Djinnus Posted February 22, 2023 Posted February 22, 2023 (edited) There are a number of mains supply products out there aimed at the audiophile. Most are not that cheap, eg, Isotek will typically cost about $120 per power outlet (give or take), so a 6-way would be around AU$700. What HiFi recommend a Tacima CS947 costing £35 (UK) for a 6-way but they don't do an Australian plug equivalent. In the computer world, uninterruptable power supply (UPS) units are used to (a) provide battery backup; (b) a graceful shutdown of the compute resources; and equally importantly (c) smooth out mains current & avoid any mains spikes. However, we generally don't seem to adopt UPS within the HiFi world though I'm unsure as to why not? What do I want out of the power supply? Something that doesn't compromise the audio quality but also provides some protection against lightning strikes or other electrical spikes. Any thoughts or recommendations on what might be a suitable solution for a HiFi system that would need 6 to 8 power outlets, with a spend of something closer to $25 to $30 per outlet? Edited February 24, 2023 by Djinnus Increased cost per outlet to see if I got more response
atsq Posted March 3, 2023 Posted March 3, 2023 I just got the fan on my Eaton PW9130 Rackmount replaced with a silent fan and I am about to test it. I can report back what I hear. I have the following as well. A no-name power filter, Isotek Polaris, Isotek Sirius. I am going to use Shunyata power cables as the source for each power board/ups. The device I intend to plug in is an Anthem AVM60 and a digital external crossover that I use in my home theatre system. I have tried this test with just the power boards and the AVM60 before and every cable change and power board change made a noticeable difference.
Guest Posted March 3, 2023 Posted March 3, 2023 On 22/02/2023 at 4:24 PM, Djinnus said: What do I want out of the power supply? Something that doesn't compromise the audio quality but also provides some protection against lightning strikes or other electrical spikes. Easier said than done on "not compromising audio quality". It does depend on your equipment and what power products you are using. I find that some products affect the beat of a fast tempo track but others are quite happy to use it. And there are many different power products doing different things. It can be active or passive AC filtering, DC blockers, power regenerating etc. etc. Plus any power discussion inevitably degenerates into a fight because there are a few vocal opponents who think power is power, and anything else is a snakeoil. Best if you try things yourself quietly... It is waste of money to buy something to protect against lightning strikes. The only sure way is to unplug the power cords. Anything else is marketing BS. And many so-called "lightning protectors" actually affect the sound.
atsq Posted March 3, 2023 Posted March 3, 2023 3 minutes ago, Snoopy8 said: Plus any power discussion inevitably degenerates into a fight because there are a few vocal opponents who think power is power, and anything else is a snakeoil. Best if you try things yourself quietly... I think that everyone is entitled to their opinion but I do think that for this lot it seems to be a religion that rewards evangelism and conversion. They seem to pop up into every single discussion even those with topics specifically about people who've had EXPERIENCE with a specific piece of equipment. In other words, where no-one asked for their opinion. Until I give my UPS feedback, I can give a quick spoiler and inform that for my Anthem AVM60 the Isotek Sirius trumps no-name eBay isolator/filters in a blind test. I switched out the power boards (without informing the listener what I was even changing) and I even switched several times back to the same thing but the listener always preferred the sound (citing clearly more details in the music) when plugged into the Isotek Sirius. I haven't tested direct to the mains (mainly because I need to plug in 16 devices into 4 points and I MUST have a power board of some kind. I will repeat this test with the UPS and the Polaris (hopefully tonight). Of course I acknowledge that this is specific to my house and my power socket/source. However my test might still be beneficial to those who are considering trying this equipment to potentially improve their system.
atsq Posted March 6, 2023 Posted March 6, 2023 (edited) The UPS test was a bust as the batteries weren't connected up properly so I wasn't sure if it was functioning properly. The sound definitely changed significantly. While there was some extra clarity in some parts, we preferred our original setup. Also with the UPS potentially not functioning correctly we decided to scrap the UPS test. The test was done with two testers. Me (test conductor) and a blind tester (with better ears than mine) who was not informed what changes were made. Sometimes I even repeated a test just to keep them honest. They also had no idea how many pieces of equipment was being tested or if it was a system tweak. They just reported back any changes they heard. (NOTE: "they" is referring to the single blind tester) We did test an eBay bought Weiduka Power Filtering Board against Isotek Sirius and Isotek Polaris. Without going into heaps of detail... * On the pre/pro, the crossover and 3 class-D 1000W power amps, the Sirius was the best sounding in terms of details and tonality. We actually found that the sound had better bass impact when plugged into the Polaris but we lost some noticeable amount of micro details and felt that it was a deal breaker. The cable going into all the powerboards was the Shunyata Venom. We preferred both Isoteks over the Weiduka. * A strange anomaly was that we liked the sound best when the NVIDIA Shield source was plugged into the Weiduka and not either Isotek boards. We found that we didn't lose important details but the tonality of the sound was much more balanced. It sounded incredibly dry (even though details became slightly more apparent) when plugged into the Isotek boards. The conclusions we can draw from this is: 1. Power boards and cables do make a difference for better or for worse. 2. There are cases where you can get better synergy from something that's not the most expensive or supposedly "higher end". 3. Apparently Isotek make good stuff Edited March 6, 2023 by atsq
atsq Posted March 6, 2023 Posted March 6, 2023 (edited) For the test... The pre-pro (Anthem AVM60) and the cross-over (Wisdom Audio SC-1) had Isotek Sequel The class-D power amps (Wisdom Audio SA-1) had DH Labs Red Wave (with Furutech plugs). Speakers: Wisdom Audio L75 (L&R), C38 (Centre), P48 (Back L&R) NOTE - Rear speaker amp/cable/powerboard not changed for the test Interconnects between Pre/Pro and Crossover and Amp - Aurealis Audio OCC Silver XLRs Edited March 6, 2023 by atsq
Djinnus Posted March 6, 2023 Author Posted March 6, 2023 2 hours ago, atsq said: The sound definitely changed significantly... We preferred both Isoteks over the Weiduka... The conclusions we can draw from this is: Power boards and cables do make a difference for better or for worse. There are cases where you can get better synergy from something that's not the most expensive or supposedly "higher end". Apparently Isotek make good stuff I really loved reading this & wish I could have been with you to hear the differences! Your excellent feedback has given me a lot to think about. Thanks heaps. 1
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