ddHIFI PC150PRO DIY HIFI Power Cable Review – Audiophile High-End Clean Made Accessible
ddHIFI PC150PRO DIY HIFI Power cable is a $119 USD power cable for audio equipment available in multiple standards including National Standard, American and EU standards, featuring vintage colors, DIY Assembly and it is made of OFC or Oxygen Free Copper, and Oxygen Free Silver Plated Copper mix of materials.
Introduction
ddHIFI is one of the most popular designers and creators of audiophiles accessories, their wide selection of products including cables, connectors, Hifi stands, DACs, AMPs and IEMS. They are available for purchase in multiple shops, including Amazon, Aliexpress, their own ddHIFI shop, and locally through many large HIFI sale channels. This is all thanks to the outstanding quality of their products, including beautiful designs, all for lower prices relative to the HIFI markets.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/47zvSo7
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c2x2CKzz
Build Quality – Design
ddHIFI made the PC150 PRO a Power Cord DIY Kit, so although we received it fully assembled and ready to go, you can have a bit of DIY fun with it if you desire. This is an audiophile power cord made by basically you. The idea is to purchase the kit and assemble it yourself, as the power cord comes with pre-molded critical cable connection points, allowing even beginners to complete the assembly and enjoy a DIY experience when building their own power chord.
A key element in the design of the PC 150 PRO from DD HIFI is that it is much smaller and lighter than most audiophile power cords, made to complement small desktop devices, having a shorter plug and smaller plug connector, to be compatible with smaller devices, like DACs and AMPs for headphones, making a favorite pair for FiiO K17 for me.
Although we have not yet reviewed the original PC150, ddHIFI promises a noticeable improvement over the standard version, with a more pronounced perception of the mid and high frequencies, and you can order your own PC150PRO with multiple plug standards including the US standard, EU standard and GB standard. The GB and US have the plugs made of Phospor Brzone, while the EU standard has the pongs made of pure copper. Current rating is the same for all plugs, which is 15A for the 125V usage and 10A for the 250V usage.
The actual spec list includes the conductor material which is a 6N OCC for the power cord and OFC for the ground wire. The power cord uses a 7*14*0.16 OCC + HDPE x2, with a conductor area of 2mm2, and a ground of 7*14*0.16 OFC + HDPE x1. The filler is a Cotton Yarn + Cotton Paper + Aluminum, and the outer insulation is a PVC+PET Mesh sleeve. With the sleeve and everything else, the cable has a diameter of 10.5mm, and the plug has a diameter of 37mm. PC150PRO has a standard length of 150cm, and I believe that you cannot order it longer or shorter.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have used the ddHIFI PC150PRO with multiple Desktop DAC AMPs, including HIFIMAN GA-10 Tube AMP, FiiO K17, Aune Sc1 EVO Audiophile Clock, Topping DX5II, FiiO S15 Streamer, SMSL C200 PRO, HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic system, Luxsin X9, and TempoTec March V-M5 DAC / headphone AMP. It works quite well with all of those pairings, it is small enough to not lift most of them off the table, also not heavy nor hard enough to lift them. I find this excellent, as I always had this issue with really thick and heavy power cords like Ricable Invictus Power Reference RP15, which although excellent sonically, is not very flexible, is heavy and will easily pull and move the DAC / AMP / Streamer / System it is connected to, and which only works well with very heavy equipment such as Keces S300+ the heavy-duty Speaker AMP.
Overall Signature – DD HIFI PC150 PRO is a fairly warm, smooth and fluid sounding power cable. Even if you don’t believe in the effects it might have on sound, I still would recommend purchasing a dedicated power cord for looks and to know you get a reliable cable, but sonically I hear it warming up the bass of all systems I connected it to, but also making the midrange more fluid, treble more open, bright and more airy. It helps deliver a dynamic, highly engaging sound with improved resolution, clarity and better overall instrument separation. As a result, you are able to understand the soundstage a bit better, so it feels a bit larger too.
Tonality – ddHIFI PC150PRO sounds a bit warmer in the bass, but also a bit more open in the treble, resulting in what can be considered a more dynamic, more punchy and more colorful sound than the default presentation with ultra entry-level power cords. While not quite as revealing as a Ricable Invictus Power cable, it is far more affordable, and delivers a vivid, engaging presentation too, being a rather obvious step-up in resolution, clarity and definition compared to the ultra cheap power cables that come bundled with DAC AMPs usually.
Dynamics and Textures – ddHIFI PC150PRO delivers a slightly smoother, slightly more fluid presentation than the default power cables included with most equipment, and it has the same effect on all systems, DACs, Headphone AMPs, and Stereo AMPs, although I noticed the highest difference with the HIFIMAN Shangri La Mini system, and the least effect with FiiO S15 the streamer, if using it as a standalone streamer, but a rather big change if using it as a preamplifier for a stereo system. As it has more than enough power handling ability for Keces S300+, I would say that there’s a difference in the signature and effect depending on how loud you’re pushing the system, also the change is more audible in full Class A for the S300+.
Soundstage – Although the soundstage does not feel much wider when using the PC150PRO, it does have the effect of increasing the percpoetion of soundstage because it increases instrument separation and overall definition. As you hear each instrument more easily playing in its own space, this helps your mind define the space more easily, there’s less scattering, which increases how large the soundstage feels like.
Value and Conclusion
For a very acceptable price of less than 150 USD, you can have a high-end power cord with a beautiful design, and at this price it doesn’t even matter if you believe in the quality of power cables, DD HIFI PC150PRO is worth purchasing just for the design, and reliability alone, it is brilliantlyu beautiful and matches much better with high-end audio equipment than cheapo rubber power cables, plus if you do believe in the sonic improvements it can bring, all the more power to you, as it can totally improve the sound of a system while having a price lower than most DACs, AMPs, and similar in pricing with extremely affordable entry-level IEMs.
At the end of the day, ddHIFI PC150PRO is an excellent choice for those who want to upgrade their listening system, but want to stay on a budget, for those who want a beautiful system and like the black + copper color theme, and if you use any of the standard US, UK or EU plugs in your house, you won’t find a more affordable yet as good audiophile power cord, so it is a fully recommended purchase, and a component I’ve happily been using with FiiO K17 for the past 2 months.
PROs
- Beautiful design that complements audio systems nicely
- Reliable build quality for peace of mind
- Slightly warm, smooth, vivid sound
- Excellent treble extension, no damping of voices or cymbal crashes
- Fluid and smooth texture for all frequencies
- Long enough for most setups
- Flexible enough to be useful even with smaller desktop equipment
- The max power rating of 2500 Watts is comically high
Cons
- No option for a longer version, but you can cut it for a shorter variant if you really want to
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/47zvSo7
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c2x2CKzz
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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