AudioQuest NRG-X3 Review (AC Power Cord)

[Jim - where is The Abyss]

You better watch what you say about AudioQuest, or Will Smith is gonna smack the shit out of you.

"Oh, Will," women are swooning everywhere.

 

[MaxBuck]

Business ethics is dealt with fairly substantially in the Bible. For example, here's Leviticus 25 verse 14:
When you sell property to your neighbor, or buy any from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.

That might be the case, but I don't think the Catholic Church is yet to excommunicate someone for selling an overprice set of RCA cables.

When someone comes in and spends $500,000 on an audio system in an hour, they are not interested discussing cheaper options. They want the best and don't look at the price, because the price does not matter. I suspect for many ASR people price does matter, and ASR seems to be pretty obsessed with value for money. But for some people money is not an issue at all and for others they want to spend as much as they can, up to a limit. That works at many levels. It's not just audio, its general consumer mentality. Manufacturers will make products to fill that consumer-driven need.

I have an uncle who is an art dealer. Years ago he went to the library and read about various 17th and 18th century sculptors that no one was interested in. He found them in dusty basements, started collecting, writing about them etc. He created interest and value and was successful. I read he's worth at least $100m. What represents value is different to different people and they are always influenced by some outside factors. Is my uncle any more guilty of a fraud as AudioQuest? How about any perfume manufacturer, where almost all value is branding? I don't suppose Mandrona operates as a not-for-profit.

I think there may be some excellent engineers a little naive about business.

I don't think one needs to be naive about business to opine that a useless product is indeed useless.

I acknowledge that GNC is a viable business, even as its products are predominantly worthless nonsense. Same kind of thing.

 

[AudioSceptic]

I was "delighted" to read the feature list of the NRG-X3:

View attachment 195827

This is first time I've heard of "strand-interaction distortion". If it even exists, how would we measure it?

 

[AudioSceptic]

Add Shunyata!

Add MIT. Is there a list somewhere?

 

[Anton S]

From the marketing copy - "strand-interaction distortion" - never heard of it. Is that supposed to be a legit spec? Can it be measured? Can it be displayed on a scope? I doubt it.

 

[JayGilb]

From the marketing copy - "strand-interaction distortion" - never heard of it. Is that supposed to be a legit spec? Can it be measured? Can it be displayed on a scope? I doubt it.

At high volume, the speaker/air vibrations cause the copper strands to move ever so slightly and valance electrons in the adjacent copper strands shift enough to cause uneven electron movement (distortion) between the strands resulting in audible artifacts.

 

[antcollinet]

Business ethics is dealt with fairly substantially in the Bible. For example, here's Leviticus 25 verse 14:
When you sell property to your neighbor, or buy any from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.

That might be the case, but I don't think the Catholic Church is yet to excommunicate someone for selling an overprice set of RCA cables.

When someone comes in and spends $500,000 on an audio system in an hour, they are not interested discussing cheaper options. They want the best and don't look at the price, because the price does not matter. I suspect for many ASR people price does matter, and ASR seems to be pretty obsessed with value for money. But for some people money is not an issue at all and for others they want to spend as much as they can, up to a limit. That works at many levels. It's not just audio, its general consumer mentality. Manufacturers will make products to fill that consumer-driven need.

I have an uncle who is an art dealer. Years ago he went to the library and read about various 17th and 18th century sculptors that no one was interested in. He found them in dusty basements, started collecting, writing about them etc. He created interest and value and was successful. I read he's worth at least $100m. What represents value is different to different people and they are always influenced by some outside factors. Is my uncle any more guilty of a fraud as AudioQuest? How about any perfume manufacturer, where almost all value is branding? I don't suppose Mandrona operates as a not-for-profit.

I think there may be some excellent engineers a little naive about business.

Your uncle is not making any claims about the art other than it is art. He's not telling his customers that their music will sound better, or his car will drive faster, or his house will be warmer for less money. Or any other manner of things that art can't possibly influence.

 

[AudioSceptic]

The guy who wrote this review later went on to work for Audioquest FWIW.

Now, that's interesting. UK mag Hi-Fi+ used to be edited by Roy Gregory, who always gave Nordost cables hyperbolic reviews. Strangely enough, he then left to work for Nordost, as VP of Marketing no less!

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

At high volume, the speaker/air vibrations cause the copper strands to move ever so slightly and valance electrons in the adjacent copper strands shift enough to cause uneven electron movement (distortion) between the strands resulting in audible artifacts.

 

[antcollinet]

At high volume, the speaker/air vibrations cause the copper strands to move ever so slightly and valance electrons in the adjacent copper strands shift enough to cause uneven electron movement (distortion) between the strands resulting in audible artifacts.

I think I'm fairly safe in saying....


No, they don't.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Well, forum posters, just to let you know. I'm saving for my PS Audio P-12 power plant. Now, I will also be purchasing some Audioquest AC cords to plug my equipment into my P12. I'm a little sad the Audioquest AC cord only cost 99 bucks though. I would know the quality was better if it cost 1000.00 bucks....Anyway I'm so excited & looking forward to my purchase. After my purchase, I'm confident my music will just Bloom! I know all the music notes will become more intimate! There will be greater pace & timing! Boy I can't wait!! If by chance I can't hear a difference. While, based on Sterephile review comments, it will be MY EARS!! Darn, then I'm going to have to pay for an Ear Transplant......???????????? LOL........!!

No problem. Get one of the Wind or Storm series! <US Retail Price Book>

 

[Angsty]

So, about a year ago, I decided to check out a new local audio store, where they sell Paradigm speakers, since I never heard them.

As I was demoing a few speakers, the sales guy asked for my budget, and I said $2000.
Then, a few minutes later, he suddenly switched topics from helping me choose a speaker and started talking about power cables.
Then, he recommended that I spend $1000 on speakers and the other $1000 budget to buy their premium "brand" power cable, because that's where the difference is heard.
This was just after I told him that I have an AVR already.
I was just shocked and said "You just lost my respect and all opportunities for future business." and walked out.

I don't remember the company they sold, but I'm sure it was AudioQuest, considering that they still advertise it on their website.
I can see people falling for this garbage in the 1990's, but in the year 2021?
Really?


Oh yes, I'll publically shame them.

Spoiler

Website: https://coquitlamavu.ca/

I would not be surprised to hear that Audioquest provides SPIFs that make it more attractive to sell a $1000 power cord than a $2000 speaker. Just for the record, physics have not changed since the 1990's!

I have not heard Paradigm speakers in many years; I used to like them a lot. I hope you found a pair of speakers that provides more value than a $1000 power cord.

 

[JayGilb]

I think I'm fairly safe in saying....


No, they don't.

Cmon, I pulled that out of my ass and typed it up in 30 seconds, so I get some credit at least...

 

[antcollinet]

Cmon, I pulled that out of my ass and typed it up in 30 seconds, so I get some credit at least...

OK - you do know there is such a thing as Poe's Law, don't you. You need to leave some sort of clue

I mean, you actually made me look up valance electrons FFS.

 

[Angsty]

Cmon, I pulled that out of my ass and typed it up in 30 seconds, so I get some credit at least...

Credit given! Let's mark it with "/s" next time - I think some people did not recognize it as a joke!

Say, have you thought about writing copy for Audioquest marketing?

 

[voodooless]

Cmon, I pulled that out of my ass and typed it up in 30 seconds, so I get some credit at least...

Well, at least you have more of an explanation than their marketing department. Good job

 

[DougNoOnions]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the AudioQuest NRG-X3 AC power cord. I purchased it a couple of years ago for testing and costs US $99.95.
View attachment 195826
The cord is 16 gauge and is more flexible than my thicker freebie AC power cords. The mating ends connect perhaps a bit more solidly than my generic code. I think the terminals look ugly but they work.

There is no mention of any regulatory certification, UL or CE, on either the cord, box or the website. My generic AC cord has UL stamped at one end and the cord itself. It also has more specifications as far as insulation type, temperature rating, etc. which the Audioquest lacks. I am curious how they export it to EU without CE certification.

I was "delighted" to read the feature list of the NRG-X3:

View attachment 195827

We know how to measure both distortion and noise. And company clearly cares about both factors.

My sample is 2 meter and the generic one is what I have on hand at same length.

AudioQuest NRG-X3 Measurements
I started by measuring the DC resistance of both cables. My generic cable came in at 0.13 ohm whereas the AudioQuest was better at 0.02 ohm.

Next I decided to measure the distortion in both cables. To do that, I terminated the cables into IEC sockets at both ends and ran them into the differential outlets of my Audio Precision analyzer. Let's start with measuring the Audio Precision itself without any cable with 20 volts output:
View attachment 195828

As you see, I used 60 Hz as the tone to mimic mains frequency. Despite the high output voltage, performance is superb with distortion below -140 dB and SINAD at 120 dB. Now let's measure the generic AC cable (treated as a signal cable):

View attachment 195830

There was some variability and slight rise in distortion at 180 Hz. Considering that we are treating an AC cord as a signal cable, this is extremely good result showing that there is little distortion to worry about in a power cable. In a pinch, this generic AC cable is as good as a balanced cable!

Let's now switch to AQ NRG-X3:
View attachment 195831

The harmonics were dancing up and down. Within that variability, I think we can call this a tie. There is no reduction in distortion using the AQ cable.

Someone may say that one cable is better than the other in high frequencies so let's expand the bandwidth to 1.2 MHz and see if there is a difference there:
View attachment 195837

Nope. They are the same.

I then ran a reverse leakage test. I brought a transformer near both cables in the above setup and captured its AC noise and distortion (changed the drive frequency to 1 kHz to make that easier to see):
View attachment 195832

We see that both have similar susceptibility to magnetic induction. This is an extreme test though. Move the transformer an inch and all the interference disappears from both cables.

As usual I like to remind everyone that we don't listen to AC cords directly. We listen to output of our audio gear instead. So let's grab the last DAC I tested, the Topping DX5 and let's see if the performance varies between AC cords:
View attachment 195833

View attachment 195834

It doesn't get more identical than this.

Let's switch devices and use the AC cables to power an amplifier, the recently tested Audiphonics HPA-S400ET:
View attachment 195835

Again, you couldn't get more identical results. The two graphs have landed on top of each other perfectly.

Conclusions
Company advertising for NRG-X3 is very specific with respect to reduction of noise and distortion. No matter if we test the cable directly or through a piece of audio gear, there is no detectable difference despite the incredibly precise nature of our measurements. This makes statements like this from the review of said cable by Stereophile quite dubious:

"The AudioQuest NRG-X3 delivered more music, made more sense of the music, managed to more fully convey the artists' intentions, and made me a happy guy."

Making more sense of music? Fully convey artists' intentions? Good grief.

Lack of safety standards is a concern. We don't know the abrasion resistance, temperature rating, etc. either. So better not run over the cable or place it next to hot items.

On the positive front, the cable does seem to have lower DC resistance and is flexible. And at $99 price I paid, it is not hugely expensive. So if you bought one, I am not going to chase you. Personally I have better use for my money than spending it on power cord so can't recommend the AudioQuest NRG-X3.

-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Idk why someone buys these cables besides to show off...

 

[KMM]

At high volume, the speaker/air vibrations cause the copper strands to move ever so slightly and valance electrons in the adjacent copper strands shift enough to cause uneven electron movement (distortion) between the strands resulting in audible artifacts.

That is why audiophile power cables need ivory stands to isolate them from pesky vibrations. Only works as a package. And you need a cooling jacket for the cables to protect them from uneven heat induced dilation that will create distortion through difference in resistance. That large crystal copper is very sensitive to thermal expansion............

 

[DonR]

At high volume, the speaker/air vibrations cause the copper strands to move ever so slightly and valance electrons in the adjacent copper strands shift enough to cause uneven electron movement (distortion) between the strands resulting in audible artifacts.

AHA!!! So that is why the little wooden blocks are added to cables to "reduce resonances".

 

[Angsty]

This is proven out here daily on almost every thread here over 2 pages

I'm fairly certain that many people on ASR have purchased an audio component that has more marketing than merit. I know I have. Even if the dollars are small, there is profit to be made. For example, you'd have a hard time convincing me that a Topping E30 is audibly better than the preceding D30, yet people will pay for the upgrade. Audioquest is simply gunning for the same phenomenon in deeper pockets with even less evidence of audible superiority.

I'm no fan of Audioquest; I know their game. I appreciate Amir for continuing to expose the game for what it is.