Review: Purist Audio Design Limited Edition 2013 Power cord

Category: Cables

My first encounter with Purist Audio was in the beginning of 2006. I was looking for a powercable for my Modified Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300 Power which I ownned in the past. I did test many powercables, but they all did not give me the sound I was looking for. I am in this business since 1998. I did test hundreds of cables in all price ranges. That time I owned the Nautilus 800S. I wanted a powercable which would give me more drive and definition in the lowest freq. Mid freq. which would be more open and clear. Wider and deeper soundstage. And a sharp individual focus with good black between voices and instruments. With this in mind I had email contact with some people here at audiogon. They tested also many powercables and they had one thing in common. Most of them just bought Purist Audio and discribed the properties were I was looking for. I even phoned with Purist Audio. The nicest people I ever phoned with in this business. They were so polite and could answere all my questions with great knowledge about cables and audio. Wenn I received the cable it did even more than I hoped for. Many of my friends and clients bought Purist Audio powercables after they lend my powercable.

In the begining of this year I was looking for new powercable for my Pass Labs X250.5. I will use this poweramp for the time being. Later I will go back to the XA100.5 which I owned before or I will update to X600.5.
After some time I decided to go for The Purist Audio Limited Edition. I live in the Netherlands and the cable had to go back to Purist Audio for 220v use. Jim Aud was very kind to adapt it for 220v use. I was amazed about the quality. So what does it make this special......

the first word I will use is complete. It is more complete than most other power cables. Complete means that is has more talents/properties.

the best articulation I ever heard from the music I played hundreds of times. All the words endings during singing. You can hear the endings of a s, t f etc so clear. You even can hear the breathing of people also more clear than ever before. I hear even flaws during singing I never heard before of recordings I listend hundreds of times.

A sharp individual focus of all instruments and voices. it is more easy to point out were instuments and voices are standing during listening. I can focus on an instrument or voice during listening. Voices and instruments are have the right proportion. I learned during listening to live music by one of my best friends how small in dimension voices and instruments are. Many powercables give too big dimensions of instruments and voices.

The soundstage becomes wider and deeper. This gives you a much better separation of instruments and voices.

More 3d, cause of the extra air en openness of this cable instruments and voices become more round.

better definition of the lowest freq. It goes deeper and I can hear more layers of the low freq. For example a bassdrum is more tight and touchable.

mid freq. are the most important part in music because here happens the most on recordings. Wenn you use a powercable of Purist Audio this part opens up more than I ever heared with other brands. Even 2nd and 3th voices on recordings are more easy to hear and point out.

soundrealism of instruments and voices improve more to a realistic sound. Since the LE Powercable I listen a lot more to classical music again.

more black between voices and instruments. This makes the soundstage more stable and touchable. Cause of this extra authority it gives you the feeling you are using a more powered amp.

speed and timing improved a lot. It sounds like recordings are played faster than before. It makes the music more rhythmic. I never stamped with my feet so often. Another example is Diana Krall. It sounds like she is playing more rhythmic.

In the high freg. this cable is very open, but sharp edges are gone. You also hear this in the lowest freq. It sound more dynamic and smooth.

in resolution there is also a big improvement. You hear more details. During live recordings you hear easily more acoustic information of space. This makes the stage deeper and wider of course.

The overwhole sound has a lot more authority. Wenn you play at very high volumes sound never becomes harsh or loosing control in the low freq. You can play louder than you normally could without any stress.

This is a really special powercable what brings my system to a much higher level. Cause of the many talents it owns the influence is bigger than most other brands can do. So is it worth the money. I can say yess. For what it does in my system it is even a bargain. Why? because now I have a better and more complete sound with the Pass Labs X250.5 then what I had with my Pass Labs XA100.5 which costs double of the X250.5. This cable adds new properties/ talents which were not there before!





Associated gear
I use this powercable for my Pass Labs X-250.5 poweramp

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Powercabels I owned en own:

Purist Audio Aqueous Aureus

Nordost Valhalla

MIT AC-1

Cardas Golden Reference