I recall my feelings when I first unwrapped my two $3400/per unit HyperDyne power couplers. I removed them from their electrostatically shielded vacuum-packaging. I removed the tissue wrapping that protected them from any scratching or bumping that might disturb the delicate balance of their construction.
With a sense of almost religious awe I gently pushed the cord-connector bodies into my two custom-hand-made (with silver wire) four-watt monoblock Class A 300B amplifiers with their $5000/per unit output transformers and $3000/per unit interstage transformers hand-wound by audio Zen masters in Japan on hand-pounded iron cores, their gold-foil oil-in-paper power supply filter capacitors (of course I wouldn’t dream of using a capacitor in the audio path itself!!!), their massively oversized power transformers. Each of these monoblocks was connected to a fifteen-foot-tall folded horn system with a $10K/per unit Lowthler driver.
I then plugged the HyperDyne power couplers into the wall sockets. I felt a tingle down my spine as the gold-plated blades slid smoothly into the sockets. I immediately turned on the switches that energized the filaments of the tubes. I glanced at the temperature indicators that would tell me when the tubes reached the exact heat that would bring perfect linearity.
Next I brought out my precious vinyl disk and placed it on the depleted uranium platter of my $22,000 turntable. I had to wait while the platter spun up; a display showed how the rotation gradually synced to the cesium clock time base. But that wait was no matter; the tube filaments took a half hour to reach perfection and were still warming up.
Finally I turned on the plate supplies to the monoblocks. I actuated the robotic arm mechanism that would place the featherweight phono cartridge onto the first track. The moment had arrived. I sat in my special chair with head supports that kept my ears in the 3.7mm wide audio sweet spot of the horns.
To say that I was overwhelmed is to wildly understate my experience. Somehow the new power couplers operated synergistically with the rest of the system to add that extra touch that brought out previously unheard nuances in the music. I heard the drummer softly cussing out the bass player. I heard the pianist tapping his foot. I heard the popping of the gum of the rhythm guitarist.
Each instrument was located perfectly in the sound stage. The lead guitar had an ice-pick clarity in its high notes; the chords of the rhythm guitar shimmered like sunlit ice on a frozen lake. There was a warmth to the piano that was like a comfortable blanket surrounding the other instruments, giving them the security to dare strive for new heights. Even the drummer’s annoyance with the bass player was audible in the accents of his snare hits.
If there previously had been anything to complain about in this system, it was that the Lowthler drivers were a bit difficult to tame; at times they seemed on the verge of escaping the amplifier’s control. The new power couplers put an end to that nonsense once and for all; the bass was now solidly in that sweet spot of accuracy without becoming pedantic or over-controlled.
The sound had an ethereal quality, a delicacy that at the same time was capable of the most profound depth, just avoiding the point of overstatement. There was an effortlessness about the bass, a clarity to the midrange and a sense that the highs had all the room in the universe to expand and fulfill their destiny.
A system that played at that level might seem to make demands of the listener, as if expecting him to put on a tie or even formal wear. But this sound just made itself at home, as if it were a friend I had known for twenty years. And I realized that even this incredible level of sound would improve over the next few months as the power couplers went through their break-in period.
You cannot imagine my disappointment when that evening I turned on the system again. Of course a system like this one can never sound bad, or even close to it, but something had disappeared. The sound had a kind of congestion to it, as if the very electrons were starving for breath or somehow lacked room.
What had changed? I thought about it and quickly realized that I had turned on a lot of lights as the sun had gone down. Then it hit me — the electrical power connection did not stop at the wall plug! It went over house wiring all the way to the power transformer on the telephone pole. And who knew what had happened to it on its way there? The new power couplers were only part of the solution.
I looked at my system. My eyes landed on the turntable. Suddenly I had an idea. Atomic power! Why not? I could use the plutonium power systems they used for deep space missions. That would remove any dependency on anything outside the system itself!
It took me a while to set up this last piece of my ultimate system. But it was everything I had expected. Every note seems to carry with it some special sub-atomic resonance and an energy derived from the secret heart of the universe itself.
It occurred to me that there are probably others out there who would appreciate a system like this. It’s obviously not for everyone. If you have not spent upward of $3000 on a power cord; if your speaker wires are not made out of pure braided oxygen-free silver; if there is a solid-state component anywhere near your system — then this is not for you. But if you are a discriminating listener, a true seeker for audio perfection, then you might be interested in the following.
I have decided to make the PluPower system available to the public. Due to the exotic materials required in its construction, the price will be $5,700,000.00 for a 200-watt unit. Note that this power unit will outlive you; the half-life of the plutonium-238 that powers it is 87 years. No user intervention during that time is either required, useful, or safe.
This price includes:
- 10Kg plutonium 238
- Power unit
- All necessary NRC licenses
- Transportation by secure courier to your site
- In-home setup
This product is not for everyone. You may find the price a bit steep. But for those selective few out there who really appreciate their music, this may just be the component that puts your system over the top.
It is important to ACT NOW. Current supplies of plutonium are limited, and political instability in the Ukraine and elsewhere may create delays in replenishing them once they are gone. Also, the current price can only be guaranteed while current supplies last.
Again, act NOW. You will finally hear your MONKEES album as it was truly meant to be heard.