I have to admit that I've been skeptical that a power cord could make any difference in the sound of an audio system, but the prices and appearance of the various Pangea models available at Audio Advisor caught my interest.

The PC-9 is super-thick (actually, according to Pangea, 7-guage and not the 9 guage their literature states), and pretty hefty too. The 1.5 meter cable I purchased was quite heavy. At a price of only $75 - an incredible bargain, considering the multi-thousand dollar prices for many AudioQuest power cords - and with a 30-day returrn policy, I figured, what the heck?

So? Does it work? Absolutely YES, and quite well too! The claims are that the PC-9 is best mated to a "high-current" amp, which mine is (the Adcom GFA-5800),. My speakers (slightly modified Dahlquist DQ-10's) gobble up both high current and power easily.

The differences? First, dynamics. When music gets loud, as most symphonic music does, it gets really LOUD, and a good deal louder than before. I've had to back off on the volume control several times during some listening trials. Second, everything has a smoother, less restrained sound, with a very significant improvement in bass response (quite an accomplishment, since the power cord isn't connected in any way to my suboowfer, but is only involved with the DQ-10's whose bass response was never anything to write home about). In a nutshell, music now sounds less compressed, though I didn't think it sounded compressed before

Is the difference night and day? No, but it's easy to detect. The dynamics of an orchestra, specifically much of the 3rd and 4th movements of Bruckner's 4th on a BIS SACD, have never sounded so good. Fortunately, it isn't just louder, but smoother and more lifelike too.

I suspect several will think I'm nuts, and that a power cord couldn't possibly make any difference. To those who may feel that way, I have but one suggestion: buy one yourself: it isn't expensive, and if you don't think it makes any difference, you can get your money back. So, you can't lose by trying. My guess is that, if anyone does buy one of these, who doesn't already own some super-expensive model from some other manufacturer, that person will keep the PC-9.

Highly recommended.