I became acquainted with Alan Chang and Golden Sound Audio about four years ago, when I reviewed their DH Cones and Squares and their room tuning devices for another publication. I was quite favorably impressed with the performance of these devices, so I really looked forward to reviewing additional products from Golden Sound.

Golden Sound was founded in 1994 by Chang and a group of audiophiles dedicated to developing new audio products and accessories that would heighten the listening experience for audiophiles. The DH Cones were the company’s first product. They were released without any advertising; still, Golden Sound quickly established a network of more than 100 dealers throughout the U.S. and Canada. This was a most impressive start for an audio company, to say the least. At the 2000 Consumer Electronic Show, the DH Cones were the most popular accessory to be used by participating manufacturers. Since that time, their product line has grown. In addition to cones and squares, Golden added the Premier power cables, and later, the Premier Series multiple channel speaker system and the Navigator line of power cables, speaker wire, and interconnects.

I am still surprised by the fact that there is still considerable debate among audiophiles as to whether or not interconnects, let alone power cords, can make an actual difference to the sound of a system. Among some of the people that I have encountered who maintain that the cable industry is an ineffectual waste of audiophile dollars at best, or outright fraud at worst, are some very well known audio engineers and designers. They will, of course, remain nameless here. Yet these very same people could not explain to me how or why I, as well as others, have heard very real sonic changes when different cables were installed.

I must admit that after I came to appreciate the importance of interconnects and speaker wire, I still didn’t think that power cords would make any real contribution to the sound of the system. I’m sure that what happened to me has happened to many others in that after installing a high quality power cord, the sound of my system improved. The major change was in the bass; it became fuller and more extended. At that point, I became a believer in high end power cords.

Setup

When I received a pair of the Golden Sound Red and three Golden Sound Blue cords, I was relieved to find them to be of manageable size. The Red cords were slightly larger, but still fairly flexible. As you know, this makes the installation and routing of the cords much easier. However, for their size, they are quite heavy. Golden Sound is somewhat reticent about discussing the construction of these cords, except to say that they are made of 'silver, coated with gold'. The Golden Sound Blue is intended for line level components and the Red are intended for power amps. Given the manageability of these power cords, they were quite easy to install and route to an outlet.

Sound

Once I had the cords installed, I gave them what I approximated to be about sixty hours of burn in time before doing any serious listening. Among the things that I noticed right away was a lowering of the noise floor. Without a signal present, some of the usual noises that my system makes were still there but were greatly diminished. I had to place my ear very close to the tweeter before I could hear anything at all.

To get right to it, these power cables made a significant difference in the sound of my system. The most impressive characteristic of these power cords was their ability to add tonal weight to the sound from top to bottom. Instrumental timbres are much more rich and full-bodied. By comparison, some of the other power cords that I have used prior to the Golden Sound cords sounded somewhat thin.

Patricia Barber’s Companion CD, [Blue Note/Premonition 7243 5 22963 2 3] opens with Use Me. This cut starts with a bass solo that is deep and seemingly closely miked, and contains a good deal of detail. With the Golden Sound cords involved, the bass sound was very full and robust but in no way bloated. The 'fingers on the string' detail was still there, if to a lesser degree. On the other side of the coin, so to speak, these cords did not hinder the system’s ability to let it all out and rock. George Duke’s Illusions [Warner Bros., 9 45755-2] proves that point. This is a CD with a number of bass-heavy cuts, with synthesizers thrown in as well. Seemingly, the Golden's bass response is only limited by one's components. They will deliver all of the slam and extension that you wish. I definitely preferred the fuller sound that the Golden Sound cords delivered.

The midrange was another treat. I was particularly impressed with the way brass instruments were handled. There was the right balance between the bite of the attack and the full metallic body of the instruments. Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue [Columbia Legacy CK 64935] is a good example of this. The fullness and generally warm tone of his horn was a welcome characteristic. This was equally true of the saxophones. The tonal differences between Coltrane and Adderly were very easy to discern. The harmonic overtones and decay rates of the instrumental overtones were also handled very well. One of my favorite albums is Someday My Prince Will Come, by Miles Davis, [Columbia Legacy CK 65919]. The rich and mellow tone of Miles’ horn is readily apparent with these cords in the system. This characteristic carried over to other brass instruments as well. The result was a more realistic presentation of the music. I could also characterize the midrange on the sweet side, for me a plus.

Because of the fullness and greater tonal weight, piano music sounded much closer to the real thing. Keith Jarrett’s lyrical playing had more fullness to it with the Golden Sounds than it did with other power cords. (Up For It, ECM 1860 B0000406-02). This additional weight does come at the expense of some air and perhaps a little treble extension, but I do not consider this to be a problem, since, in my opinion, many systems that I have heard lately tend to over emphasize these areas.

Large scale symphonic works were also very well served by the Golden Sound cords. The weighty underpinning provided by the basses in Copland's 3rd Symphony [Reference Recording RR-93CD] was preserved while not obscuring the delicacy of the violins. His Fanfare for the Common Man (as used in his 3rd) is a case in point. With the Golden Sounds, I heard the full width and breadth of the orchestra but with the kind of dynamism that I had not heard before on my system.

The treble was solid with no attempts to create any artificial extension. The result is smooth and grain-free that is, at the same time, very well detailed. The lack of artifacts contributed to a very realistic response. The same holds for the very top. Bell tones were crisp with the right balance of metallic attack, shimmer and decay. Dynamics were very good with sharp transients, but not so much as to be artificial sounding.

The largest impact that these cords had on my system was the addition of harmonic fullness and tonal weight. As a result, instruments sounded much more solid and therefore, more realistic. Many systems that I have occasion to hear sound very light and somewhat thin compared to live music. Here, the sound was warm but not overly so. The images throughout the soundstage were well defined and stable. Where there was depth in the recording, it was presented as well as I have heard in my system. There was a pleasant lack of any edge or glare with the Golden Sound cords. Since I tend to be sensitive to these flaws, this was a good thing.

Overall, I have a real appreciation for what the Golden Sound cables can do. If your system is on the dark or overly euphonic side, these might not be the cables for you. If on the other hand, your system sounds somewhat thin, bright or lacking in tonal weight, the Golden Sound power cords could be just the solution. Within the current universe of power cords, the Golden Sound power cords are reasonably priced. Given their effectiveness, they should be considered a bargain.