YellO, Evolution-100 & PowerBar reviewed by Hi-Fi Pig
Thursday, 24th February 2022
Chris Baillie, of online magazine Hi-Fi Pig, looked at three products in this review; the PowerBar S 6-way extension block, YellO Power mains cable and Evolution-100 PowerKord.
He prefaces the review by locating Russ Andrews at the forefront of Hi-Fi mains conditioning and reveals his existing experience with our cables and mains blocks, noting that “Right up until this day, I count this upgrade to be one of the most surprising and significant upgrades that I have made”.
His assessment begins by praising the build quality of all the items, noting that even at this entry-level end of the range the products are well made – “very well put together and built to last” - although he observes that the Evolution-100 is clearly a step up in both performance and build – it “exudes quality”.
Recognising that, in the vast majority of cases, the level of these products will mean that they are mainly chosen by those taking their first foray into the world of mains purification, he therefore starts from that point, with a standard mains extension and cable.
Starting with the PowerBar and yellO cables, a 24/96 track of David Gilmour’s On An Island via Qobuz, he was “struck by the increased detail, wide, expansive soundstage, and the good sense of depth. Vocal effects were more obvious, and each instrument became easier to follow”. In addition, he makes a very telling statement about the type of improvement brought by this set up, observing that the music itself became “more involving and enjoyable to listen to”.
“for anyone upgrading from stock cables, especially if they own a budget to mid-priced system… yellO mains cables and PowerBar S extension blocks are a great option, which I thoroughly recommend”.
Overall, he says that this combination offers “a balanced performance, which [he] found gave a major performance benefit over and above stock mains cables and a DIY store extension block”.
We provided a single Evolution-100 PowerKord to give an idea of what happens when you start on the upgrade path to cables higher up the range. This supplied the PowerBar with the yellOs remaining in position to the components, which brought about “some surprising improvements”. On the same Gilmour track, where he is accompanied by Graham Nash on vocals, he detects that each singer now “had their own space in the soundstage. Instruments had more obvious dynamic qualities and more air around them”.
Evolution-100 is “well worth the extra investment and offers a glimpse of what Russ Andrews’ higher tier products, may be capable of delivering”.
Moving on to a DSD file of Dave Brubeck’s Take Five, he similarly describes “a sense of brilliance, body and dimension to the saxophone, a greater sense of the acoustics and a more lifelike and natural sounding piano”. When used to feed the PowerBar S “the Evolution-100 PowerKord provides fundamental sonic benefits” over the yellO, he says, and goes on to add “I can only imagine the potential benefits I would enjoy if I had been supplied with enough Evolution-100 PowerKord cables to power each individual component”.
In conclusion, he suggests that “for anyone upgrading from stock cables, especially if they own a budget to mid-priced system… yellO mains cables and PowerBar S extension blocks are a great option, which I thoroughly recommend”. And the Evolution-100? He argues that this is “well worth the extra investment and offers a glimpse of what Russ Andrews’ higher tier products, may be capable of delivering”.
Magazine: Hi-Fi Pig (online)
Publication date: 22 February 2022
Verdict: 5 Hearts
Click here for more about YellO Power
Click here for more about PowerBar
Click here for more about Evolution-100 PowerKord
Written By Simon Dalton
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