has anybody ever heard of and or used any of their cable products , wether it be interconnects or speaker cable ?? A fella I ran across while at my dealer the other day was praising their "Black Dragon" line of cables. Does anybody have experience with them ??
Moon Audio - A Cable Co. ??
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Dave,
I have no experience with Moon Audio's products at all. They are quite expensive, IMO. Your post sent me researching, though. Your reference was welcome because I am looking for power cables - need custom lengths and would not mind 10 or 12 gauge cable and fancy TechFlex jackets. The Moon Audio site has info on connectors and other parts which led me to Amazon as well as two other sites with interconnect and speaker cable products, and these may interest you:
VH Audio: http://www.vhaudio.com/products.html (60 days return policy)
SignalCable: http://www.signalcable.com/ (30 days return policy)
Note the return policies. SignalCable seem to be very good value (judged by their power cords). VH Audio sells all cables, connectors, and such like to DIYers, too. So one can roll one's own, if you had the interest and the time. Otherwise their prices are high.
Of course, one could always turn to bluejeanscable.com or impactacoustics.com for plain, boring, no-nonsense speaker cables and interconnects. The former sell superb locking banana plugs for under $6/pair!
I have no experience with Moon Audio's products at all. They are quite expensive, IMO. Your post sent me researching, though. Your reference was welcome because I am looking for power cables - need custom lengths and would not mind 10 or 12 gauge cable and fancy TechFlex jackets. The Moon Audio site has info on connectors and other parts which led me to Amazon as well as two other sites with interconnect and speaker cable products, and these may interest you:
VH Audio: http://www.vhaudio.com/products.html (60 days return policy)
SignalCable: http://www.signalcable.com/ (30 days return policy)
Note the return policies. SignalCable seem to be very good value (judged by their power cords). VH Audio sells all cables, connectors, and such like to DIYers, too. So one can roll one's own, if you had the interest and the time. Otherwise their prices are high.
Of course, one could always turn to bluejeanscable.com or impactacoustics.com for plain, boring, no-nonsense speaker cables and interconnects. The former sell superb locking banana plugs for under $6/pair!
DTB300
Well-known member
I use the Signal Cable Magic Power Cord and in regards to cost versus performance, I am very pleased with them.ralflar said:
I did a direct comparison of the PS Audio Lab II Power Cable - $399 for 3 ft against the Signal Cable Magic Power Cord - $59 for 3 ft, against a stock cord and another cheap well talked about alternative - Volex (sp?) $10 for 3 ft. The Volex sounded better than the stock, and both the PS Audio and Signal sounded MUCH better than the Volex. When I compared the PS Audio to the Signal Cable in different components and my CLSIIz's, I could decern no differences between them. (The PS Audio PC came with my Plinius amp when I purchased it).
Like Ralflar stated, you have 30 day to try them out and if you do not like them, return them. BTW, many great things also said about the VH Audio Power Cords, so you may want to try them too. Chris also has a 30 day trial if I am not mistaken.
But, Dave, back to the topic at hand. If Moon has a trial period, give them a shot to see what you like. Make sure their return policy does not cost you any money, other than the cost to ship them back.
Dan
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He has a generous 60 days. Re. the Moony cables, I could not find their return policy. Perhaps I was not looking long enough.DTB300 said:
Dave, if you do order and evaluate, you'll have to report back here. Or elseDTB300 said:
.Dan, thanks. It is good to read positive feedback on the Magic Power Cords on this board. The connectors on that 3' cable can be found for around $13 each @ Amazon. That means almost half of the cable price is in the connectors. Paying the remainder for cable, TechFlex jacket, and assembly, seems very reasonable to me. Being a cable sceptic, I am after custom lengths and better looks. I would be thrilled to get better sound for free!
DTB300
Well-known member
I also was a Power Cable skeptic. When I received my Plinius amp and it came with a PC that was not stock (PS Audio Lab II), it gave me a chance to try different PC out. I was surprised at the improvement it gave me. So then I tried the Signal Cable PC and liked it.ralflar said:
I am sure there are other power cords out there which would be better than the Signal Cable PC, but at what cost, and how much improvement would it be in regards to the cost? Just another aspect of the endless cable debate let it be IC, Speaker, or PC.
Dan
Dan / Ralf, Thanks for the feedback, agreed the open return policy is important regardless of price paid for the cables. I have used Frank's (Signal Cable) stuff on a small system in our living room and have been quite happy as well. He does appear to have a nice no-nonsense approach to quality / price.
If I do try the "Black Dragon" IC's from Moon I'll be sure to report back, then again if I could find a second pair of the DH Labs revelation's in 2 meters that would be a nice audition and comparison.
If I do try the "Black Dragon" IC's from Moon I'll be sure to report back, then again if I could find a second pair of the DH Labs revelation's in 2 meters that would be a nice audition and comparison.
Most of you already know this stuff. However, it hasn't been discussed as one of the benefits of better power cords is reduced Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI). While I have my doubts about the direct effects of power cords on non-amplified ML speakers there is another by-product of power cables.
Since power cables are transmitting 220 or 120 AC volts cycling at 60hz emit various levels of EMI and therefore should be kept away from other cables in the system. They should not run parallel to other cables and certainly not be coiled up. When coiled they become magnetic which makes EMI even worse. Shorter well shielded power cables may improve the sound of a system by reducing EMI. Especially if they are replacing the cheap 8ft power cords that are included with ML speakers. Those long cheap cords are more likely to produce EMI than well shielded power cables. Less EMI from better quality power cords can contribute to improved sound.
Its also a good idea to keep all your cables away from each other as much as possible. Hard to do in a HT system. The worst thing to do is strap them all together or coil up the unneeded length.
Since power cables are transmitting 220 or 120 AC volts cycling at 60hz emit various levels of EMI and therefore should be kept away from other cables in the system. They should not run parallel to other cables and certainly not be coiled up. When coiled they become magnetic which makes EMI even worse. Shorter well shielded power cables may improve the sound of a system by reducing EMI. Especially if they are replacing the cheap 8ft power cords that are included with ML speakers. Those long cheap cords are more likely to produce EMI than well shielded power cables. Less EMI from better quality power cords can contribute to improved sound.
Its also a good idea to keep all your cables away from each other as much as possible. Hard to do in a HT system. The worst thing to do is strap them all together or coil up the unneeded length.
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Craig said:
Craig, point well taken and I know it has been preached many times on the site before. I do believe FWIW the real problem with EMI is how it relates / interfers with ones "signal" cables, interconnects and speaker cable not other AC cables. Thus the perpindicular approach to intersecting the two.
audioraptured
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Moon Audio- A Cable Co
DTB300. I think I may switch to that $59 or $69 cable from Signal since you found it to be a reasonable upgrade. I am a bit skeptical, but would like to see, (hear), for myself. A question though, where would you place the cable for the better sound, into your power amp or your preamp? Thanks, I always enjoy your input.
DTB300. I think I may switch to that $59 or $69 cable from Signal since you found it to be a reasonable upgrade. I am a bit skeptical, but would like to see, (hear), for myself. A question though, where would you place the cable for the better sound, into your power amp or your preamp? Thanks, I always enjoy your input.
DTB300
Well-known member
For me and my setup, I found both made a change. I also tried them on my speakers and also found a change. Earthshattering change? No, but a change for the better.
I am skeptical towards the very expensive PC's, and the Signal PC compared to the Voltex PC are cheap alternatives ($14 and $60) to try out. I found the Signal better than the Voltex. Frank (Signal) also offers a return if you are not happy with them. So it is a small investement that can be recouped, other than shipping if I am not mistaken. So why not try it out?
In another comparison I tried the Signal PC and the PS Audio Lab II, and they sounded the same ($400 vs $75).
After my room acoustics changes are done, I want to try out one of the items that Cherian talks about, the Powervar conditioners. These could make the PC choices moot...
Dan
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I did a research on the cables. I am currently using Voodoo Power cables - Mana for MIT Zcenter and SF's Line 1 Preamp, Mojo for my Summits, Silver Dragon for Wadia 861, Black Dragon for mt Plinius SA-102. For Loudspeaker cable I am using DH LABS Q-10 Bi-wire and Revelation series for Wadia ,& Preamp -BALANCED. I am extremely happy but it differs from individual to individual.
