Dream V10 AC cords
The Ultra high
performance Dream V10 AC power cords are very thick (approximately
35mm= 1.38
inches in diameter), but flexible.
All Dream V10 cords are made of
multiple bundles of silver-plated OFC copper in Teflon insulation, in our proprietary "distributed LITZ" configuration
- which puts the least stress on the wires and provides
the least possible electrical and electromagnetic interaction
between the wires than any other configuration or geometry known
to us. Each wire bundle is enclosed in a separate hermetically
sealed STEALTH para-vacuum tube** (equivalent to 15-fold
vacuum). The combination of para-vacuum and distributed LITZ
reduces all forms of interaction between the wire bundles even
further, plus - due to an extremely low effective dielectric
constant - assures very low energy storage, which is
subjectively perceived as improved clarity and very fast
coherent sound.
There are four
types of Dream V10 AC cords:
The four types of
Dream V10 cords are
similar, but NOT THE SAME: they have the same AC carrying
multipath *** (multiple groups of wires, STEALTH
proprietary configuration), but the ground layout and ground filtering is
type-specific, and thus each Dream V10 AC cord has its type printed on
its carbon shell, plus all four types are individually color-coded
to avoid confusion.
Dream V10 Preamp
(black with blue stripes) - for preamplifiers
Dream V10 Digital
(black with gold stripes) - for digital gear (CD players and
transports, digital processors and AD and DA converters, digital
and class-D power amplifiers)
Dream V10 Power (black
with FIVE silver stripes) - for analog power amplifiers, turntable
motors
Dream V10 Wall (black
with TWO silver stripes) - for AC power conditioners and AC
power strips
It is proven possible
and advantageous to use any Dream or Dream V10 cord (any version) as a "stand
alone" cord in any place**** in a system, mix and match
Dream cords with other cords: some listeners have done that
and reported excellent results, but in order to take the full
advantage of the design, the entire system must be powered with
STEALTH Dream cords.
A full complement of
Dream
AC cords offers virtual star grounding* of the entire audio system
via using AC cords.
Using the correct Dream V10 cord types for all components in a
system allows achieving star ground layout (single point
ground); When you mix and match different AC cords, you have more than one
path to the ground, and therefore there is a ground loop (or
several ground loops). In addition, most other cords have ground path which is not RF
transparent enough to realistically dump the electromagnetic pollution to the
ground.
Still in addition, most other power cords are unfiltered, and
when used with digital equipment, these unfiltered cords allow the noise
from switching power supplies in the digital equipment enter the
analog components' circuitry through their straight ground path and
thus compromise perceived clarity of the sound.
This is a theory, and it's based on our own "model" of how
things work. Some people would disagree (there is always someone
who disagrees with any theory). But in order to accept - or
challenge the theory
and ultimately hear the improved sound, we highly recommend that you
evaluate the
Dream V10 AC cords as
designed - i.e. as a system, and not as a stand alone AC cord.
Installation of
the Dream V10 cords:
The Dream V10 cords are
normally shipped with a dummy male IEC counterpart inserted into a
brand new cord.
These dummy male IEC counterpart are used to keep the
plastic springs inside the proprietary STEALTH IEC expanded – for easy installation.
It is recommended to remove these dummy male IEC counterpart from the cords RIGHT before the installation
(which means - install the cord IMMEDIATELY after removing the
dummy IEC).
The IEC will go in easy, but after a couple of minutes the
internal springs will compress, and the IEC will hold tight.
Dream AC cords TERMINATION and REVISION HISTORY****
The Dream V10 is the latest, up to date, revision of the
STEALTH Dream AC cords. Starting February 1, 2011, STEALTH Dream
V10 cords are "officially" in production - replacing all early
versions which are no longer being made.
In 2005, especially for the Dream cords, we designed ultra
high performance AC plugs and IEC receptacles (all with
proprietary machined shells and solid silver contacts);
In 2010, we completely redesigned our wall plugs' contacts,
and both the silver contacts and shells for the cable end IECs:
both 15 Amp and 20Amp configurations*****
The two AC carrying flat wall plugs' contacts are now thicker
and sturdier, and feature machined notches instead of the
traditional through holes;
The newest ground pins are serrated (ribbed) - for a better
grip of ANY wall socket, and measurably improved contact;
The surface of our new (V10) solid silver contacts is NOT
shiny: the finish looks matt (flat) because of its
microstructure - which is achieved in two stages: first, via
blasting the contacts for abrasive aluminum oxide, and second -
blasting with glass microspheres. As the result, the contact
resistance is dramatically reduced (which obviously means better
electrical contact, and thus - better sound).
Our newest V10 IEC shells (both 15 amps and 20 amps) have
four machined Teflon inserts that assure a considerably better
fit into any traditional panel mount counterpart (found on the
equipment); equipped with these IECs, the cords do not get
angled under the cord weight, and do not get loose with time.
ALL Dream V10 cords are made with the new V10 shells and
contacts, no exception.
Early Machined solid Titanium plug (natural Titanium color, 1.5"OD)
with white polycarbonate face:
Both Carbon and Titanium Dream
and Dream V10 plugs
and IEC sockets feature SOLID
SILVER CONTACTS for the least possible contact resistance and
high current carrying capability. The overall performance of both
plugs is identical or nearly identical: so far no-one could hear
a difference between these two plugs - while the difference
between these plugs and regular plugs (with brass or copper or
plated copper contacts) is clearly audible - and
measurable!
In all Dream cord versions, the
conductive shells (Carbon or Titanium) are directly electrically
connected (grounded) to the round (ground) pin of the plug - for
safety and electrical code compliance.
As it can be seen at the photos,
we made black Dream V10 cords with the Carbon
plugs, and white Dream cords with Ti plugs.
The pictures below should help
identify a type of Dream AC cord made prior to September, 2006.
WHITE
with Titanium shells - usually marked "under the
skin". Markers: "Dream power", "Dream
Digital" and "Dream Preamp". Some early white
cords had no markers at all: all these unmarked Dream cords are
"Dream Power". Please note that all Dream AC cords
have type markers at ONE SIDE ONLY.
BLACK with shiny or subtle silver stripes or silver sparkle -
usually marked on the carbon shells. Markers:
"Dream V10 power", "Dream V10 Digital" and
"Dream V10 Preamp". Some early white cords had no markers at
all: all these unmarked Dream V10 cords are "Dream V10 Power".
Please note that all Dream V10 AC cords have type markers at ONE SIDE
ONLY.
PRICING:
The suggested retail price for a
1.2 meters long Dream V10 cord is $3,000;
$3,200 for a 1.5 meters cord,
and then - $1,100 for each consecutive meter;
ALL four types of the
Dream V10 cords ("Wall", "Power", "Preamp" and "Digital")
are priced identically;
There is no price
difference between 15 Amps and 20 Amps IECs;
Both the American/Japanese
and European (Schuko) wall plugs are priced the same;
*
Star grounding is widely known as the most effective way to
eliminate ground loops and reduce noise and hum;
** Our
proprietary technology, the STEALTH para-vacuum tube is a hermetically sealed flexible tube filled
with Helium; fist, Helium is approximately 15 times lighter than
air, and therefore its energy storage properties are extremely
good: about equal to that of a 15-fold vacuum (i.e. air at 1/15
of the atmospheric pressure); the dielectric
properties of such environment are even better: Helium is inert
and has no ozone or other ionized molecules, and therefore there
are absolutely no current leaks of any kind - and this is better than
any realistic industrial vacuum (pure, or open space vacuum is
impossible to get. Industrial vacuum - i.e. what we get get with
vacuum pumps - is in fact a low pressure air, and it still
contain some oxygen and ionized molecules). In addition, being surrounded by Helium,
the wires will never oxidize or deteriorate. And the last - but
not least, since - unlike any industrial vacuum - the Helium pressure is
exactly the same as the atmospheric air pressure, there is
nothing to force our Helium to leak, plus the tubes remain
flexible, and the Dream V10 cables are user-friendly - unlike all
other "vacuum" cables (which are very stiff and inevitably lose
vacuum with time - i.e. unlike the Dream V10, need periodical
service to maintain the performance).
***Any of the three Dream
V10
cord versions can easily handle several times the power of the
most powerful amplifier on the market; the solid silver contacts
- while made in the 15Amp geometry - offer lower contact
resistance than the 50 Amp rated regular industrial or hospital
grade plugs.
**** We continuously improve our cables and connectors, and add improved and extra features to our products – as we design and test these improvements. The general sonic character of the cable remains the same, it just becomes progressively better and better.
Eventually, with a number of improvements added, the cumulative effect of these improvements becomes significant – i.e. a cable works clearly, considerably better. At this point, we introduce a new revision to a cable model, which summarizes all improvements since the initial release of a particular model (or after the previous revision), making these improvements and features standard for the latest revision.
It’s worth noting that we keep our research and experimentation separate from production, i.e. All cable and connector changes are thoroughly tested before going into production. We never make changes just for the sake of making changes: All improvements that we introduce make perfect and clear sense from the engineering point of view, and are always tested sonically We make absolutely certain that these changes are an actual improvement (i.e. NOT a degradation in any area); we pride ourselves that – since 1999 up to date - no mistakes, errors, or wrong moves have been made or noted. Before adding any improvement, and especially releasing a new revision to any of our products, we always make absolutely certain that the latest revision is better than the previous in each and every respect – being it sonics, appearance, reliability or user convenience.
*****
The IEC standard is confusing because the common molded 15 Amp
IEC shell is printed "10A 250V - while, in fact, it is exactly
the same as printed "15 A 120V". Thus, to avoid confusion, look
at the geometry and NOT at the printed text! More information on
the cable end IECs can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_connector
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