Steve McCormack's evaluation of the Mariner10 IEC Socket.
Designed and manufactured by Carmine Bocchino
Received: April 15th 2014
Hello Carmine
I hope this finds you well and enjoying life in Australia (which reminds
me that I would love to get over there for a visit sometime). Your
Mariner10 IEC socket has finally seen some action here so I wanted to
let you know what I'm hearing... Sorry it took so long but I needed to
wait for the right opportunity so I could be sure I was giving it a fair
test. I built a new power supply for my VRE-1C reference preamp and was
able to arrange things so that I could evaluate several IEC-type AC
inlets, including the Mariner10 (named after the spacecraft?).I have been aware for some while of the importance of quality in the AC
connection and power system for audio gear, and my appreciation for the
importance of this area has only grown with time. As I mentioned to
Joe ( Joe Cohen of Pranawire.com ), this growing awareness
within our industry has led to advances in
high-performance parts and cabling designed for power delivery and the
performance (and cost) bar keeps getting raised. Well, you've raised the
bar again and I must congratulate you on a job well done - it is
unquestionably the best AC inlet I have heard and easily surpasses the
best from other companies.It is still difficult to comprehend how the AC inlet can have such an
impact on audible performance, but it certainly does. The Mariner10
cleans-up the spectrum in a way I would not have thought possible.
Music via the Mariner10 sounds utterly lucid and pure, making other
inlets sound trashy and rough by comparison. This allows each
instrument and voice to stand-out clearly, cleanly, with a relaxed ease
and textural richness I've not heard before. Subtle cues and details
previously suppressed by masking and smearing are now clearly revealed -
an effect that greatly enhances the realism of the music. I have to say
it - once you've heard the Mariner10 it's hard to think of living
without it!Excellent work, Carmine - congratulations on a great job. You've given
Joe ( Joe Cohen Pranawire.com ) and me a lot to think about...
The performance is fantastic and we
both would like to use them in our equipment but the physical size and
cost are problematic and will require some creative thinking to figure
out how to deal with. Don't misunderstand - I'm not knocking any of
your choices and I realize that the performance you've achieved requires
the piece to built the way it is. I fully intend to put these to good
use in my equipment and I've already started thinking about a new power
supply design for my preamp with the Mariner 10 in mind.Thanks again for making such excellent products, and I will be in touch
in the near future.Best regards,
Steve McCormack
SMc Audio
929 El Pajodo Place
Vista, CA 92084
760-732-0352
SMcAudio@pacbell.net
www.SMcAudio.com
Positive Feedback review of Steve McCormack Nexus AC Power Conditioner that incorporates the Mariner10