bhobba Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 (edited) Hi All This is what me, Rawl99, and two others that were there (one a Hi Fi nut like me and Rawl - one just with an interest) heard when we compared the following two power cables: https://kleinnovations.com/kle-innovations-klei-products/klei-ac-architecture/klei-gpower3-ac/ http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/YARBO-Audiophile-GY-9000PW-Cable-Cord-Per-1M-Germany-Hi-End-/151290418439 The system was as follows: 1 Heavily upgraded Wadia Transport 2. Killer DAC - two were tried mine and Rawl's - Rawl's has had a few more tweaks done and was better - that so and so. 3. Heavily upgraded cheap Chinese power amp. Up there with the best I have heard eg the BHK, heavily upgraded Prima Luna Dialogue etc - not as resolving as those amps or with as much 'aliveness' but a really nice textured sound. 4. RCA cables and Speaker cables also from Keith Eichmann - but I cant recall which ones they were, but knowing Rawl almost certainly some of his bettter ones. 5. Fully specked ML5 Reference with Duelund VSF Copper for all capacators. 6. Most stuff was on isolation springs to absorb vibrations. The power cable was into the amp. When I arrived, it had been playing for a little while but sounded pretty sweet - quite harmonically rich and textured. Rawl calls it harmonic resolution - I call it what I said - rich and textured. Think sterile and Hi Fi'sh - its the exact opposite. Some like that sort of thing though - sorry for using the word sterile if you are in that camp - you would likely say uncolored - not that I thought the sound I heard was colored - but different things float different peoples boat and describe it in different ways. We listened to a fair bit of different music including my reference - Dianna Krall - Case Of You. Voices lovely and alive but not lacking in detail - beautiful engaging sound that seemed to get better as the system continued to warm up. Rawl is biased of course but had recently been to the Munich show and thinks it was at least as good as any system he heard over there - but then again he is very very critical. He is the type of guy that will tell the brutal truth - when listening to a million dollar system if it sounds like rubbbish to him he will say so. OK time to try the Yarbo. We put it in but then sojourned to Sizzlers for some dinner so it could settle. When we returned for me: 1. It was flat and dull. Gone was the richness and texture. 2. It had a sort of metallic sheen - that's the only way I can describe it 3. Detail seems unaffected - the non Hi Fi person there plays the piano and said she thought the piano now sounded more lifelike. We played through the same songs and for me it was all the same - maybe the best way to describe it is the Yarbo was Hi Fi'ish - the KLE more emotionally satisfying. We then put the KLE back and gave it time to settle. The same as before - but as the evening wore on things seemed to open up more. It still had the same richness and texture but the detail came more apparent. The piano person now thought it was sounding more like a real piano. There is a big difference in the price of these cables. Is it worth the difference? I don't know - I would pay the price difference (the KLE now belongs to me - I bought it) but that's just me. You must listen yourself to see if it does it for you. Thanks Bill Edited October 6, 2017 by bhobba Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLXXX Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 So what was the mains supply voltage during the first period, and what was it after you got back from Sizzlers? I'll openly admit I've never heard a difference from changing power cables but if I kept an open mind and was seriously trying to compare power cables I'd have a digital multimeter connected at all times to the mains supply and glance over at it from time to time during the testing and note down the readings. At my place the supply voltage can vary by 5V very easily and sometimes by as much as 10V. (Not that that appears to alter the sound for my ears.) 25 minutes ago, bhobba said: We then put the KLE back and gave it time to settle. The same as before - but as the evening wore on things seemed to open up more. It still had the same richness and texture but the detail came more apparent. Supply voltage later at night can certainly differ. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancientflatulence Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 @bhobba .... Bill .............. What the hell is going on ............ you don't have time to be sitting around listening to the differences in power cables and swanning off to Sizzlers when the mood takes you ............ I thought that you, as our local enforcer, had given we potential Grob DAC owners an undertaking to be down at Clay's in your leather gear flogging him for a minimum of 18 hours a day to get those DACs built ................. Tsk Tsk ..... you do disappoint me ................ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhobba Posted October 6, 2017 Author Share Posted October 6, 2017 4 hours ago, MLXXX said: So what was the mains supply voltage during the first period, and what was it after you got back from Sizzlers? Don't know we didn't measure it. But it's true, and pretty well known, mains voltage tends to be 'cleaner' late at night which may have an affect. Thanks Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockeater Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 On 10/6/2017 at 12:05 PM, bhobba said: Heavily upgraded cheap Chinese power amp. Up there with the best I have heard eg Why no name is mentioned if it is "up there with the best" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob181 Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 8 hours ago, rockeater said: Why no name is mentioned if it is "up there with the best" ? Bill is a retired gentleman who loves his HiFi & has done so for many years... His memory is not the best at times...but nor is mine on occasions... Said amp is a Chinese integrated that has been modded to within an inch of its life... With only the case & transformers remaining stock... The NOS tubes being used in it now cost more than the amp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 (edited) . Edited October 7, 2017 by metal beat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockeater Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 (edited) 17 hours ago, metal beat said: . 9 hours ago, rockeater said: Why no name is mentioned if it is "up there with the best" ? He did. You don't read? Quote eg the BHK http://www.psaudio.com/products/bhk-signature-300-monoblock/ eg the BHK is not a name for the amp being used. The one you linked to is $27,000 PS Audio - hardly a cheap amp. Chinese or not. I just think that if you mention such irrelevant items as signal cables, isolators, and what kind of capacitors were used in the speaker crossovers, you should give kudos to the Chinese manufacturer of the cheap amp. All of these including the kind of transport used, have little to do with tested power cables, or at least less so than the power amp used and its output. But no bragging rights I suppose. Edited October 8, 2017 by rockeater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob181 Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 18 hours ago, rockeater said: But no bragging rights I suppose. Happy to tell you once I own one... I have been waiting for a couple of years for one... Not long ago on appeared & as Max Smart would say... "Missed it by that much"...disappointed...bugger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Muon N' Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 The mystery continues Now I'm curious what one it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted October 9, 2017 Volunteer Share Posted October 9, 2017 I know but I'm not telling..: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Muon N' Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 12 minutes ago, Sir Sanders Zingmore said: I know but I'm not telling..: Gee Trevor, twist that knife a little more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Muon N' Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 Oops...lost interest already, maybe this is why I don't watch mystery movies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhobba Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 (edited) Guys, guys - its not important - it's simply some cheap Chinese amp that has been very heavily modified with components hellishly expensive - as mentioned the NOS valves are worth more than the amp new. There are quite a few cheapish Chinese amps around - but to put this little discussion to rest it was a Migng-Da but exactly what model I don't know. The 250 BHK costs about $12k (at least when I got it) - this was't that expensive, it would cost maybe about the same as the other best amp I have heard - the Prima Luna Dialogue upgraded - you are looking at about $7-8K for that (it had Duelund and Jensen capacitors put in that are hellishly expensive). That is if you can get Rawl to build you one - he doesn't have that much free time. His day job is installing Hi-Fi and Home Theater systems and he is always busy with that. If you are interested providing your speakers are not that insensitive - say 86db or more get the Prima. But I have some speakers that are 83db sensitive nearing completion which is really low sensitivity and is why I spent extra to get more power power and got the BHK. Thanks Bill Edited October 10, 2017 by bhobba 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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