ESP Power Cords & Power Distribution Components - Product Reviews

New!   "More Power" The Essential Sound Products MusicCord-PRO
Vintage Guitar Magazine, July 2011, by Sean O'Bryan Smith

"Does the cable actually make a discernible difference? The answer is "Yes."
We put the MusicCord-PRO through multiple uses, and compared to stock cords and some midrange cords, it did indeed make a vast improvement in our signal chains; guitar and bass amps were cleaner sounding, and not in a "clean tone vs. distorted tone" sort of way, but our high-end tube amp's signal had a noticeable absence of hiss..."

New!   Essential Sound Products MusicCord-PRO ES Power Cable & Power Distributor
The Audio Beat, July 2011, by Marc Mickelson

"I have to say that the MusicCord-Pro ES power cords and Power Distributor are the most impressive ESP products I've used. They are not the very best in strict sonic terms; The Essence Reference demonstrates much of the same clarity and resolution as the MusicCord-PRO ES, adding dynamic and bass prowess -- these depending on the partnering equipment -- that the latter doesn't quite equal. However, the MusicCord-PRO ES products cost less than half of the Essence Reference, and more important they can be used in systems of the very highest pedigree -- and price -- as well as with modest electronics that are more commensurate with their cost. Such universality is the MusicCord-PRO ES's overwhelming achievement."

New!   Essential Sound Products (ESP) MusicCord-PRO ES Power Cable, MusicCord-PRO Power Distributor
Everything Audio Network, April 2010, by John Gatski

"Premium Cord Improves Resolution Through Better Immunity to RFI"

"An upgraded accessory power cord can be a worthy investment to any audio system. A well-built one like the ESP MusicCord-PRO ES, can improve sound quality by eliminating the potential resolution-robbing AC line noise and maintaining optimum current for AC intensive products, such as amplifiers."

Essential Sound Products MusicCord-PRO Power Cords Two Gear Geeks, December 2009, by Bob Hyde

"I will say that the noise issue was more noticeable than the tone difference. I typically pick up radio frequencies through my amps at home, and I didn't get a single stray news cast when using the MusicCord-PRO."

"Overall: The MusicCord-PRO is quite an impressive power cable and it will make an audible difference in your bass tone."

ESP MusicCord PRO Power Cords, Pro Audio Review, September 2009, by Frank Wells

"Summary: What I heard was consistent and repeatable, significant, bordering on profound depending on the speakers."

"After a lot of ear-hours, I'm now a believer that in this application there is an audible difference between typical 18 AWG and 14 AWG power leads, and a performance improvement with the MusicCord-PROs. With 18-gauge leads, effectively my "reference normal" for small monitors, the speakers sounded a bit thin, with less low end and less detail than with the ESPs. With 14-gauge leads, the bass presence improved over 18 AWG leads; warmth at the expense of reduced transient response. The MusicCord-PROs gave the benefits of both with still finer detail and a more "natural" sound. There was more depth in stereo with the ESPs; mixes sounded more like a cohesive whole and less a collection of parts."

ESSENTIAL SOUND PRODUCTS, INC. MusicCord PRO PREMIER Guitar, March 2009, by Chris Burgess

"Are you going to hear a difference? Yes. Simply put, hearing is believing."

"Is it a big difference? For me it was...the improvement in clarity was immediate and unmistakable. Imagine sitting in a convertable with the top up and the windows down all the way...adding MusicCord-PRO to your rig is like dropping the top - you get the idea. While you might not need it to power your practice amp, it's an investment worth consideration for just about any other application."

ESSENTIAL SOUND PRODUCTS MusicCord & MusicCord-PRO BASS PLAYER, February 2009, by Jonathan Herrera

"Bottom line: The ESP cords make a substantive difference, so if you've got to have the best, this is it."

"First off, I could barely tell the difference between the MusicCord and MusicCord-PRO - maybe the PRO was slightly bit more assertive in the lows than the other, but it was subtle. Against the generic competition, though, the differences were clearly audible. The sound got tighter and more refined with the ESP's, with more sparkle in the upper register and more presence and power in the lows. The upper mids seem to awaken, imparting a sense of improved clarity and spaciousness."

ESSENTIAL SOUND PRODUCTS MusicCord Power Cords Guitar Player, February 2009, by Art Thompson

"As unlikely as it seems that the last six feet of power cord can improve a high-voltage AC signal that has already been "conditioned" by many miles of utility company wire, the MusicCord-PRO cable has a positive effect on the sound of your amp."..."we heard the enhancement most clearly when playing clean parts through the very clean-sounding Dr. Z amp."

MusicCord-PRO: Power Worth A New Listen, DownBeat, January 2009, by Keith Baumann

"It is always exciting to experience something innovative. Listing at $179.99, the ESP MusicCord-PRO is a revolutionary product that will make your instrument amps, microphone preamps, PA and outboard gear sound significantly better."

"With confirmation that power cords do make a difference, I then switched to the MusicCord-PRO. The difference in sound quality was amazing. There was an increase in clarity, with cleaner highs and tighter bass notes. Both amps also sounded warmer and fatter."..."(Henry) Johnson tried the cord and was immediately sold. "I have been playing guitar for more than 30 years, and I felt I knew everything about guitar amps." Chicago-based Johnson said. "But I was shocked to hear the difference in tone from my JazzKat amp using the ESP power cord. There was more volume and the guitar was noticeably cleaner.""

MusicCord-PRO Power Cord, Bass Musician Magazine, October 2008, by Jake Wolf

"Is it worth it? It allows the rest of my gear to sound its best, and considering what I spent on all that stuff,
it seems a small price to pay for the subtle yet poignantly noticeable benefits it offers."
"For the $179 that some people would consider excessive,
I feel that the MusicCord-PRO offers at least that much in terms of how it improves my tone."

"It seemed to deliver the leading edge of the note attack quicker and more precisely, and in general sounded more focused ...the effect was undeniably present to myself and to band mates. Everyone agreed that the sound was more refined and somehow more controlled, while being slightly more airy and crisp with a sharper attack."

AVP-16 (MusicCord) Power Cord and A/V Power-Flow PRO (MusicCord-PRO) Power Distributor
Home Theater & Sound, October 2007, by Roger Kanno

"When I first listened to my system with the new ESP products, I immediately noticed how much quieter it had become. Very-low-level details were now more perceptible. I was able to hear deeper into music and further into complex movie soundtracks; my system’s background noise now seemed almost nonexistent...ESP claims that their power products improve video as well as audio performance. They did indeed produce deeper, blacker blacks, more vibrant colors, and seemed to reduce video noise."

AVP-14 (MusicCord-PRO) Power Cord and A/V Power-Flow Pro (MusicCord-PRO) Power Distributor
ULTRA Audio June 2007, by Albert Bellg

"...the bass was big, powerful, and fast, with plenty of wham! factor. What surprised me, though, was that the bass was not only strong, but more detailed than through my references...now all parts of the sonic spectrum sounded more detailed and transparent. There was better separation between instruments and tones, and clearer imaging. Vocal passages in particular sounded more distinct and easy to hear...The A/V Power-Flow Pro power distributor was another pleasant surprise. As might be expected, it did a fine job in conjunction with ESP’s own AVP-14 cords. What I didn’t expect was that the combination would add to the AVP-14’s coherence and presence without further degrading their timbral accuracy. Furthermore, the Power-Flow did a credible job of improving the power coming out of the wall"

The Essence REFERENCE Power Cord, The Inner Ear, May 2007, by Myles Astor
IF I WASN'T TRAINED FOR SURPRISES: IN TODAY'S ULTRA-HIGH PRICED WORLD,
ESP'S THE ESSENCE REFERENCE POWER CORD'S PRICE AND PERFORMANCE SHOCKED ME

"...from a performance-value perspective,
ESP's The Essence Reference AC power cord should be considered a no-brainer as your next, inexpensive, upgrade."

"THE ESP CORDS proved a revelation in my system and are clearly more than an accessory or tweak. They produced as large an improvement in sound quality as would have been wrought by replacing any single component - and at significantly less cost. The cables brought together the system's dynamics, transparency, resolution, and imaging."

The Essence REFERENCE Power Distributor, SoundStage! May 2007, by Marc Mickelson

"There is a fulsome neutrality, not the emaciated version that so many audiophiles have come to identify as neutrality, along with a fast, wideband handling of transients. Its sound, if "its sound" does exist, has the character of flowing water: clarity with no dominating flavor, which is the point of a product like The Essence Reference."

The Essence REFERENCE Power Cord, TONE Audio December 2005, by Jeff Dorgay

"THE VERDICT: Personally, I don't care if they dunk these things in the French fryer at MacDonalds to make them do what they do. I want neutral sound for my reference gear and that's what the Reference cords deliver."

"if you really want to get more music from your system, without affecting the tonal balance at all, I can't recommend (The Essence) REFERENCE high enough. I'll be using them in my reference system from now on!"

The Essence REFERENCE Power Cord, SoundStage! November 2005, by Marc Mickelson

"...The Essence REFERENCE power cords were exceedingly close to real neutrality
...performance without obvious limitations -- completeness."

The Essence Power Cords and Power Distributor, Positive Feedback vol. 8, #3 (Winter 2000) by Rick Gardner

"...this is not a matter of preference.
Once I heard my system with the E.S.P. products in place it simply sounds 'wrong' without them, not less good, wrong."

Keith Jarrett's 1999 solo piano CD release entitled "The Melody At Night With You"

In the CD pamphlet, Keith Jarrett says
"Special thanks to Michael Griffin of Essential Sound Products for use of E.S.P. Power Cords"

The Essence Power Cords - Ultimate Audio - Recommended Components 1999 by Greg Petan

"No single accessory has had a more profound effect..."

The Essence Power Cords - FI - Recommended Components 1999

"The ESP's are the best after-market power cords that several on our staff have heard."

The Essence Power Distributor & Power Cords - FI August 1998, by Wayne Donnelly

MORE (AND CLEANER) POWER TO 'YA

"...the full ESP lineup is pretty dazzling."

The Essence Power Cord and POWER DISTRIBUTOR, SoundStage! October 1999, by Marc Mickelson

"ESP products that I used were unique to me in terms of their broad applicability. They maintained their sonic characteristics from component to component, producing the same effects with all of the equipment I had on hand."

"individual sounds - singers, instruments, spatial cues -
emerged from a deep blackness and with a quick, immediate quality."

THREE ROUNDS AND A KNOCKOUT: The Audio Research CD2 Compact Disc Player), FI June 1998, by Wayne Garcia

Stage Three: I decided to replace ARC's new power cord with my favorite after-market-brand power cord, "The Essence," by Essential Sound Products (ESP). Oh, Sweet Relief! With "The Essence" attached, gone were the plodding, wooden lower registers. Gone was the coarse grain (reduced to a negligible powder). Gone was the lack of air, bloom, and ambience. With the ESP, the CD2 took on a remarkable balance, ease, and transparency. Large and small dynamic signals were set free. The CD player opened up in all sonic dimensions.

The Essence Power Cord, The Absolute Sound Issue 109, by Mark Bucksath

The Essential Sound Products "The Essence" Power Cord - On Umbilicals...

"At last a power cord that can properly be termed a component."

A/V POWER-FLOW Power Cord and Multiple Outlet Strip, SoundStage!, December 1999, by James Causey

"If you could pay an extra 150 greenbacks to make your amp and CD player sound this much better when you buy them,
you’d do it in a heartbeat."

The Essence Power Cord, FI April 1996, by Michael Gindi

The Essential Sound Products Power Cords

The review that put E.S.P. power cords in the audiophile consciousness.

The Essence Review Excerpts

Quotes by reviewers from trade publications including Stereophile and FI magazines.