I own the SE for a SACD player and was wondering how much improvement I would get if I upgraded to the XL model.
Yes I started with the Pangea AC14 SE and heard enough of an improvement over stock power cables to buy an entire loom. Eventually I decided to try the XL and I heard a significant improvement. I run all XLs now. Since then I’ve upgraded to Fidelium balanced interconnects and Iconoclast speaker cables so, probably, the Pangeas are the weak link but I haven’t felt the need to replace them. If I heard a power cable from the next tier I probably would feel differently.
Thanks. Can you say which specific improvements you heard when switching from SE to XL?
It’s been a while but seems like I remember the mids and highs were more open with fine details. Also I noticed more in the deep bass. The differences were such that I didn’t hesitate to make the change. I would recommend just trying one and listen for yourself before changing them all like I did. Note though that I haven’t listened to other brands and there might be better options elsewhere. It can be quite the rabbit hole to enter.
My experience is that Audio Envy gives significantly better performance than Pangea XL for roughly the same amount of money. Tested on my Marantz SACD 30n. This is probably due to the fact that Audio Envy uses Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC) copper.
I agree that it is likely the OCC used. I have that in all the cabling in my system–it makes a difference imo.
My power cord journey also started with Pangea and moved next to Audio Envy, a very noticeable upgrade in sound quality across the board. Also AE cables fit really snug at both ends and are extremely flexible. A different approach that is much more user friendly and sound significantly better IMHO. And made in USA.