Acrolink/Esoteric 7N-PC9700

[ryder1624705984]

Can't really compare if buying used. Anyway this is what was written in a review on the comparison between 8100 and 9900.

 

http://highfidelity.pl/@main-1005&lang=en

 

 

[C130]

Can't really compare if buying used. Anyway this is what was written in a review on the comparison between 8100 and 9900.

 

http://highfidelity.pl/@main-1005&lang=en

 

 

 

thanks for article. hmm...so a mix of the 9900 and 8100 would be, in general, good for rock, electronic, jazz and classical music... hahaaa

 

I agree with the last statement... it will be a good choice with either 9900 or 8100...or 9700 as well...  ;)

[ryder1624705984]

New forum, new presentation. Just noticed that photos posted on the page won't come up already. Let me test again by putting up another photo just to see if it will load on the page. The PC9700 connected to the amp, supported at the end by Furutech NCF booster.

Photo failed to upload.

[ryder1624705984]

For those who own several 9700 and 8100, or the 9900, which is the best combination you have experienced?

1. All 9700

2. Combination of 9700 and 8100

3. Combination of 9700 and 9900

[YANG]

1 hour ago, ryder1624705984 said:

New forum, new presentation. Just noticed that photos posted on the page won't come up already. Let me test again by putting up another photo just to see if it will load on the page. The PC9700 connected to the amp, supported at the end by Furutech NCF booster.

Photo failed to upload.

The traditional method of using [img]picture link[/img] doesn't work anymore.

To get picture properly displayed we hv to use the "Attachment" thru "Other Media" option @ the right corner of where the reply box is.

[ryder1624705984]

4 minutes ago, YANG said:

The traditional method of using [img]picture link[/img] doesn't work anymore.

To get picture properly displayed we hv to use the "Attachment" thru "Other Media" option @ the right corner of where the reply box is.

Thanks for the information. I tried clicking on "Add Files" and attached a photo from my phone to upload to this page. However, it still fails. The photo doesn't upload. 

Edited October 14, 2020 by ryder

[ryder1624705984]

Ok successful. Need to use Chrome. Cannot use Firefox. 

[C130]

On 10/14/2020 at 11:56 AM, ryder1624705984 said:

For those who own several 9700 and 8100, or the 9900, which is the best combination you have experienced?

1. All 9700

2. Combination of 9700 and 8100

3. Combination of 9700 and 9900

i am on the combination of 9700 and 8100, which i prefer over the all 9700. heard the combi of 9700 and 9900 as well.

the 8100 adds the 'density' to the sound that bought me over. 

i would recommend one to hear the combinations and decide which is best to the ears.... 

 

[ryder1624705984]

5 hours ago, C130 said:

i am on the combination of 9700 and 8100, which i prefer over the all 9700. heard the combi of 9700 and 9900 as well.

the 8100 adds the 'density' to the sound that bought me over. 

i would recommend one to hear the combinations and decide which is best to the ears.... 

 

Hi C130, 

Thank you for the response. Your input is valuable and important to me because I currently have the 9700, and I am deciding whether to get another 9700, or the 8100 or 9900. 

So from your experience 9700+8100 is better sounding than 9700+9700 in  your system, to your ears. I know there is nothing that can substitute personal experience by trying out in the system by ourselves but that's not always possible if someone is buying these cables used and not new. Hence, there is no opportunity to hear the combinations unless one is buying new and can test the combinations at own will. 

[ryder1624705984]

So, did you find 9700+8100 to be superior to 9700+9900? 

[C130]

1 hour ago, ryder1624705984 said:

So, did you find 9700+8100 to be superior to 9700+9900? 

hi ryder,

yes... i agree on being not possible to hear the combinations when buying used.

and yes... i prefer the 9700+8100 over the 9700+9900 combi.

hope the above helps.

 

 

 

[ryder1624705984]

5 hours ago, C130 said:

hi ryder,

yes... i agree on being not possible to hear the combinations when buying used.

and yes... i prefer the 9700+8100 over the 9700+9900 combi.

hope the above helps.

 

 

 

Thanks C130. Last question if you don't mind. Which combination of the 8100 and 9700 you find best - 8100 on amp and 9700 on DAC/CDP, or the other way round?

[C130]

On 10/16/2020 at 9:45 PM, ryder1624705984 said:

Thanks C130. Last question if you don't mind. Which combination of the 8100 and 9700 you find best - 8100 on amp and 9700 on DAC/CDP, or the other way round?

no worries on your questions, ryder. 

8100 on my CDP is best for me.... had a bigger 'WOW' when i first heard it. 

[Eric Teh]

The right combination is system dependent. All Mexcel power cords will do fine on either low or high current requirements and the better cord depends on the tonal balance of the matching component in question.

Personally, I don't like using the same cord throughout the system as it tends to accentuate the character of the cord in question. There isn't any perfect cord, and I find you can get a better balanced sound by using a mix. 

Because the 8100 has a heavier and denser sound with more bass authority, it would be good to match this with the 9700 if the tone is lighter than you desire. But if your system is already very dense and heavy sounding, it may not be the best approach. I have the 9900 on loan for purposes for review, and I'll update this thread with my thoughts by the end of the week. 

[ryder1624705984]

Thanks for all responses. It is good to hear the 8100 has a heavier and denser sound with more authority in the bass. That's what I'm looking for as my system still sounds a bit bass light and the midrange is a little lean and light for my liking. Improved macrodynamics would be something I look forward to in my system and it's reassuring to note the 8100 will complement well with the 9700 in this respect. I'm aware there are limitations with how much bass output the amp and source can produce and it will be interesting to see how a power cord can improve things. After experiencing the 9700 in my system, I don't think I'll be disappointed with another Acrolink in my system.

The good news is I've managed to secure a deal on a 8100. The bad news is it has put a huge dent to my wallet. This will likely finish my system once and for all.

Good to note the 8100 is used on the CDP. I would be more inclined to use the better or higher priced cable for the higher priced equipment, and in my case that would be the amp. Will try both cords on the amp and DAC and see which configuration would sound better. Either 9700 or 8100 is already costlier than my DAC hence it doesn't matter too much which one will connect to it.

[ryder1624705984]

2 hours ago, watchdog said:

 I have the 9900 on loan for purposes for review, and I'll update this thread with my thoughts by the end of the week. 

Looking forward to hear your impressions on the 9900 vs 8100 and 9700. I'm already done with the cabling. Finished, retired. Although you might find the 9900 to be superior to the 8100 and 9700 after comparing them in your system, I'm staying put.
 

[C130]

13 hours ago, ryder1624705984 said:

Thanks for all responses. It is good to hear the 8100 has a heavier and denser sound with more authority in the bass. That's what I'm looking for as my system still sounds a bit bass light and the midrange is a little lean and light for my liking. Improved macrodynamics would be something I look forward to in my system and it's reassuring to note the 8100 will complement well with the 9700 in this respect. I'm aware there are limitations with how much bass output the amp and source can produce and it will be interesting to see how a power cord can improve things. After experiencing the 9700 in my system, I don't think I'll be disappointed with another Acrolink in my system.

The good news is I've managed to secure a deal on a 8100. The bad news is it has put a huge dent to my wallet. This will likely finish my system once and for all.

Good to note the 8100 is used on the CDP. I would be more inclined to use the better or higher priced cable for the higher priced equipment, and in my case that would be the amp. Will try both cords on the amp and DAC and see which configuration would sound better. Either 9700 or 8100 is already costlier than my DAC hence it doesn't matter too much which one will connect to it.

that's great... hope the 8100 would 'WOW' you and put a smile on you face. if the cable is new, like other cables, it needs to 'run-in'.

'likely finish my system once and for all'...?!? hahaaa.... hope you can contain the 'itch' as acrolink has quite a selection of ic and sc. 

do let me know of your comment after putting the 8100 into your setup ya.....

[ryder1624705984]

41 minutes ago, C130 said:

that's great... hope the 8100 would 'WOW' you and put a smile on you face. if the cable is new, like other cables, it needs to 'run-in'.

'likely finish my system once and for all'...?!? hahaaa.... hope you can contain the 'itch' as acrolink has quite a selection of ic and sc. 

do let me know of your comment after putting the 8100 into your setup ya.....

Thanks. Yes, it's new in the box, not opened yet. For the first time in my life I have spent almost a fortune on power cords. Never in my life I have imagined spending this kind of money for power cords as for the 20+ years I have not placed much importance in power cords after fiddling around with few low to mid-range cords in my earlier younger days and found negligible to zero difference. The Acrolink cords are a game changer as the differences are profound. A disclaimer is the wall outlet is now changed to US-type receptacles and not the standard UK types. I can now easily hear differences when I swap power cords when compared to previously whereby the cords will go to a power strip which comes in US sockets which go to a UK socket at the wall outlet. 

Seriously no more financial means to splurge after some heavy spending lately. Perhaps few more years when I get the itch but frankly speaking the cost of the cables in my system has far surpassed the quality of components. I am aware most folks here who own the higher-end Acrolink Mexcel cords here must have high-end components and speakers in their systems. The cost of the cables probably cost around 5% the cost of the entire system or less. In my system, the cables cost about 40% the total cost of the entire system. 

The seller has yet to ship out the item and due to COVID19 the shipment may be slightly delayed. Will update once I receive the cable and get to listen to it. 

[TJS]

What power distributor that match well with any acrolink mexcell power cords?? Anyone have any experiences??

[C130]

On 10/31/2020 at 11:10 AM, TJS said:

What power distributor that match well with any acrolink mexcell power cords?? Anyone have any experiences??

 

i have no experience in pairing acrolink PCs with power distributors. 

 

not sure what are you using at the moment and if you happen to be looking to get a distributor, maybe you want to try out the Oyaide ones. they have pretty good reviews....

[cayinist]

or acoustic revive, the recent models use furutech's ncf receptacles.

[C130]

32 minutes ago, cayinist said:

or acoustic revive, the recent models use furutech's ncf receptacles.

 

+1 ...

[ryder1624705984]

On 10/16/2020 at 8:54 AM, C130 said:

i am on the combination of 9700 and 8100, which i prefer over the all 9700. heard the combi of 9700 and 9900 as well.

the 8100 adds the 'density' to the sound that bought me over. 

i would recommend one to hear the combinations and decide which is best to the ears.... 

 

May I ask how many hours the Acrolink 8N-PC8100 require to burn in? My cable is new and the first hour there is no big difference in presentation. Just a calmer sound. It's currently on my DAC.

[ryder1624705984]

By the way, it is very difficult to install the power cord for the first time as it's very stiff. Also, the cord is pulling the Chord DAC with its weight resulting in the DAC being lopsided with one end sticking up in the air. I managed to temporarily fix it by adding small bits of dense foam at the IEC end to support the plug.

[ryder1624705984]

Just a quick update. I'll try to make it brief to avoid over-complicating things.

 

Plugged in new 8N-PC8100 Performante to the Chord DAC yesterday night replacing Wireworld Elektra 7. Minimal difference in sound quality with no clear preference on which cord sounds better. Listened for about 2 hours yesterday. The midrange sounds a bit restrained and treble not fully fleshed out. I suspect (and hope) that the cable is not sounding close to its full potential as it's still new and not fully burn-in yet. I'm not sure how many hours the cable requires to fully burn-in and open up.

 

Fired up the system this morning and the cable probably has about 5 hours on it now. Sounding slightly better this morning but still, there is no clear preference on which cable sounds better, the old or the new.

 

In an attempt to speed up the burn-in process, I swapped the 8100 and 9700. The 9700 now goes to the DAC while the 8100 goes to the amplifier. The amp is a Class A which draws a lot of current and goes really warm so it will likely accelerate the breaking in of the cord. After the switch, the sound got slightly muffled in the midrange with a slightly thicker bass. Again, although there is a slight difference in sound quality after the cords are swapped between the amp and DAC, there is no clear difference on which configuration sounds better at the moment. However, I feel that the 8100 on DAC and 9700 on amp sounds better than the 8100 and amp and 9700 on DAC at this early stage.

 

Currently 2 factors which dampen a clear result are as follows ;

1) 8100 not fully burn in yet (not sure how long)

2) Any adjustment of the Acrolink Mexcel cord will affect the sound quality as it requires 2 to 3 days to settle down after it is moved or the shape and bend adjusted to accommodate the equipment. This is based on my experience of moving the 9700 several times.

 

Looks like I have no choice but to let the 8100 run in for few days or weeks before I start to evaluate the cords again. I will reinstate the Wireworld Elektra 7 back to the DAC once the 8100 settles down and starts sounding great, hopefully.

Edited December 5, 2020 by ryder