It is tough to get proper fit with “any” plug. We took awhile to source an approve the current plugs and we will work with the current supplier to get the alternative plug styles available as we go.
Mix and match vendor plugs is not consistent, cheap, or fast. We like to be all three and keep expectations consistent for every customer.
The BAV series is designed to be the best possible value for the performance. To do this, we need to be pretty precise in how the cords are made and a consisent bill of materials.
As we get noticed in this market, we certainly will add plugs suitable to markets outside the USA. Our biggest problem is properly estimating demand! So far we missed the mark too low on that.
We weren’t certain how well this market wanted a well made and tested, but affordable, power cord. It just seemed that the best for less market was pretty slim. Still, you need a nice cord that is proper in testing to make it happen. I hope we meet yor expectations based on the BAV and ICONOCLAST brands.
We tend to do, “as we get orders” but yes, we supply PARTS for “home market” in BULK. But, an order we CAN get parts for we certainly do as we have the internal insert qualified (the external terminals aren’t critical to fitment of the internal cable). Call Bob Howard to make arrangements to investigate Euro or Japanese standard plugs.
So to say we will blow you off if you aren’t USA is not right. We may just need to get THOSE parts going and this can take a bit is all.
If we CANNOT get the right parts, we’ll be honest and tell you. And, see what we can do to get a proper assembly made. And, we need to get more BULK cordage as we blew through what we had.
Hi Jon, here is a link to connectors that another UK customer indicated he had interest in. Not the connectors shown specifically but rather the Furutech brand.I am asking my team to look into options. Thank you for your interest.
Thanks for the link. Yes I know this company and have bought from them in the past. There is no shortage of options in the UK and I would normally look at Chord and have been offered a home loan of some Shunyata cables as well; just waiting for my Word Clock to arrive and give it some time to settle in.
I managed to avoid spending $$$ on an ethernet cable and ordered a BJC which i am very happy with and from asking around about power cables i found out about Iconoclast and the BAV cables.
If the price/performance from a BJC ethernet can be achieved with the BAV, then i think this is well worth investigating as a pair of decent Chord or Shunyata cables would be several multiples in terms of price.
Nice range of products over at MCRU; but I am a little wary of them regarding advice, as I asked about a Linear PSU for my NAS drive and got quoted $1000 for one!!! This to me was just a very bad way to spend money and i couldn’t seen how they could justify such a high price. In the end i sourced an excellent Linear PSU for about 30% of the cost and its very good.
I’ve moved my BAV power cord around my new system after leting it season a week in my audio/video system powering my Decware ZROCK2 there. (The week of use did it some good, it definitely improved a bit).
This system otherwise has all PS Audio PerfectWave AC-12 power cables. I tried the BAV powering my P15, my DSD, my DMP, the ZROCK2 and both of my Decware preamps (the ZTPRE and the CSP3 with the 25th Anniversary mods which also serves as a headphone amp). It decidedly does not drive the P15 better than the AC-12. On the DSD and DMP it “slowed down” the sound–there was less of a vivid sound, less of a dynamic sound, less detail to the imaging of instruments. I used recordings featuring piano as contrabass violin as my “testing” recordings and I preferred the presentation of these with the AC-12. (The differences were subtle but noticeable). The BAV fared better on the Decware components, and sounded its best with the CSP3 preamp–which is not too surprising as I can adjust the gain on both input and output on this preamp and it really responds deeply to tube changes. I have left it on the CSP3 as I was able to get a great sound with it connected there, shaving off just a tiny bit of a treble edge in comparison to the AC-12. (I am unable to test it on the Decware amps as they are monoblocks and I only have one BAV cord). I’m enjoying the sound and will reconnect the AC-12 in the near future for further comparisons.
I have two other BAV cords on the way to me to play with, I think I got one of the last 10 gauge, and a 12 gauge is also on the way. I can always use these to power instrument amps if they don’t find a home in my audio systems,* though I will try them in the ZTPRE and the ZROCK2 and see how an all BAV preamp/EQ loom sounds.
*I find that my two primary amplifiers for instruments, the Fender Jazzmaster Ulralight SE (only one channel, no effects) and my Fender Bassman TV Fifteen really respond to power cord choices. They sound great with the stock but when I use a PS Audio xStream Statement they are considerably improved in frequency extension and dynamic response. Both have IEC receptacles so cord changes are easy.
We are looking into, sourcing and pricing. At this time there is little demand so we would probably have to purchase them on the retail market. Stay tuned.
This is my first post to this forum, although I’ve been lurking since the thread began in 2015.
I’ve been on the Iconoclast cable journey as a beta tester since it’s inception, when Galen was first began experimenting making ICs at home.
I’ve been listening to the 10g BAV power cords for a month now and wanted share my impressions. I replaced my existing power cords, one 8 foot from hospital grade outlet on a dedicated 20 amp line, to my P-12, the other from the P-12 to my Moon W-8 power amp (9 feet).
First off, I was pleasantly surprised at the flexibility of the 10g cord— they exceeded my expectations. I imagine that they will work in almost any system arrangement.
The fit and finish of the connectors was excellent, and appear very well made. Even though IEC connectors, by design, do not make a very tight connection, the ones on these cables are the best I’ve encountered. They do not sag at all!
Like the majority of comments, I found the power cords improved the sound in adifferent ways — all for the better. However, I did not notice a significant improvement, as other have posted, probably because I already had the Belden EPDM cable (14g), throughout my system for about 5 years. I immediately noticed a deeper and slightly wider sound stage, with greater clarity on vocals, and with less sibilance. On the low end I noticed improved bass with greater slam and impact. I have not noticed any subsequent improvements since my initial listening after 40 hours.
Thanks Galen, Bob and BJC for another quality product!
Not to get off topic, this is general question for Galen. In a power cord construction does it matter if the ground leg wire is different in GA size compared to the live and neutral wire or if it is solid core while the L and N are multi stranded. How does that affect the noise removal capability?
The safety ground (green wire) should see ZERO current in a proper circuit. A ground fault outlet monitors this line for current, a fault, and pops the HOT (white) lead open if it detects ANY current in the safety ground. Since this lead is a ZERO current lead, it’s construction isn’t as critical from a EM perspective as it has no current, ordinarily, and thus no EM wave! The WHITE (hot) and BLACK (circuit ground) are the two main actors.
The safety ground is attached to the CHASSIS so that of the HOT ever shorts to the metal case, it will pop the breaker of ground fault detector.
To keep the circuit geometrically “balanced” for cabling, the three legs are USUALLY the same construction. But, this isn’t the case as you go up the performance ladder and the GROUND will change from the hot and circuit ground.
From a technical perspective, the INDUCTANCE and capacitance is between the BLACK and WHITE, the GREEN does not matter. The CMA or AWG size of the safety ground has to EQUAL the circuit ground, however. So lowering inductance and capacitance involves just two of the three wires. Likewise, the passive RF properties are also the two “circuit” wires.
On the more expensive ICONOCLAST design, the safety ground won’t be the same wire as the circuit ground and HOT. And, the dielectric will change too, more than likely, to achieve a higher electrical benchmark.
Okay I’ve played around with 3 of the BAV power cords in a system otherwise equipted with AC-12 power cables.
I’ve determined the BAV don’t sound as good powering the P15, the DMP or the DSD as the AC-12. I do find that I can make the ZTPRE, the CSP3-25 and the ZROCK2-25 Decware components sound really really good with the BAV power cords. These components all have adjustable gain and playing with the varying levels between the three components leads to very good sound. Interestingly where the settings are that make the BAV sound great don’t favor the AC-12, and vice versa. I’m leaving the BAV on these components now. I don’t have the right lengths to try the BAV with my Decware SE84UFO3-25 Monoblocks. . . maybe my next playing about will be to get two more for the Monoblocks and see what an all analog BAV/all digital AC-12 setup may sound like. For now, with the Decware preamps all dialed in for BAV, I’m leaving the BAV power cables in those components and just going to listen for a week or so before swapping again.
Yes, I tried to provide something that is much better than the price. Certainly we can find a performance limit but the value to most people is well under that performance limit and the performance way over the price so…success.
We hope you have fun with the cords improvements if even just asthetics, as the price allows you to experiment with them and to a degree that most will experience and advantage. The real ordinary people we meet is this hobby’s backbone, still. And I don’t mean ordinary in character, but just income. We all have lives we need to keep going outside of audio and we try to bring what remains of our audio budgets to get the best for you to audition.
Thanks for trying a newly selected and tested product!
