I’ve already reviewed the HANOWA “Signature Series”, but this time HANOWA sent in the latest, upgraded 2023 Signature Edition version of their power cable for evaluation.
The first generation of HANOWA Cable was launched on a limited scale in 2016 and officially promoted in 2021. It consisted of three categories: AC Power Cord, Analog/Digital Audio Cable, and Speaker Cable.
The second launch in 2021 was the super high-end “Signature Series”. The plugs, cable grommets, and other key parts of the series are all sourced from VIABLUE Germany.
The research and development of the HANOWA team aimed to overcome the bottleneck that traditional two-channel systems have difficulty overcoming the ability to render proper soundstage and timbre of instruments.
During their R & D process, HANOWA’s technical team has discovered that a wire and a pair of twisted wires are equivalent circuits. Whenever there is a change in a circuit’s parameters, one or more relative changes occur.
For example, changes in capacitive reactance and inductive reactance lead to changes in pure impedance, resulting in a variety of different parameters. The resistance, capacitance, and frequency bandwidth, along with the proper selection of materials and wire diameter, are the basis and an important factor in the production of high-quality cables.
The selection of high purity, large wire diameter, low crystallization, low resistance, and 6N single crystal copper with silver content is also of great assistance to achieve the perfect value of resistance and capacitance.
HANOWA uses high-density polyethylene and Teflon to make an insulation sheath, which can effectively reduce the capacitance between the two wires to about 90PF per meter, resulting in better sound performance.
Further experiments at the HANOWA lab have shown that isolating external electromagnetic interference and preventing interference with the surrounding wire can significantly improve the overall quality of sound transmission.
HANOWA utilizes super Class 6 data cable to resist internal and external interference, including static, electromagnetic, RF, vibration, and so on. Each core has multi-layer shielding to match the overall performance.
HANOWA Signature Edition
One of the most important differences between a high-end audio power cord and a regular power cord is the materials used. Compared to regular power cords, high-end audio cables use high-quality conductors that have better conductivity and lower resistance than regular power cords, resulting in cleaner power transmission.
The HANOWA technology of magnetic conductivity of the electric field is innovatively used to expand the spatial perception of the sound stage. This technology can transmit most external magnetic fields, electromagnetic waves, strong electromagnetic fields, and radio frequencies around the working environment through the electric field magnetic conductive structure in the second or fourth layer of metal shielding plus eight layers of absorbent polymerization damping with the earth multi-point grounding technology in the wire, the harmful substances are derived from the grounded end, and the faithful transmission is established to create a path of extremely low electromagnetic interference.
Single and double helix twisted stranding technology is used to reduce inductance and provide a high-frequency extension.
Dynamic Balance technology is used throughout to ensure sound across the entire bandwidth. Cables that are not designed exclusively for higher fidelity often fail to meet actual playback requirements. Too often, the design focuses only on a specific frequency, which not only reduces bandwidth but also alters timbre.
HANOWA Dynamic Balance technology aims to solve the timing problem of the boundary contour of the sound image when reproducing a three-dimensional soundstage. The more consistent the timing, the stronger the stereoscopic sense of the imaginary sound and the stronger the stage sense. The more accurate the phase of the edge contour, the darker the contrast of the imaginary sound and the richer the expression.
These positive characteristics can also balance the distribution of sound energy and help extract powerful dynamic and low-frequency details.
The principle of Dynamic Balance technology affects the sound reproduction of the high, mid, and low frequencies in the time domain, which can be tightly coupled with any instrument or vocal point, maximizing any instrument or performance detail on the soundstage.
The HANOWA power cable features a patented solderless connector and a metal surface galvanized with pure gold and silver, ensuring the most stable signal transmission possible.
The Signature AC conductors are made of single-crystal 6N copper with silver content. Especially in the HANOWA concept, each cable has a different weight adjusted to the vibration coefficient to meet the requirements of sound clarity and frequency band balance.
Suitable parallel line capacitance (at least 56pf – 112pf) has been determined for the different cable types to meet the requirements of sound balance and stereo sound stage.
Each HANOWA Signature Edition power cable is equipped with a handmade vibration-absorbing leather sleeve made of Italian cowhide, a natural bionic vibration-conducting material that gives the cable a high-quality damping coefficient.
The Music
Finding the right cables can be a difficult undertaking. Yet there is little doubt that the benefits of a properly designed high-end audio power cable are numerous. One of the most important benefits is improved sound quality.
When the power cord is designed from the ground up to deliver clean and consistent power, it results in a clearer, more detailed, and more musically engaging experience.
Not only do imaging, dynamics, and clarity have an impact, but proper power delivery makes music sound more lifelike, and the ability to more correctly represent the timbre of instruments makes them more distinguishable with their clear definition in the soundstage.
Listening to classical music on period instruments is an incredibly rewarding experience. It allows you to connect with the music and the composer in a way that cannot be replicated with modern instruments.
Schumann’s music is particularly unique in this respect, Schumann: a Schumann Salon Concert Performed On Period Instruments The Helicon Ensemble, Pedja Muzijevic, Mark Steinberg, Marc Schachman, Charlotte Hellekant offers a unique glimpse into the past and HANOWA Signature Edition power cable brought out the musical vision on a deeper level and allowed one to appreciate Schumann’s musical genius more deeply.
HANOWA Signature Edition allowed for a warmer, softer, and more intimate rendition of Schumann and the Helicon Ensemble presented with more emotional depth and enhanced the subtle nuances of the music.
The musical nuances were further established and confirmed with “A Song For You” by Kenny Rankin album A Song For You, where the HANOWA Signature Edition power cord allowed the notes to ripple through the three-dimensional soundscape without the sound being fragmented or blurred by the rapid fading of the decays.
The power and importance of appropriate spatial placement were especially evident in Dire Straits’ On Every Street, where the HANOWA Signature Edition power cord brought the energy of the music to the center of the soundscape, unifying the power and dynamic potential of the music into a single force while maintaining horizontal and vertical extension.
Many power cords can produce a lackluster sound. The HANOWA Signature Edition power cord, on the other hand, gave the music a captivating movement, with the ability to draw the listener into the vortex of the music, in which a mesmerizing harmony and timbre resonated along with an appropriate soundstage and extended three-dimensionality.
The HANOWA Signature Edition power cord added a compelling three-dimensional aspect to the sonic field, and the notes lingered longer in the listening room with a better sense of timing and clearer notion.
Something is fascinating about that. Such listening pleasure takes the listener on a different kind of musical journey, where music becomes a spellbinding and soulful experience, and the HANOWA Signature Edition design concept permits this to take place from track to track, album to album.
Conclusion
Underestimated by many audiophiles, the power cord plays a crucial role in a high-end audio system by providing reliable and unaltered power to each audio device.
An avid audiophile knows that the right kind of high-end audio equipment is essential to ensure the best sound quality, and you can not do that without properly designed and executed power cords.
From speakers and amplifiers to interconnect cables and power cords, each piece of equipment plays a critical role in creating a rich, immersive listening experience.
A spacious soundstage requires optimal reproduction of detail and precision. When each instrument is placed precisely on the soundstage and has its role, the instruments can be heard clearly without one overshadowing the others. The HANOWA Signature AC power cord has a favorable effect on the spatial arrangement of sound elements, adding another sense of depth.
The HANOWA Signature AC power cable’s ability to create a wide-ranging horizontal and vertical balance of depth and precision is enriched by a sense of centrality, with the right spatial arrangement creating a unique musical unity.
Without being oriented in any particular sonic direction, the HANOWA Signature AC power cable has a significant positive impact on the sound image and tonal characteristics.
The HANOWA Signature AC power cable engages the listener in a way that brings the more involving sound experience to the forefront without drawing attention to detail or analytically dissecting the music and sound.
The HANOWA Signature AC power cable enhances the spatial illusion where instruments seem more alive, with more sublime realism and a heightened musical encounter. The HANOWA Signature AC power cable helps create a realistic virtual environment where instruments and voices appear with more physicality and greater distance from each other, and the sound experience is less unruly, more vivid, and more intense.
HANOWA Signature AC power cable also affects the balance of frequencies, does not change the dynamic range or timbre, and provides greater musical entertainment.
To fully immerse yourself in the experience of listening to music, it is important to create a potent environment where the energy of the music can unfold unhindered, and this depends on every system connection. The HANOWA Signature Edition AC power cable is one of the potent components that enable the formation of such a habitat.
The original HANOWA Signature AC power cable was already nimble, but its successor brings even more features to the table, which is why I am awarding the HANOWA “Signature Series” AC power cable with a Mono & Stereo Highly-Recommended Product Award.
There are many renowned European manufacturers of high-end audio cables such as Kharma, Siltech, etc., with whom HANOWA shares the niche market, and it is clear that this German manufacturer strives to offer competitive products across its portfolio.
As with all high-quality audio cables, adding more high-quality cables to a high-end audio system can have a significant impact on soundstage and timbre. This is also evident when changing from ACME and the Signature Series power cables AC, where along with the better soundstage and better timbre the change also results in a more dynamic sound with better bass response, clearer mids, and smoother and extended highs.
Review system and listening room link.
Matej Isak
Price
- 6250 Euro/pc
Contact
SOLTON Acoustic GmbH & Co. KG
Oberer Mühlweg 6 | 94060 Pocking, Rottau | GERMANY
Tel.: +49 8531 913880
E-mail: info@solton-acoustic.de