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XLO Ref2 Type 10A, Part 6

162.205.183.92

Posted on February 18, 2022 at 23:11:55
Luminator
Audiophile

Posts: 7291
Location: Bay Area
Joined: December 11, 2000
"C'mon man," emailed an Inmate from Tustin, "How does the XLO Ref2 [Type 10A powercord] compare to the R3-10?"

In Spring 1987, I got my very first girlfriend, CT. Ho boy, CT wasn't just your stereotypical nerd girl, she was one of the top students in her class of around 650. Because of honors and AP classes, she had the GPA north of 4.0. In order to get a perfect 1600, she took the SAT multiple times. And when she kept getting 1580, CT was (a) crushed, and (b) wondered, "What did I get wrong?"

Alas, the school year ended, I went to my second home of Honolulu for the summer, and without the internet, we could only use snail mail. Honolulu-to-San Francisco took at least 4 days, back then. When we returned for the 1987-88 school year, CT and I did not have the same free periods. Our classes were such, that we never crossed paths. So instead of "breaking up," it was more "we never got back together again." Anyway, at the end of 1987, CT loved Steve Winwood's remake of "Valerie."



CT got accepted to ALL of the universities she applied to. She really wanted to go to an Ivy League school. But her parents wanted to keep her close to home, so CT went across the Bay to UC Berkeley. There, she majored in Chemistry. She then went to UC Irvine [not far from Tustin, where the Inmate hailed], to obtain her Ph. D.

CT came back home to SF, and worked in biotech. Get this. She was such an expert in her field, that her employer paid for CT to switch jobs, and obtain a law degree. In that capacity, CT could work on protecting intellectual property. A multi-millionaire, CT moved to Los Altos, from which she could visit/work at her employer's SF, mid-Peninsula, and South Bay offices. Oh, and she also worked at their SoCal, Texas, and Florida locations.

In the 2000s, CT subscribed to my Xanga blog. She followed my experiences with amplification from the likes of Adcom, BAT, Classe', Conrad-Johnson, Decware, Jeff Rowland, Krell, Mark Levinson, Meridian, Proceed, Rotel, Simaudio, and others. While she did ask me a few questions, she (a) knew what kind of sound she wanted, and (b) took the voluminous information from my Xanga blog, and (c) determined that she wanted Mark Levinson amplification.



In 2010, I started working on the mid-Peninsula, including Stanford. Initially, CT and I would meet up for lunch. I then helped her hook up and set up her Mark Levinson gear. I brought over a dCS Puccini, which was not a good match for the ML gear, but was nevertheless a reference. CT did ask me about cables and powercords. The spare XLO signal cables I had on hand weren't the best match for the Puccini or ML gear. I had the XLO R3-10 powercord, which, on the dCS Puccini, I said was "a poor man's Pranawire Maha Samadhi."



The XLO Ref2 Type 10A and R3-10 are different designs, and utilize different materials and parts. So, when you keep your system constant, and change just these powercords, it's not a surprise that they (the powercords) do not sound alike. If the R3-10 is a poor man's Pranawire Maha Samadhi, then the Ref2 Type 10A is a poor man's Pranawire Satori.

On quality sources, the R3-10 is more refined, with a clearer "map" of the recorded soundscape. The images are a little smaller and more tightly-defined. With the more stable and focused imaging, you have an easier time, making out the music's micro details.

On quality sources, the Ref2 Type 10A has the larger, more life-sized images, but they are kind of confined to a smaller space between your loudspeakers. Image outlines aren't as sharply-defined, so you don't do as many double-takes, about "seeing" the performers. However, the Ref2 Type10A more deftly handles the notes' flow from one to the next. It does a better job of picking up the momentum and bounce of basslines, and the snap and impact of drums. With the Ref2 Type10A, there is just a "keep it together" cohesiveness, which allows for hours of musical enjoyment. After rocking out to Steve Winwood's 1987 remake of "Valerie," the now Dr. CT more forcefully says, "I'm the same boy I used to be."

In all honesty, on CT's Mark Levinson gear, it's a toss-up, between the XLO Ref2 Type 10A and R3-10. The former will get your juices flowing, while the latter is more intellectual. On the dCS Puccini, the R3-10 "fights less," so is a more copacetic match. Especially when we use the refined Pranawire Nataraja interconnect and XLO R3-10 on the Puccini, you will ease into the lotus position, and meditate.

On my Simaudio 750D/820S, the older Ref2 Type 10A is the better match. It's the one, which will have your fingers more enthusiastically playing air keyboards. No, it's not going to make you forget that you are now middle-aged. But the Ref2 Type 10A is the one, which captures the spirit of being 15 years-old, as CT and I were, when we dated in Spring 1987. Early in her junior year, CT scored a perfect 1600 SAT. After pulling away from the Simaudio 750D/820S/XLO Ref2 Type 10A, CT caught her breath. Even with her education, knowledge, and expertise, she remarked, "You know what? Has anyone answered why we shiver, when we pee?"

-Lummy The Loch Monster

 

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