Tellurium Q

Black II Power Cable

£845 for 1.5m

Tellurium Q had quite a year in 2021. Not only did its Ultra Blue II speaker cables make it into our Product of the Year line-up, but the company also received The Queen's Award for Enterprise, again! So it must be doing something right, then.

When he's not occupied collecting awards, founder and designer Geoff Merrigan busies himself with improving his product range, putting his passion for material science to good use alongside conducting (pun intended) research into electrical signal behaviour. This constant search for improvement at least partially explains how a relatively young company in such a highly competitive area of the hi-fi industry has become recognised as one to watch.

On the subject of improvements, I currently have the new Black II power cable with me. As you may have already surmised, this is the second iteration of Tellurium Q's Black mains lead. Typical of Mr Merrigan, the updates and improvements were succinctly described to me as “everything, apart from the Furutech connectors”. However, through some gentle questioning, I established that the Black II sports different conductors and conductor geometry to the original, as well as boasting new dielectrics.

The second-gen cable has also been treated to improved shielding, so I am led to believe. Yet, side-by-side, both iterations look very similar, save for the outer of the latest version being a shade lighter and a touch more transparent. Additionally, Black II is a tad more pliant and so easier to thread between equipment racks. The price remains the same at £845 (for a 1.5m length with Furutech UK 3-pin plug) as the original Black, despite the Black II being an all-new product.

THE LISTENING

Naturally, if you are considering a power cable in this price range, the assumption is that your system is of a certain quality; it would be disproportionately expensive for a budget set-up. My reference system was ideal; for this review, it comprised Gryphon Essence pre and power amplifiers feeding Audiovector R 6 Arreté loudspeakers. The cable also spent time plugged into my Moon 680D streaming DAC and Oppo UDP 205 digital sources. In case you were wondering, my phono stage is battery powered, so I couldn't audition it with the Black II!

The original Tellurium Q Black is undoubtedly a good performer and proved a significant improvement over a standard kettle lead that I used as a 'palate cleanser'. However, switching to the Black II, I immediately detected a more firmly anchored sound with increased separation between instruments. For example, the Bösendorfer piano in Tori Amos's cover of Enjoy The Silence had a more live and vibrant tone, and the string swells were better lit. The acoustic version of Alanis Morrisette's Right Through You also had a less congested performance with the Black II than via the freebie. This resulted in improved clarity and definition, which was most welcome.

I also tried the Black II mains cable with my Moon 680D DAC, replacing an already decent specialist power cord in the form of IsoTek's EVO3 Sequel. While still retaining its slightly relaxed charm, this Canadian digital converter seemed to tighten its grip on the acoustic, and this manifested in a more focused rhythmic presentation. As a result, the music became easier to enjoy in the sense that I was better able to get into the general rhythmic swing of things.

THE VERDICT

Of course, to the “all cables sound the same” crowd, this will seem a lot of money to spend on an (admittedly) well-built and finished AC mains cord. But to those who use cables as a way of subtly tuning and/or upgrading their system – in the full knowledge of the improvements they can confer – the new Tellurium Q Black II is well worth auditioning. It brings an easily discernible improvement over bundled cables and is even better than its redoubtable predecessor too. This is, of course, a significant investment for a power lead, but many will find it worthwhile all the same. 

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