So…
My personal experience with the QSA Lanedri (QSAL) Ultimatum power cable.
System context: I’m running on a DIY Stromtank, a (literally speaking) very heavy off grid AC setup that runs on 48 volt architecture. It’s combined with a complex network setup, and ultimately feeding ATC 100 speakers.
At the time of arrival of the QSAL Utimatum, I was using a Cardas Clear beyond (CB) XL and that was the main power cable (PC) at the beginning of the chain, feeding the whole system.
This video was one of the inspirations in the importance of the first power cable:
When I received the Ultimatum PC from QSAL, I thought it was just completely ridiculous in so many ways… almost comical. You can’t help but grin…
1) Each of the 3 individual cables (each Ultimatum cable is made of 3 individual, separated cables.) is really thick and heavy - and each one is separated, covered in a smooth, almost silky white tightly woven fabric sleeve.
2) there are custom connectors that are very large to accommodate for the heavy cable gauge. Those connectors are made of some kind of dark inert composite.
3) the weight. It’s just really heavy. You have to hold the PC with 2 hands… in fact it could interfere depending on where you plug it so make sure you have a little bit of space around it. When you handle, it feels like holding a thick, smooth and heavy snake in your hands.
4) it’s very flexible, which is nice
5) overall it has a purposeful feel, it’s not like a fancy blingy “wealthy people hifi dealer” type of “designer” cable, it’s made with intent and at the same time it’s clear that it’s something very special, a labor of love
As a basis of comparison, the Cardas CB XL is a powerful sounding cable, open, fast, neutral with a hint of warmth, transparent but still with weight, musicality and not cold/clinical or harsh at the same time, a fine balance. The crown jewel of the Cardas line without a doubt and superior to the CB as you would expect for the price. I ran my whole system on this PC (first cable). Keep in mind I tried ~15 PCs including a good chunk of the Cardas line, Nordost, Shunyata etc etc (refer to my prior post) and most of the usual suspects.
Now comes the QSAL Ultimatum. As soon as I put it…
BOOM.
Never heard anything like it. Different world. The sound completely explodes in all directions, there’s massive presence and the room is filled with sound and sonic vibrations. I remember vividly my first impression is that it creates a physically large bubble of sound where the instruments incarnate with their sub-universe within that bubble.
Everything becomes tangible and palpable, physical, the sound is made of vibrations that have a lot of energy inside. It’s like a rich harmonic and tonal vibrating soup that’s really enveloping, large, and physical.
But each instrument has its own soundscape: space, dimension, attack, sustain, decay, tone, timbre, material, texture, mass… because of that, it’s very easy to follow each instrument, there are very differentiated not through brightness or simply “detail” but through many different sonic and musical dimensions and attributes.
Things are energetic but feel slower at same time… and everything makes much more sense musically and emotionally because it’s very clear what’s going on, what’s the intent, not through hifi but through substance. It feels rich and generous and released, free flowing.
Treble, midrange, bass, depth, blackness, detail, soundstage… are not really as relevant anymore and are replaced by 1 word: realism.
In the infamous “Birds” from Dominique Fils-Aimé, you can follow the birds in the background moving in space, you can understand what they are made of, you can almost visualize them and understand how their wings are moving, you can feel the physical presence of the wings flapping and moving air, and their ethereal and synthetic nature.
There’s a live feel, it’s much less like a recording, and much more like a real event happening in the room with a lot of emotional engagement.
It’s not projected, it’s not hifi at all, it’s really about the music, emotions and the HUGE physical presence of the event but again not in a hifi or projected way, more so in a physical, vibrating way.
A good way to describe it is that the sound is unleashed and because there’s so much less noise and distortion, everything becomes big, real, physical, incarnated and believable, and it just commands you emotionally. It’s an event. It matters.
I did try to go back to the Cardas CB XL, which is an outstanding PC in its own right but then … you just go back to the world of “regular” hifi. Very good in isolation but then you switch back to the old universe. The normal universe. Smaller, restricted, constrained, 2D, monochromatic, simplified, recorded…
If you read between the lines, that’s exactly what the Stereo Times review said - it belongs to a new and unique category. There’s nothing to compare this PC with. It’s completely unique. Saying that’s is the best PC, as far as I’m concerned, is an understatement because I think it just redefines the entire hifi system by completely unlocking the power you have and let it flow through the entire system and then the room.
You can almost feel the rush of massive and clean energy flowing through the components, making it so much easier for them and giving them the ability to full express themselves in a way that was unreachable before. Goes without saying that you do need to have the best possible power in the first place to fully unleash the potential of this beast.
Burn in? Yes… maybe 300 hours but it shocks immediately. There’s some slight rawness (5-10% max) that fades quickly during the burn in process but that phase is in no way painful, it’s 100% enjoyable from day 1. It just naturally blends as it settles into the system. In fact, I think it’s pre burn-in before delivery. So that’s a plus.
For those who can afford it, it’s a complete no brainer to at least try… and please do report and share to the forum if that’s possible.
This is a groundbreaking, very unique and very special product in the world of hifi. It should not necessarily be viewed as a power cable, rather to be compared on the impact it creates, therefore “competing” with any hifi product. I know there’s a lot of hype on the forums but if you think logically, and refer to the video above (I have the same experience BTW), it’s clear where the Ultimatum fits in the hifi hierarchy since it deals with foundational AC power.
If you’re around… come listen to it… just pm me, I’m in London.
www.whatsbestforum.com
www.qsa-lanedri.com
