Cullen Crossover Power Cables


Hello,
I am about to order Patrick Cullen's Crossover Power cables for my amp (custom 10awg) and CDP (regular 12awg). I did see the Stereomojo review and a couple of other reviews on various forums.
Can anyone share their experiences with this PC? What PCs did you replace with Patrick's cables? I am not looking to spend more than $200 per cable (6 feet cable). Looking forward to hear user experiences.

Thanks!
128x128milpai

Very fascinating, listening to all reviews of Cullen Power cables. Thanks all. I have a pretty good system, I think, a little under 20k. ( the bank owns a portion too) My Amp that I waited 8 months for finally arrived a while back and i love it. ATI 6002 Power Amp. Class AB and can't even lift it anymore. It has 2 mono units inside one case and 2 power cords. I was wondering if someone with more knowledge than I (which is everyone) could advise me to look at the Crossover, which is 12 awg vs the Crossover 2 which is 10 awg and obviously more money. I listen to solely rock and roll loudly. I'm thinking 10 awg as its a power amp, and not a source component. Obstacle, I need 2 cords and back to money, as they need to be at least 4'. Thanks so much for your help. Robert TN

I've had the Cullen Crossover Series ll power cord on my APC power conditioner for a month now. It has settled in nicely.

Just like when I added other Cullen cables it improved the sound of my system. There is another reduction of noise with added detail and resolution.

Last October I tried my first Cullen Cable. I figured I'd try it and if there was some improvement I'd take the next step and try cables from a couple other companies I had on my "short list".

Well, Cullen Cables changed that plan. I was so pleased with each cable I added that I ended up with a complete set of Cullen cables for my system.

http://www.cullencable.com/

Cheers,

Scott



First, I'd like to thank those that shared their experience with Cullen Cables in this post. There is not a great deal out there about Cullen Cables and that's a shame. After deciding to replace my power cableĀ  and months of reading/researching to determine what to replace it with, I decided to give Cullen a try. This OP was helpful in making that decision.

The fact that Cullen Cables and Patrick (Cullen) have an extensive background in the HiFi audio industry swayed me to ultimately go with them.

About four months ago I added their Avius power cable, a twelve gauge shielded cable. On Patrick's recommendation I had him use the Sonarquest bare copper plugs. Adding the Avius to my amplifier led to an immediate improvement in sound. It added an ease to my system. It was more dynamic, balanced and relaxed. The soundstage opened up and the sound filled the room better.

Having achieved such a satisfying result I ordered another Avius; this time terminated on one end with a C7 plug for my streamer. At that time I also ordered Cullen's Nitin digital coax cable. Adding these only made things better. My system became more quiet, relaxed. It became more dynamic and at the same time easier to listen to.

After letting the cables settle-in and listening to the system with them for a couple months, I decided to go all in. I ordered the Crossover ll power cable and the Crossover speaker cable. My system is now cabled with Cullen from the wall outlet to the speakers.

As I added Cullen Cables the improvements I heard were cumulative. Their cables sound neutral, balanced and absolutely quiet. I know that doesn't sound exciting but it really is. My systems soundstage has opened up considerably. Detail and resolution is excellent. The improvements in tone/timbre have been dramatic. My system and the music coming from it simply sounds right.

What's Cullen's secret? I don't know that the have a secret. I do know that they have lots of experience, that they use quality wire, proven geometries, excellent connectors and they are an outstanding value.

I'm just glad they are making cables. Check them out.

http://http//www.cullencable.com/

Cheers,

Scott


I now have 4 sets of Cullen Crossover power cords and remain very pleased. I used the Cullen's on my amp, preamp, CD player, and power distribution strip.

The other power cord I use is Supra. Not the easiest to find but it too is good stuff and us even cheaper than Cullen.

Finally, I've also made my own power cord using Belden 19364 which is shielded 14 awg cable. It's quite satisfying too
Good to know Zavato. Thank you for pitching in.
I did purchase the Cullens way back in April and like you said - the sound like nothing at all. Basically I needed new power cords that were longer than the existing ones and wanted something that was flexible and not cost an arm and a leg. I am happy with the way these worked out in my system. The one I use for the power amp was custom built for Crossover series to 10AWG.
I have 3 Cullen Crossover power cables in my system. They appear to be reasonably made. The connectors are good quality. I've not dissected a cable to take a look at the neatness of the work, but I have experienced zero issues and I have reason to believe the work is a thing but neat and clean.

How do they sound? Pretty much like nothing at all. And that's just what you want from any cable.

Based on the explanation of what the materials used are, plus seeing the terminations, techflex jacket, etc., the prices are reasonable as far as cables go. I am stating this from experience as I've made quite a few interconnects and a handful of power cords, and I have something of a handle on the costs of the raw materials. So no, it's not being sold at cost- the guy's got to eat too! But you aren't spending $1000 for a belden cable whose identity is hidden by a techflex jacket and a set of Wattgate terminations, and where the total cost of the raw materials to the average consumer is tops, $50.

I am very pleased with the Cullen Crossover, and I think they are superior to the Pangea, but the two lines occupy different price points. And as far as the Pangea 9, yes, they are thick and unwieldy.

Why do I prefer Cullen to Pangea? I think the presentation with the Cullen is cleaner top to bottoms. But it's not night and day, and in some applications I can see the Pangea outperforming the Cullen
B_limo,
Thank You for letting me know about Pangea. They seem pretty reasonable.

I am not moving or have not moved.
My current setup is in a room on the main floor. But since kids are growing, I don't want to bother them when they go to bed. So I am moving to the basement. It is already finished. So I will be putting a fourth wall (and a bit of extension to the first wall), so that the new room would be roughly 15 X 19 X 8 feet. Also for this room I am going away from the drop-in ceiling to a regularly finished ceiling. I will be using double drywall (with GreenGlue) on the fourth wall and will also be using insulation in it and the ceiling. My contractor seems pretty reasonable. I have been reading a lot on dedicated rooms. Also got tips from audiogon and audiocircle members. Very helpful!

BTW, you need to update your system page :-)
"03-13-15: Milpai
Thank You for the feedback folks. I did look at TheCableCo.com, but nothing in the price range I am looking at, seem interesting."

They do have a few good choices that seem to be in your price range. I saw some from JPS, ESP, and Furutech. Any of those are at least as good as whatever else you are looking at. Especially the ESP. They were one of the first companies to make after market PC's, and one of the things they are known for is how well they work with a wide variety of equipment. Either way, Cable Co should have demo's of all 3 for you to try.
Hi Milpai! I use a pangea ac9 for my amp, and ac 14se's elsewhere. I was pleasantly surprised by the improvement in sound.

I was actually looking at getting cullen cables before I decided to go Pangea but went with Pangea simply because they cost less and I was strapped for cash.

In retrospect, I wish I had gone with Cullen cables instead because I prefer to support the smaller companies in this hobby and I also believe that Patrick Cullen is highly qualified in this arena (read up on his credentials and you'll see what I mean).

Patrick was also good to deal with; quick and honest responses. I remember him recommending some of his less expensive cables in areas that would actually benefit using them instead of the more expensive ones.

On a side note, did you move or are you redoing another room in your current house for a dedicated audio room? How are the dimensions differing between the two. I'm interested to hear your impressions between the two rooms since my current room is similar in size to your current room, and we seem to have similar tastes in audio equipment...
Schubert,
Did you replace the Pangea with Cullen? Can you share some experience?

Thanks!
Don,
How would you describe the changes when you moved from Pangea to Cullen? Were there other cables that you were able to compare with the Cullen Crossovers?
Thanks!
Milpai,

I have seven crossover cables in my system and am very satisfied. They replaced a combination of Pangea 9, and 14se.
The Pangea 9 are very thick and hard to work with.

Don P.
Thank You for the feedback folks. I did look at TheCableCo.com, but nothing in the price range I am looking at, seem interesting.
I want a 6feet 10awg for the amp, since I am doing dedicated lines for a new room and the power port might be a bit away from the rack. At the same time, I might look at upgrading the CDP in the near future. The current power cord to the CDP is slightly short and I would prefer to have a longer one so that the power conditioner is away from the rack.

I am also looking at the Signal Cable Silver Resolution for the same price. Pangeas are also attractive, but I heard that the 9 series is unwieldy.
I have the "red copper" series power cable and am completely satisfied with its performance. Compared to another power cord in this price range (you know the other company) I find it superior. I also have Cullen's XLR interconnect which I find to be outstanding. One thing in common about these two Cullen products are their superb build quality. Also, Patrick (Cullen) is a great guy. I'll be ordering again!
I have two Crossovers in my system: one leading to my power conditioner and the other before my phonostage. They sound really good, although the break in period is a bit lengthy, so some patience is required to get the full experience. I had Shunyata Venom 3s in those same positions before and find the Cullens to be faster and more transparent while still having really good tone and texture in my system. The speed and transparency is there right away; it's the tone and texture that takes some time to fully develop. I have some active Quad monitors that I want to eventually get some Crossovers for as well. I hope they work out for you.
I tried one of the Cullen power cables (not the Crossover) and it was good quality but I returned it because it did not support the sound I was listening for. If you are looking on the cheap for a quality power cable, his cables meet that requirement, and you can get a refund, so that's great. It's good that companies like Cullen Cables provide a 30 day return policy so you can get a refund if not satisfied. But, ditto on what zd542 said. Have also used the Cable Company a time or two. The Cable Company will let you try cables for a couple weeks and return them, and they have some lesser expensive cables available. As zd said, reviews and user feedback really mean very little even though they may be honest appraisals from that user in their system. Power cables (and all cables) affect performance differently in every audio system, so you can never predict what they will do in your system. This is the bottom line. Your electricity, your electronics, your sources, and your speakers create so many performance variables, it makes predictions impossible. But many of us (me included) can't resist looking for feedback from other users in spite of the unpredictable nature of cable performance in the system we own. That's the truth, and I'm sticking to it. Good luck.
I would just use The Cable Company. They'll send you some demo cables to try first to see if you like them. I wouldn't rely on any comments or reviews in that the same cable can sound very different from one system to the next.
I use the Cullen Crossover PC on my CDP. I tortured my wife and daughter with a blinded A/B test between the stock cable and the Cullen Cables. They all agreed that my CDP sounded better with the Cullen cable.