ne of the features of many Polish audio products that distinct them from any other is their appearance Have a look at the pictures of packaging in which products of such companies as Amare Musica, QAR, Forza Audio Works arrive. Same goes for some others from abroad such as Hijiri and SPEC.

I hope you don't treat the packaging of a product you buy as an insignificant addition that raises the price of the product significantly. Let's treat ourselves seriously and respectfully, while demanding the same from others. And the way in which audio products from specialist manufacturers, therefore belonging to the luxury product group, are packaged, is very important. I bet that this idea was familiar to the person who created a packaging for the Reference Power Cu2 cable from ACOUSTIC DREAM. Mr. Arnold Piątek, its owner, chose a solid case that resembles the one used by Amare Musica's products and additionally put the cable into a jute bag. I have to admit that I have already forgotten the smell of this material despite the fact that I spent my youth at the harvest.

| Reference Power Cu2

I am beginning to describe the cable with its packaging, but for me it is an important element of any product. Equal attention was paid to its construction. In the gallery you can see pictures taken at numerous stages of production. Each PCOCC / OFC 4 mm2 copper wire is insulated, then inserted into a metal braid shielding, and its ends are clamped in gold plated pins. The runs are made of directional copper wires of 99,997% purity with addition of 1% of gold. Three runs - "hot", "cold" and neutral - are twisted and wrapped with tape to suppress vibration. On top of that another layer of metal braid is added that operates as an external shielding.

Safety and mechanical parameters of the products are very important for Mr. Piątek. With the cable we receive a signed product card with its individual measurements, such as breakthrough voltage, which for Cu2 is over 1000 V and current carrying capacity is 25 A.

The cable features Wattgate plugs modified by Acoustic Dream. The plug's body remains unchanged, and we know it from, e.g. Harmonix products, that modified it in its own way. The Shuko version currently offered by this American company is called 390i. It is made of brass coated with three layers: pure copper, nickel (without electrolysis) and gold. The design of an IEC connector on the other side is very similar. The plug modified here in Poland has its own company's name - AD 1 and for this cable manufacturer used the AL./F version, ie with an aluminum protective element, which originally is made of plastic.

The cable looks very solid and despite the thick runs inside it is quite flexible and therefore easy to install in a system. It is recommended to work with company's Cu2 filters as well as with products with greater than average power consumption, i.e. power and integrated amplifiers. It can be ordered with a 20A IEC plug.

The AC Acoustic Dream Reference Power Cu2 power cable was compared to Acoustic Revive Power Reference Triple-C (19 990 PLN/2 m) and used with Ayon Audio CD-35 HF Edition SACD Player, and later also with Soulution 710 power amp. Both cables were plugged in one next to the other to the Acoustic Revive RTP-4EU Ultimate power distributor that connected to Furutech wall outlet using Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500. The wall outlet is fed by a separate power line with AHP fuse.

It was an A/B/A and B/A/B comparison with A and B known, where ‘A’ was Acoustic Revive, and ‘B’ was Acoustic Dream. I listened to short 1-2 minutes music fragments.

Recordings used for the test (a selec- tion)

• Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff, RCA Red Seal/Sony Music 8697-48971-2, „Zenph Re-Perfomance”, CD (2009)
• The TBM Sounds!, Lasting Impression Music LIM UHD 048LE, „Limited Edition. First 2000 Pressings”, CD (2010)
• Bill Evans Trio, Portrait in Jazz, Riverside/Fantasy RISA-1162-6, SACD/CD (1959/2003)
• Eberhard Weber, Chorus, wyk. Jan Garbarek, Ralf-R. Hübner, ECM Records, ECM 1288, LP (1985)
• Elgar, Delius, Cello Concertos, wyk. Jacqueline Du Pré, EMI Classic, 9559052, 2 x SACD/CD (1965/2012)
• Ella Fitzgerald, Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!, Verve/Victor Entertainment VICJ-011-4052, XRCD24 (1961/2008)
• Peter Gabriel, So, Realworld/Virgin SAPGCD5, SACD/CD (1987/2003)
• Polish Jazz Quartet, Polish Jazz Quartet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland, „Polish Jazz | vol. 3”, Master CD-R (1965/2016);

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Japanese issues available at

It is said that in audio "every element of the system contributes to its performance". It is true - even small changes can direct the sound one way or the other. An example of a small change introduced to the system that caused significant change in performance was the new speaker filter from Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki from SPEC Corporation, which will be called RSP-AZ9EX. I listened to his prototype, without any knowledge of the improvements, and described the changes as significant and following the right direction. It turned out that only two things changed compared to the model I use every day, the RSP-901EX: the type of wood the housing is made of and one resistor. Just one resistor!

Listening to different products, I am particularly aware that every detail "makes a difference". So when I compare two different cables, both made of copper, I expect that the difference will be as significant as if I compared - for example - copper and silver cables. These expectations were also confirmed by the latest test. Mr. Arnold Piątek's cable sounds different from the reference one by Acoustic Revive, although both are made of copper.

It's a cable that “celebrates” the attack of the sound, the leading edge. The performance with it is powerful, although it is not about bringing it closer to listener. It's seemed as if the sound waves were energized with the reviewed cable. Subjectively, sound comes to us faster, harder, "now." The foreground moves a little closer, at least if it was already strong, like on Ella Fitzgerald's Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!. Her vocals were even stronger and even more "present". Same goes for the Isao Suzuki's double bass on the track on the The TBM Sounds! sampler by Lasting Impression Music. It's a leading instrument playing almost solo, which with the Polish cable was even more “leading” and even more “solo”.

The details of the midband are clearly accentuated. Compared with the Japanese reference, the Cu2 has a slightly weakened band's extremes, because the attention of a listener is focused on the midrange. Although this will sound paradoxically, I assure you that it is not the case: the Japanese power cable delivered darker, lower-based sound. If I had to compare it to the way the sound was produced, it would be close to what Decca was doing in the 1950s and 1960s, and the Cu2 would sound like the Japanese recordings of Three Blind Mice. Both ways are equivalent, although they work best in slightly different circumstances.

The Acoustic Dream cable is great for any type of music, and it's highly enjoyable because it delivers a high class sound. It's even better, however, with more powerful music, for example with rock music, a large symphonic, or electronic one played with power and momentum. With smaller bands it will sound OK too. Even better than OK. But once you listen to Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer, The Train & The River (with Lang Lang) or Jarre's Electronica 2: The Time Machine, you will crave for “more”.

Because it is this kind of music where the presentation filled with details, which is an important feature of its performance, energy and very good bass control are most useful. The bass I'm talking about is fast, short and accurate. There is no impression of its artificial “contouring”, it is "only" precise. It keeps the performance “on ta short leash”. This cable will keep a discipline in the system's performance without hardening the sound and without the unpleasant brightness that sometimes simulates sound's speed. It is fast itself.

The resolution is very good and only such great performers as Acoustic Revive and top Acrolink deliver even tonally deeper, more tuneful sound, with better defined 3D bodies. The Cu2 slightly withdraws the presentation, while showing a vast and really deep sound stage. Its imaging is good, because it is truthful, without exaggeration in any direction. Reverbs are always part of the whole presentation, they do not live their “separate lives”. They are not long, so it's not a "wet" sound, as long reverbs are called in the pro industry. So we will not witness spatial "magic".

Summary

Everything in this presentation is really good, true. It's possible to present more precise 3D bodies, a better tonal differentiation is also possible. But with this discipline, offered by the Cu2, it can be considered a classic "barter", ie an exchange of equivalent goods. Ultimately, each system is different and when choosing components, including power cables, the owner has to make the choice she/he thinks is best. This cable plays in a fast, accurate way, perfectly controlling the bass. Its upper midrange is quite strong - it is worth remembering if the system also plays this way. It's a very good, accurate, “honest and reliable" cable featuring a very good, well thought out design and great appearance.