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Signal Projects Poseidon & UltraViolet Power English ver.

Opinion 1

Usually when I sit down to put the observations done during a listening session onto the metaphorical paper, or better said, put my hands on the keyboard, I have already a picture of the whole text in the back of my head, or at least a leading thought, around which I am constructing my subjective narration word after word, step by step, layer by layer. And having such virtual, even etheric, skeleton for what I am writing, I have a certain psychic comfort coming from the fact, that based on experience, I know, that will have the final text ready for “printing” within a single evening, or night, session. Because this is usually the time it takes for me to produce such a text, based on my notes and having the used musical material at hand, even when I am hundreds, or thousands kilometers away from the place, where I did the listening session. But regardless, how long it really takes, two, four or six hours, I always observe a certain phenomenon, fortunately already well defined. What phenomenon? One regarding time, or more precisely, relativity of time. Do you know the statement of Albert Einstein describing this relativity very graphically? If not – then please allow me to quote: “sit with a pretty girl for an hour and it feels like a minute; sit on a hot stove for a minute and it feels like many hours. That’s relativity.” This also happens with writing – from the moment of the first click to the placement of the last dot time, at least for me, maybe does stop completely, but flows completely different, than in the reality surrounding myself. And it is not about it flowing faster or slower, it might even be parallel to the generally reigning one, but it flows … different, in it’s own way. Interestingly, a similar thing happens to the way we obtain the devices for testing, sometimes only a few days pass since we utter our interest until we can put a given device in our listening room, and on other occasions, exchanging correspondence and talks take … years. And what is so unusual about that? Well, each of those discussions should be treated on equal level with writing, and this is how I treat them, as it does not matter, if we get something in ASAP mode, or we need to wait for the unit like for the first blossoming of the Amorphophallus titanium. But why am I sharing such thoughts with you, my readers? Because it took almost as long, almost ten years to be precise, from the moment we tested the loudspeaker cables Hydra, from the British manufacture Signal Project, which then debuted in Poland. In the meantime I corresponded with Nick Korakakis – the owner and main designer of Signal, as well as with Audio Anatomy / High End Alliance – the Polish distributor of his products, about possible further reviews. We have also met on a yearly basis, outside of the lockdown phase of course, during the Munich High End show, where we always got assured, that in just a moment, in a short while we will get something improved, upgraded, or new in the portfolio to have a listen. So we kept in contact, and while it almost took a decade, from our point of view, all seemed much shorter. But finally we got something for testing, a very imposing power cable UltraViolet Power, and a similarly impressive looking power strip Poseidon.

So now, before we move on to the description of the looks of the British-Greek specialties, I will give you a short introduction, about how things are, as in Poland, despite the very enthusiastic reception on the hermetic markets like the American or Japanese ones, Signal Project is in a kind of niche, and only a few of the enlightened ones know about it’s existence. Additionally, the manufacturer has a very rich portfolio, and at least in my humble opinion, it is worth to have some kind of discernment in it. So the cables are divided into four main series. Moving from the bottom of the range up, we have the Studio, Reference, Signature and Statement. Each of those series has dedicated lines with signal, loudspeaker, power and digital cables. In the Studio series we have the Moonstone, Alpha and Monitor, in the Reference – Lynx, Silverquest and Hydra, in the Signature – UltraViolet, Apollon and Atlantis and finally in the Reference – Andromeda, Golden Sequence and Avaton. If this would not be enough, there is a quite substantial division of power conditioning and distributing accessories, encompassing not only conditioners and power strips, but also isolators, grounding accessories, stabilizers and DC blockers. So there is really a lot to choose from, and everyone should find something to his or her liking.
We started our journey with SP (Signal Projects) with the Hydra, closing of the Reference series, so now we are looking at something from one shelf higher, opening the Signature series and debuting during the last High End Show UltraViolet line, and the power strip accompanying it. As you can see for yourself, the UV does not differ from the recently tested ultra high-end competition, like the recently reviewed Stealth Audio Dream 20-20, in terms of size or exterior design. The only difference is regarding the used color palette, the American cable could be associated with the Palm Sunday opening the Passion Week, while the violet proposed with SP is more associated with advent and … (what a coincidence) Lent. But it is not about finding absurd analogies, although some outsiders seem to perceive audiophiles as a kind of orthodox church, but about being in the same kind of esthetics, where the universal black color is broken with a contrasting accent, albeit far from being flashy. Fortunately, despite having a similar perceived value, the UltraViolet is surprisingly reasonably priced, as a 2m long cable will make us only 8550 PLN lighter at the till, a sum similar to the power cable Acoustic Zen Gargantua II, and you must confess, that the UV presents itself much more classy and uncompromising, regardless of its sound. Its run, covered with a black-violet, shiny sheath, has a diameter similar to the plugs terminating it and has double heat shrinks near the ends – the internal ones are black with the company logo and model description written on them, while the external one is transparent, protecting the writing and the sheath from moving or unwinding. Regarding the internal construction, the manufacturer only quotes some laboratory values, remaining quite vague about any other details. This should not be surprising these days, when everything gets copied, but on the other side, leaves a lot open for the sensation chasers. However it is known, maybe not widely, as some of this information was provided by Nick after long hours of pestering, that the cable is made from a copper braid (multi-strand) with 6N (99.99997%) purity, the L and N wires have a cross-section of 5.42 mm², and the PE 5,90 mm². Each is composed of 48 strands. Those are braided around air tubes, which stabilize their geometry regardless of how the cable is placed. The used plugs are made to order, to be able to accept such thick conductors, and their carcasses are shielded, to further increase the signal to noise ration. The braid of the cables is not random, but the amount of turns per meter was selected to maximize protection against RFI. The cable is triple isolated, allowing for thermal protection up to 250°C (450°C for 3 minutes).
The Poseidon is an eight socket power strip, made from a solid, and what is important dull, slab of aviation grade aluminum, with a bottom plate bolted to it, with turned spikes supporting the whole. And here a remark about handling of the strip – the manufacturer does not supply any protective pads for the spikes on purpose, as he thinks, that the client will find something suitable for him or herself. Because every listening room is different, and there is logic and sense in such an approach. The strip placed on glass will sound different that placed on a carpet, wooden floor or vinyl panels. And initially you can invest just a few cents, placing coins under the spikes, and then decide which way you want or need to move. You can play around with a plethora of different accessories, like brass pads (SPU8), or quartz ones (RIQ-5010 and RIQ-5010W) Acoustic Revive, or the Polish Graphite Audio ISSB-40. You could also remain patient and wait for the Signal Project catalog to be enriched with this accessory, as there are rumors, that something should appear soon (and please take into account the relativity of time we discussed in the beginning). Regarding the recommended way of connecting, then looking from the power button and main input power socket, we have the first four filtered sockets dedicated to digital sources, phonostages, D-class amplifiers and turntables. Next pair is dedicated to line preamplifiers and … mixing tables, while the last two are destined for power amplifiers and other power hungry devices. As you can see on the photos, all the output sockets have protective covers and polarization markings, something, that makes life a lot easier.
You could also see in our unboxing sessions, that the Poseidon we received in the wooden box, is cabled with 7N copper conductors and has a rated capacity of 30A, while there are two more in the catalog – a 20A and a 40A. The latter is also cabled with much more “jeweled” conductors – made from a copper-silver-gold alloy.

Well, the looks being looks and the solidity of construction as well as the amount of output sockets are positives, but cables and strips are not taken home for those assets, but most of all, to feast our ears. So now is the time to write a few sentences about the sonic abilities of the tested devices, or more precisely, about their influence on the sound of my system. I will note, that during the tests the Poseidon replaced my Furutech e-TP60ER, and the UltraViolet’s influence was observed when it powered the power strip, as well as plugged between it and a given power receiver. It replaced the Furutech FP-3TS762 equipped with the top plugs Fi-50 NCF(R) and FI-50M NCF(R) I use normally. And going against the “truths” told by cable sceptics, who claim, that when a device is connected to the wall, or supermarket strip, using a computer type cable and receives power, everything is fine, I claim, that the quality of the medium used for transporting the volts and amperes (un)fortunately does have an impact, and their influence is easily heard. And that was also the case this time.
During the first test, when the UltraViolet was placed between the wall socket terminating the dedicated power line (3x4mm), the Furutech FT-SWS-D (R) NCF and the Poseidon, the sound of my test system evolved in the direction of delicate increase of weight of the sound, a deeper – lower reaching bass, and a certain monumentality, but importantly, without detrimental slowing down or thickening of the contours. Instead of the, simple to achieve, drawing everything with a thicker line, dulling off and rounding off the treble, and emphasizing of the upper bass, what could be perceived as improvement of dynamics by some listeners, the tested duo concentrated on the energy and timbre aspect. First of all, it allowed to keep full load of energy down to the lowest low, not only within the audible spectrum, but also in the one we can only feel with our body, and secondly, it made sure, the whole audible spectrum is attractively saturated. This does not mean, that there was a certain sweetening and a kind of postcard oversaturation of colors, similar to the demo mode of modern LCD TV sets, when the grass is extra green, the red fries our synapses and white makes us blind, but rather an introduction of a proprietary, a bit stereotypically “tubey” element, which makes all timbres more natural and nicer – like less eye tiring shades of colors. As a result of that, even the very spacious “Le Grand Voyage” Klone did not lose anything from its acres of stage and openness of treble. Only the sibilants, richly provided by Yann Ligner, were a bit civilized, and the guitar riffs got an extra shot of energy and palpability. Interestingly, the strings were practically untouched, however they sounded from a slightly larger distance, that I am used to from my setup. I am mentioning that on purpose, as I plugged the Ayon CD-35 (Preamp + Signature), which is having a triple role of a CD player, DAC and line preamplifier, into the preamplifier dedicated sockets, as well as in the filtered digital sockets, next to the Lumin U2 Mini and a set of Silent Angel gear. It happens, that presence of filters and DC blockers can not only provide mental comfort to the listener, but also temper emotions as well as special effects, removing some of the air around the musicians together with the parasitic moire and other detrimental artifacts. I have not observed that with the Signal Projects devices. It was similar with the elegant and full of beautiful melodies, as well as some more broken rhythms “Freedom Book / Echoes of Heyday” by Wlodzimerz Nahorny, where any interference with the minimalistic and intimately recorded event, would result in an evident shortage of breath, or even a claustrophobia. And yet the piano of the leader, as well as the trumpet of Piotr Schmidt, who supported the usual lineup – Piotr Biskupski behind the drums and percussions and Mariusz Bogdanowicz on the double bass – could decay to the last note, having the space and ability to do so.
A small change of configuration and the UltraViolet went behind the Poseidon, powering either the mentioned Ayon and replacing the Furutech NanoFlux-NCF, or the 300W power amplifier Bryston 4B³, where it fills in for the mentioned Gargantua. And here things were different, as the sound signature of the UV gained in intensity, showing, that it was responsible for the saturation and monumentalism of the sound, when connected between the wall and the strip, and the distributor itself had nothing, or almost nothing, to do with that, being surprisingly transparent. Interestingly, the characteristics of the UV turned out to be similar to those presented just a moment ago by the much more expensive Stealth Audio Dream 20-20. Putting both those cables head to head (I did not manage to gather enough strength to return the Stealth back to the distributor immediately after testing) it could be heard, that the tested power cord sounded more dense than the American one, and while it depicted the depth of the stage similarly, it emphasizes on a certain condensation of the tissue of the virtual sources, instead of being etheric. Due to that, the tested cable came closer to the Gargantua, which boldly romanticizes with being spectacular, a cable, that being the cheapest from the bunch, absolutely did not have any complexes and presented its muscular body, upping the drive. Although in terms of making the sound more attractive and releasing the energy hidden in the reproduced music, the UV did not lag behind its competition, it was not eager to serve a kind of “vitamin cure” with generosity of the Acoustic Zen. This made it more true, more mature (?) and less “entertaining” or youthfully playful, what was especially good for classical music. For example “Abbado: Beethoven”, where the Berliner Philharmoniker under Claudio Abbado were easily able to generate a pressure similar to a Jumbo-Jet taking during the tutti, something only a big orchestra is able to do, moving just a second later to playing with the quietness of a mountain stream. And that was accompanied with the splendid juiciness of timbres, underlining the structure of each of the instruments.

Now because the tests happened in two stages, I feel in my bones, that I should present my conclusions in a similar way. Finally I even came to the conclusion, that the resume should be threefold, because … first of all – the Poseidon sounds, and will sound, in a way that is provided by the current coming out of the wall, as it does not take anything away or add anything to the sound, being a true example and a master of transparency. So it does not mud anything, neither makes anything thinner. Secondly – the UltraViolet is audible in the sound path, you can not only see it, but also hear it, and the weight and saturation provided by it should be eagerly welcomed by all of those, who moved the threshold neutrality and analyticity beyond pleasure of listening. Of course the users of properly configured systems may also have a closer look at it, as it cannot be disliked for how it makes the sound more attractive. And finally thirdly – together, the Signal Projects Poseidon and UltraViolet Power create a dream team and a true spécialité de la maison of Nick Korakikis, not limiting dynamics and resolution, but only discretely putting a bit of extra weight – adding some energy to the lower registers. Just plainly superb.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Ayon CD-35 (Preamp + Signature) + Finite Elemente Cerabase compact
– Network player: Lumin U2 Mini + Franc Audio Accessories Ceramic Disc TH + I-O Data Soundgenic HDL-RA4TB
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Turntable: Kuzma Stabi S + Kuzma Stogi + Dynavector DV-10X5
– Phonostage: Tellurium Q Iridium MM/MC Phono Pre Amp
– Power amplifier: Bryston 4B³ + Graphite Audio IC-35 Isolation Cones
– Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Contour 30 + Brass Spike Receptacle Acoustic Revive SPU-8 + Base Audio Quartz platforms
– IC RCA: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond
– IC XLR: Organic Audio; Vermöuth Audio Reference; Acrolink 7N-A2070 Leggenda
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB cables: Wireworld Starlight; Goldenote Firenze Silver; Fidata HFU2; Vermöuth Audio Reference
– Speaker cables: Signal Projects Hydra; Vermöuth Audio Reference Loudspeaker Cable + SHUBI Custom Acoustic Stands MMS-1
– Power cables: Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R; Organic Audio Power + Furutech CF-080 Damping Ring; Acoustic Zen Gargantua II; Furutech Nanoflux Power NCF; Stealth Audio Dream 20-20
– Power distribution board: urutech e-TP60ER + Furutech FP-3TS762 / Fi-50 NCF(R) /FI-50M NCF(R)
– Wall power socket: Furutech FT-SWS(R)
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Switch: Silent Angel Bonn N8 + Silent Angel S28 + Silent Angel Forester F1 + Luna Cables Gris DC
– Ethernet cables: Neyton CAT7+; Audiomica Anort Consequence + Artoc Ultra Reference + Arago Excellence; Furutech LAN-8 NCF
– Table: Solid Tech Radius Duo 3
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT

Opinion 2

Maybe not many of you know, but the tested brand is present on the Polish market for almost a decade. A proof of that can be the test of the loudspeaker cable Signal Projects Hydra, that we published almost ten years ago. Then it was just an episodic test, something we arranged ourselves, but the company has a distributor in Poland, for a few years now, the Krakow based Audio Anatomy. The brand, and its products, have such a great renown here, that we could not get any of the products for testing because those products are being sold on the spot. We tried to get hold of any of those since the last year’s High End show in Munich. But we managed, and the result of that is today’s test of the Signal Projects UltraViolet power cable and the Signal Projects Poseidon power strip.

Looking at the manufacturers web page we can learn, that the chassis is a rigid, rectangular, 9.5 kilogram block of aviation grade aluminum, milled using CNC machines. Cabling is based on copper wires with 7N purity, similar to the conductor used in the Atlantis series of cables. A part of the 8 available power sockets is filtered, depending on the client’s needs. Those output sockets are located on the top of the chassis and are modified by the company to allow for the best power transfer to the connected devices. The whole is supplemented by a sidewall mounter power input socket and a power switch with integrated fuse.
The amount of information available about the power cable is even more sparse, as besides the visual ques of the size and color, being a nicely woven violet braid, the manufacturer tells only, that we are dealing with a multi-strand construction, using 99.999997% pure copper as conductor, where the L and N wires have 5.42 mm² and the PE one 5.90 mm².

Coming to the most important aspect of the test, the question of the sound of the products in question, I have a very interesting information for you. And by that I mean the fact, that those products in some way supplement each other. But what is this more exactly? Let me explain.
The first part of the test, with only the UltraViolet power cable, showed its influence on my system in the esthetic of nicely perceived, darker sound. Full of energy, mass, but also coherent, with the kind of hardness that I like. Not anything in the form of edginess or soullessness, but the individual attacks of the sounds pulling together. That was something in the form of reproducing a good impulse, brining with it lots of energy, and mass with well defined edges. Yes, it was on the darker side of musical projection, but without crossing the threshold, that would make the sound stage become unlit. The stage did become more focused on the first plane, this is a result of such approach to sound, so it favored studio recorded music, but I must add to that, that this was by any means not forcefully diminishing the breath of the musical events, but only a perception of higher intimacy during multiple hours of listening, but dimming the stage lights.
The Poseidon power strip showed itself a bit different, if not to say from a completely different angle. In the solo experience, the sound was much clearer and lighter, and with this, much more transparent. And interestingly, it did not matter if I used the filtered or unfiltered socket, the result was exactly the same. And this is not the only curiosity, as this approach did not result in the music being too light, or having the impression of not enough weight, as the mass aspect, and the counterpoints important for the music were on a very good level, it just allowed music to reach a brilliant, yet not tiring breath, and clear, but without any overinterpretation, artefacts in the upper registers. As a whole, I perceived it as enchanting me with music full of shine and vigor, necessary to properly reproduce the interpretations of each and every note. The system sounded lighter, than with the power cable, but this was only a different, but not worse, way of looking at the same aspect of the sound.
As you can conclude from the two descriptions above, the best performance from the whole testing session, was when the two components were combined. But surprisingly with the power cable powering the power strip, and not behind it. Why? With the cable behind the strip I was not able to achieve proper balance between the characteristics of both products, what resulted in conducting the remaining part of the listening session with the wall-cable-power strip setup. This turned out to be the ideal consensus between energy, mass, still some kind of intimacy in the sound, and its informativeness, attack speed and swing. And with that it should not come as a surprise, that this combination brilliantly managed all kinds of music, from the smooth, loving the kind of darkened lighting on stage, through electronics, demanding utmost transparency, to rock music, requiring immediacy in the reactions of the system to any kind of musical madness. Of course I will not claim, that this is the only valid combination of the tested devices, as every system may react differently, but if I would be describing the best configuration of the tested Signal Projects, I would choose the one with the power cable before the strip, without any afterthought.

How would I define the target group for our heroes? This would be the result of the remarks you can find in the text above. When choosing the cable, users of overly dark systems should maybe be wary, when looking at the power strip, then the group of people putting transparency of the sound above anything else, should be cautious. This is the natural alphabet of our game, and this should surprise no-one. But to put some warmth in the hearts of the whole population of audio maniacs, being fully aware of what I am doing, I will tell, that for a well configured duo of the tested products (cable and strip or strip and cable), I do not see any counterindications. We get such an interesting combination of weight and temperature of sound, with ease of its projection, that you would have absolutely no idea on how to put a balanced audio system together, for it not fit into that puzzle. I am not telling you, that this might never happen, as I have seen and heard my share of curious things in my life. But even if, it will be a negligible amount of setups, a typical exception, that proves the rule. And the rule in this case is a certain universality of the combination of two products coming from Signal Projects.

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
Source:
– transport: CEC TL 0 3.0
– streamer: Melco N1A/2EX + switch Silent Angel Bonn N8
– DAC: dCS Vivaldi DAC 2.0
– Master clock: Mutec REF 10 SE-120
– reclocker: Mutec MC-3+USB
– Shunyata Research Omega Clock
– Shunyata Sigma V2 NR
– Preamplifier: Gryphon Audio Pandora
– Power amplifier: Gryphon Audio Apex Stereo
– Loudspeakers: Gauder Akustik Berlina RC-11 Black Edition
– Speaker Cables: Synergistic Research Galileo SX SC
IC RCA: Hijiri Million „Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
IC XLR: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond, Hijiri Milion „Kiwami”, Siltech Classic Legend 880i
Digital IC: Hijiri HDG-X Milion
Power cables: Hijiri Takumi Maestro, Furutech Project-V1, Furutech NanoFlux NCF, Furutech DPS-4.1 + FI-E50 NCF(R)/ FI-50(R), Hijiri Nagomi, Vermouth Audio Reference Power Cord, Acrolink 8N-PC8100 Performante, Synergistic Research Galileo SX AC
– Table: BASE AUDIO 2
– Accessories: Harmonix TU 505EX MK II, Stillpoints ULTRA SS, Stillpoints ULTRA MINI, antivibration platform by SOLID TECH, Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V, Harmonix Room Tuning Mini Disk RFA-80i
– Power distribution board: POWER BASE HIGH END
– Acoustic treatments by Artnovion
Analog stage:
Drive: Clearaudio Concept
Cartridge: Essence MC
Phonostage: Sensor 2 mk II

Polish distributor: Audio Anatomy/High End Alliance
Manufacturer: Signal Projects
Prices
Signal Projects UltraViolet Power: 8 550 PLN / 2m
Signal Projects Poseidon: 17 575 PLN

Signal Projects UltraViolet Power
Type: Multi-core
Cross Sectional Area:: 5,42 mm²
Metals: Copper 99,99997%
Capacitance: 9,83 pF/ft
Resistance: 1,58 mΩ/ft
Inductance: 0,48 μH/ft

Signal Projects Poseidon
Operating current: 20A, 30A, 40 A
Max. leakage: 0,70mA @ 250V/50Hz
Capacitance (line/ground): 0,015 μF (0,5MHz/0,5VAC)
Capacitance (line/line): 0,097 μF (0,5MHz/0,5VAC)
Inductance: 0,47 mH
Chassis: solid billet aircraft grade aluminum
Dimensions (W x D x H): 47 x 15,8 x 8 cm (without spikes)
Weight: 6,55 kg

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