By Michael Miguest
This is a review for SOUND DESIGN LABS' Joule Case Reference Series Power Conditioners. SDL is the brain child of Donald Smith and coupled with his Active-Link Inter-Connects, Power Cords, Umbilical Cords, Speaker Cables, and state of the art Vibration Isolation Management systems, represents in my opinion, the most advanced approach to tuning the signal propagation and energy transmission in ones High-End Audio System available today. During my visit to AXPONA in March of 2013 in Chicago, Illinois, I met a gentleman by the name of Keith Perry in the Medallion Room where Quintessence Audio was demonstrating their Audio Research Ref 250 Mono Blocks, Audio Research DS 450 Mono Blocks, Audio Research Pre-Amp Ref SE, Audio Research CD/DAC Ref CD 9, and Audio Research Ref Phono2 SE with Sonus Faber Armati Futura speakers and four REL Gilbraltar G-1 Subs. We talked about our respective systems and instantly it became clear to me that Keith was a very serious Music Lover and an Audio Research/ Vandersteen Disciple. We exchanged information and have become good friends. WAIT! I hear you. What does this have to do with me touting SOUND DESIGN LABS http://www.sounddesignlabs.org/product.html as the "BEST" power conditioner bar none? Here is how all of this connects. Keith tells me about a friend of his named Donald Smith whose cables and power conditioning products are extraordinary. He tells me that over time, he has replaced his other cables and power cords with Don's and the results have been "Phenomenal". Subsequently, I arranged a listening session with Keith and asked if he could invite Donald Smith so I could meet him and view his products. Don brought samples of his products which included Active-Link inter-connects, power cords, umbilical cords and his Joule Case Reference/variable-bias power conditioner. I found Don to be an eclectic, meticulous, passionate artisan. He inundated me with an abundance of technical information which at the time was overwhelming. However, listening to Keith's system with Don's products clearly demonstrated the remarkable uniqueness his Sound Design Labs' products brought to the listening experience. As soon as Keith let his tonearm down on the LP, I knew SDL was an extraordinary product line. I clearly experienced a greater communication from Keith's components which were all working in perfect tandem. For the record, Keith Perry's system consisted of the ARC VT 100 MKII amp, the ARC LS2B Line Stage, the ARC PH 5 Phono Pre-Amp, the ARC REF CD 7 CD player, Well-Tempered Classic Turntable with a Van Den Hul Frog Cartridge, Vandersteen 5 Speakers, Cables: Dynamic Design (DD) White on the Turntable and Phono to Line Stage. Sound Design Labs (SDL) HPC 4 on the CD Player to Line Stage and Line Stage to amp, SDL Speaker Cables with 2 Joule Cases, one per side with (DD) and (SDL) Power Cords. Keith's system is one of the best I have heard.
Keith met Donald years ago when he was working with Dynamic Design Cables and through Donald's influence
eventually replaced all of his Cables and Power Cords with Dynamic Design. After leaving Dynamic Design, Keith told me Donald continued to develop and design new products which were more efficacious and transformational than those in the High-End Audio Market Place. This prompted Donald to create his own company, Sound Design Labs. Keith has two early versions of Donald's first product, the Joule Case which transformed his system in a revolutionary way which I will discuss later in this Blog. Keith said: "As I look back, that was a great choice for his first product because getting the power source right makes perfect sense. Getting the electricity right and the source correct affects everything else in your audio system. It allows all of your components to preform at their best. SDL products just make my system sound more musical in every area. Don’s love of music, golden ears, and strong research and development background drives his passion for the best sound and products possible. Donald makes sure his products aren’t just different but game changers. Don works indefatigably to improve his products and line up of new products. It’s not by luck or magic but a real commitment to science and physics and a genuine love of music. I have to say that all my components are improved and sound better with SDL Products than they do without. My Vandersteens, and my ARC components preform at a much higher level than I ever could have imagined with SDL Joule Cases, Power Cords, Speaker Cables and Interconnects. Sound Design Labs' products are the best that I’ve heard at any price."
Both Keith and I agree that SDL products are difficult to describe in the normal audiophile lingo and we both agree that SDL products are "Revolutionary". You have to hear them for yourself because you won’t be prepared for what you will hear. Don was gracious enough to bring his SDL Joule Case Reference AE and Active-Link Power Cord and Umbilical Cord to my home for me to audition his products with my personal system. My Harman Kardon Citation 1 Preamp and my VTL Deluxe Ultra-Linear Tube Amp have captive power cords. Don ran both of these components into his SDL Joule Case Reference AE and ran his SDL Active-Link Power Cord from the wall into the Joule Case. The SDL Active-Link Power Cord has a line coming off of it that allows you to connect the SDL Umbilical Cord. He connected the SDL Umbilical Cord to the Joule Case Reference AE and the Active-Link Power Cord. Don's Inter-Connects also have this capability. This allows you to Variable Bias all of the components in your system. However, my audition only used the Joule Case Reference AE and Active-Link Power Cord. Don started at 4.5 VDC and after increases and decreases in increments of 0.5 VDC , we ultimately "Dialed In" my system at 5.0 VDC for maximum performance. Talk about a Revelatory Experience! Terms like timber, the ability to distinguish one voice or musical instrument from another increased, vocals sounded more like real people, Dynamics- soft to loud without compression or strain, Soundstaging- front to back, side to side, Prat, correct image size and height all morphed into a much greater, integral, "Realism". SDL products will change how you define and think of these terms. Most products offer tradeoffs, but with SDL products, you get the whole ball of wax. The common thread in all of Don’s products is "Musicality". Donald is passionately dedicated to making Musical, Natural and Superior products that allow you to enjoy your music and High-End Audio system at a whole new level.
Don Smith and Sound Design Labs designs are proprietary. However, as promised earlier, here is my overview of the Revolutionary nature of SDL's Reference products and in my humble opinion, believe nothing presently in the High-End Market Place achieves this level of Power Distribution Design.The following statements refer to SDL's Joule Case Reference Series.( Joule Case Reference and Joule Case Reference AE). A core design objective of Sound Design Labs is to create a physical environment which facilitates the unbridled propagation of signals, and transmission of energy. Variable Bias Technology is an integral component of Active-Link which plays a key role in helping to meet this objective. Sound Design Labs realizes there are many variables that can affect how signals are propagated and energy is transmitted and unlike any other Power Conditioner in the Market Place today, affords the Music Lover the ability to actively vary the bias voltage and "dial in" the maximum performance for their system. Perhaps, the following analogy will give greater clarity to this statement. Some Phono Pre-Amps allow users to "dial in" their cartridge by providing different settings allowing them to experiment with the settings that will give their set-up its greatest performance. Likewise, Bias Voltage, along with the related components of Active-Link, will have a similar effect on signal propagation and energy transmission allowing you to "dial in" the greatest performance from your High-End System. All other Power conditioners hold you and your system hostage to what's inside their boxes. As stated before, there are too many variables affecting the signal propagation for a one Power Conditioner to fit all situations effectively. SDL gives you the (Power) to take control of your system's performance in your system's environment. Perhaps I am a Control Freak which is why I "tube roll",employ vibration management, speaker positioning, room treatment, etc....... In other words, I prefer to actively control as much as possible, the sound my system presents. Unlike any other Power Conditioner on the market today, SDL allows you to actively control your Power Distribution in your environment. I can't speak for you, but I like being in control. Is the SOUND DESIGN LAB JOULE CASE REFERENCE SERIES "REVOLUTIONARY"?
It's like nothing you have ever experienced.
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