LavriCables Grand 30 Core Silver Mains Power Cable V3 – Long Name With Excellent Performance
LavriCables Grand 30 Core Silver Mains Power Cable V3 is a 610 Euro / $711 USD for the 2 meters length we have in for review power cable. If you want to make sure that you are getting exactly the same cable, you can check out the SKU which is 19GRD06PWR, and Grand 30 will be the star of our review today, also getting compared to other power cables including Audience F5 Forte Mains Power Cable (649 USD) and Ricable Power Chord Special Line RP15 (1021 USD).
Introduction
LAvriCables is a top company best known for producing some of the best cables in the whole world, having been a top choice for HIFIMAN Headphone enthusiasts and users for a long time now, thanks to their excellent headphone cables. Today we review something different from Lavri, a mains power cable, which is a bit of a shaky territory even for audiophiles, as some swear by those cables while others say that they do not make a big difference sonically when implemented in a system. As electricity is a field instead of electrons traveling through conductors, I believe there’s enough reason and justification to continue reviewing power cables also. You can purchase LavriCables usually directly from Lavri, as those are custom made and you can customize length, sometimes color as well as other things.
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Product Link
Official Link – https://www.lavricables.com/product/grand-30-core-silver-mains-eu-us-power-cable/
Build Quality – Design
Starting at the core, Grand 30 Core Silver Mains Power Cable V3 is a new cable, as V3 is the latest variant of this cable. This represents an increase in the silver gauge and a high 5N purity AWG26 Silver Strands with a different geometry than the previous power cables made by Lavri. This is the flagship that Lavri makes with 30 Cores of 5N purity Silver.
As the HIFI tradition dictates, this power cable is built like a tank, and the promise is that Grand 30 Core V3 will dramatically improve the potential of your system by making it wider, more transparent and more crystalline sounding. Lavri recommends at least 150 hours of burnin for the best results, and Grand Silver V3 can be built in any length, starting with 1 meter up to 3 meters in 0.5 meter increments. You can also fit it with European plugs as well as USA, Australia or UK plugs. Lavri offers a burn-in service which costs 30 euro extra for 150 hours of burn-in.
Internally, Lavri Grand 30 Core Silver V3 uses a smart construction of 10 cores of 5N Solid Silver Wire, with 6xAWG28 + 2XAWG26 +2xAWG26 Ribbon for the active line. There is also one neutral line using 10 cores with 6XAWG28 + 2xAWG26 + 2XAWG26 Ribbon. For the ground line, Lavri uses 10 cores of silver plated copper 0.3mm diameter and thise all is terminated with Carbon Rhodium plating for the EU Plugs, the ones we are testing.
For safety, Grand 30 Silver V3 comes with a Teflon insulation, ensuring safety up to 300AC continuous voltage, and this cable will fit any amplifier, CD Player or DAC that consumes 1kW of power or less. As an unshielded design, V3 brings a higher transparency and top end extension. Woven Teflon Litz construction is ideal for RFI and EMI Rejection as it has a low capacitance and 5N Silver transmits electrical signals faster and with a lower distortion than OFC. To match the geometry and construction, Lavri uses high-grade Teflon insulation that gives a predominant air dielectric and is the best insulator for bare cable, reducing skin effect via the separated 30 cores.
Sound Quality
Pairings – As this is a power cable, I have tested it with both very sensitive DACs to see how high the THD is at low loads, as well as with very powerful Amplifiers to see how it handles high loads. The test list includes Erzetich Bacillus II, FiiO S15 Music Streamer, Musician Pegasus R2R, Keces S300+ and Feliks Audio Echo 2. Even though the shape of the cattle connecting to the DAC / AMP is different from what I am used to seeing on standard cattle plugs, I can confirm that it works just fine with all tested devices. The effect it has is consistent, changes in tonality are also consistent, you will notice a similar change for DACs and AMPs, but the effect is milder on streamers and other filtering equipment, especially as those in general did not have such a huge impact on sound compared to a DAC or AMP.
Overall Signature – Usually power cables have a mild effect on sound, but if you know your system very well, the changes are almost immediate, and Lavri Grand 30 Core Silver has a very silver specific sound, bright, open, and wide. Even Luxsin X9 is quite sensitive to a change in the power cable, as it becomes more open, brighter, and sharper sounding with the installment of the Lavri Grand Silver V3. You will notice an increase in the attack with most music, a more brilliant treble, deeper and more controlled bass, and a more distant voicing. This is a cable that seems to pull the midrange backwards, creating a wider soundstage, opening up the whole sound. The change is quite big for a power cable, and it is easy to notice, emphasizing rock, metal and aggro music quite nicely, but giving a colder, more neutral presentation to other music styles as well. There’s an increase in the perceived details, clarity and crispness of music. The effect it has seems to be stable relative to the length of the cable, also the effect is as noticeable on systems when used on the DAC and on the AMP.
Tonality – While most cables in general would change the tonality of a system, Lavri Grand 30 Core Silver V3 mains cable will make the system sound brighter, sharper, but does not kill the bass, instead it tightens the bass a bit, giving music a better definition, increase in the upper midrange and whole treble brilliance and shine. This change will cool down a system, creating a more open sound, but also make the midrange richer, yet more distant. Opening up the soundstage means that you will hear far more instruments playing in the background, making pop and EDM far more playful and faster, more technically revealing. I like the presentation across all the styles I listen to. Female voices become a bit colder but sweeter, same for male vocals. If a system was already a bit too warm, or lacked width, Lavri grand 30 Core will open it up. This being said, I would not combine it in a bright or cold sounding system as it enhances those characteristics slightly.
Dynamics And Textures – Lavri Grand 30 Core Silver V3 will increase the dynamic range compared to most mains cables, it will also increase texture revealing and resolution of a system. It reveals more micro details, enhances the overall technical ability of a system both in the treble, but also mid and bass. For bass, it makes the low-end tighter, faster and gives music more rhythm, while for the midrange, it distances you from the hot parts of a song, giving you space to understand each instrument and space for the music to breathe.
Soundstage – You can expect LavriCables Grand 30 Core Silver Mains Power Cable to increase the width and depth of the sound in a system, it creates a bigger, wider, and deeper soundstage, and it increases the height of the sound as well. The perceived change is bigger at higher volumes and with equipment that consumes more power, allowing for a wider dynamic range as well as a wider soundstage in amplifiers compared to DACs, and strong speaker amplifiers showing a more dramatic increase in the soundstage size. Overall, it works really well with EDM, Rock, Metal but also orchestral and classical music. The only situation it does not work as well in is when listening to room music or if you wanted an intimate, narrow staging.
Comparisons
LavriCables Grand 30 Core Silver Mains Power Cable V3 vs Ricable Power Chord Special Line RP15 (711 USD vs 1021 USD) – Ricable RP15 is much thicker, less flexible, and this makes it much harder to install and you have to plan more when trying to implement it in a system, get the correct length, while Lavri Grand 30 Silver V3 is a far more flexible cable, black in color, so more sleek and stealthy, yet both have a similar size to the plugs on the ends of the cable. I tend to favor flexible cables, so for me Lavri is a better choice as I tend to change systems and how systems are arranged in my room also. Sonically, they each have their own sound, RP15 is far warmer, smoother, does not necessarily emphasize resolution or a technical listening experience and instead it makes music more musical and less analytical. At the other end of the spectrum, Lavri Grand 30 Core Silver V3 is a technical, analytical cable that enhances resolution, makes music brighter, colder and more neutral, gives all songs more space, a wider soundstage and more depth also. Imaging is stronger and instrument separation stronger with Lavri, while RP15 is a personal, intimate and warm sounding cable in comparison.
LavriCables Grand 30 Core Silver Mains Power Cable V3 vs Audience F5 Forte (711 USD vs 649 USD) – F5 fore is a thicker, less flexible cable, and although audience usually makes thinner and more flexible cables, this power cable is an exception. Sonically, it follows the Audience house sound, which is dynamic, open, but not overly colored, creating a mostly natural experience with a strong emphasis on a wider dynamic range. Compared to it, Lavri Grand 30 Cores V3 is a more flexible cable, much easier to instlal in a system, and with a more analytical sound, excellent dynamic range, about as good as F5 Forte, but with a much bigger soundstage, especially width, with a tighter, faster bass and a brighter treble.
Value and Conclusion
It is hard to argue for or against the value of a power cable, as it is something that you will swear by once you experience one, but it is not a product that I would classify as standard, it is something that you add to a system once that system reaches a certain point. It is a touch you add to an already top end system, so the value it brings to the table scales with the value of your system and also how sensitive that system is to a power cable upgrade.
You can always rely on Lavri to design good cables, so it is no shocker that the Grand 30 Core Mains Power Cable V3 is a top choice for music, especially great when used to tame a DAC that is sensitive to the power cable quality, beautiful to have around the house, and practical with an ergonomic shape. While it is not always about the sound, it does have both a good sound and a nice design, making it a great option to increase the value and overall feeling of your system.
PROs
- High quality construction with excellent flexibility
- Can be customized for a different length
- Bright, brilliant and open sounding treble
- Technical and revealing, it produces a detailed sound
- Tight and fast bass with a lot of nuance, creating a rhythmic sound
- Lateral separation and instrument separation are insanely good
- Wide and airy presentation
- No roll-off on either end
- Excellent EMI and RFI rejection
Cons
- Can be pricey especially for longer lengths
- Scales with more revealing systems
Product Link
Official Link – https://www.lavricables.com/product/grand-30-core-silver-mains-eu-us-power-cable/
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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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