It's been about 2 weeks since I made the first of who knows how many comparisons of the GA power cables and the hybrid power cable made up of GA wire and Wattgate/QSA treated AC connectors. We left off with the Yellow, Red, and Black/Red terminated cables breaking in. To that we can now add the Violet level connectors with the AC-55 wire. I have some more information and an overall thought on the QSA process.
The break in process, in general, is a break in of 2 things. The physical make up of the connectors produces a sonic character, and that dominates the initial break in process. All of the QSA terminated cables started out sounding a bit glassy and midrange forward. Classic characteristics of the Wattgate 320i and 5266 connectors. When matched with the wrong cable, it can be very off-putting. It definitely makes the first 40-50 hours of listening unpleasant.
The QSA break in process is overshadowed by the Wattgate break in at first, but the break in process and the QSA effect emerges after the requisite 40-50 hours. Depending on the level, you get a more balanced sound, but with all levels the QSA effects of added naturalness, decays, and dimensionality appear in differing intensities. Below I break down by QSA treatment level, the sound signature and potential use cases for the power cords I made.
- With QSA Yellow - The connector sound never got out of the way on this cord. There was a hint of Wattgate forwardness after break in. The forwardness was mediated by the QSA treatment, but was never really gone. We used this cable on our QSA network switches power supply and it worked just fine here. It also worked very well on our 18" open baffle subwoofers.
- Use Cases: Good for network switches, routers, subwoofers & power supplies.
- With QSA Violet - The Wattgate sound was essentially overtaken by the Violet treatment at this level. This made a great entry level introduction to an MMAT processed cable. It was not quite as good as the Grand Activation HGA2000, but at the same time was an incredible cable for the $911.50 (1 meter) investment.
- Use Cases: This cord could be used anywhere in an entry or mid level system. It's sonic signature would have the most impact on the extreme ends of the system. Meaning from the wall to your power conditioner, or powering your source component, even your DAC in this case. On higher level systems, this might do well on preamps, power supplies of network components and subwoofers of high caliber.
- With QSA Red - This is where the QSA process really shined in combination with the AC-55 wire. There was no remnant of Wattgate connector sound, it is all QSA here, and that was very interesting to learn. This combination competed with the HGA6000 in terms of resolution, naturalness and dimensionality. It had a more "lit up" signature. It had more sparkle but less of the subdued "glow" of the HGA6000. For those who find looming out their system with the HGA6000 was a bit too dark of a sonic presentation, strategic placement of a red level cord could bring back the light and life they are seeking. An excellent Yang to the HGA6000's Yin.
- Use Cases: On higher end systems with components over $5000, this will be an excellent addition and compliment to tube components, or components with a more subdued, relaxed nature if you are looking to throw a little more "light" on the musical subject.
- With QSA Black/Red - Be ready to be shocked when you listen to this combination. THIS is where low level resolution lives. You hear interesting low level sonic tidbits that you've never heard before. Cliche, but it's true. The other added benefit is it makes the whole sonic landscape denser. You can feel the heaviness in the air during the quiet spaces at the beginning of a song recorded in a very live sounding venue. Crazy.