A list of audiophile reviews from across the country.

From Sheila - Seattle WA

I would like to take a moment and tell you how impressed I am with your power cords. I borrowed from my local dealer a Lucid Dream for my Esoteric CD player and Jungson integrated amp.

Over the last four years, I have had all the best powercords available when I was running my insanely expensive system, which I recently sold. I have loved certain things about all the different power cords that I have had from the speed of the Valhalla , the seductiveness of the Shunyata, the openness of the Electraglide, the weight and body of the Synergistic. All excellent, none perfect. Realize, I paid between $2000 to $3000 for all these cords mentioned, so the Lucid Dreams price point of $2395 is very fair.

Is the Lucid Dream perfect? With these cords, do you finally attain to the absolute sound? It impacts a system so much, that if not perfect, it is close. The first thing I noticed when I put in the cords was a black quietness. Snow is a white quietness. The instruments and voices hung in space with a pinpoint preciseness that was uncanny. The decay of the music with the massive soundstage was intoxicating. 

The delicateness, finesse, and lushness were awe-inspiring. The weight and body seemed to wrap around you in tenderness. My simple system today, because of these power cords not only rivaled, but also surpassed, the very expensive system I previously owned.

Although, I was pleased with my new little system, I never considered it to be anywhere as musical or overwhelming as the separates that were sold last year. All this from just two power cords has shaken the foundation of what I thought I believed, and understood about audio.

Yet, it gets better. I loved the Lucid Dream power cords, but they are beyond my budget today, so I had to reluctantly return them. When I did, Stewart was kind enough to loan me the new Natural State , for the Esoteric, and the Deep Dream, for the integrated amp. 

WOW, not as perfect as the Lucid Dream, but close and affordable, especially with the introductory price that I received. I can honestly say these cords I have in my system today are the finest power cords that I have ever owned and only your larger cords surpass them sonically.

Did I tell you, I consider the new cords the best-looking power cords that I have ever seen? Your new line is much nicer looking than the larger cords such as the Lucid Dream. I know it might be a woman’s thing.
 

 

From  S. Black - New York, New York

Having worked extensively with Stewart on AC cords over the years - he had provided counsel numerous times and never steered me wrong … each time he suggested a product, it ultimately enhanced my system’s performance. Moreover, on a couple occasions, he actually directed me toward saving my funds rather than spending money on a particular product. Although I was quite pleased with the performance of my Nordost Valhalla AC cords, it was for these reasons that I was quite intrigued by his enthusiasm for the new Dream State AC cords.

As I had just made some extensive system changes, I originally delayed my inquiry, but once I felt I had completed break-in and knew of what my gear was capable, I contacted him to purchase one of the Veridical Dream cords for my RAM-modified Esoteric DV-50.  

While the Nordost was considered reference quality - fast, very focused and exceptionally neutral, some may have deemed the sound a bit thin and less than fully harmonically fleshed out, … yet overall, I would suggest it was excellent with the best overall sound I had achieved … until the Veridical.

The Veridical offered a much bigger, bolder, richer sound with a huge 3D soundstage. Performance across the band was exceptional.  The most amazing characteristic was the seductive DHT tube-like bloom that the cord also brought to the sound. Audiophile goodies and oh so musical!

After a couple on my Running Springs Audio JACO ac conditioner was arranged. months with the Veridical on the Esoteric (all other AC cords yet remained the Valhalla), I suggested to Stewart that although the Veridical was superb on the Esoteric, I felt my sound was nearly ideal with the Valhalla on my conditioner, preamp and amps. My curiosity was however piqued by the Veridical so an audition of a fully broken-in Dream Catcher

The verdict was immediate - the Dream State effect was cumulative.  All the benefits I heard with the Veridical on the Esoteric, was extended to the Dream Catcher on the RSA JACO. The portrayal was again larger, more seductive with a most incredible 3D sound.

This experience was repeated with the next Dream State cord - the Lucid Dream on my Tube Distinctions Soul Mate preamp. The sonic signature was identical, but the overall differential on the cumulative effect was not quite as great, yet it was demonstrable.

I now have two final Lucid Dreams in my sights for use on my mono amps.

I have used virtually all the best “big names” and “niche manufacturers” AC cords in the past 30 years and I normally believe in mix and match to “dial-in” the best sound.  I can, however, now say with confidence that the Dream State AC cords are the finest that I have yet experienced. A system with only Dream State cords may not be everyone’s ideal, yet I would venture a guess that it may be closer than most could ever currently imagine.
  

Current System:

RAM-modded Esoteric DV-50 Universal

Dream State Audio Veridical - Oyaide Gold

Stealth Indra RCA

Tube Distinctions Soul Mate preamp or Audio Consulting Silver Rock

Dream State Audio Lucid Dream - Oyaide Gold

Stealth Indra RCA

RAM-modded Bel Canto e.One Reference 1000 mono amps

Nordost Valhalla terminated with Acrolink Carbon Fiber Palladium over Gold

 

Nordost Valhalla speaker cables 1.5 meter w/ Valhalla jumpers / SP Technology Revelation MR-1 MKII loudspeakers

Running Springs Audi JACO Conditioner

Dream State Audio Dream Catcher – Oyaide Palladium over Gold

Oyaide SWO-GX wall plug w/ carbon fiber plate

Stillpoints with Risers, including inverse risers under the

Revelations

  *also have a Slim Devices Squeezebox 3 for internet  
   streaming (replacement for FM tuner) / Steath
   MetaCarbon RCA

 

 
From M.M - Charleston, South Carolina

I have been doing business with Stewart at A Sanctuary of Sound for many years now.  We have similar musical tastes and expectations of how a two channel system should reproduce that music.  I have found Stewart to be very insightful and spot on with his recommendations.  When he told me that he had finally found power cords that he considered the absolute best, I had to give them a listen. 

I auditioned the following Dream State power cords:  Dream Catcher, Lucid Dream, Natural Dream, and Veridical Dream; with a caveat from Stewart that if I gave them a listen I'd have to own them.  In short, he was right.  Not only did I wind up keeping the demo cables, but I bought a few others as well!

I was initially impressed by the manufacturer's attention to detail.  Each cable arrives in its own sturdy box, which in turn is placed in a second, outer box.  If you've ever experienced shipping damage, you will appreciate the effort Dream State makes to insure your cables arrive undamaged.

One look at the cables themselves and you realize the ultra high-quality craftsmanship.  The connectors are top of the line Oyaide, and the outer jacket is carbon fiber.  I don't know what's inside these cables, but they are considerably heavier than any others I've had.  I'm told there is much more conductor in these than most other power cords, and judging from the weight, I believe it.

The sound, in a word is glorious.  Immediately you will notice the noise floor dramatically drop with these cords installed in the system.  Musical cues that were once buried can now be heard, give one a greater sense of the musical venue and ambient information.  All of the usual superlatives spoken of other highly regarded power cables apply here, in spades.

The Dream State power cords are the absolute best I have ever heard.  Stewart, you're right yet again, but that comes as no surprise.

Check these out with this caveat:  ONE LISTEN AND YOU WILL BE HOOKED.

  

From B.H - North Bend, Washington 

I have believed in and owned high end power cords for more than a decade, from Elrod, Transparent, Electraglide, Shunyata, PS Audio, and others. I could never stop tinkering and trying combinations. They always made a difference, but I was never completely satisfied because there were always trade offs. That is, until now. I have finally a brand of power cords that I can use throughout my system with completely satisfying results – Dream State .

What makes the Dream State pc’s different for me? For starters, I don’t have to compromise. They seem to do everything right, not too much or too little of anything. They do the best of all the others I have used, with none of the downsides of being too warm, too bright, too lean, etc. I think the most compelling characteristics that I enjoy would be the combination of unprecedented buttery smoothness coupled with no loss of air or detail – once they are fully broken in, that is. They do sound closed up and soft and a bit lifeless until they burn in.  

In addition to this, they give my system the highest levels of neutrality I have experienced. All frequencies seem to be right with no emphasis or loss any specific areas. Everything comes through very even handedly and natural sounding. I get detail without highlighting, brightness, etch, glare, etc. I get bass without bloat or excessive warmth. There is no lack of warmth here, it just is warmth that does not get in the way of anything else.  

The most amazing thing to me about the sound of my system with these cords (I have 9 of them now, the entire system is wired with them) is the complete disappearance of all grit, hash, grain and excessive sibilance, more than I ever realized was there. I get the smoothest sound I have ever experienced in my system, with no loss of air or detail to make me regret that smoothness at all.  

Sound staging is excellent although not necessarily hugely better than before. I would say it is better but in terms of having a seamless quality, with both 2 channel and multi channel material, and it is a bit larger and deeper than before. But this improvement here is not quite as startling as in the other areas I have described above.

I am a happy camper now, and so is my spouse since I no longer feel compelled to buy anything. System sounds great in an all around way that I have been searching for long and hard.  

These cords are VERY stiff, and very expensive, but more that worth the effort and expense. And be sure to get the matching Oyadie outlets to use with them, makes a very nice match and improvement also. My personal favorite so far are the purple ones – more neutral and open to my ears.  

 

System:

Wilson Maxx 2’s, Watch Center and Surrounds, Watch Dog sub

EMM labs Switchman pre amp

Denon 5910ci universal player

Ben Canto Evo Ref 1000 mono amps

 

Theta Casablanca III processor (for cable TV and Xbox only)

Shunyata Hydra

Transparent Opus speaker and interconnect cables

*All components upgraded and moded by David Shulte of the Upgrade Co. I will put this Denon up against anything at any cost! It’s amazing. 

    
 
 
From J. L.  - Eugene, OR  

The Deep Dream does what truly great cords do -- it deepens the sound stage, extends bass tones, and exposes inner details while retaining, even improving the overall, organic feel of the music as a whole. And it did so on both my BPT line conditioner and my Pass amp. True, they're expensive, but to my ears they bested other cords demanding similar coin, and once I heard new dimensions in well-known, much beloved recordings, there was no way I could let them go.

     
 
 
From P. G - Minnesota

The dream catcher is an outstanding product.  In particular the sound stage has widened a bit and more impressively is considerably deeper.  While I like most about it was I had the warmth and flow of the Jena but more detail and truth of timber.  You have a real winner on your hands.