HERE are some new power cables from Audience, in the guise of the Au24 SX, Au24 SE-i and SE-i AC, all of which feature the US company’s latest materials and engineering advancements in the quest for “extraordinary levels of sonic improvement in high-performance audio systems”.
The top-of-the-line Au24 SX is the culmination of 20 years of experience in high-end power cord design, we’re assured, with a full year spent developing and testing various configurations of the wire until determining the final configuration.
In the words of the company, the “Au24 SX utilises newly-designed internal wire made from six-nines-pure OCC copper. Two 13 AWG wires per leg are used in the 10 AWG Au24 SX. In a departure from previous Audience designs, the Au24SX features shielded construction.”
“Historically, Audience found that shielding power cords resulted in restricted dynamics,” says Audience head honcho John McDonald.
“However, in the new Au24 SX, we obtained the best sonic result by using a shielded design but shielding the ground leg only.”
Each of the power cord’s two ground wires is separately shielded and hand-wrapped with Teflon. The Au24 SX is insulated with the highest-quality XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) dielectric material available, and terminated with the Furutech Pure Transmission Fi-50M NCF Piezo Ceramic AC connector, “chosen for its sonic superiority and exceptional build quality”.
“With the Au24 SX in an audio system, the sound it facilitates is remarkably dynamic and musically compelling, with unparalleled harmonic resolution and rhythmic integrity,” McDonald adds.
“The improvement the Au24 SX can make in a high-performance audio system is not subtle – in fact, it’s on the same level as what one of our Adept Response power conditioners can provide.”
As for the other two units, “the Au24 SE-I is an evolution of the award-winning Au 24 and Au24 SE, upgraded with Audience’s all-new, proprietary power cord connectors, which provide a more refined and smoother musical presentation.
“The SE-i is an improved version of the time-proven standard power cord. Its six-conductor geometry has been reconfigured, resulting in a much more spacious sonic presentation with greater solidity of vocals and instruments on a wider and deeper soundstage.”
According to the company, the Au24 SX, Au24 SE-i and SE-I all feature a “high-current, low impedance, wide bandwidth design for fast response, accurate reproduction of macro and micro dynamics, articulate bass, superior imaging, exceptional harmonic integrity, lower background noise and additional sonic benefits.”
As for prices, the six-foot Au24 SX 10 AWG retails for US$4,600 (add US$180 per extra foot). Purchased as an option with any Audience Adept Response power conditioner (in place of the standard SE-i usually supplied), the optional upgrade price is $4,200.
The Au24 SX MP 13 AWG medium-power version (for use in audio components that require up to 150 watts of power) is US$3,500 per six-foot length, at US$150 per additional foot.
A six-foot Au24 SE-i is US$2,560 per foot, and US$150 per extra foot. The SE-I retails at US$915 for a six-foot length (US$30).
All previous Audience power cords can be upgraded to any of the latest versions.
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