I own an M101 Nova LAN cable, which I purchased after hearing it during an A/B demo at Capital Audiofest in 2023. I was amazed by it during the show demo, and it has continued to impress at home, sitting between my switch and my Pachanko server (running Roon and Audirvana). I also own a Wireworld Starlight LAN cable, and the M101 beats it in terms of soundstage three-dimensionality and top-to-bottom tonality.
So when a friend and I attended AXPONA 2025, we stopped by M101's room to see what they were showing. It turned out that they were switching back and forth between their entry-level Flare power cable ($599 for 2m) and a more expensive Audioquest cord, using them to power an integrated amp.
There were clear differences. I think every listener in the room commented about the increase in soundstage depth, bass definition, and overall clarity with the M101 Flare, and my friend and I noted the same improvements. It's important to state that the Audioquest sounded good. It's just that the M101 sounded better.
M101 were running a drawing for a giveaway Flare power cable, so I filled out the online entry form. A few days after the show, I was notified that I won, and my Flare arrived about three days later.
I'm not a power cable guy. I have a mix of Pangea and Viborg cables, plus an old Zu Mother cord. I was running my heftiest cable, a 7-gauge Pangea AC-9SE MkII, from my Modwright KWH 225i integrated hybrid amp directly into the wall, but my Denafrips Terminator and the power supplies for my Pachanko server, Modwright phono stage, and Clearaudio tt were plugged into my PS Audio PowerStation regenerator with a mix of my other cords. The regenerator was connected to the wall power with a Viborg 9-gauge cable.
I replaced my amp's Pangea cable with the M101 Flare, and let it warm up (the amp has a triode front-end and a solid state output section). My first reaction was that the sound became more open and tighter, but that the bass might have lost a little weight. Because of the tubes, I couldn't switch back and forth between cables as quickly as M101 did during their show demos, so over the next few days I listened for about an hour at a time, then shut the system down, took a break and switched cables, then started up again with the other cable. My initial impressions did not change: the Flare sounded faster, wider, deeper, and more "interesting." I spent a fair amount of time listening to bass and drum-heavy jazz tracks, and also decided that my first impression of lighter bass was not quite right: rather, it was less flabby, and faster.
I emailed my thanks to M101, and Lubomir Dostal, M101's Ph.D. principle, responded. But he also recommended that I move the Flare to feed my PS Audio regenerator, placing it upstream of my other components (except for my amp). I did so, and I'm confident that I've picked up another step in instrumental and vocal definition, and my overall sound is now more three-dimensional than I have heard from any other system. The bass has largely reverted to its original form, however, and I miss the tautness it had with the M101 Flare.
Of course, I did the only sane thing...I ordered another Flare.
If you are contemplating a cable change, I highly recommend that you consider M101. Email or call Lubomir Dostal himself and arrange for an audition. When it comes to cables, it's a lot easier to try something different at home than it is to switch out most components, so you really have nothing to lose.
So when a friend and I attended AXPONA 2025, we stopped by M101's room to see what they were showing. It turned out that they were switching back and forth between their entry-level Flare power cable ($599 for 2m) and a more expensive Audioquest cord, using them to power an integrated amp.
There were clear differences. I think every listener in the room commented about the increase in soundstage depth, bass definition, and overall clarity with the M101 Flare, and my friend and I noted the same improvements. It's important to state that the Audioquest sounded good. It's just that the M101 sounded better.
M101 were running a drawing for a giveaway Flare power cable, so I filled out the online entry form. A few days after the show, I was notified that I won, and my Flare arrived about three days later.
I'm not a power cable guy. I have a mix of Pangea and Viborg cables, plus an old Zu Mother cord. I was running my heftiest cable, a 7-gauge Pangea AC-9SE MkII, from my Modwright KWH 225i integrated hybrid amp directly into the wall, but my Denafrips Terminator and the power supplies for my Pachanko server, Modwright phono stage, and Clearaudio tt were plugged into my PS Audio PowerStation regenerator with a mix of my other cords. The regenerator was connected to the wall power with a Viborg 9-gauge cable.
I replaced my amp's Pangea cable with the M101 Flare, and let it warm up (the amp has a triode front-end and a solid state output section). My first reaction was that the sound became more open and tighter, but that the bass might have lost a little weight. Because of the tubes, I couldn't switch back and forth between cables as quickly as M101 did during their show demos, so over the next few days I listened for about an hour at a time, then shut the system down, took a break and switched cables, then started up again with the other cable. My initial impressions did not change: the Flare sounded faster, wider, deeper, and more "interesting." I spent a fair amount of time listening to bass and drum-heavy jazz tracks, and also decided that my first impression of lighter bass was not quite right: rather, it was less flabby, and faster.
I emailed my thanks to M101, and Lubomir Dostal, M101's Ph.D. principle, responded. But he also recommended that I move the Flare to feed my PS Audio regenerator, placing it upstream of my other components (except for my amp). I did so, and I'm confident that I've picked up another step in instrumental and vocal definition, and my overall sound is now more three-dimensional than I have heard from any other system. The bass has largely reverted to its original form, however, and I miss the tautness it had with the M101 Flare.
Of course, I did the only sane thing...I ordered another Flare.
If you are contemplating a cable change, I highly recommend that you consider M101. Email or call Lubomir Dostal himself and arrange for an audition. When it comes to cables, it's a lot easier to try something different at home than it is to switch out most components, so you really have nothing to lose.
