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Level 3 Reference Series

SKU:
$330.00
$330.00 - $355.00
Unavailable
per item
Level 3 Reference Series Power Cord is our jaw dropping triple 8 gauge "top-level" power cord. This cord is probably the best sounding affordable power cord made. It provides huge dynamic impact, maximum bass weight and authority, very open sound with full harmonic structure coming from a black background, and does so without causing any problems such as colorations. This is by far our customers' most popular power cord choice.

Wall Plug Options:
•North American wall plug comes standard
•Schuko wall plug is optional (click on above image thumbnails to view)

IEC Plug Options:
•15 Amp IEC plug comes standard (fits most audio components)
•20 Amp IEC plug is optional (click on above image thumbnails to view)

 A Power Cord can Improve a Component's Sound if it Can:
1. Provide an unrestricted source of power into the audio component
2. Restrict the amount of noise on the power mains from getting into the audio component
3. Provide a fast path for noise generated in the power supply to get out of the audio component

Each of the many wire strands used to hand build an AntiCable Power Cord is drawn in a way that forms the wire into a cross sectional molecular shape which allows noise coming from the component's power supply to quickly escape the component on the skin of each wire strand. In doing so, the AntiCable Power Cords help to keep the component's own power supply noise from contaminating the music.

This processed wire also has the great advantage of time smearing any noise traveling in the wire in the opposite direction, thus reducing the amplitude of noise getting into the audio component from the wall outlet.

Design process:

The design process of the AntiCable Power Cords involved first developing the best power cord possible, which became the Level 3 Reference Series Power Cord. Time was then spent researching ways to reduce the material and labor costs while maintaining an offering that could still stand on its own and still out perform the competition at its price point.

The Level 2 Performance Series Power Cords use the same proprietary solid copper AC Wall Plugs and IEC Inlet Plugs, but less AntiCable power cord wire strands per connection. The goal is achieved and the Level 2 AntiCable Power Cords prove to be a very well balanced and natural sounding middle offering. Like its big brother, the Level 2 cord is constructed with nothing but high purity oxygen free solid Copper from end to end. No solder is used. No platings are used.

The Level 1 AntiCable Power Cords use the same technology but with even less AntiCable power cord wire strands per connection. In doing so, the tonality starts to tip toward "lean". To compensate for this tonality shift, the AC Wall Plug's and IEC Inlet Plug's "Hot" and "Neutral" contacts are Gold plated which tends to fatten up the bass. The "Ground" plug is Rhodium plated to keep the Gold colorations from becoming too prominent and helps liven up the sound, without causing too much brightness to the music. Plating the solid Copper plug contacts lessens the power cord's ability to resolve low level musical information, but getting the tonality correct at this price point is more important. Level 3 Reference Series Power Cord is our jaw dropping triple 8 gauge "top-level" power cord. This cord is probably the best sounding affordable power cord made. It provides huge dynamic impact, maximum bass weight and authority, very open sound with full harmonic structure coming from a black background, and does so without causing any problems such as colorations. This is by far our customers' most popular power cord choice.



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Sound Improvements Typically Heard Include:

• Greater dynamics
• Darker background
• Sounds "more natural"
• Greater bass extension
• More tuneful bass
• Greater high frequency extension
• Less high frequency electronic signatures
• Digital sources will sound much more analog like
• Much more resolving of music information
• More relaxing
• Deeper soundstage

Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 AntiCable Power Cords provide all these sonic improvements, but to an even greater and greater extent as you move up the levels.

We believe the AntiCable power cords are capable of sonic improvements that can be described as "system changing". For example: When listening to music for enjoyment, we changed from listening to 80% analog (vinyl), to listening to 80% digital after adding a Level 3 AntiCable Power Cord to our reference CD player. This then created motivation to improve our analog source which now equals or betters the digital source, (but it took a $6,500 upgrade to do so).

Quantifying and Comparing Sound Improvement:

One of the most difficult questions to answer is how do the power cords sound, and how do they compare to each other and to other offerings. All three AntiCable Power Cord levels and two other well known and well designed after market power cables were compared in three different systems against the stock power cords. Below is a rough average of how they scored on a scale of 1 to 10. Our best advice is to buy the best scoring power cable that is within your system's budget.

• Free stock power cord scored 2.5
• $700 Shunyata Research scored 5.5
• $180 Level 1 AntiCable scored 6.5
• $600 LessLoss Audio scored 7.0
• $230 Level 2 AntiCable scored 8.0
• $330 Level 3 AntiCable scored 9.5
Customers who are interested in doing this comparison themselves should contact us We are willing to loan out any of these power cords for 30 days after securing their retail price.

Where to use AntiCable Power Cords:

Since it is improbable that one would fully dive into investing in AntiCable Power Cords for every component in a system, the natural question is how to best invest progressively in AntiCable Power Cords. For the most cost effective strategy, we recommend this priority list:

  1. Source (CD player, DAC, and phono preamplifier)
  2. Digital transport
  3. Power Amplifiers
  4. Preamplifier 
  5. Turntable Motor Supply
Level 3 Highlights: 

•  Only $330 for 3 foot and 5 foot lengths
•  7 foot and 9 foot lengths available
•  30 day risk free trial
•  Oxygen Free Copper wires with impurities reduced down to 5 parts per million 
•  24 square mm of Copper (cable's total cross sectional area) = three #8 AWG build
•  Integrated noise filtering technology
•  Proprietary Oxygen Free Solid Copper plugs
•  Probably the best sounding affordable power cord made
•  Easy to bend into shape making them highly manageable
•  Made in USA (one at a time in Lake Elmo MN)

A Power Cord can Improve a Component's Sound if it Can:

  1. Provide an unrestricted source of power into the audio component
  2. Restrict the amount of noise on the power mains from getting into the audio component
  3. Provide a fast path for noise generated in the power supply to get out of the audio component
Each of the many wire strands used to hand build an AntiCable Power Cord is drawn in a way that forms the wire into a cross sectional molecular shape which allows noise coming from the component's power supply to quickly escape the component on the skin of each wire strand. In doing so, the AntiCable Power Cords help to keep the component's own power supply noise from contaminating the music.

This processed wire also has the great advantage of time smearing any noise traveling in the wire in the opposite direction, thus reducing the amplitude of noise getting into the audio component from the wall outlet.

Our customers, who are already running third party upgraded power cords as well as power conditioners, are reporting getting better sound, not only by replacing their existing power cords but also by bypassing their power conditioner altogether. The AntiCable Power Cords appear to be so good at restricting the flow of noise from the wall outlet, that the power conditioner is not additionally beneficial. And, when the AntiCable Power Cord is plugged directly into the wall, it has the ability to do a better job of getting the noise out of the component's own power supply, as well as doing a better job at providing unrestricted power to the unit. In most instances, best sound is achieved with a direct connection to the wall outlet.