It’s all too infrequent, that beautiful mechanical construction and good sound come in the same audio connector.
It had gotten to the point where I developed a prejudice against “pretty” connectors.
ETI’s new power connectors are one such instance where the twin stars of beauty and function align.
We received delivery of ETIs new wall plug and IEC connector, and everything we’re hearing in their Kryo RCA and XLR plugs is embodied in these power connectors.
Our first prototype was to install these connectors in our Headwaters cable, and the improvement over our current connectors is similar to the improvements we experienced when going from ETI’s 2nd generation to 3rd generation RCAs – lower noise floor, more nuance, and interestingly, more “fleshed out” fundamentals.
These connectors pay honor to the sound of a bowed violin. I was struggling to describe them in meaningful terms (an exercise in futility, I realize).
The best I can come up with is an image of a cartoon meme from my childhood. You know that scene where the character screams in pain into a paper bag, carries the bag outside to let the scream out?
Cables built with these connectors are as if a bottle of “musical air” was waiting to be let out and was finally set free.
That’s all I can say. The rest is about hearing and believing.
As far as mechanical construction is concerned, expand the image and look at the collet strain-relief on these connectors. I’ve been grumbling about $350 connectors with asymmetrical clamps for decades. ETI’s mechanical design is one that I’d be proud to call my own!
We considered upgrading our current Headwaters power cables with these connectors (and we still may do so), but these connectors have opened up avenues of exploration, and we don’t consider ourselves to be done quite yet.
If you have a current Headwaters power cable, we’d happy to rebuild them with these connectors, for the price of the connectors, but we suggest you wait until we complete development. Watch this space.
