5 Power Conditioners: And the Winner Is?
JLeeMD -- Wed, 03/10/2010 - 18:27
TAS lists these 5 power conditioners in their latest Editor's Choice Awards:
1) PS Audio Power Plant Premier
2) Audience aR2T/aR6T/aR12T
3) Running Springs Audio Dmitri
4) Synergistic Research Powercell 10SE
5) Shunyata V-ray II
This new generation of power conditioners is superior to previous efforts (and I've had many) in that they do not exact tradeoffs in sonic performance to lower the noise floor. I would love to gather the experience of this forum on these watershed products.
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Audience Ar2T, a smaller verision of the 6T/12T.
I had the audience aR2p, which seemed a bit glassy. I returned it and bought the 2T ($1,000 more than the non-T model). It was instantly obvious that this surpassed Audience's old conditioners. One interesting aside: conrad-johnson uses Teflon capacitors, as well as several other manufacturers. I deduced from this, that there must be something about Teflon that contributes to a naturalness/continuousness that makes music sound less "electronic."
The Audience is pretty spectacular. It reminds me of my Jadis Defy 7 amp, which has such continuousness in dynamic inflections/jump/gradations that even the very slightest change from one note to the next mimics real life. The Audience Teflons do the same thing, besides which the noise floor drops considerably. I won't say tremendously, because there are, no doubt whatsoever, speaker systems with lower noise floors than any I own, and amps, preamps, ad infinitum. I will say that the sense of it being a complete event, devoid of absences of sound even in the silences, is stunning. One can hear the trumpet players, en masse, ramping up to START blowing their horns. Suprised the hell out of me. Given that the speakers I use now, Hale Revelation 3s, are hardly the last word in anything, what the Audience does is fantastic. With an ultra-low noise background, sounds start suddenly and stop as quickly. Focus is obvious. The most significant part is that, the Audience eliminates colorations to near-vanishing levels so that you will hear what your equpiment actually sounds like, instead of the conditioner. I believe this was HP's observation as well.
The reviews on the Audience T conditioners are eye popping! Every reviewer has gone out of their way to note the remarkable level of realism achieved with these conditioners and I believe you just outline one reason why. One reviewer thought there was a slight decrease in mid-bass warmth with the aR6T- did you notice this?
Mr. Harley,
As a GEC member, any chance we can get a sneek peek at your review of the V-ray II?
Mr. Harley,
As a GEC member, any chance we can get a sneek peek at your review of the V-ray II?
I'll post something on the Shunyata V-Ray V2 next week. I'll say for now that it betters the previous V-Ray in dynamics, bass impact, and bass definition.
Can't wait...thank you!
Robert, I'm very much looking forward to your comments on the V-Ray V2. Your review of the Hydra-8, written I believe near the fall of 2006, was very helpful. I'm most interested in hearing how the V-Ray V2 may compare with earlier Shunyata units, as well as units that seem to be most competitive, including Running Springs Dmitri/Maxim, Audience, and others. It was your 2006 review that resulted in my seriously considering power conditioning for my system, and the use of aftermarket powercords. Both proved to be good decisions, and I'm considering upgrading to newer units, if only I knew which ones would make the greatest improvements. My reasons for upgrading are mostly concerned with what I feel to be a lessening of dynamics. This was mentioned as an area that improved significantly in your recent review of the Dmitri. Any additional information that you may provide is greatly appreciated.
JLee:
Now you've got my curiosity piqued! What review did you see that noted less midbass warmth? I can't say that I noticed it, but I was so bowled over by everything else, I didn't notice it. Also, it might depend on the remainder of the system, but I'm willing to trust that observation: I just haven't noticed it, but my main amps are having some upgrades done on them and they are quite powerful in the midbass (the Hurricanes). I'd have to have them in there to notice.
I still have the aR1p, so I can put that back in, but the Arcam FMJ 22 integrated I'm using seems, to me, to be lacking in midbass warmth itself.
Jack Roberts' review in Dagogo. I wonder, however, whether he is hearing the standard "e" power chord as several reviwers noted improved midbass punch/warmth with the "Au" power chord upgrade.
jLee:
I read his review just this moment. I believe he was saying that a bit of midbass "warmth" that was there before (and, keep in mind, he was using the aR1p in the system) was gone. I don't hear that lightness, BUT, I, too changed a component: I went from Nordost Frey to Nordost Tyr a day ago,and the Tyr, I had deduced, would have more bass weight -- and it does. Nordost has a tendency to have their cheaper (if that can be said about Nordost) cable have less bass all the way thru the lower midrange. I've owned the Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma and Valhalla power cords and it was obvious there. Likewise, I've had Quattro Fils (although THEY didn't sound light in the midbass at all, BUT. The preamp at the time was the First Sound Deluxe MK 11 (why hasn't TAS reviewed this? I know they killed Emanual Go's first preamp back in 1990 and Emanuel said his phone just flat out stopped ringing after the review, but this baby should be heard!). The First Sound's dynamics in the midbass are kickass, as is the upper bass (just listen to a drummer in Iberia going at the speed of a Challenger rocket: it'll raise the hair on your arms, NO LIE!!! [assuming the rest of the system is equally dynamic. I had Hales Rev 3s at the time, my god-like Hurricanes, PS Audio Power Plant, Arcam FMJ23 and all Shunyata cable: first time in my audio life that the sound became SO dynamic I actully thought the woofers might blow out!]) Subsequent preamps don't have that power in the midbass though(damn it). Oh man, I wandered off again. Sorry, bad trait. I've also had the Valkyrja (now, THAT sounds light in thte bass to my ears Valhalla (no lightness thre) and most recently Frey....eh, a little of the unbearable lightness of being could apply here.
Back to the point at hand: I was listening last night to Schehrazade by the Kirov and the bass weight was quite good (it's not a "heavyweight"- sounding recording: a bit ethereal, unlike Mercury Living Presence, which tends to have great weight (or "authority" in the physical in-your-room type of presentation). Kind of like the difference between Aretha's voice and then everybody else's.
So, no I didn't notice it. Fascinating review, though, and thanks for pointing it out. He did say something that I had suspected, having auditioned the Synergistic stuff: he said the Powercell made everything sound holographic and 3D. I would tend to doubt that every single record is cut that way: it sounds as though the Powercell has extra energy in the bass/lower midrange frequencies. Certainly their Apex interconnect, without question, has a lift in the midbass compared to their next in the line, the Acoustic Precision (the one right below the Apex) and it's extremely obvious the Apex adds warmth, whether one wants it or not. Not neutral, strictly speaking, but then there are components that go the other way in order to appear "transparent": they "lean out" everything so it's as though you're in a room with a bunch of models. Yes, you can see through the crowd quite easily because everyone weighs 100 pounds, but nobody looks fully fleshed out. Older cartridges by Spectral. Lyra did that, as did my WATT/PUPPY 3s (which is why I sold them. The series 2 were indisputably warmer, but then the 3s went back to the lean side. My personal preference is for neither lean, nor warm, but I'll take a very, very, very slight warmth over leaness. We have enough problems with anorexia as a society).
So, to end this (I hear sighs all over the board: THANK GOD!!!!), no I don't hear midbass lightness, not even from the aR1p to the aR2p-T. Oh, by the way, those units don't have a power cord: they plug directly into the wall with the outlets facing the floor: an annoyance Audience should address, since it makes it hard to turn certain power cords with cheaters, like my Shunyata Python CX, which DO NOT, and I do mean DO NOT, like being twited as such for proper orientation. As my cousin Shaniqua says, "why fo' they cain't put the plugs on the side so you don't pass out trying to get the polarity right? I feel like I"m a damn bat hangin' upside down when I plug in dem power cords into that thing...but damn, it soundin' FIIIIIINE...."
About line conditioners you will have to include the Transparent Isolator reference in my opinion it is better than all 5 mentioned. In their latest model they change the Power cord and some refinements inside de unit.
Mr. Harley,
As a GEC member I was hoping to see a sneek peek at your V-ray II review. You noted earlier that you would post it here a few weeks ago but unless I missed it I have not seen it. Any prospects of getting a preview?
Sorry about not posting on the V-Ray II; I'm in the throes of moving from New Mexico to California and working on three different publications at the same time (TAS 203, The Golden Ear's Guide to System Set-Up and Evaluation, and The Absolute Sound/Hi-Fi Plus Guide to Vinyl Playback. I'll try to get to it early next week. Thanks for your patience.
Just wondering when we'll see your review of the V-Ray II...
I like the Shunyata, and although the V-ray 2 looks pretty much just like the original, they redesigned their noise-reduction formulation, (ZrCa-2000) for the Version II Hydra Model-8 and V-Ray that it says doesn’t cause the HF rolloff, which combats noise reduction much better. Sound should come out better, period.
I would like to hear/read more on that RSA Dmitri conditioner...
As far as AC regenerators are concerned I think the Pure Power models are the best. They also have battery back-up, which can be particularly crucial to those with projectors.
As far as passive devices the new Wedizhi 6 (6 outlet) is excellent. It doesn't sap any7 power and dynamics and significantly lowers the noise floor.
Sorry for the misspelling. It is Weizhi.