he reviewed by our magazine in January of this year, power cable Demiurg shocked us with its price, quality of make&finish and it didn't leave us indifferent to its sound. It was, if I remember correctly, the first Polish product associated with power supply, of that quality, performance and price level. Until now the leader in this area was the Reference Power Distributor by KBL Sound, followed Base Power Base High End power distributor. Since then much has changed, and during this year's Audio Video Show (2016) we could see and listen to power distributors, conditioners, and so on, that looked equally good and were similarly priced.

Almost 23 000 PLN, as that's the asking price for the latest product of the company with their headquarters in Dąbrowa Górnicza, is not that much of surprise as it would have been a year ago. Pricing of this high-end product will allow manufacturer to sell with profit not only in Poland but also anywhere in the world.

For the money one buys a beautifully made power distributor. In contrast to all competition, the strip was made of wood. Also, its feet legs are wooden. Other successful brand that followed similar path is the Swedish company Entreq. As the gentlemen of Verictum wrote, the distributor was "tuned" for standard operating conditions, ie. to be placed on the floor, wooden shelves and carpet. And then: "But of course, each user can customize a base for his own preferences, as the strip is receptive subject to a skillful tuning of tonal balance, etc."

It is equipped with the five top of the line Furutech sockets with gold-plated contacts and IEC socket from the same brand. It is large and makes a very good impression. Soon company will introduce a version with dedicated tap to the passive X Bulk conditioner and this special set will be available for the price of 26 000 PLN. The version we received for this test was the one without this tap, but with the latest version of X Roll with a plug adapter - so were able to check how the Cogitari works with it. According to manufacturer the "X Bulk from the moment it is connected to the power distributor needs a few hours charge before it reaches its full potential."

PAWEŁ CZUBRYT, R&D manager
MAREK STAJNDOR, development manager

Vivere est cogitare (latine; to live means to think)

Our aim was to build a power strip offering not only an excellent sonic performance, but also with a unique appearance. We didn't want our product to belong to the category of those that users have to hide somewhere behind the rack. We wanted it to be something its user could proudly place in the plain sight, while it should, of course, maintain its full functionality.

Cogitari was tuned for a perfect cooperation with our passive external filter (ground conditioner), and we shall offer it in two versions:
- As a set with external, and slightly modified X Bulk Gold filter tuned for perfect cooperation with the power distributor,
- Without external filter, which current users of X Bulks will probably welcome, because they can go ahead and use it with Cogitari to a very good effect.

Cogitari was designed from the scratch in-house using the conductors developed by us and our original solutions for the best sound effect.

During the work and tuning process of the distributor we used our power cables, Demiurg, which represent a reference product for us and an excellent matrix that allows us to hear the differentiation, the full spectrum of sound and its volume, even the tiniest nuances of articulation, details and dynamic and tone contrasts without any averaging. Our aim when designing Cogitari was to obtain the highest possible quality and naturalness of music playback, especially when listening to classical repertoire and the music created with the use of acoustic instruments and the human voice.

The Furutech sockets, our wiring, special passive filter, the vibration damping enclosure of exotic wood, its support - decoupling from the surface it is placed on by sonically selected and shaped feet of two different kinds of oiled merbau and oak wood, its specifications, such as: weight, shape, enclosure design, the thickness and configuration of the walls, and even the special, selected lacquer, they all combine in a special tuning, voicing similar to that, used when building a bow instrument.

As mentioned above, we fine-tuned Cogitari and equipped it with a special filter (that works in a similar way as the Block X) absorbing EMI/RFI noise and converting it into the heat energy. Its purpose is to protect the distributor against interference coming from outside as well as those generated by the strip itself as a result of the current flowing through it. The filter has been permanently encased in the base of the strip and flooded with a special material that is also an important element of anti-vibration filter and the strip itself.

Cogitari wiring features a cryo-treated conductor with 4 N silver plated with 24K gold, metallurgically prepared in the same manner as the conductor of the Demiurg power chord. Wires are directional, so the whole wiring of the strip is oriented according to the direction of the conductors, which is why it is very important to make sure the that the power cable supplying power to strip is correctly (in terms of phase) connected to the wall outlet so that the phase is delivered to the IEC socket in the strip to the side, marked with the letter L.

Wires run to each socket in a star configuration. In our opinion, the best solution for the power strips. An a-typical solution, which we consider to be optimal, it is the same length of the cables distributing current to all individual outlets. Thus you may plug audio components to any outlet since they the length of the cable supplying current is always the same. We consider this to be uncompromising solution. It significantly increases the cost the power distributor, but the priority for us, as always, is consistency of sound and a listening pleasure.

We have not forgotten about distribution rails specially developed for our power strips. Rails and fixing screws in the rails are made of copper alloy plated with a thick layer of pure polished silver and then subjected by us to several hours of cry treatment. They represent another very important, well thought-through and verified in a series of listening sessions element of voicing of our distributor. These rail can support a load of 80 A each, far more than foreseen load of the strip, which is 15 A.

Cogitari's enclosure is made entirely of logs of exotic wood called merbau. Same as in the case of the Demiurg, housing components are carefully selected and chosen so that the two halves that make up the whole body, are virtually identical in terms of hue and grain, which in the case of merbau wood is not so easy, because even along a single board several shades may occur and not only on the surface but also during processing. The housing is made entirely using CNC machines.

Many months of tedious selection of the best lacquer was yet another challenge during the process of tuning of our power strip. Numerous tests and listening sessions with different varnishes enabled us to develop the optimal type and brand of paint and coating technology, which fits in perfectly with our concept of sound and works perfectly for Cogitari strip. As the great violin makers we based out choice exclusively on sonic properties and so we chose the best sounding one.

We want to emphasize that the future user of this power distributor should handle it very carefully and do not allow any clashes with hard objects. The varnish is obviously adequate durable operationally and in contact with skin. For cleaning purposes we recommend a soft cloth or specialized agents for wood available on the market.

This is the first time when I had to think longer over what I heard after switching power cables in my system from Acoustic Revive RTP-4EU Reference power strip to a product of another company. So far, always returned to my reference strip with pleasure if not relief. I appreciated, of course, what this or that company achieved with their product, but I had no doubt that Mr. Ken Ishiguro's, the founder and owner of AR, power distributor is a true reference, not only in my system.

The chance to change my thinking was introduced by the KBL Sound Reference Power Distributor, which showed me that it was possible to make something outside of the Japanese Islands, that presented a truly high class so that we could be proud of it. It was still, however, not exactly the level of Acoustic Revive. The Cogitari by Verictum is the first product of its kind, that showed m what still could be improved in RTP-4EU Reference. But it also reminded me that the so-called "synergy" is crucial for the system.

The Verictum strip sounds in a very organic way. It's a natural association, coming to mind when we look at a product made largely from natural materials (wood, leather etc.). In fact, most of these devices and accessories significantly colors the sound. Such a shift is extremely pleasant and produces positive energy. It is also, however tricky, because it shifts our perception towards "artifacts", making up a reality. The audio is equally about creating – because it is ultimately an art – and about re-creation, or attempt to properly interpret a situation that took place in front of the microphones during recording, as well as the intentions of the sound engineers and producers of the album.

Cogitari has these two elements well balanced. Its sound is beautifully saturated and warm rather than not. In this case, this warmth is not a coloration, or mechanical roll-off the treble or emphasis of the part of the midrange responsible for so-called. "presence". In the case of the reviewed strip it inherent to the best product, usually sound sources. It's about high resolution and good differentiation. These two elements in the absence of coloration give a feeling of warmth. Which is natural.

Audio is an area with its own rules. There is no place in it for such a thing as neutrality, because neither recording technique, nor this part of the "our" side, meaning techniques used to reproduce the sound, are not transparent (and never will be). Besides, we do not know the reference, and the recorded events we know only from the "second-hand" - just the recording and not the event itself.

One can not, however, admit that there is such a thing as belief in the "authenticity" of the sound, even if we are aware of that what I described above. Otherwise a life passion, which is a perfectionist audio and music played on this type of audio components, would not make any sense. We would always know that whatever we can hear is still not what it should be and that there is no chance we could ever achieve a perfection. Fortunately, this is not needed, what we need is just an impression of "adequacy" of reproduced sound compared to the real one. What, I should add, can be achieved already using an entry level system, as long as it is properly set up, and is developing and becoming more and more "compatible" with the real events with each system upgrade. As a result, we not are going crazy with despair, but rather have a chance to again and again experience moments of epiphany and revelation.

The Verictum offers user such an impression - that everything is "right" and in its place, that with it the presentation is very natural. Its designers aimed, I believe, to ensure that devices plugged into the distributor always showed a better side of every recording, a good side "of the presented world." Because that's exactly what I got when I listened to Artur Rojek's Składam się z ciągłych powtórzeń, so the album produced for a mass market, as well as with 1942 purist recordings of Nat 'King' Cole from Penthouse Serenade album. This one, of course, at the time was also addressed to a mass market, but seventy-five years ago a “music production” had a different meaning than today.

Cogitari in both cases, formed a sound that can be described as large, without enlarging it, it is not the point, but via a clear foreground and the rest of the soundstage, that also gained in volume, brought closer to he front. It modified at the same time the treble, smoothing out a slight harshness, that the Japanese strip introduces to the sound. It is not brightness yet, but one can hear that something is going on there, that there sort of a "halo" that lits treble up a bit. With the problematic recordings, such as, for example the said album by Rojek, the Acoustic Revive never exceeds the boundaries of a good taste and rather tries to show accurately whatever there is in the recording, even if it is not really what we would like to hear. And yet, each time I know that something is going on.

The Verictum takes us to the point where all elements differing from our idea of a good recording disappear. With the recordings that do not need that, for example with None But The Lonely Heart by Charlie Haden & Chris Anderson, or with Rosemary Clooney Sings Ballads one can notice a slight reduction of treble energy. It is not significant and it does not affect the tonal balance. On the Naim recording one could point out other consequences of such a “shaping” of the sound, of which the most important is the emphasis on the direct sounds. The acoustics of the room was extremely pleasant, nice, good, but it was less important in the creation of the space than when the system was plugged into the AR strip.

Low bass has the energy, density and "immediacy" similar to that of the best power strips. This is where conditioners fail, because they temper its activity and dynamics. Power distributors don't do that. Including Cogitari. The differences between it and Acoustic Revive here are big, as are with the reproduction of high frequencies. Polish strip rounded the lowest bass a bit and did not go as low down as the Japanese one. No power distributor I know delivers such a precise and energetic lower end as the Acoustic Revive. But it is more about the definition – that's where AR is perfect. It is not a weakness of Verictum though, as it is still better in this regard than all the other power strips, apart from the AR one.

Summary

In this short text I was able to just touch the surface of what the Verictum Cogitari can do. I am impressed by how it changes the performance of such an expensive system as mine. It does it with grace, gently leading listeners to the sunny side of the street. It modifies the sound towards the richness and sweetness. It does not, however, offer so well defined sound, as Acoustic Revive does. I guess it was not an intention of Verictum as racing some other company to bit them at their own game and at the same time developing features that competitive products do not offer, as far as I know, had never worked for any company so far.

Here and now we are offered a power strip delivering an organic, natural sound. I listened to it without X Bulk, but after plugging it in I heard even more - more of what I already described. This filter highlights all the good qualities of the Polish strip and worsens nothing. The sound goes even further in the direction of harmonics richness, boldly (yeah!) creating a good world.

The Cogitari power distributor is not a product that differentiates the sound as well as the Acoustic Revive, it does not render so perfect holography, neither. But first of all, it does these things still better than all other strips, and secondly, it adds a beautiful tonality, which I would gladly welcome to my Acoustic Revive RTP-4UE Reference. Which, to be honest, would be very appropriate, since the set of qualities that Verictum presents is exactly what the Japanese top specialist manufacturers focus their efforts on, and I mean such manufacturers as: Kondo, Leben, SPEC, Reimyo (Harmonix) and others. Its pricing might seem bold or brave, but it is bold and brave that conquer the world, right? And the Verictum has to offer everything such products should need.

Specifications (according to manufacturer):

An enclosure CNC machined of exotic merbau wood
5 cry-treated Furutech FI-E30 sockets gold-plated
Cry-treated Furutech FI-06 IEC socket gold-plated
Wiring: cry-treated conductors of 4N silver, gold-plated, fi 2,3 mm2
Build-in EMI/RFI passive filter
Loading: max 15 A
Dimensions (L x W x H): 450 x 120 x 150 mm
Weight: around 5 kg