Displaying items by tag: power - StereoLife Magazine

The moment comes in every audiophile's life. After enough experimenting with speakers, amplifiers, and source components, once the system finally starts sounding genuinely good, a question begins to nag at us - should we be paying more attention to cables? Some people agree completely, arguing that cables are just as much a part of the signal path as an amplifier or speakers. Others laugh the whole idea off and insist that anyone who believes in cable differences simply should have paid more attention in physics class. In truth, there is only one way to find out - try it and decide for yourself. If we hear no difference, there are really only three logical explanations. The first is that our system still is not revealing enough to expose those nuances, or that the cables we borrowed for comparison, despite their prettier plugs and more upscale appearance, are not actually much different from what we already use. The second is that our hearing is not quite as sensitive as we would like to think, and what others describe as a night-and-day transformation is, for us, barely there at all. The third is that cables have no effect on sound whatsoever and serve only to improve the owner's mood and the manufacturer's cash flow.

Melodika expands its Sky Blue range with a new power cable, the SBP, designed for users who value clean, stable power delivery in audio and video systems. As the company explains, high-quality power supply is often a crucial yet underestimated element influencing the final sound performance. The SBP has therefore been engineered as a solid, technically sound solution for demanding hi-fi enthusiasts seeking to minimise electrical interference and ensure long-term reliability.

Melodika is a Polish manufacturer of cables and hi-fi loudspeakers, established in 2010. The company follows a pragmatic, no-nonsense design philosophy focused on real engineering and audible results rather than marketing gimmicks. Its product portfolio includes speaker, signal and power cables, as well as installation wiring and accessories, all developed and assembled in Poland. Melodika's mission is to deliver high-quality sound at reasonable prices - a goal consistently recognised by numerous awards and positive reviews from both Polish and international audio experts.

At its core, the SBP uses three 2.5 mm² conductors made from high-purity, oxygen-free copper (OFC) of 4N grade (99.99 % purity). This material guarantees excellent conductivity, low resistance (around 7.75 Ω/km) and minimal oxidation over time. The cable features a double-shielded design - an 85 % coverage OFC braid combined with a Mylar foil - effectively suppressing electromagnetic and radio-frequency interference from neighbouring devices or cables. This makes the SBP suitable not only for advanced home hi-fi systems but also for professional or industrial environments where power stability and noise suppression are critical.

To ensure durability and safety, the SBP incorporates a triple-layer insulation system. Its inner dielectric layers provide a high insulation resistance of over 200 MΩ/km, while the outer jacket, made of modified PVC, offers enhanced mechanical, thermal and chemical protection. Such construction allows for flexible use, including in-wall installations and demanding operating conditions. New, gold-plated connectors further improve contact stability and corrosion resistance, ensuring a secure connection and long-term performance. The cable has successfully passed a 4000 V voltage test, confirming its robust insulation and high safety margin.

Melodika offers the SBP in eight lengths ranging from 0.5 m to 5 m, priced between €132 and €239. Each version comes with a 5-year manufacturer's warranty. Thanks to its solid construction, wide compatibility and noise-reducing properties, the SBP can be used not only in audio and home cinema systems but also in measurement, laboratory or medical equipment where clean and stable power is essential. Info and photos by Melodika.

The official history of Audiomica Laboratory brand began in 2005, but its founder, Łukasz Mika, had planned this step several years earlier. As someone who always loved music and was fascinated by the equipment used to reproduce it, he eventually decided to explore the topic of cabling and its impact on the sound of his stereo system. What initially seemed like a harmless curiosity completely captivated him. The differences were clear, and observing them brought Łukasz immense joy. However, what intrigued him even more was the question of why this happened - what factors and design aspects made one cable produce phenomenal sound while another lacked that magic?

Internationally acclaimed, high-end audio brand Cyrus Audio announces the most intelligent power supply it has ever designed; the long-awaited PSU-XR. The PSU-XR is the first power supply from Cyrus to have its own built-in microprocessor, enabling it to talk to the product it is connected to, providing the best configuration of power sources demanded by the host product. "The PSU-XR is our best performing power supply, capable of providing up to 60% more power than the award-winning PSX-R2 and, due to its revolutionary design, is up to 50% more efficient." - says Ceri Williamson, Head of R&D at Cyrus Audio.

Designers of hi-fi equipment will never cease to amaze me with ideas for the names of their products and brands. We have already seen gear lineups inspired by celestial bodies, mythological characters, precious stones, weather phenomena, and popular drinks. I remember when a friend working in one of the showrooms told me with some disbelief that he would now sell cables called, for example, "Root Beer" or "Vodka." At first, I thought he was screwing me, but it turned out that he was earnest, and now these cables can be found in Audioquest's catalog. Hendry Ramli, the founder of Vermouth Audio, went one step further.

Bowers & Wilkins continues to partner with Volvo Cars with the announcement of a new top-tier audio system, named High Fidelity Sound by Bowers & Wilkins, in the new all-electric Volvo EX90 SUV. The system features iconic and proven loudspeaker technologies, perfectly integrated within Volvo's newest all electric car to give a brand-new audio experience underpinned by more than 50 years of home, studio and automotive audio expertise.

Electrocompaniet is launching its new flagship power amplifier. Coinciding with their 50-year anniversary and the 25-year jubilee since the legendary AW600 Nemo was first launched, the new AW800M is set to have a big impact in the market. The AW800M is Electrocompaniet's brand new, from the ground up re-engineered flagship power amplifier - an 800 watt into 8 ohms monoblock, that can also be run in stereo mode, as well as a bi-amping mode with the flick of a switch at the back.

Many manufacturers of high-end cables try to convince us that we are paying for advanced technical solutions, incredibly precise engineering, exotic materials, and details worked out to perfection, such as patented connectors coated with silver, gold, rhodium, or all those expensive metals altogether. To some extent, this is true, for it is difficult to achieve great sound when trying to build such cables from cheap conductors, the worst quality dielectrics and connectors worth two dollars. It's easy to imagine that when all these components are the best money can buy, the price of such cable goes through the roof. Is this madness? Probably yes, but it doesn't change the fact that there is no shortage of people willing to buy high-end cables, as well as companies ready to provide them with what they want. What is shocking for a novice audiophile does not seem so strange to someone who has been building their system for many years, and has already spent tens of thousands of dollars on speakers, amplifiers, sources, and anti-vibration racks.

McIntosh announced the MC3500 Mk II vacuum tube amplifier. Originally used to power the sound system for Woodstock '69 amongst other formative music events, the iconic monoblock amp was recreated by McIntosh's expert team of engineers and designers to include modern upgrades that celebrate the brand's rich history of powering pivotal moments in music, while showcasing its commitment to technological innovations and acoustic advancements. The reimagined version can be used with a variety of preamplifiers, turntables, CD players, media streamers, speakers, etc. to form a complete home audio system.

Famed for its amplifiers and digital source components spanning four decades, Audiolab is now releasing its first product designed to improve the quality of AC electricity we feed our audio and AV systems - the dual-action DC Block. The company claims mains electricity has a fundamental influence on the audio signal as it passes through a system, from source to amp to speakers. In a typical dwelling, it is subject to interference induced by a range of issues, causing the AC waveform to distort before it reaches each component. This creates noise in the audio signal, which degrades sound quality - a situation that continues to worsen as the electrical devices we use in our homes proliferate.