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REVIEW: Tel Wire Cord Cable

Model: Cord
Category: Cable
Suggested Retail Price: $799 ($399 intro price)
Description: Tel Wire Cord power cord terminated with Oyaide P-004 Beryllium AC plug and Oyaide C-004 Beryllium IEC connector
Manufacturer URL: Not Available
Model Picture: View

Review by Duster on May 24, 2008 at 12:16:05
IP Address: 67.168.76.130
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Image: Tel Wire Cord power cord terminated with Oyaide P-004 Beryllium AC plug and Oyaide C-004 Beryllium IEC connector




Prior to the delivery of a new power cord design sent for evaluation from a fellow Audio Asylum inmate known as Cpk, my expectation was quite neutral so an objective attitude towards this particular cable evaluation seemed more than possible. I was somewhat familiar with Cpk, but my only understanding was that the moniker belonged to a productive poster and good-natured inmate. While I foresaw no reason to anticipate that the power cord being sent for the evaluation would turn out to be an extraordinarily well-crafted, high-performance design, nor a mediocre attempt at homebrew, I was in fact eager to give it a listen simply based on the power cord materials, alone:

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Continuous Cast Copper Conductors

Wire is made from casting molten copper into long rods or bars that eventually are drawn through a tiny orifice that creates a copper wire. Copper crystals, generated during rapid cooling in the traditional casting process, act as an impediment to the natural flow of the signal. This is because the random orientation of these copper crystals forms an irregular mosaic pattern that impedes the flow of electrons. In 1986 the Ohno Continuous Casting (OCC) process was introduced to the world. High purity single crystal copper was developed by professor Ohno of the Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan. OCC is a single, long grain copper structure built by using a heated mold, that solves the rapid cooling process problems. The results are small rods of pure copper, from which the wire can be drawn as a single copper grain of over 700 feet in length.

Oyaide P-004 Beryllium AC Plug and Oyaide C-004 Beryllium IEC Connector

AC connectors featuring beryllium copper contacts plated with 0.5 microns of platinum followed by 0.3 microns of palladium. The first layer is 0.5 µ (microns) of platinum, followed by the second layer of palladium which is 0.3 µ in thickness. The initial shaping of the contact is done via an automated mill. This is followed by a manual polishing which is done before the first direct plating layer and again before the final plating. This process is unique and unparalleled and achieves a mirror finish. The use of beryllium copper provides a high level of conductivity and at the same time a high level of mechanical integrity. Heat treatment is applied to enhance its machine-ability. Its rigidity and thickness (1.0mm thick and 6.0mm wide) increases the holding capacity of the plug to 8kg and minimizes vibrations which would otherwise degrade the transmission of energy.

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If at the onset Chris Kline (Cpk) of Tel Wire had disclosed his previous employment history within the audio manufacturing business, as well as being a rather dedicated follower of the late Bob Crump’s design concepts (a much-admired AA cable guru) this would have prompted me to think that there must at least be something of interest about his cable design efforts. Thus said, I’m glad I began the evaluation without predudice other than a natural bias towards the use of SOTA materials.

A smaller and lighter than expected FedEx package arrived containing a power cord (and a pair of interconnects). Happily, the small size and lightweight package was due to the power cord and interconnect cables being minimal mass, highly flexible, and easy-to-route designs -- a very welcome thing when compared to heavy, stiff, unyielding cable designs that are difficult to route and/or may be quite unsettling towards the efficacy of vibration control devices.

From an aesthetic point of view, there’s nothing DIY-looking about the Tel Wire Cord as the fit and finish is first rate, very professional to my eye. The Cords exceptionally superb sounding Oyaide 004 Beryllium AC connectors feature a translucent charcoal gray shell which I find to be a welcome thing as it’s a more sleek departure from Oyaide’s other translucent red, amber, or blue shelled AC connectors (perhaps the candy-colored iMac design fad may be in decline). Furthermore, the choice of cable sleeving is impressive. Rather than the usual shiny black polyethylene terepthalate (PET) woven monofilament sleeving, the Tel Wire Cord looks to be covered with another (unknown to me) Techflex sleeving product that features a nonreflective satin finish and a rather supple fabric-feel -- actually it’s a more-true theater black sleeve and simply a nice departure from the usual, I might add. While the sleeving is essentially very attractive to the audiophile eye, there’s nothing coldly industrial nor flashy eye-candy-ish about it, so WAF should be safe if not excellent.

So, how does it sound? My first observation invoked an impression of “black velvet”; ultra smooth, silky, elegant, very open sounding (especially the upper mids and treble); with an extended, full-bodied bottom end that matches the sonic signature of other Oyaide Beryllium AC products such as the stellar sounding, state of the art R1 Beryllium AC outlet. If fans of the R1 wish to simply obtain more of what they like about the Oyaide R1 Beryllium AC outlets sonic attributes, the Tel Wire Cord terminated with Oyaide 004 Beryllium AC connectors just might hit the spot. I find the Cords continuous cast copper conductors to impart a quite transparent sonic signature -- I believe the Cords particular CCC wire, design, and geometry is configured in such a way as to actually complement the Oyaide 004’s sonic signature rather than manipulate a portrait of AC delivery such as a particular house sound. The sonic signature of the Tel Wire Cord is quite neutral/uncolored, albeit that of an obviously Oyaide 004 terminated power cord, to my ear. In fact, the Tel Wire Cord sounds as if it were tuned to the Oyaide 004’s rather than assert its own particular character, and in this new era of high performance AC connectors, that’s just about the highest complement I can give to Chris Kline’s new Cord.

I find the Tel Wire Cords soundstage orientation to be quintessentially middle row, which may be considered by some listeners to be a rather laid back presentation rather than that of a more assertive front row perspective. But “laid back” could be a somewhat deceptive impression, since any cable induced noise floor due to the Cords materials and design seems so low that the ubiquitous perceived inky black background factor 'almost' dominates the presentation without making the cable seem too polite sounding or lacking subtle detail and dynamics. As with all Oyaide Beryllium AC products, I do not find that they are dark nor lush sounding, but I do find the sonic signature to be polite in a very good way; polite without loss of information. As I take it, the Tel Wire Cord seems to effortlesly present this remarkable quality when the 004’s are mated with CCC wire and careful cable geometry.

The Cord presents a rather complete lack of glare which makes the top end seem far more dry and subdued sounding than the other more liquid sounding, spotlighted treble Oyaide AC connectors -- listeners who are addicted to harmonic excitement of the upper octaves may go into a state of withdrawal until acclimated to a more pristine treble energy. The midrange is fully fleshed out and focused, utterly uncolored, and very see-through. The bottom end simply sounds right -- so much so that I was literally compelled to complete a long-neglected customized stereo subwoofer system project. It’s not that I found a lack of bass due to the Tel Wire Cord (quite the opposite), it’s that my stand-mount 2-way monitors can only push so much air, and couple to the room only so much, that the missing foundation (including ambient information retrieval within the soundstage) begged to be included in my happy list of listening cues. It became too obvious to ignore -- the picture simply needed to be complete. So, I find the full-bodied bottom end that the Tel Wire Cord provides deserves an audio system that can present optimized lower octave energy and articulation.

In order for listeners to appreciate the sublime sonic benefits of such a carefully-crafted power cord via unobtrusive cable geometry and SOTA materials, I believe the Tel Wire Cord greatly deserves to be included in just about any short list of power cords to be seriously auditioned.

Tel Wire email: telwirecpk@gmail.com


Product Weakness: Non-aggressive, if that's what is desired.
Product Strengths: Neutral tonality, open sounding, pristine sonic quality.


Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Bryston 3B-SST
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Aragon 18k MKII
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Marantz/Museatex digital front end
Speakers: B&W Matrix 805 + customized stereo subwoofer system
Cables/Interconnects: VH Audio, Oyaide, Tel Wire
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Jazz, Rock, 2-channel HT
Time Period/Length of Audition: Several weeks post burn-in
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): VansEvers, MIT, PS Audio
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Tel Wire Cord Cable - Duster 12:16:05 05/24/08 (23)

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