Pangea Audio AC 14SE Audiophile MKII Signature Power Cable Cord Upgrade for Audio, Video and Electronic Gear 2 Meter

Pangea cables are well built and a solid value compared to other exotic cables. I replaced all my stock power cables with these primarily because of the look and that I could get exactly the length I needed so that I did not have cables hanging behind my cabinet. Do power cables make a difference in the sound? I can't say that they do or don't and if there was a change, it was too subtle to notice.

So I have dilly-dallied with woo-woo wires over the decades....MIT Shotgun, TARA Rectangular Solid Core, Kimber KS interconnects, kilobuck custom built hand polished silver interconnects, and sometimes they did make a great improvement (the first time I borrowed the MIT 750 Shotgun speaker cable I was floored by what a massive difference a 'hookup wire' could make). But many times they were no better than much cheaper alternatives. I even tried out a full loom of some Russian military wires that probably retailed for $30k, and much preferred the free interconnects that came with a $59 DVD player! I admit I only tried a few power cables with any pretensions-starting with the Tiffany AC60 back in the 1980s.But then I ended up with a full-blown Naim system and used their supplied cables including power cables. Apart from the their amazing tuner and a 2-box CD player, my Naim gear is long gone. Now I am using some large tube monoblocks and a DAC fed by a Squeezebox touch that is in turn powered by a massive linear supply. But for some reason the 18ga and 16ga Naim power cables remained.I happened upon the reviews of the Pangea series of power cables. And with the very liberal Amazon return policy, I took the plunge and got one AC14 SE and another AC14XL.And today I tried them out. I ended up with the 14SE on the DAC and the 14XL on the SBT linear supply (the ends of the 14XL are just too massive to fit through the circular cut outs of the entertainment center). And from the very first note something very different was happening. Think about the time you went from a mid level moving magnet cartridge to a special moving coil one, or from an integrated amp to a high end pre/power combo. These are the level of improvements I am hearing. Tonally the first thing that leaps out-literally- is the shuddering bass extension, that is matched by its tightness. Voices and instruments are grounded in space and quite separate from each other. Clarity and crispness of the top end is significantly improved. Its like having a really cruddy stylus and giving it a good clean-it not only looked wooly, but it sounded it too.My speakers by the was are some custom built ones that went for about $25k a decade ago and are still very difficult to beat.I am sure there will be some who say this is all imaginary or placebic. I am totally convinced it is not. How convinced? I just ordered another 2 XL cords for the power amps. I may at some point swap the 14SE for another XL for good measure, although that will require taking a 2 inch hole punch to the backboard of the entertainment center. BUT.....that will also allow me to try the 7-ga AC9 power cords along the way too!Once my two other power cables come I will also swap out the 5-year old octet of 6550 tubes in my amps, and hopefully hear the full benefits of these cables.One caveat though...the IEC end of the XL is really, really chunky and may not easily fully seat into the receptacle without duress-which is what happened to me when I first installed it-and was rewarded with some gut wrenching burping sounds that thundered out of my speakers. It was probably arcing or something. It needs a really firm push, after which it becomes almost hermetically sealed.

I can’t believe how a power cord can make this level of difference. I’ve built my own power cords and definitely have noticed a difference but I can’t believe at this price point how much this affects the sound. The level of clarity, micro detail, bass, mids clarity is amazing. A blacker background would make sense as to why all this would be coming through. It is very stiff so definitely get a size above what you think you need. Definitely looking to get the next jump to a Shunyata Delta series.

I am only given 4 stars as I just got this item, and yes it is VERY well built and from my first listen I think that I am hearing an improvement in my system. I have always told folks for years that one of the cheapest improvements to a good system to begin with is up dating your cables. And yes one can really spend a lot of money doing it, you just have to find what works for you. I would say just the basic upgrade to your cables is a vast improvement and you do not need win the Lottery to do that. A lot of good cables are on sell like this one is or was. Now there are a lot of opinions of this and you must do your home work as to where you draw the line. But as far as this power cable goes well if you are in the market and wish not to spend a fortune then I would suggest that you place this one in your cart. Make sure you get the correct end connections, My Pre-amp is only a two prong IEC but this cable being a 3 prong works just fine and the connection is SUPER TIGHT!!!!! And yes the cable is a small snake thick and heavy........ But most of all just enjoy good sound and remember you need not spend a million to hear the greatness but you can save it to enjoy your stereo!!!!!!!

I still don't understand the whole thing with power cables and how they're supposed to make an audio component sound better. It makes no sense. It makes me think, if a 2-foot power cable can make my amp sound better, would a 3-foot one sound even better? How about a 12-foot one? Would this sound better than directly soldering my house wiring to the amp's power transformer? Why???I ordered this power cable for my headphone amp/DAC. I've just been using a normal black cheapo cable for about a year, and decided why not, I'll just get a new Pangea cable (the AC14), it's reasonably priced. Probably won't be able to tell any difference anyway.Wow, I was wrong. Huge, very noticeable difference. I think it made a bigger difference than switching the stock headphone cable with the nice balanced one, and that was no small improvement. Everything got clearer and more defined, especially the highs. And it made it sound LOUDER. It makes no sense, but I wish I'd replaced it a long time ago. Would a $300 cable sound even better? It's craziness, this hobby is just nuts.