Pangea Powercords The real deal ?

[mdconnelly]

I picked up a short Pangea AC-9 that I intend to use on the bedroom system.  Damn, this cable is the biggest, fatest, thickest, stiffest cable I've ever seen.   Of course, that says absolutely nothing about how it will affect sonics but I'm really struck by just the sheer heft of it.  This ain't no lightweight knockoff cable.   For the price, this thing is a monster.

I think I'm going to break it in on my main rig for a few weeks just to see what I hear.    

[topround]

I just got my Pangea 14 today, seems the .6 meter version has a problem with the IEC end, it doesn't fit into an IEC socket!!
Seems a known problem by Audio Advisor yet they continue to ship them, mine is going back tomorrow, I guess I will never get to hear what they sound like.

Mike

[AcidJazz]

If it don't fit...gotta acquit. 

[topround]

they must have smaller IEC's in China

[mdconnelly]

My .6m AC-9 IEC connection is VERY tight but with a bit of force, it does fit and given the weight of this cable, tight is the only way to go. 

[rollo]

  Some basic PC rules that have made my system sound better.

1. Suspend cable off floor with a loop of copper wire and string.
2. Keep all Cs away from walls [3" min.] and a min. of 6" apart.
3. If they must cross do it at a 90 degree angle. Avoid if possible.
4. All connections must be tight and CLEAN.
5. Use proper ga. for gear.
6. If IEC is loose wrap a piece of electrical tape around IEC for snug fit.

  So what will these reccos yield. Quieter background, more music. no hums, buzzes. A more open sound. I remember when I first suspended all my cables. It looked like A mad scientists lab. Our club members laughed a bit. It looked silly but the results out weighed the look so suspended they remain.


charles

[tmazz]

Just got my Pangea AC-9 and put it on my Classe' Twenty-five amp in place of the Signal Cable MagicPower PC that has been there for about a year. Initial impressions: Tonally nothing jumped out at me as radically different. The Pangea seemed to give a a bit if detail resolution as compared to the Signal Cable, but along with that detail softening came a bit more relaxed and smoother overall presentation.  The Pangea seemed to shift the Classe's sound to one that was somewhat more tubelike in character. None of the changes were large enough to constitute a right or wrong difference, but rather fell more in the range of personal preferences.

Now keep in mind that these are only initial impressions based on a very short listening session (I got home from work and only had about 20 minutes to spare before I had to leave for the ice rink to run hockey playoffs - it's that time of year again). I only listened to one song and the Pangea had literally 5 minutes of break in time on it. I will let the cable bake for a week or two, do some more extensive listening and report back to you guys with any futher conclusions.

[topround]

I just started using my Pangea AC 14 on my cd player yesterday.
Totally new I heard a black background with vivid dynamics and very good bass,and very open,  top was a little hot, just a tad,  but that probably will tame with burn in, it had maybe 2 minutes of burn in.
All in all , I like it. Is it better than the Shunyata Anaconda?  No.
But it ain't bad at all, and it costs $20!
Since I can't afford the Shunyata, the Pangea stays! I might get a 9 gauge to hardwire to my amp.

Mike

[Lissnr]

Hi Guys, While I've enjoyed following many posts on this site, this will be my first one here. The Pangea PC's are a current interest of mine. While I was one of those long-standing holdouts who adamantly denied in principle without ever trying for myself that powercords could make any difference, yet alone an actual improvement in one's system, the day I finally broke down and actually tried an aftermarket cord to replace my OEM, (I started with one of Frank's Signal Cable Magic Power cables), and I completely 'Jumped ship". I have since then become a staunch upholder of the argument that they are a huge contributor towards improving one's sound system and regard anyone who refuses to believe the truth of it as someone just like my former self who unknowingly bathed in that [often arrogant] pool known as  "Ignorance is Bliss"....
That said, I found myself agreeing with many points on this thread, especially the fact that this hobby of ours is the poster child when it comes to money spent and the laws of diminishing returns... namely: are there great $2k PC's out there? I'm sure of it... is your household income in the 'considerably above most' category? (Here's a test: If you've been debating between a new MB S-Class or your next pair of speakers, you're probably a good candidate for membership)...unfortunately I do not qualify and have always looked for the best bang for my buck/overachieving/giant killer product(s) I could find to help me continuously satisfy this incessant addiction...which leads me back to the power cord...
Personal sequence of events:
* Discover Signal Cable makes a great value improvement to my system... I outfit my entire system with Signal Cable PC's (Including 2 x Magic Digitals for my transport and processor, 2 x Magic Powers for my 2 separate power conditioners (one for analog only, one for digital only), one for my pre-amp, one for my Subwoofer, 2 for my mono-bloc amps...).
* Lived with and enjoyed a nicely improved [over stock] cords for quite a while
* Started dabbling in a few other relatively reasonable brands through the years...Swapping one or two at a time into my pre or power amps... a little with the digitals, etc, and eventually found another particular brand (at about 2.5X the Signal Cable's price) that still qualified as 'good value ' to my wallet but that also finally justified itself in sound improvement/quality to earn a  "re-sell" of all the previous cables for a complete new package (all of the above listed components) of this new company's cables: I'll call them "Company X" so as not to name names....
* Happily lived with 'company X' just as before... thoroughly enjoyed how much a great sounding power cord could take my system's sonics to an even higher level... and, at a still reasonable price.
* Let's get to the punchline, shall I?
* OK: last week I tried a Pangea AC-9 in my transport...only due to the talk I've been hearing on the grapevine and from the personal experience of 2 fellow audiophiles whose opinions I value... it had about 90 seconds on it before I pressed "Play"
* The next day I ordered 4 more AC-9's... enough for most of my system (I have since switched amp manufacturers and am unfortunately living with captive PC's in my current mono blocs until the appropriate IEC surgery can be performed). UPS tracking #'s say ETA is 2 more days... the one on my transport has been cooking for almost 100 hrs without follow-up listening time since the first day....and I will be listening [finally] in about 12 hrs from now...
* Will the injection of them all into my system do what initial indications imply?
* Will company X be the next one in line to be sold down the Audiogon chain to the next lucky fellow looking for a reasonable way to improve his system as he carefully climbs up the never-ending ladder towards that legendary sweet-spot known solely as "Audio Nirvana"?
* With a 30 day money back guarantee (plus shipping of course) and several listening hours [luckily available] this very week...I'll be all ears...
    Hmmm ... looks like I just posted another typically lengthy post for myself... someday I've got to work on being more "Pithy" ( a good word to know).
I'll stay in touch. Until then: Happy Lissn'n!

[richidoo]

Hi Guys, While I've enjoyed following many posts on this site, this will be my first one here.

Welcome to AN, Lissnr!  Great 1st post, glad to have you here with us.
Rich

[rollo]

Welcome Lissnr. So far so good eh. Let us know moreof your findinds as time goes by. I have heard it takes over 200 hours for the sound to stop changing. Thanks for posting your opinion so far.

charles

[mdconnelly]

The Pangea AC-9 cords are HUGE and if size were a measure of sound quality they'd be killer and at the current price, an amazing steal.  But.... I will share my experience....

As stated earlier, I bought one for a 2nd system but decided to break it in on my main rig by having it feed a PS Audio Juicebar II that is feeding my entire system off a dedicated 20a circuit.

I will say that what I noticed most with the Pangea compared to two of my favorite cords (Black Sand Silver Ref and Alan Maher Quantum Reference) was a deeper and more pronounced bass.  My initial impression was definitely a Wow!  But... after extended listening, I found the balance was tipped in a direction that was not my cup of tea.  I will say that when we tried it at a G2G at Shane's on his DAC...well, it kinda sucked (literally .  See Shane's post here: http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=2091.msg22067#msg22067

A few days later I tried it on my DAC/preamp at home and while the results where not as pronounced as at Shane's, it was still a step in the wrong direction.  I have not tried it on my amp simply because it has a 20a IEC but I suspect if it's going to work well, that might be where it would be.

Caveat: All of my listening to this PC was in the 50-150 hours of use range and when we tried it at Shane's it had less than 50 hours on it.   Recent posts suggest that given it's size, it could easily take far, far longer to breakin.  Right now, it's not in use at all, but maybe I'll stick it on the frig for a month and give it a listen again at that time.

   

[topround]

I have the Pangea ac 14, that I used for the power supply for my cdplayer (lector).
At first I was a bit excited about this cable, very open, dynamic, a black background and deep bass.
After about 50 to 100 hours it started to sound a little tipped up and a bit shrill at top.
I went back to my old cable and was relieved of the offensive sound. I lost some air and slam and some bass, but the musicality was back. Maybe it needs more time? My original cable has 1000's of hours on it so it may have an advantage of burn in. I may give the Pangea a second chance but only after some more burn in time on another product(fridge).
Not trying to knock the product, just describing what I hear, I know others have had great success with it, so system dependency definitly comes into play right now. If the Pangea could get a little more beauty on top it would be close to perfect for $20!!
Now that would be the ultimate tweak.

Mike

[Deton Nation]

I can describe the magic cables since I had them in my full sytem. Great Bass. Dark sounding.. would be good for bright systems. Takes a bit of the dynamics out of the music but overall natural sounding. Rounded.

[tmazz]

I can describe the magic cables since I had them in my full sytem. Great Bass. Dark sounding.. would be good for bright systems. Takes a bit of the dynamics out of the music but overall natural sounding. Rounded.

Are these comments about the Pangea cables? I don't mean to be picky, but Signal Cable has a power cord called the Magic Power Cord which retails for almost the same price as the Pangea AC-9 which makes it a natural comparison point. I just want to be clear as to which cable you are talking about. And if it is the Pangea do your comments relate to the AC-9, the AC-14 or both?