A little black box, admittedly very heavy, priced at over €6,000 can be a real eye-opener for anyone who loves sound reproduction. However, after several months of intensive and varied testing, we can testify that British manufacturer Chord Co has not gone over to the dark side… On the contrary, with the Chord Co PowerARAY Professional, it delivers the quintessence of its ARAY philosophy. And with this atypical product, we are not at the end of our surprises…
We already had the opportunity to talk about ARAY’s achievements in issue 41. The British manufacturer’s little plugs have quickly become an essential part of our arsenal in the fight against noise pollution. It has to be said that they are highly effective and still very reasonably priced. We’ve got used to what they do, and don’t question their use in the slightest. However, when Chord Co sent us an enigmatic package at the very end of last year, we were greatly intrigued. The word ‘ARAY’ was indeed present on the bodywork, but we’d clearly changed realms in terms of size and, above all, price…
So what about this mysterious black box? By its designer’s own admission, the PowerARAY Professional is a highly effective device designed to target high-frequency noise. It uses the technology developed for the now-famous SuperARAY and GroundARAY products. Like the SuperARAY and GroundARAY, it works in parallel with the power supply and at no point comes between your power supply and your equipment. This allows PowerARAY Professional to deliver consistent results across the widest range of systems and power supplies.
PowerARAY Professional consumes no electricity. It introduces a potential gradient that transforms selected high-frequency noise into heat. Internal ground, power and neutral are individually connected to dedicated SuperARAY conductors and MainsARAY noise reduction devices, providing a low impedance path to ground and lowering the noise floor of your system. All internal components are held in place by a machined matrix and are encapsulated in damping resin.
The PowerARAY Professional is available in three versions with SignatureX, SarumT or ChordMusic power cables already in the manufacturer’s catalogue. According to the manufacturer, performance goes up a notch every time you opt for a superior cable model, as it plays an important role in the device. The reason for this lies in the shielding and insulation materials used in the three different cables. Of course, all international power connectors are available.
The set up
For optimum performance, slightly loosen the screws that hold the ultra-light legs in place. These are decoupled by a suspension ring located between them and the chassis.
The PowerARAY Professional should be connected as close as possible to the power socket supplying your audio system. If you are using a double wall socket, it is advisable to connect it to the socket closest to the one supplying your equipment. If you only have a single wall socket, it can be connected directly to the power strip.
If this power strip is a Chord Company PowerHAUS M6, use the socket furthest away from the power input. For a Chord Company PowerHAUS S6, use the socket closest to the power input. If a power strip from another brand is used, the manufacturer recommends connecting it to the socket closest to the power input. Finally, keep the PowerARAY Professional away from cables and other components.
The PowerARAY Professional works immediately, but we noticed a plateau at around half an hour. What’s more, it seems to ‘settle’ over time, unless we’re the ones getting used to it!
The sound of the CHORD CO PowerARAY Professional
It’s really not easy to make a judgement on the action of an element of the audio system that plays absolutely no part in the signal path. In fact, this little black box is neither a source, nor an amplifier, nor any kind of electro-acoustic link. It’s a kind of satellite that connects to your sound reproduction system, without actually entering it. You could call it a catalyst. A strange name, you might say, and one that might initially arouse mistrust or even suspicion.
And yet, in many cases, this device makes a significant contribution to the quality of your hi-fi installation. Like a number of other optimisation devices, the PowerARAY Professional does not actually act on the signal, but on its environment. The performance of an installation is intimately linked to the tranquillity of its environment. It is impossible to consider the system without considering the listening room and the atmosphere that reigns there. And that’s really where the PowerARAY Professional makes all the difference.
When you plug it in, you immediately notice an extra smoothness. But what you mistake for softness is something else. It’s above all an absence of hardness, of any hardness. This device is a kind of HF cleaner. By tackling hyper-frequency pollution, which the human ear does not perceive but which has extremely sensitive repercussions on the rest of the spectrum, PowerARAY Professional considerably facilitates the listener’s perception of the sound reproduced. It enhances and facilitates your sound and music experience.
Above all, its range of action affects all the reproduction criteria of your installation. Firstly, there is an improvement in the perception of the spectral range, with timbres that are much more natural, varied and above all subtle. This is particularly noticeable on vocals, and especially on sibilants, which are less accentuated and much more chiselled. It’s also easy to notice on an acoustic guitar: the strings stand out more and the metallic side is very well rendered. The same goes for piano and drums.
Generally speaking, the strike is more precise and less flashy. In terms of dynamic behaviour, the PowerARAY Professional improves the ‘progressive’ aspect of acceleration. It pushes hard, but with a much more palpable continuum. It seems to reinforce the analogue side of the reproduction.
Finally, in terms of spatial placement, there is an increase in precision, which is above all linked to the absence of three-dimensional ‘fog’. Elements are much better distributed in space, and the punctuality of sources has rarely been so good. And for fans of airy listening, there’s an extremely pleasant sensation here of a volume of air well distributed around each musician. Generally speaking, we’ve left the realm of the spectacular and entered the era of realism. The system becomes less of a ‘performer’ and more of a ‘messenger’.
After our experiments on several installations, we can’t say whether the PowerARAY Professional always makes a difference to the listening experience. What we can say, however, is that the more ambitious the system, the greater the benefit. The wider the bandwidth of the system, the more noticeable the effect of the Chord Co PowerARAY Professional. In our opinion, this product really comes into its own on high-end systems capable of delivering high resolution.
Our conclusion
Don’t let its size stop you, because the Chord Co PowerARAY Professional is a great product that can enhance a very fine hi-fi system. Of course, it’s expensive. But ask yourself this simple question: in the context of an already well-optimised installation, what equivalent investment will give you as much gain? Changing the cables will change the colour of the sound but will not solve the problem of the electromagnetic pollution cloud.
PowerARAY Professional attacks the root of the problem. No other link does what it does. It’s unique in its field, and that’s why we need it. The only way to convince yourself of the benefits of this little black box is to try it out. And to get over the idea that sometimes it’s necessary to buy a link that doesn’t affect the sound of your installation but that can considerably improve it.
Author: Laurent Thorin
Technical sheet: CHORD CO PowerARAY Professional
- Origin: Great Britain
- From:
- € 6.300 SignatureX version
- € 6.900 SarumT version
- € 7.900 Music version
