Audiophilepure

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1025/Audience_FrontRow_Reserve_PowerChords_Review.htm

Unlike the standard Front Row series, a tiny number of OCC silver strands has been added to each model of the Front Row Reserve series. John McDonald wrote: “Each RCA and speaker cable uses just one 28 AWG OCC silver strand, and the XLR cables use two strands, and the 10 AWG Reserve powerChord has four strands, while the vast majority remains OCC copper.” John also shared that Audience uses a proprietary extreme high-voltage treatment to smooth the sonic character of the silver—something that Synergistic Research also does to treat their cables.

Each of the six conductors in the power cord is housed in Pure Virgin Cross-linked polyethylene, and a special geometry and spacing are used to minimize magnetic inductance and interaction between the conductors. An oxygen-free copper shielding shunts RFI and EMI noise to ground. Additionally, a proprietary formulation of natural crystals is used in the cable to reduce the effects of RFI/EMI. The cables are given a deep-Cryo treatment and a 3 or 4-day burn-in before shipping. The beneficial effects of natural crystals have been known for at least a decade in audio circles, and I’ve reviewed a couple of accessory products that use them, with more in the works.

Conspicuously absent on the powerChords are any connections for active grounding systems, tuning bullets, or even a compartment for proprietary technology, as seen on some very high-end power cables. In use, the outer sheathing had a soft, luxurious feel, the weight was about what you would expect, and the flexibility of the cable was pleasantly sufficient for navigating the tight spaces in my rack between my components and the adjacent wall. The absence of any protrusions or other connections on the cable was very welcome when it came time to swap cables.

I would say, however, the included Allan key is a bit too big and awkward to use with the screws, so if you have a small Philips Head screwdriver, I recommend that one as it is a lot faster.

Aside from that, you get the new grey leather case with enhanced button access, integrated cooling gel, and a larger heat dissipation plate on the rear. It uses a Velcro flap rather than the M17’s tucked-in variant and feels a little more secure as a result.

Aside from those, you also get a cleaning cloth, a pin tray tool for memory card access, a USB-A to Type C adaptor, a long USB-A to USB-C cable, and a shorter USB-C to USB-C alternative.