Virtual Dynamics Recall

I'm still waiting for mine.This sounds like too good of a deal and slightly scares me.I hope to see feedback from a happy customer soon.It's been over two weeks now and still counting. I e-mailed Rick yesterday and no response yet.This will be my first purchase from him.I hope it's not my last.Is everyone with Virtual Dynamic power cords happy?

According to Rick, the person in charge of testing the Power 3 cords didn't know what he was doing and wasn't testing the cords correctly.They may be alright but Rick didn't want to take take any chances and made the recall.He's probably losing money initially but is anticipating long range sales and is using good marketing savvy.I am anxious to get the Power 2's and will post my findings.

By the way Bluenose, Rick also called me personally which was gentlemanly of him, however I hope he doesn't grow too fast too soon.He needs to be patient or he may end up disappointing customers unintentionally with poor service and quality.It doesn't matter how good your product is.You give poor service and/or the quality suffers,you'll not only lose current customers but potential ones as well.I think Rick is counting on this website to provide good feedback for him as he is not investing in expensive advertising to promote his company.This website alone could potentially make or break him.I personally hope he succeeds and wish him well.

Killerpiglet,it would probably be best to call Rick directly as he is extremely busy and e-mails are probably last on his agenda.I think he's swamped tryng to make good the flood of Power 3's he's recalled.I,m glad to hear from Mrsoundman that he likes his new VD power cords.I have been anxiously awaiting a positive response.I'm curious where you have the cryo'd Power 2's and how long have they been burning in.I hear they take a while to open up fully.Cheers.Also the recalled cables I had, Rick gave me the address of someone named Brent in Omaha,Neb. to send them to which I did and that was over a week ago and no response from Rick or Brent if he received.This will be a good test of patience for us all but hopefully we'll all make out for the better in the long run.

I think you are right Gunbei.They are working very hard. I am very happy to report that Erin( I believe Rick's wife,not sure)gave me a personal call to inform me that my Power 2's had been shipped today.She was very courteous and apologetic and I was totally impressed at her consideration.Not only did she call me initially but she called me back twice more to answer some questions from the first call.All I can say is if their products come even close to their customer orientation and consideration then they will be hugely successful.My hat's off to Rick,family and crew at Virtual Dynamics.Long may you prosper.It won't be long before you have the megabuck giants running.I'm confident that at this juncture they are surely squirming very uncomfortably.

Killerpiglet,thanks for the notation of Brett's e-mail regarding the return of the cables to him.I apologize to Brett as I know he is doing the best job he can to make good these recalled cables.I suppose I can be a little premature with my anger.It's just that I've been burned before and I have become leary and distrusting with age.You know the old saying "fool me once shame on you,fool me twice shame on me." I have yet to hear these bargain-priced cables but just in the last few days with the return phone calls and the positive reports from current owners of the cables I feel more comfortable with Virtual Dynamics and with time they will grow at a comfortable pace to meet the demands of their products.Having a degree in Business Administration with emphasis in marketing I can appreciate that Rick is trying to do the right thing and that is "meeting the needs and wants of the consumer".This simple formula is all he will need to become and remain successful.

Gunbei,I understand that the Virtual Dynamics have their own " dynamic filtering " so that line conditioners aren't necessary.Maybe Rick or someone with technical knowledge can explain the reason for direct wall plug-in.My guess is that a conditioner may be too much of a good thing and possibly interact with the VD cables to suppress the music.Of course this is just a guess.Gunbei,now that you've listened to the cable awhile through the conditioner try by-passing and tell us what the difference sounds like.

Keep us posted,Gunbei.I am curious to see what differences you hear between the two.Would you know what trade-in Rick allows from cryo'd Power2 to cryo'd Audition?

Has anyone owned Shunyata,Electraglide,BMI,etc or other highly reviewed and regarded cables and then auditioned Virtual Dynamic cords to find them as good or better? Particularly when listening for what power cords do best;i.e. Black silence,wider and deeper soundstage,better focus,harmonics,dynamics,tonality and overall increased cohesiveness.( it's fun using some of the reviewer's buzz words,isn't it) but seriously,this is what I hear a good power cord do.I just sold my Shunyata Sidewinder I had on my pre/pro and I am ill after hearing it with the stock cord. It makes that big of a difference.Don't you think?

Denf,bottom line is what sounds best to you.What is "warm and smooth" to one man could be "colored and veiled" to another.Sometimes we get so caught up in the fervor of rave reviews that we jump into something and forget to listen for what our own ears like.If your set up sounds best to you with the conditioner,then so be it.

I just received another call from Ann(I think that's her name.I initially said Erin)to inform me they had shipped yesterday a cryo'd Power 2 extension for my hard-wired DVD.I am now convinced without a doubt that this company's for real.Never have I received such follow-up on a sale as this one.And to top off the conversation,she ends saying," God bless you".Oh,I sense a "David slaying Goliath" company in the works here.

I also received 1 of 2 cryo'd Power 2's today.Got a confirmation call from factory to let me know my extension was 1 or 2 days following.I have just plugged in so will wait a week or so before I post about the sound.This cable is huge and built like a tank.It looks like it should sell for close to 1000.00 It makes my 650.00 Shunyata Taipan look puny.We'll see about the sound,though.

Gunbei,I have heard that they will warm up with time.Initially they should sound constricted and lifeless.I think in about a week they'll start coming around.Another person who has a Power3 says they not only start warming up but have a wonderful midrange with a very organic nature.Keep us posted as these do take a while to break in and I know it will be difficult to be patient.I have an Electraglide Referenceglide on my processor and it took almost two weeks to really blossom.Electraglide suggests wiping the cord down periodically with a water-based anti-static spray.They say this helps speed up the break-in process by helping the cable discharge the build-up in the dielectric.Shunyata suggests hooking up all new power cords to the amp as the higher current speeds up the break-in,then placing the designated cords on their respective units for a time to adjust to each one's power supply. Maybe someone with some electrical and physics knowledge can expound on this.

Viggen,You might want to call Virtual Dynamics and give Erin Lawley a gentle reminder.I think my "gentle reminders" helped expedite the process.I'm glad to hear you and Gunbei are enjoying the sound with the new Power2's and Auditions.I am glad Rick substituted the 2's for the 3's in this recall.Keep us posted.

It's only been 2 days but I had to make a preliminary report.I've had the P2 cord on the CD player and already I can tell a big improvement,bigger soundstage,less noise with a smoother and more natural tone to voices and instruments,particularly piano.I listened to a good CD recording of a Steinway piano recorded live on a large ambient theatre and I couldn't believe the sound.I could actually hear the strings resonate inside the piano after each sustained note. I plugged my T.V.and DVD into my P2 extension.Although a good cable channel came through before, it now comes close to a good DVD and HDTV.Amazing.I got a shot of double luck on this recall deal.I had ordered a P3 and P3 extension for 50.00 each,and after a little while I have instead a P2(Power 2) of each instead,for no additional charge,and the icing on the cake at no charge,cryo'd.Everyone has to admit that this is the deal of all deals.Rick has taken a leap of faith by probably losing a lot of money initially with this recall situation.I can only hope that he will be rewarded with many future sales based on the rave reviews seen here in these threads.I'm going to tell...uh,ask the wife that I will be trying the Virtual Dynamics interconnects soon.I told my wife that I had reached a plateau in my spending and was going to really start enjoying my system...that was 6 months ago and already I have thoughts of upgrading to the Audition or maybe the Signature or maybe the Nite...any psychologist-audiophiles out there who can tell me what's wrong with me?

Thanks for the encouragement,Bluenose.It seems the better I get my system the more I keep telling myself," can it really get better?" The answer is yes.I really do want to live with this sound for a while,though.Thanks again Rick from Virtual Dynamics for a good deal.I don't have a hum problem,though.Can't make a suggestion other than to call Rick.Sounds like a ground problem interaction with one of the components.Have your tried the cable somewhere besides the amp?

Bluenose,it's funny you mentioned the big,silly grin on your face.My wife asked me last night why I had one on mine. This is day three of VD P2 in system.Sound continues to get better,especially in bass and midrange.Voices are becoming more palpable and coherent.I am amazed how much noise comes through your outlets and when reducing or eliminating it,more music comes through.I think about the time back in 1978,79 when I was reading TAS,Stereophile,and The Audio Critic and I began to lean stronger towards the views of Editor Peter Aczel until he wrote one day that cables( either power,interconect or speaker) make no difference in sound quality.Boy,what a letdown for me when he was my hero.Needless to say I stopped my subscription and began my pursuit of choosing good cables.Thanks again Virtual Dynamics for pursuing the truth of the laws of physics.

Now I remember, Viggen.It was Gunbei who turns into Homer and yells,"DOH!" when he pushes the buy button.Is there a chance that ARC can provide you an adaptor to iec? I just e-mailed a guy in Puerto Rico who has both the Power2 and 3 and says the Power2 is better,especially in dynamics after one month break-in.There seems to be a magic # of 1 month with power cord break-ins.If so then we all have something more to look forward to.I'm curious if Gunbei found him that magic tube he was experimenting with.

Great news,Viggen.I was beginning to think they had overlooked you.Erin is good about pushing the boys to get a movin'.Keep us posted as they break in.They only get better.I have been involved with long hours at work so I haven't had a chance to enjoy the music but my Power 2's are cooking 24/7 so this weekend I'm going to send the wife to the mall all day and get reaquainted with my baby,I mean my system.Life can be good sometimes.Have a nice weekend.By the way Gunbei,are you still mesmerized with your VD cords?

I also am hearing an increase in soundstaging and depth.Definitely more quiet allowing subtle nuances through.Bass also seems to be more visceral but I'm experimenting with ic's also so I'm not sure what's providing the difference.Overall view of the sound is more cohesive and enjoyable,so I'm content at this time.

Viggen,I seem to feel that at this juncture you are not yet satisfied with the cords.Perhaps with your system they may require more time to cook.Are you leaving the system on continously with something going through it? Keep us posted cause we're not happy if you're not happy.

Viggen,I was kidding about the "we're not happy..." In a way though we are sort of a support group,not necessarily for Virtual Dynamics but for all us audiophiles that have a little bit of compulsiveness to them.I recall someone accidently pushing the "pay" button at 4 in the morning.Hmmm'I wonder who that was.....I just talked to another VD Power 2 cord owner who said their cord took over 100 hrs. before it really opened up.I also talked to a dealer in Florida about cable "cook" time.While we were talking he said there is a phenomenon where one day you are listening to your system and it sounds absolutely "magical" and in your mind couldn't possibly sound any better and then maybe the next week,without making any changes,you are listening to that same favorite piece and it sounds congested,veiled,etc.and you're stumped as to why.His explanation is that somewhere in the system,be it cords,electronics,etc.,there is a build-up of magnetism that needs to be released.He found a solution in a CD that when played for so many minutes it wipes out this magnetism throughout the system.The website for this is:oops,I wrote it down and left it in my truck.I'll post it later if anyone is interested.He said the cd sells for @ $20.00. Anyway,keep the cords cookin' and have a nice weekend.

Ok,Viggen.I thought I had the 4 a.m. person right.Now we need to work on this "denial" thingy.Maybe getting the Power 2 cord hooked up directly to the amp will help.

I can see now why Viggen and Gunbei hit those "pay" buttons so easily.A wife can be a great deterrent to that.I hope you see that Audition PC soon Viggen.If not,we may have to call up our friend in Tulsa,Mr.Roy D.Mercer to give someone a good "ass whooping".Keep us posted Gunbei on the Audition cords.I have heard that as you go up the line dynamics and soundstage improve.If you don't hear a significant improvement with time,then you've saved me a good "reaming out" from the wife.I just noticed a Signature and Reference VD cord up for sale in the classifieds.I wonder why.Well,you all have a good day and as soon as Viggen gets his new cords we can watch him "dancin'on the table with a cloth on his head"...Bro57 started this thread.How are you doing,Bro?

Fiddler,your best bet is to call or e-mail Virtual Dynamics for a quote.They are starting to go through dealers so who knows how long they'll sell direct.You'll still see some of their products for sell in auctions,but because of their current popularity I'm sure they are swamped in production so be prepared for a little wait to get your order.

Viggen,I was looking at all these huge cables behind my equipment and you're right.It does look like something out of Terminator.The wife has reminded me about this too often lately so today she got an idea.She went and bought a few medium-sized silk plants and spread them around the cables.I carefully threaded the cords over and through the plants and it looks much better.Even the wife approved.Now instead of the Terminator-look, it looks like something out of Predator...snakes in the jungle effect.I even was able to lift some of the cords off the floor so maybe it will sound better by picking up less magnetism...Now if I can only convince the wife to let me hang my Arnold Schwarzenegger Mr. Olympia posters...

Viggen,it's probably psychological but the rerouteing of the cables through the vegetation seems to sound more open.I'm glad I got some feedback.It's bad enough when one starts talking to oneself,but when one starts answering himself then that's scary.I just got a disturbing,lenghthy e-mail from Rick at Virtual Dynamics regarding certain unscrupulous individuals out there who are using his technology to promote their own new cable line.Has anyone else received this e-mail from Rick? I told Rick to post this but he has a personal rule to not post in our threads as a manufacturer.

Rick,if you are following this thread,please e-mail Viggen .Just when we thought he was getting over this "denial thingy" your not e-mailing him has caused a regression.Now if he can be patient and let this new Audition start cookin', I'd love to hear some feedback as to how he likes it,especially compared to the Power2's. Also,Gunbei,good to hear the positive feedback on your Auditions and I was impressed with your "humble" system you recently posted.If only mine were as humble.I have often wondered how the Blue Circle components sounded.I've read great reviews about them.

Now that most of the owners of the new cryo'd Power 2's have had a chance to enjoy them through the final break-ins,anyone had thoughts of trading up to one of Rick's top-of-the line power cords? I'd like to hear some feedback from someone who has a signature,reference,nite,and if they worked up to these models starting with the Power 3's or 2's.Also has anyone had a chance to compare VD ic's with other popular ic's? I was contemplating looking at one of their ic's.One certainty of the difference the Power 2 has done to my system is make everything more cohesive or "organic" (as the newer buzz-word)implies.I've compared the sound with stock power cords and it's like the difference between having and not having gas and electricity in your home.I wonder how I ever lived without a good power cord. Yours truly in happy listening.

Check out website www.thesoundbroker.com Kevin is promoting a new,revelatory line conditioner called Exact Power EP-15.Read the specs and comments.Pretty interesting.

So Rick is talking to Viggen all the time now...I hate it when Rick plays favorites.I wish he would update his website. It's been under construction for a while now.Looks the same as it did 3 months ago.I want to get one of these splitters. Did Rick mention a price?

Bluenose(Lloyd) I was kidding about Rick with Viggen because Viggen seemed left out in the beginning during all this recall chaos. Rick and I communicate from time to time.

I just talked to a friend in Hawaii who connected a new VD cryo'd power 2 to his cdp and when he compared the polarity of them he found the polarity of the power2 reversed. Has anyone else checked the polarity on their cords and found them reversed.I am going to check mine tomorrow and report. I was curious if this reverse polarity on the cord was either an intentional part of the design or a mistake in quality control. Perhaps Rick can enlighten us on this.

For those who have considered or are considering a version of a Virtual Dynamics extension to connect to a component that is hard-wired, I just completed a week-long A-B with the VD cryo'd Power 2 extension on my hard-wired DVD player and it was night and day difference. With the extension, not only was the noise floor dramatically reduced allowing subtle nuances through which previously were not heard, but the soundstage was dramatically opened and enlarged and voices and instruments had a more palpable presence sounding just more real and life-like; and this was with just the extension so I can imagine what it would sound like connected more directly into an iec connection. I strongly recommend a VD extension for all your hard-wired stuff. I'm going to order another extension and a new splitter for my T.V. and cable box. Movies have never been so much fun to watch. Incidently, I just took the wife to a movie theatre and what used to sound impressive there now sounds terrible after getting spoiled on my home system.

Well, I just ordered a P3 extension and splitter for my T.V. and cable box. Brett also said for those who have limited power outlets, they have a new power bar in the final stages of testing about ready for introduction. And for all you home theatre buffs, they have a new component video cable in the Audition series that according to Brett is unbelievable. He says the colors, shadows, and fine resolution are dramatically improved. I was just watching the 60's version of Cleopatra and was wanting to see Elizabeth Taylor's unique lavendar eyes in their full glory. I may have to order these component cables to do that. Also, just about everything is available in a cryo'd version. It adds about $85.00 to a P3 cord. And Brett also said for those not on with Paypal, they are now set up to take major credit cards.

Bradz, they have a special now for a cryo'd P3, $75.00. The cryo'd extension is just $10.00 more. I think whatever version you order, the extension adds 10.00. If you like what you have now, you'll be just as pleased with the extension. Ask for Brett. He's Rick's order taker, a real nice guy. If you are short of outlets, they have a splitter(cryo'd, of course, for $25.00). I just ordered one of these as well.They are really pushing the cryo'd version on everything and I think it's the best way to go. For a nominal fee, they'll cryo any piece you previously ordered uncryo'd. Happy Listening.

Good idea, Gunbei. Rick would be much better with the details. All I know is what Brett mentioned on the phone when I ordered another extension. He said the power strip was almost available, but didn't go into details with me. I don't really know much about the splitter either.I just ordered a cryo'd one for $25.00 and am going to connect my T.V. and cable box into it. I think Viggen had a talk with Rick a couple of weeks ago about the splitter.

Haven't received yet. Brett didn't give me a time-line so I'll give him a call if not in this week. I'll keep you posted when they arrive and their performance.

I received yesterday my cryo'd Power3 extension and splitter( 3-way power connector) After initial plugging in of T.V. and cable box, picture was slightly blurry and sound from a good cable channel( Encore,Sundance,etc) was ssslightly constricted. After about 3 hours, picture started to clear up and sound opened up. After 12 hours, sound was significantly more palpable with greater dynamic range, but the big surprise was the picture quality. Black background was significantly blacker, I mean "black" !! And colors were much more vivid. Especially reds and blues.There was much better color contrast of separating the lights from darks, the purples, maroons and other off colors stood out better and the overall picture had an almost HDTV look. I can't believe a simple power cord can do so much .I was amazed beyond my wildest expections. Only when I recently upgraded my component video cable and S-Video cable did I get this much improvement. All I can say is: Put an extension on all, and I mean all, your hard-wired components. This is the best value for sound improvement that you can do to your system. The only other thing I did was upgrade my outlets to the new FIM 880 outlet. I had already bought this before I got involved with Virtual dynamics or I would have bought their outlets as well. I still may order one for comparison. I am glad to hear that you are settled in with your Audition cords, Gunbei.Any thoughts of upgrading to Rick's upper models in the near future? I read in another thread where someone bought all nites for their system and they were in heaven, sipping expensive wine while they sat mesmerized with the newfound sound. Have a great weekend, everybody.

Oh,Gunbei, but your system is more than worthy enough. I can hear those Blue Circle components crying for more. I'll bet Rick would work you out a Brother-in-law deal on your next upgrade package. Am I right Rick?

Yes, Megasam.I do have a Mother cord on my pre/pro at this time.I haven't had a chance to compare to VD cords but the combination of the two has been very musical for me.I have always been a mix and match cable guy, but I may try Gunbei's method of all V.D. cords with my next upgrade.I'm going to try to live with what I have for a while(probably similar to trying to quit smoking cold turkey)as I have spent a lot of money these last 6 months.

Thanks Viggen for the hard-earned advice about not buying used tube equipment. I'll keep that in mind. I especially appreciate the "Rule of Thumb" law. All these years I've been using those dinky Weeping Willow branches,not knowing I could have used ones the size of my thumb.