After my last listening impressions report of the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA tinned-copper power cable after 3 days on the Cable Cooker (HERE), I decided to give it another 3 days of conditioning (for a total of 6 days).
Cable Cooker & DCA12GA
My reference power cable is the $12K USD Acoustic Revive Absolute Power Cable, which by any metric is a phenomenal power cable, but its pricing means only a relative few will be able to afford its charms.
On the other hand, a $100 USD for a DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA tinned-copper power cable that is within the 80-90% range of performance of the Absolute Power Cable is something most of us audio nuts can work into the budget (or $160 USD if you have Parts ConneXion build one for you - the extra $60 USD is for labor).
Acoustic Revive Absolute Power Cable
As I've mentioned previously, for the Duelund-Altec Project I've been using the $12K USD Acoustic Revive Absolute Power Cable on the SPEC RSA-M3 EX Real Sound Amplifier ($9500 USD) as my power cable & amplifier voicing reference for the "Stokowski" Altec's and their über Duelund CAST Sn-Cu crossovers.
SPEC RSA-M3 EX Real Sound Amplifier
Ken-san's and Yazaki-san's creations are a formidable combination both musically and sonically, and they really make "Stokowski" Altec's & their Duelund CAST Sn-Cu crossovers sing!
"Stokowski" Altec loudspeakers with the exotic Duelund CAST tinned-copper crossovers.
Duelund CAST tinned-copper crossover breadboards.
I'll be providing another update on the Duelund-Altec Project's Duelund CAST Sn-Cu crossovers before long, so just a quick mention now that as they've continued to accumulate run-in time, the high-frequency circuit (in particular) continues to evolve in a positive way.
600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable
After removing the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable from the Cable Cooker, I installed into the system in place of the Acoustic Revive Absolute Power Cable.
Acoustic Revive Absolute Power Cable (left) and 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable (right).
Here's the progression of what's been happening:
DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable with no conditioning
As I reported in my last post, the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable showed promise, but sounded somewhat shut-in and thin by comparison to my reference Acoustic Revive Absolute Power Cable, which sounded rich, natural, vivid, and very expressive.
DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable with three days of conditioning on the Cable Cooker
Three days on the Cable Cooker made a significant positive difference in the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable's performance, with it opening up significantly, and with the thinness I was hearing disappearing.
DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable with six days of conditioning on the Cable Cooker
Six days on the Cable Cooker brought more improvements, with the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable opening up even more, and gaining a bit of charming "sparkle" in the high-frequencies.
The overall tonal balance improved as well, with the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable sounding a bit richer, and even more natural from a timbral perspective.
The most noticeable change/difference I heard with the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable was that the bass response was less prominent than with the Absolute Power Cable, while still providing good bass definition, with lots of clarity and lots of interesting nuance. That could be a good thing depending on your speakers in-room balance. If your speakers are a bit boomy in the bottom, the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable will likely even them out nicely, I think.
All those audiophile-style sonic traits like imaging, soundstaging, and sense of recorded acoustic were impressive with the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable powering the SPEC amp. There's a nice sense of vivid imaging, lots of soundstage depth & width, and a huge sense of space.
Dynamics, melody lines, beat, tempos, harmonies, all sounded very engaging and exciting, and drew me into the music.
I really like what I'm hearing from the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable after six hours of conditioning. I'm going to listen to the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable for a while and see if I can't provide you some more performance details.
I may try another three days of conditioning just for kicks, although the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable is sounding so good now that it probably doesn't need any more conditioning - but who knows?
Please be sure to let me know how your own the DIY 600V Duelund DCA12GA power cable projects are going, and any discoveries you make along the way.
Ok, that's it for now, over and out!
As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the gone be with you!
