Taralabs cables

OK, the Tara PC's added a bass bump, in the treble department,added way too much information, causing listening
fatigue. Which my system never had before. We moved the Tara cords around started with my Pass Labs XP 25 phono, then to my Ayre KXR pre, last to my Audio Aero CD/Dac player. I then inserted ONE Kraken PC on my line stage. WoW!!! Smooth,natural musical tones, very easy to listen to, with tons of detail , great attack, and decay. We then moved the Kraken over to my phono stage. Same results. The only problem with the Kraken PC in your system , you hear the short comings of your other power cords. My other power cords were, Revelation Audio Precepts. Not a bad cord for the money. Still using one on my Cd Player. So I ended up with 4 Kraken PC's... One on my line stage,other on phono stage,last two on my SS power amps. Power amps never sounded better!!!

Hi Jeb, Yes, The cobalt in some systems has a bass bump for sure, one of the most organic, natural,Rich sounding power cords I know of, My system certainly does not need anymore bass!, The system had very good bass slam and Depth to the begin with, I will see how the cobalt works out, It's on my digital player,I may end up with the same problem you had, How many hours did you have on the cobalt you listened to on your system?, BTW, great review of the Stage -3 concepts kraken power cord, If you can, make sure you audition the Tara labs Evolution Grandmaster power cord, I am told it is quite different than previous power cords from Tara Labs, Thanks Jeb.

Iblieve, The Tara labs onyx and Zero gold are discontinued now, replaced by two cables that are the forefront of cable technology, The new top cable is called, The Elolution Grandmaster, The second from the flagship is called, The Evolution Zero I/C and matching speaker cable, The Evolution Omega speaker cables, redesigned from the ground up!, go to the Tara site, click on products, go to extended band-width cables, go to page 2, there you will be astounded with the info on the two premier cables of the world-wide market place, cheers.

@Audiolab : Hi mate! happy to read your comments as usual! Still a Taralabs addict by the way?!
Did you compare your Omega Gold to the new Evolution series?

You guys have too much money,8,700 for a pc,Kracken.Im not saying its not worth it,I bet they sound superb.Way to go

$ 8,400.00 for 1.5 meters . $11,200.00 for 2.0 meters. Lets just say, somebody needed longer Kraken power cords. I had cash in hand to buy some used 1.5 & 2.0 meter Kraken's !!! Stage 3 Concept is working on new Monster power cord , bigger than the Kraken. $15,000.00 for 1.5 meters. Ouch!

Hi Jeb, I E-mailed tara Labs about this to much treble infomation you were talking about, and in turn to my supprise, Devon Scott-Vice president of Tara Labs E-mailed Mr Mathew Bond Him self, As It turns out, The Tara Labs Cobalt Power cord you listened to was not broken in!, I was shocked when Mathew's response quote-, The cobalt power cord takes hundreds of hours to break in, The complexity of the construction requires this amount of break-in,The result is smooth and extended resolution with a sound of realism. End of quote,,, So In my opinion, I will do 700 hours instead of 400 before I know and give my final impressions of this power cord, why so long of a break-in, well, I have the cobalt connected to a cd-player that only draws 25 to 35 watts max from the wall, LOL!, I cannot put the cobalt on my amp, The Krell 700cx is hard wired with a very good big girth stock power cord, and then I do not have an active pre-amp, I use source direct to amp, Very realistic sounding, there you have it, I can only use the cobalt where it is on my digital player, The cobalt with oyaide is retail $5,450.00 for 6ft, oh, and the new Tara labs Grandmaster power cord is around $12,000.00 for 6ft give or take on the price, you would have to call Tara labs to get exact pricing, I only know the rough price, also I was told by Tara Labs that if you do not use the cobalt for two weeks to a month, you will need to re-burn-in the power cord, ouch!, you got a good deal on the Kraken power cords, Misternice, The Kraken power cord retails far more than what Jeb paid for them,I just got my digital player that is breaking in as well, brand new, that is the reason I am just now breaking in the cobalt power cord, Jeb, I got a good deal myself, I got my cobalt that was only a year old, that is short-3ft for an astounding deal here on audiogon a year ago this june for a $1,000.00 out the door, talking about a deal of a life time, Hurray! Thankyou Jebsmith73, you are welcome to this thread any time!

@AUdiolab : Didi you compare your gold Omega to the new eerie?

@Jeb : Damn!!! A whole system for the price of one cable!!! Do you think it worst it?

I believe audio,is better well spent, than on automobiles.At this stage of my life,I'll keep under 2 k for a PC,second hand.Though I like to hear and see what you guys are doing.I should target a audio show in the USA next year,I've never been to one.

Jebsmith73,can I ask,do you only have audiophile recordings.The reason I ask ,there's a few of my old CDs,that just don't sound any good on my system now.Thanks

I play everything, some are good recording and some just OK. Same with new LP's .

Latest report, At 240 hours of burn-in with the cobalt power cord, It is beginning to open up, It is lighting fast!, Tiberal accuracy of the drums is uncanny real!, and I am happy to report, there is not bass bump at all!, there was, As the power cord further breaks in, that seems to went away, the clarity is spectacular!, I am truly convinced, there is no better power cord in the $7,000.00 class price point on down period, This power cord will even get better from what I am told with further burn-in according to what Tara labs has told me, cheers.

Iblieve, I listened to the Evolution model zero, But no!, I have not A/B the cables, from what I did hear when I listened, The NEW cables are Revolutionary!,Enough for me to move to the Evolution Zero I/C and Evolution Omega speaker cables,, The Evolution Grandmaster power cord will soon be in the market place, However, you might as well sale your first born to buy it, It is cheaper than the best of High-Fidelity's power cords!, would make for a good comparison!

How many $7000 power cords have you heard in your system?

Unless you've heard all of them, being convinced is simply foolish.

You can speed up the burn-in process on your A/C power cord by plugging it into your vacuum cleaner. Needed would be a cable adapter. Vacuum cleaner A/C plug would feed off of your Tara PC.

Jeb, Are you joking, Or have you actually done this type of break-in with a power cord before?, right now, I am spared any storms at the moment, so I am attempting 72 hours of continuous burn-in to accumilate with the 225 hours built up thus far, though the vacum deal sounds like it would work, I need to burn-in the digital player any way, It is new!, I had this same model in 2012, so I know it takes a long time to Burn-in the player, cheers.

Hi from the tara site,the new cables have 50 to 75 percent more band width.I would say a pretty penny too. keith,,I wonder how the digital pc would sound on your system,just was wondering whether you tried it or not.

No kidding on using your vaccum for cable break-in. My LG refrigerator draws 5.1 amps , have used it also for Power cord conditioning.

Innocent question, is it the current or the voltage that's doing the breaking in?

@audiolabryinth @ibelieve. The high fidelity ultimate reference power cable took my system and added speed and realism that is unreal. I don't know what anybody else does. I know the cables are expensive but if you're spending money at this level. Your main concern is that it works like nothing you have heard before. This cable does that in a musical way in spades!!! Gets the job done. The END!!!!!!! Lol.

Hi Misternice, I have not tried the Tara digital power cord, I thought if I was going to give power cords in general another run, I should get the best that I could afford that would give after market cords a chance, my last exsperiences with power cords back in the 90s, I did not like none of them by any brand!, at this moment, I have never listen to a power cord that has this speed and timberal accuracy, the clarity is so mind bogling, that I do not believe no other power cord can have more clarity!, atleast I do not believe it is possible on my equipment, maybe equipment that cost $30,000.00 and more per componet, LOL!, I'm sure much more exspensive power cords may have some attributes this power cord might not have, But clarity and prat speed is absolutly not one of them!

And cleaning the floor at the same time.

I think you can buy a special connection.The fridge idea sounds good,just leave it running.

Voltage would remain about the same,no mater what your using the cord for . Pushing MORE current seems to help speed up the break-in time.

Labyrinth,
Please list all of the power cords you've heard in YOUR system.
Unless it's been dozens, your ramblings are nonsensical and meaningless.

Yes,I was just curious.I'm thinking of getting an adapter from voodoo,so I can try my new PC on the CD player.I currently use and prefer a power cable on my digital.As they're are changing and getting better,Its good to keep the options open.Yes I bet your cobalt is bumping out the good sounds

Hey Folks...
I am a Tara Labs cable owner. I currently own the Omega Gold speaker cables and the Zero Gold Digital cable. Both are best on the planet bar none. I just placed an order for their new Evolution Omega speaker cables and Evolution Zero interconnects. One thing I will tell you is that the Cobalt power cord is nothing compared to my Stage 3 Krakens. They obliterated them. Also, my Exemplar Portal PC,s killed them as well. They are not very good and you can find better at much less cost. Very overrated. PS Audio's AC12 beat this cable as well at a fraction of the price. Stage 3 Krakens is the best PC out there right now. Try them and you won't regret it!

@ Judyazblues,, ESP, Shunyata,Beldin,Syngistic Research, audioquest,Tara Labs,Purist audio,Nordost,MIT,Cardas,siltech,Kimber cable,XLO Electric, etc..., most of these I owned or rented from the cable company in the late 90s with a group of friends, we put alot of money in a pot together to rent cables, all of them were terrible for a Krell FPB 200, the stock Beldin cable that came with the amp worked best!, check out the XLO electric site, MMMM, They look like they are tring to come back into the market as a contender for cables, Back in the day, XLO was considered very good, along with synergestic Research, I NEVER liked ESP cables!, that was another power cable that was raved about in the late 90s that turned out a dud for me, Judyazblues, I will say, this cobalt is the most exspensive power cord I have ever owned, and quite frankly, I believe cables are over priced period!, I am not a fan of the 600% to 1000% mark up of cables, I mean Really, How much money does it take to make them?, A $14,000.00 cable likly cost them a $1,000.00 to make!

Hey Keith it will be interesting to see who sells the new Tara's used on audiogon,its only a matter of time before they start showing up .For me new is out of the question.Can you recommend a audio show worth working towards ,Keith.I'd like to go to one,next year.

@Rebel: Your message is quite unclear. Do you mean Taralabs Cobalt PC is not good, even when you compared it with the PS audio PC? Did you break it for a long period of time like Audiolab is convinced to "must do before review"?

My last experiences with cables gave me the DOUBT, cause the Grimm Audio TPR is so amazing for a ridiculous cost that i can't go back to expensive cable, even if they are slightly better. I sell my expensive Acrolink interconnect even if it's probably the best interconnects i ever possessed cause i prefer to buy beautiful watches or a house with the money.
I just changed my power amps with the Sanders Innersound power amp (old production but still AMAZING) and the differences are just ENORMOUS! I use a QED silver spiral with it and it's epic. I think i'm going to use cables with real scientific measurements instead of esoteric ones.
Roger Sanders proved me the effectiveness of science among marketing. What's real with a certain amplifier using one specific cable will be very different if you use a different electronic so i must stop and try to find the best for less...

Anyway i just plugged in my preamp my Acrolink PC-9500, a really expensive cable... DAMN IS AMAZING!!! Way better than my Taralabs Onyx.
The presence, the beauty and the micro-dynamics are more sharp, clear and real!
I found good alternatives for SC and IC's but PC are still an issue for me... And now with the PC9500 inside my system, it's clearer that my quest will be hard to achieve...
I don't know if anyone here ever tested the Acrolink? Many reviewer think it's the best power cord ever made...

Everyone, Rebel721 is who I bought the Tara Labs Cobalt from!, Hi Robert, I see you kept the Tara Omega Gold speaker cables and Zero Gold digital cable, The cobalt works well On my system, I understand there is better, I was the very first person that ever told you about Tara Labs coming out with the new cables a whole year this month of June before Tara Labs came out with them, Are you going to check out the New Tara labs Grandmaster Power cord, They have the proto type now, They should start selling it now, before they put it on their site, like they did with all the new cables, I believe the cobalt is certainly worth what you sold it to me for, Robert, you know Tara Is really known for their speaker cables and interconnects, maybe the Grandmaster power cord will put them on the map for power cords, you did tell me you were getting the kraken power cords when you sold me the cobalt, The stage 3 kraken is over two and half times the retail price of the cobalt, It should be better, I also have the Tara Labs Omega Gold speaker cables, and the Tara Labs Zero gold interconnect now, And yes, my plans are to move up to the new Tara Labs Evolution Zero interconnect and the matching Evolution Omega speaker cables, nothing wrong with what I have, just the new cable is only $2,000.00 more for the 8ft speaker cables, so at a supposed 75% better Band-width, It's a no brainer to move up the cable food chain, It seems you will Have your new cables before I will, would you do me a favor, even though I have heard these cables for a brief time, can you share your impressions of the new Evolution Zero interconnect and Evolution Omega speaker cables Here on this thread?, Thanks Robert L.

1blive - Yes to your question. The Cobalt is NOT a reference level PC in my opinion. I share with this with several others that have owned them. There are far better cords out there for less money that are better. Exemplar Portals are far better and cost $1800 retail. This is one of Tara LAbs weak links in their chain of cables. When I had the opportunity to demo the Krakens in my home, it was then that I realized the difference in reference level gear. Your power setup is the most important thing when setting up your system. If this isn't done right then you will never realize true reference level sound. Any of the Stage 3 PC's are better than the Cobalt. Trust me on this.

AudioLabrynth - Yes. I remember that. The new Evolution Omega speaker cables retail for $32k not $2k more. They are $8k more than the Omega Golds. I will surely let everyone know how they sound. Word on the street is that these are the best cables anyone has heard and I am talking about the professional community. I didn't need to hear them because I new. I will never move away from the Krakens as there is not a better cord out there than this at any price point. The dynamics from my system are OFF THE CHARTS with the Stage 3 Krakens and the HB CAble Design PowerSlave Marble power distributor. People, you must hear this combination. It is simply incredible !

Iblieve, I would keep the Acrolink pc-9500 if I were you!, I read the reviews you were talking about, The best thing I like about what I read, was the fact the pc-9500 has a thick, deep mid-range, I believe this may be missing in this cobalt power cord, Not sure yet, I may look into getting a stage 3 concepts kraken or a High-fidelity power cord, I have not seen these power cords on the used market!, I will assure you, I am not willing to pay retail for a power cord, speaker cables and interconnects, That's a differnt story, I know Tara Labs Is King of sound reproduction when It comes to speaker cables and interconnects, The cobalt is not as bad as it's made out to be, It sounds good, I have heard numerous power cords sound alot worse for sure!,,I do hope they do something special with the new Evolution Grandmaster power cord, I may find a way to audition the Grandmaster power cord!, I do want to keep everything, of course, Tara Labs!

Rebel721, two of my friends bought most all of your Tara Labs Colbalt power cords. The best part of this story is I got to listen to them in my system. Great, used broken in Power cords... Listening results were disappointing. Found out you bought Stage III Kraken PC's as replacements to the Tara's . So... I Bought one Kraken used on the Gon and snagged up three more!!! Before all this , I never even heard of Stage 3 Concepts. Build quality is the best I have ever seen in a Power Cable.

@ Rebel721, for many reasons I believe the new Evolution Zero and matching Evolution Omega speaker cables are the best of all brands out ther like you are stateing, However, For your own good!, you best not audition the new top cable By Tara Labs- The Evolution grandMaster speaker cable and interconnect, you may find yourself re-morgageing your house!, you need to know, as good as the new zero and omega is, the grandmaster is 50% more band-width!, I do agree, the best deal would be the new zero and omega.

@ Iblieve, I noticed you have for sale your Acrolink pc-9500 here on audiogon, Man, I thought you were going to keep it, that cord has many good pro reviews on it, currious,what are you replacing that power cord with?

Hi keith, if ur getting great results with thecobalt on the digital. Id leave it there. A kracken on the krell mite be something special

Jeb, glad you took the plunge on the Krakens. I'm sure you agree with me that they are the best PC's on the planet. If you want to experience the best power conditioner / distributor on the planet then you need to get the HB Cable Design PowerSlave Marble. Read the reviews, best out there bar none. My system is absolutely dead quite with mind boggling energy, power and dynamics.

Audiolabyrinth, Yes....I know but you have to draw the line somewhere and quite frankly those cables are absurd looking and expensive. Can't justify either. The Evolution Series will be the new reference out there and the Grandmaster is for the extremely well healed who just have to have nothing but the best. I am confident that these new cables will be my LAST such as my YPSILON gear. Once I get these cables I will have reached the END GAME. I will be at my final resting spot and will no longer need to upgrade anything anymore as my system will be amongst the best in the world.

I highly recommend Krakens on all your amps and preamp. You don't need them on your digital, although I have them on ALL my components and it is just unbelievable.

If you think that Acrolink PC9500 sounds amazing...The Kraken is on a whole other level. You will get more of everything your hearing now along with dead silence and unbridled power and energy. Trust me...I wouldn't steer anyone wrong. I have spent countless thousands in search of the BEST OF THE BEST and I have found it and I am willing to share it with everyone.

Jeb, once your at the level of the Kraken there is no need to go to that EXTREME level which would only yield a very small performance increase I believe. I believe it would be very small return on your money.

Misternice, you know, The cobalt may not be a referance level power cord competing with the level of power cords costing 2 times for 6-foot, or even more money 3 or 4 times the cost of the cobalt, there may even be a power cord that cost a little less that might be better, However, The cobalt still is a good power cord that is much better than alot of power cords out there, this power cord is no slouch by no means, It does have a prat speed and clarity with good bass, I have defiantly heard way worse power cords in my time!, the good news is, I do have referance speaker cables and interconnects that are world class!, If you noticed, Rebel721 owns some Tara Labs and is getting the new Tara Labs Evolution Zero I/C and matching Evolution Omega speaker cable, you can assume that He knows there is no better In interconnects and speaker cables!, Yes I agree, getting a Kraken power cord or even the suppossed better High-fidelity Ultimate Referance Rhodium Plus power cord, or the New Tara Labs Evolution Grandmaster power cord would bring up my power cord status to referance level to match my other cables, sad but true, I cannot afford it at this time for a power cord, since Tara Is known for their speaker cables and interconnects, I am getting the Evolution Omega speaker cables first, then the Evolution Zero interconnects after that, this may take a year, everthing is now set into progress now, cheers.

To be honest with you misternice, Tara labs says the cobalt works best on power amps and pre-amps, I only have a way to use the power cord on my cd-player, cheers.

The results of cables you listened to 15 years ago in a different system are irrelevant.

Rebel721, 4 Kraken PC's that I own, are being used on the following gear: Phono Stage, Preamp,and both Mono Amps.All solid state. My Digital gear has Revelation Audio Labs Precepts PC's. Stage III Concepts is coming out with a new larger cord,bigger than the Kraken. This monster is supposed to be 3 Kraken's in one!

@Jeb : With those huge Kraken power cords, it will lift your gear or destroy the IEC input??!!
@Rebel : Did you compare the PC-9500 with the Kraken in A/B testing?
@Audiolab: I need the money to buy something else. I will be happy to sell it to you if you want? It's a lot cheaper that the retail price and, right now, Acrolink is out of stock because of the success of this cable...

Rebel721, Exactly my sentiments, going to the evolution Zero and Evolution Omega is the END GAME FOR THE BOTH OF US!, Remember, please post your impressions of the new cable here, cheers.