makes the hobby interesting,aint it...so many uncerties
Ken,
Thanks for your understanding. :-)
A couple of friends told me that I might have created the impression that I did not like criticism of my hifi. That was not my intention at all. It is ok to criticize, it is from there that I can experiment and learn.
I was just trying to make a distinction between 'system' and 'component'. Personally, it is my thinking that if I listen to a system new to me, I'd know the system's sound. However, it is not entirely possible to attribute the sound of a particular component in it, if I have not isolated the component before and listened to it in my system (or in an environment that I am familiar with).
However, I accept that others may hold a different philosophy, as you are fond of saying - 'ymmv'.
My apologies if I have caused any misgivings.
Hope to one day arrange with you to listen to your system.
hifi kaki
i met sifu who do not need to listen. look see look see oreadi know your sound.
Hifikaki,
Don't worry, I am not offended at all;-)
I am just trying to convey a point. I am not being boastful or showing off by giving the reasons that the results that you are getting is due to components or tweaking in your setup etc. I am merely sharing with you why you are getting those results.
You did remember that I told you to open a small gap in your front curtain to get a better image focus for the vocalist. I also told you to remove the isoclean rca caps in your pwr amps. I think you followed those advice and now you are getting a better sound.
If you are trying out the Telos Platinum pwr cords, please hook it up to yr cd player and run it in for a day or two before really evaluating it. Then try it on the preamp, listen for the difference.
I can say that I went through a lot after the torquing experience with KC. I can even go as far to say that I learn more in that one month with him than I did in the last 8 years of my hifi.
A lot of people miscontrued when I say YMMV. It does not mean you may or may not disagree with me.
What I really meant is that one may like the sound that they are getting from their system but that may not be a correct sound. But if one still like that kind of sound and say that it is good, I just find it hard to accept. To me, they are listening to a coloured sound.
And when I say to use live sound as a guide, what I meant is that you should know what that instrument sound like "live". Listen to the highs, lows and decay of that instrument. I don't mean that we should go to a classical concert to hear a live sound cause you do not need to. But you can go there to get a feel of the atmosphere, the dynamics, scale, something that you will never get with a hifi system. But you can get the essence of the sound.
Ken, You are my hero! I am so envy and jealous of you because you use full set Telos! I want to make lots of money,then one day i will take over the whole telos company,if cannot,i want to become the biggest Telos distributor,I hire you to be the markeing chief,ok?
Guys,
This is not good. Please restraint yourselves. I am sure Ken and Hifikaki are in a mature and healthy disscusion.
David phan,
Elated and very satisfied user sharing his joy, Telos Distributor or Marketing Chief???
Let's give Ken the clear benifit of doubt.
Final reminder, this place is called "Desirable Thoughts".
Panzer,
I think you misconstrued what I am trying to say.
I did not state nor have intention to state that hifikaki's setup need major improvement. Actually I am pretty impressed with his setup. I feel all he need to do is made some minor tweaking to go from good to great. I know his system has the potential to do that.
I just feel when he says that the power cord seem to work better with his preamp than cd player shows that he may need to do something extra.
If anyone think I have offended them, I apologise. I am a bit blunt when it come to speaking my mind. I just I have to put my point across.
Ken,
No offence meant or taken.
It's fair that you've put your point across. I admire your straight shooting style.
Like me, I think HFKK, clearly knows his system's strentghs and weakneses well enough not to jump in to conclusions.
After all, neither of our system is perfect in everyway, and we are clearly aware of it's short comings. Hence, our quest to seek better sound and share our hifi journey here.
I was also trying to point out to David phan that from what I know about you as a friend, that I ask he give you the benifit of doubt, as an elated product user sharing his joy here in this blog. NOT as Marketing Chief.
I hope this clears.
Post a Comment