Th UC Santa Cruz campus is located on a hill. When you enter at the base, it is primarily ranch land.

But as you get higher in elevation, you'll encounter more and more trees. The photo above is a grove of trees lying above the East Field athletic buildings, but below Cowell College. I went to UCSC's Crown College, which was then the northern most. It was in the denser part of the forest.

Back home in San Francisco, I had known since the late-80s, that AC coming from the wall could be full of hash and distortion. The first powerline conditioner I became aware of was the half-deep, component-sized Adcom ACE-515. At my parents' place, we never had any problems with the building's AC. Ah, but then in Fall '89, I went off to UCSC's Crown College. In the dorms, I learned first hand, what "bad AC" was. When you turned a switch on or off, your electronics could "pop." The bad AC wreaked havoc on televisions, clocks, radios, CD players, or computers (for those rich enough to buy one). Those rich computer geeks thus had to invest in "surge protectors."

As you well know, by 1991, the powerline conditioner I really wanted was the $150 PAC IDOS. But for $30 more, most people bought the component-sized Adcom ACE-515. With the ACE-515 available, no one bought PAC's 9-outlet IDOS 2, which was then $200.

Back in 1991, if you had told the Stereotypical Audiophiles that a powerline conditioner needed to be burned-in, they would have laughed their asses off. Obviously, the bigoted SAs have become and now are the butt of many jokes. You can coax much better performance from the IDOS 2, if you place it on a burn-in device, such as the audiodharma Cable Cooker. This IDOS 2 has been in use for maybe 20 years. So after 20 years, it finally goes on the Cable Cooker, and guess what? It performs even and much better. Grain is lowered, the upper midrange is not as hard, and the soundstage expands.

Normally, I'd recommend that you give each receptacle 24 hours of Cook time. But with 9 outlets, the IDOS 2 as a whole would then be over-Cooked. That is okay; just put the IDOS 2 into your system, and within 7 to 10 days, it'll settle.

PAC have recommended not using "audiophile" after-market powercords. They want the crappy OEM powercords to funnel RFI, EMI, and other hash through the IDOS 2, and out the ground pin of its AC cord. PAC argue that by filtering distortions, "audiophile" powercords defeat the mechanism of the IDOS 2 funneling that distortion to ground. But perhaps another reason why PAC caution against after-market powercords is that the IDOS 2's outlets are oriented and spaced so that they cannot accommodate adjacent fat-barrel AC plugs (sounds kinky, but isn't). Indeed, when using fat-barrel AC plugs, I have to use every other receptacle on the IDOS 2. Thus, I end up using only 5 of the IDOS 2's 9 outlets.

During my junior year of college (1991-92), my housemate Doug and I cobbled together an audio/video system. Doug provided a TV, VCR, Super Nintendo, Denon receiver, and JBL speakers. I provided a Sony CDP-520ESII CD player, Monster IL-400 interconnects, and original Monster Cable speaker wire. We plugged everything into one of those hardware power strips. Yes, I dreamed about the PAC IDOS. But for us college students, $150 for a power strip was out of the question.

At various times throughout the year, my housemates brought other electronics to the mix. One of my favorites was a karaoke machine, which, back then, used laser video discs. So even if we had a PAC IDOS, its 5 outlets would not have been enough. Enter the $200 9-outlet IDOS 2.

When I returned home to San Francisco for winter break 1991, my stereo system consisted of the NAD 5000 CD player; Sony ST-7TV MTS stereo TV tuner; some Sony ES 3-head cassette deck; Sony TAE-1000ESD preamp; Muse Model 100 power amp; Paradigm 5SE speakers; AQ Quartz, Topaz, and Type 4. Yes, we had a TV and VCR. We also had both the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis.

In music, I was enjoying Fates Warning's Parallels, Overkill's Horrorscope, and Savatage's Streets: A Rock Opera. But one day, I fought through the holiday shoppers downtown. I just enjoyed the urban experience, much more than the sylvan UC Santa Cruz. I did not want to go back to school. At Macy's, I overheard Cece Peniston's "Finally," which further enhanced the modern urban vibe. At FAO Schwarz, I witnessed three small kids singing "Beauty And The Beast," which single-handedly slayed every audiophile canard. Both of these songs inspired me, as I paid a visit to Ultimate Sound, where I saw a PAC IDOS.

Back then, my A/V system fit onto a wooden "entertainment center." We had it pretty close to the back wall, leaving just enough space for a hardware store power strip. As was common in those days, the PAC IDOS 2 had a fixed powercord. If you uncoil it, and stretch it to its max length, it is under 6-feet long.

In order for the IDOS 2 to work, it must be plugged into a grounded 3-hole AC receptacle. The IDOS 2's 3-prong AC plug is nothing special. However, that means it won't, unlike today's thick-barrel AC plugs, sag from, or place strain on, the AC receptacle.

When I first heard about PAC (Perfectionist Audio Components) in the early 90s, most of us just shoved our racks (audio or video) close to the back wall. Powerline conditioners typically weren't the behemoths we see now. But in the early 90s, even while component-style PLCs were slow to come around, manufacturers started making wedge-shaped models. And that meant finding the space for these larger wedges.

The PAC IDOS 2 is old school, if by that you mean hardware power strips. If you lay the IDOS 2 flat on the ground, it is 2" wide by 1.875" tall.

I do not know what is behind the circle, but I could not take apart the IDOS 2 at this end.

Unlike ACS and KJ, the IDOS 2 does not have a flat bottom. The ridges which run the length of the unit can wedge between the carpet's pile. This can provide a small measure of "hold." However, if you have a floor with a flat surface (e.g., tile, concrete, hardwood, laminate), the IDOS 2 may slide around. You may want to use sticky or tacky bumpers, to get the IDOS 2 to adhere to those flat floors. Also note that each end has cutouts, so you can nail the IDOS to the wall. Not including the wall-mount end tabs, the IDOS 2 is 12" long. Holy cow, this whole paragraph uses words and phrases which sound kinky, but aren't.

Sometime in the Spring 1992 quarter, I went home to San Francisco for a weekend. On a fine Saturday, I was in the downtown area, when I heard Celine Dion’s version of the Diane Warren-penned “If You Asked Me To.” The original, by Patti LaBelle, came from 1989's Licence To Kill.

I went to Ultimate Sound, then located in the “dungeon” basement of the Sherman Clay building. In a glass display cabinet were two similarly-priced products I was interested in: the XLO Reference Type 4 digital coax, and the PAC IDOS. No, they did not have the IDOS 2.

I also went out to Harmony Audio/Video in the West Portal neighborhood. Frank said that, by removing RFI, the IDOS could make your system “more analog-like.” No, they did not have the IDOS 2.

I have been racking my brain, trying to recall the first time I ever laid eyes on the 9-outlet PAC IDOS 2. It could very well have been in 1994, at Ultimate Sound, which by then was located on the second floor of 41 Grant Street, in Union Square. If I'm not mistaken, a customer had ordered it along with a stack of Audio Alchemy gear. On a separate occasion, I overheard a customer vacillate between 2 regular IDOSes and 1 IDOS 2. At $300, 2 regular IDOSes would have given him a total of 2 digital outlets, and 8 analog outlets. At $200, a single IDOS 2 would have given him, of course, 3 digital outlets, and 6 analog outlets.

Okay, I've already blogged enough about the regular IDOS. Let us take a closer look at the IDOS 2.

The photo above shows the IDOS 2's three digital outlets. Hey, who sprayed water on them?

This photo shows the IDOS 2's six analog inputs.

When other companies came out with component-sized powerline conditioners, it was all over for New York's Perfectionist Audio Components. I wonder what happened to the company and its people.

In the late-80s, Adcom’s ACE-515 brought powerline conditioners to the American public’s attention, and put PLCs on the map. Until then, everyone merely plugged electronics into the wall or into hardware powerstrips. I was no different; my audio/video system was plugged into one of these cheap hardware powerstrips.

In 1991, I began to read about a souped-up powerstrip, the PAC (Perfectionist Audio Components) IDOS (Isolated Digital Outlet Strip), which I’ve reviewed extensively in these pages. Again, one of my audio regrets of my last two years of college (1991-1993) was not getting the $150 IDOS.

Let’s go back to April 1992. My housemate Doug provided a Denon receiver and JBL loudspeakers. I supplied the Sony CDP-520ESII CD player, Monster IL-400 interconnects, and original Monster Cable speaker wire. Yes, the electronics were plugged into a hardware powerstrip.

Doug hated heavy metal. So when the computer-generated video for Def Leppard’s “Let’s Get Rocked” came on, Doug rolled his eyes. He turned off the TV, then popped Bryan Adams’ Waking Up The Neighbours into the CD player. “Do I Have To Say The Words?” was playing, when I saw this in the April 1992 issue of Stereophile:

An Audio Advisor ad showed that there was a $200 PAC IDOS 2. My interest was piqued, but without any description or picture of this so-called IDOS 2, I moved on. I continued to read that April 1992 issue of Stereophile. I clearly remember hearing the ubiquitous “Save The Best For Last,” that piece of pop perfection by Vanessa Williams. As far as new music of the time, we also heard Annie Lennox’s “Why” [we wondered if that meant the end of the Eurythmics] and Sophie B. Hawkins’ grammatically incorrect “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover.”

Again, a major criticism of the regular IDOS was that it only had 5 outlets (1 digital, 4 analog). With 3 digital and 6 analog outlets, the IDOS 2 (above) was PAC’s answer to that criticism.

Having grown in up in urban areas, I observed that city dwellers are short on space. So in one room, they have to combine audio, video, gaming, and computers. With so many electronics, they have to plug everything into multi-outlet strips. I'm no different; since the mid-80s, I've had to combine audio and video.

Okay, in these pages, you have seen a 12-outlet Power Wing 12, which now resides at my parents' place. Alan Kafton affectionately referred to that unit as "Big Bertha." For most audiophiles, a PW12 is too much to buy in one fell swoop. So most likely, audiophiles will buy a regular 6-outlet Power Wing, and add another one later. I was no different.

When I decided to get the unplated Oyaide R-0 outlets in my Power Wing, the intention was to use it with my source components, two of which utilize Pranawire Maha Samadhi powercords terminated with Oyaide M1 plugs. These M1 plugs weren't the best match for my SWO-XXX outlets. So here is the R-0 Power Wing [itself fed by a Pranawire Vajra with Acrolink CF plugs] supplying AC to a router/gateway, CD changer, Blu-Ray player, CD transport, and DAC. Wow, the images solidify, and are spread out in a larger soundscape. The midbass is firmed up. This once again confirms that maximizing the sources is the most important part of the audio chain.

Don't forget; the Power Wing does not limit current. So here, I have moved the R-0 Power Wing, so that it feeds the Simaudio 600i integrated amp, Nintendo Wii U, Pro controller, 50" LCD TV, AT&T U-verse receiver, and an alarm clock. Whoa, the amp now has a little more grip and power. Video equipment benefits significantly. Picture quality is more professional. Video games are smoother, less pixellated.

Overruled! Because of what the R-0 Power Wing does for TV, movies, and video gaming, my family has ordered that this Wing feeds the video half. Meanwhile, an SWO-XXX Power Wing feeds the audio sources.

I blog about AC outlets. I blog about audio components and powercords. I blog about powerline conditioners. In the process, I frequently show a Power Wing. But I generally do not blog directly about the Power Wing itself. A Power Wing sits quietly. It makes no noise, and generates NO heat. It does not draw attention to itself. Therefore, it is out of sight, out of mind. You tend to forget it is there. But once you remove one from your system, you sorely miss it. That is the sign of a worthwhile product.

For years, the Power Wing has only been available with Mediterranean blue or Midnight black Dupont Corian end caps. Feh. For the Power Wing's $3250 price, you should expect something better-looking. Customers should not settle for the drab, pedestrian, mundane, uninspiring stock colors. Alan Kafton tells me that interested customers should inquire directly with him, which other Corian colors he can secure. Furthermore, you'll have to ask him how long your beautiful color will take to order, fabricate, engrave, install, and finish. I told him that he needs to make that information (availability of other colors) readily noticeable on his website. Otherwise, people will continue to assume that only the boring (many say, "ugly") Mediterranean and Midnight exist. Once these people view the Power Wing as ugly, they move on, turn their attention to the competition.

I was fortunate to get mine with Everest white end caps. These are significantly better-looking than Mediterranean and Midnight. IIRC, I gave Alan 3 or 4 choices, and he verified the availability of the Everest. That was years ago, so Everest may or may not still exist. Fine. Dupont make many shades of white, including one called "Antarctica." Regardless of end cap, the Power Wing has an 18-gauge stainless steel body, and a 14-gauge top plate. Thankfully, the chassis is aluminum-colored, not black.

I have been using Power Wings for at least a decade. The basic Power Wing is so sonically neutral, it will let you know what its receptacles sound like. That is right. Each Power Wing allows you to choose which 3 duplex receptacles you want. The standard is Oyaide's SWO series. For a $55 upcharge, you can forgo one SWO outlet, and get an Oyaide R-0 (unplated, pictured above) or R-1 (palladium over platinum plating). If you are willing to wait, I'm sure that you can secure other AC receptacles (Acme, Audio Magic, FIM, MIT, PS Audio, Shunyata, and Synergistic Research also make some), and Alan Kafton will Cook and install them into a Power Wing.

Each outlet is isolated, so it does not matter what kind of electronics you plug into it. Furthermore, the Power Wing is not current-limiting, so you can freely plug in, for example, power amplifiers and subwoofers.

My Power Wings are the so-called "XP" iteration. In the current Mk. II status, your Wing can be ordered with either a Furutech 15-amp IEC inlet, or an Oyaide Inlet R.

In December 1987, ACS and I met at our high school's outdoor volleyball courts. Somebody had a boombox, and Foreigner's "Say You Will" was playing. Shortly thereafter, we dispersed for the winter break. During that winter break, I watched both MTV [Headbangers Ball was popular] and VH1. The latter played Agnetha Faltskog's "I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)," a duet with Peter Cetera. Because it was a video programmed on VH1, no mention was made that Faltskog used to be in ABBA. At the time, Peter Cetera was more widely-known than Agnetha Faltskog. Perhaps because it was billed as Agnetha Faltskog with Peter Cetera, not the other way around, it wasn't as popular as, say, "The Next Time I Fall," by Peter Cetera with Amy Grant.

After seeing the video 2 or 3 times, I don't recall hearing "I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)" on the radio. So I actually had to go out and buy the damn thing. My friends and I had it on 7" vinyl and cassette single. We were unaware that it was available on 3" mini CD single, which I would have gotten, had I seen it. It would not appear on any other album, until it was part of Cetera's You're The Inspiration: A Collection, which was not released until May 1997.

ACS and I had always done a lot of athletics together. And they weren't always team sports. In the summer of '94, she and I went hiking in Tilden Park. After watching the sun hover over a cloudless Golden Gate, we decided to go hot tubbing in Berkeley. Even though I had showered with ACS a few times in the years prior*, that Berkeley spa was really when/where I suspected that she generally liked to take hot showers. The water in the hot tub was already hot. But when time was up, and we had to shower off, ACS cranked up the hot water. In 95-96, we were bowling partners. After the Saturday night league, I'd frequently go over to her place. There, I confirmed that she regularly took hot showers. So much so, the steam from the bathroom would drift out into the hallway and bedroom. Yes, her showers left the apartment warm and humid. Yes, that would discourage her from putting on any clothes. But even after the place dried and cooled down, ACS simply liked being naked in the apartment (she lived by herself) and sleeping naked.

We commonly had to travel to weekend bowling tournaments. That meant staying at hotels. At each one, ACS took hot showers. In April '96, we had a bowling tournament in Reno. There was still snow in the Sierra mountains. There were hardly any clouds, and the night sky had an inky blackness, which was darker than that over the Bay Area. We left the hotel room's curtains open, so we could see the city lights and that shimmering night sky -- very romantic. All right, all right; so it was the window's glare and condensation, which made the sky look shimmery. But still.

While ACS was taking a hot shower, I fiddled with the little clock radio by the side of the bed. I didn't want to wake to the horrible beeping and screeching alarm, so I searched for a lite rock/adult contemporary station. Lo and behold, I came across a station which happened to be playing Agnetha Faltskog's "I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)." Out of the steamy bathroom, naked ACS emerged, and remarked, "Wow, I haven't heard that in ages!"

Anyway, if you really want to get to popular music's hidden gems, you have to search for obscure tracks such as Faltskog's "I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)." If you really want to find high-end audio's gems, you have to weed out the Stereotypical Audiophile BS, and even scour products which were made in the 1990s, audio's Golden Years. And such is the case with XLO's original Signature series. The first Signature product ACS and I saw, held, used, and heard was not the 4.1b AES/EBU digital cable, but the 1.1 single-ended line-level interconnect. And at the same time, we were borrowing other hi-fi products, including the Sonographe SC-26 and original Sonus Faber Concertino.

Compared to the Kimber KCAG I was using, the XLO Signature 1.1 was so much more accurate, focused, transparent, quiet, clean, and invisible. It did a better job of just leaving us with the music. So when we heard Faltskog's "I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)" over the Concertinos, the Signature 1.1 opened up the depth plane. There was a nakedness to the music, a stark contrast between the music itself and the background silence. The sound was so arresting, it made ACS feel as if she were blissfully naked, enjoying a Roman bath.

As for the balanced AES/EBU Signature 4.1b digital cable, I got to compare it to others from Apogee, Illuminati, Kimber, MIT, Tara Labs, and Wireworld. In terms of transparency to the source(s), the Signature 4.1b was simply light years ahead of the competition. Now that we have an audiodharma Cable Cooker, we (a) hear cables at their true potential, and (b) can do fair comparisons. So let us see how the Signature 4.1b compares to other XLO digital cables.

[Deep breath] Okay. For the past 20 years, every time I hear the expression, "apples to apples," I cringe. Why? One morning, while ACS was getting into different types of bathing suits, her friend WFS was bewildered by the choices. So WFS suggested eliminating/excluding the two-piece outfits, and narrowing it down to one-piece bathing suits. Then, said WFS, we could judge those one-piece bathing suits' colors/prints against each other, "apples to apples."

To which ACS said, "Apples to apples?" ACS reached around her back, and untied her pink/magenta bikini top, which dropped to the floor. ACS used her own hands to cup her breasts**, and remarked, "You're right. That is like comparing my right boob to my left."

So there you have it. ACS poisoned my view of the expression, "apples to apples." That said, an apples to apples comparison would be the XLO Signature 4.1b versus the Unlimited Edition UE-4b, which I reviewed in early 2013. The UE-4b consistently has firm, anchored, and unwavering imaging. But it exhibits that common AES/EBU top-end roll-off. The Signature 4.1b is preserves whatever top-end extension your transport & DAC possess. The Signature 4.1b faithfully preserves the top 1/3 of the soundstage's height. It is akin to Agnetha Faltskog's "I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)" making you feel as though you are on an upper floor of a Reno hotel, staring into the clean and dark mountain night sky. The UE-4b thus sounds congested and cramped, lacking in transparency and space. The UE-4b is like the sink, shower, and toilet in close proximity to each other in a tiny bathroom. Imagine standing at the bathroom sink, while the steam from ACS' hot shower fogs the mirror and makes it hard for you to breathe.

ACS and WFS had different body heights and shapes, so each had to wear her own one-piece bathing suit. However, ACS and WFS were close enough in size, that they could share/swap some of the two-piece bathing suits. Actually, ACS and WFS eyed my board shorts. They liked the idea of shorts, which covered more than their one-piece suits and bikini bottoms did. Hmmm, so between the one-piece swimsuits, bikini sets, and board shorts, it was an apples vs. oranges vs. bananas comparison.

When ACS tried on my board shorts, she complained that they were too straight. My board shorts constricted and squeezed the "dumpling-shaped [her words]" ACS' hips and rump. When WFS tried on my board shorts, she was too petite at the waist. My board shorts were too loose for WFS. "Damn," she lamented, "I'd need a belt with this."

Many of you have been clamoring for a comparison of XLO's original Signature 4.1 (RCA) and 4.1b (XLR) digital cables. That isn't an apples-to-apples comparison. First of all, the cable construction is different. The Signature 4.1b adds a third conductor (for the pin-1 ground connection). So it's not just a difference of connector type. In addition, digital equipment's S/PDIF and AES/EBU configurations, implementation, and parts are different. Nevertheless, the excellent Mark Levinson No. 37 sports RCA and XLR outputs. So with DACs with corresponding S/PDIF and AES/EBU inputs, we may not be able to do an apples-to-apples comparison, but we can do an apples-to-oranges comparison.

From time to time, ACS would remark that, despite our hangups and lack of self-esteem, we humans often looked best au naturel. The Signature 4.1b is the epitome of "no cable at all." Whether you are listening to the kind of hot-sounding (the upper midrange is pushed forward) "I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)," the grainy "Honey, Honey" (by ABBA), or the sad and heartbreaking "Even A Fool Can See" (by Peter Cetera), the AES/EBU Signature 4.1b sonically disappears, honestly revealing what each recording truly sounds like. Imagine the bathroom completely free of steam and fog, so you can see clearly.

Interestingly, when the Mark Levinson No. 37 plays these three songs, the differences are somewhat obscured. The soundstage is not as voluminous, defined, and transparent. The music becomes lumpier and bumpier. ACS would say that that is a bathing suit which is a close, but not exact, size/fit for your body. Think of it as a "Medium-sized" bikini which is between ACS' "Large" and WFS' "Small." If ACS wears the Medium, it isn't so tight as to be restrictive. If WFS wears it, it isn't so loose, that the bottom has to be pulled up, or the top leaves a glimpse of booby exposed. If that sounds like a one-size-fits-all compromise, then so be it. If you want the perfect fit, fine: get the XLO Signature 4.1b for your AES/EBU digital connection. After ACS and WFS tried my board shorts (which ultimately didn't fit them), they would later shop for and buy female board shorts, in the correct sizes.

* In hindsight, perhaps I should have picked up earlier on ACS' affinity for hot showers. When she visited me in February '93, she grooved to Peter Gabriel's "Steam." Then she used hot water and the "misty spray" setting on the shower head, to steam up the bathroom.

** The flat-chested ACS lamented, "I wish my boobs were as big as apples!"

In the summer of '94, I went over to ACS' apartment just north of the UC Berkeley campus. In her room was a black-framed shoji screen, which kind of acted as a room divider. On the other side of the shoji screen lay the bed of ACS' roommate. The shoji screen afforded a modicum of privacy.

ACS and I then went across the Bay, to her friend's apartment in San Bruno. That friend, WFS, was formerly ACS' college roommate. WFS lived by herself. In her bedroom was a black-framed shoji screen. WFS, ACS, and I were going to go swimming. They pulled out some bathing suits, asked each other which ones looked best. Did they ask me for my opinion? Nope.

I thought WFS and ACS would go to the bathroom to change. Nope. I thought they'd go behind the shoji screen, out of my view. Nope. In full view, they stripped naked and tried on a couple bathing suits. With them changing in front of me, I would have felt like a dweeb, had I changed in the bathroom or behind the shoji screen. So I followed suit, and changed along with them.

In the mid-90s, ACS and I would go on little shopping trips. She liked to try on a wide variety of clothes, most of which didn't quite fit or look right. But hey, you don't know, unless you try. Instead of making me wait in the store, ACS would drag me into the dressing rooms, change, and ask my opinion. Regardless of how carefully I rendered an opinion or phrased things, ACS could tell from my body language, if I liked the clothes or not.

Also on these little shopping trips, ACS and I would frequent audio stores. In those days, the product type she was most involved in was the loudspeaker. Always quick to quip, ACS did not hold back on her opinions.

The speaker ACS perhaps liked the most from a visual perspective was the Martin Logan Aerius. The Aerius' perforated grille was painted in a gloss black. The body was a Nextel gray. The Aerius could be had in any number of wooden trims. When ACS spotted one with oak side trim, she remarked that the Aerius reminded her of shoji screens. She said that, if we were to get the Aerius, she promised not to drape her bras over the top edge, as she did with her shoji screens.

All right, to me, shoji screens remind me of Magnepan, not Martin Logan, speakers. Be that as it may, I just could not afford the then-$2200 Aerius.

In the summer of '96, ACS moved to foggy, windy, and cool Pacifica, a mere mile from the Pacific Ocean. Her one bedroom was actually larger than average, closer to some of the typically small living rooms here in San Francisco. She scanned the room, grabbed my arm, exited, then drove us to her parents' place in San Francisco. She opened the garage door, revealing piles of stuff. Lo and behold, among all that stuff were two folded-up shoji screens. One had a black frame, the other had an oakish-colored frame. She instructed me to bring out both.

So when we got to her place in Pacifica, we set up the two shoji screens. To ACS' eyes, the black shoji screen better matched the mint-green walls. We took down and collapsed the oak shoji screen, and returned it to ACS' parents' place.

After dinner, ACS and I returned to her Pacifica duplex, where I continued to help her unpack. Her laundry baskets were used to carry and hold more of her possessions. It was late, and we were getting tired. She didn't know where to put all the stuff which was in those laundry baskets. So we just left it there. When she took off her clothes, ACS draped them over the black-framed shoji screen. Hot damn! ACS' heather-gray t-shirt, purple shorts, and lavender-ish bra & thong combined with the black-and-white shoji screen, to look like XLO's Signature series. I know, I know; I should have been staring at (the then-naked) ACS. But her clothes over the shoji screen made me want to get XLO Signature interconnects, digital coax, and speaker cable.

During this summer of '96, some of the new songs ACS and I listened to and enjoyed included The Cardigans' "Lovefool" [we frequently heard this at Ultimate Sound]; Ghost Town DJ's "My Boo" [we heard this on that warm and sunny September day at Baker Beach]; Donna Lewis' "I Love You Always Forever" [also heard at Ultimate Sound]; George Michael's "Fastlove;" and Robert Miles' "Children" [Dreamland is very good at breaking in speakers]. These are the actual CDs ACS and I had, back in '96. They were indeed used, when I auditioned the original XLO Signature 4.1b AES/EBU balanced digital cable. If you'll recall, I was auditioning the $1495 CAL Alpha DAC. The dealer said that, since I was using CAL's own Delta transport, the Alpha's AES/EBU input would sound best. But that meant trying out a bunch of AES/EBU digital cables.

As much as I liked the CAL Alpha, my Signet SL-280 B/U was grating on me. Throughout the two years ACS and I were together, we auditioned several loudspeakers. Instead of spending $1495 on the CAL Alpha. I disastrously bought the Thiel CS.5. But that's a story for another time. So distraught over the crappy-sounding CS.5 (above, in white oak with black grilles), I didn't want to be at home. Thus, I spent more time with ACS. Escapism at its best.

In the spring of '98, I acquired the Theta Jade CD transport and DS Pro Basic IIIa DAC. With these two pieces, I could indeed utilize the AES/EBU XLR connection. And that's when I revisited the XLO Signature 4.1b. Alas, the Jade was one of the all-time worst audio products. At a huge loss, I got rid of the Jade. But I kept the XLO Signature 4.1b. I was able to use it with the CAL Delta, which I still have. After you take the XLO Signature 4.1b off of the Cable Cooker, it will still need a day or two of regular playing time. So pop in CD after CD into the Delta, and leave it on infinite repeat.

In March 2001, I replaced the Theta DS Pro Basic IIIa with a Mark Levinson No. 360, a major upgrade. In a twist, I no longer have the No. 360 DAC. Instead, I have the No. 37 CD transport, which absolutely loves the XLO Signature 4.1b. The latter's focused, fast, transparent, honest sound stops imposing itself (as do all other AES/EBU cables), and allows the No. 37 to strut its stuff. Each CD sounds different, as it should. If you have a BSCD2, HQCD, SHM-CD, or other "boutique" disc, the No.37/Sig 4.1b allow you to compare it to the regular-issue Redbook version(s).

I no longer have CAL, Theta, or Mark Levinson DACs, but I do have the NuForce DAC-9 192k. The thin and flexible XLO Signature 4.1b is able to thread its way through the cable jungle, and fit into the DAC-9's crammed and tight quarters. Sounds kinky, but isn't.

This Bybee DIY powercord is amazingly consistent. Regardless of which component it is used with, it sounds the same.

Let's start at the top. Here, the Bybee DIY powercord feeds the Mark Levinson No. 37. Ooo, ooo, ooo...by bringing out the mids, certain CDs can sound dark, brooding, and sensual. Turn the lights down low, and...

The NuForce DAC-9 is steadfastly professional, unbending, totalitarian, almost robotic. But when the Bybee DIY powercord enlarges, softens, and warms up the mids, this is the least mechanical and inorganic the DAC-9 has ever sounded.

The Cambridge Audio 840C has a tight, focused, fast, detailed, kind of dry presentation. The Bybee DIY powercord gives the 840C's tiny but razor-sharp images a much needed boost. It's like inflating a flat tire, boppy clown, jumper house, inner tube, air mattress, balloon, etc. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Rotel have had a "credit card" house sound. That is, the sound can be 2-dimensional (width and height, but no depth). In addition, instrumental textures are often plastic. Similar to the Cambridge Audio 840C above, the Rotel RCC-1055 benefits from the Bybee DIY powercord's larger, rounder imaging. Similar to the NuForce DAC-9 above, the Rotel RCC-1055 likes the Bybee DIY powercord's more "human" touch with midrange textures. In some ways, this is the best we have ever heard the RCC-1055 as a stand-alone CD player.