AudioNervosa
Systemic Development => Bipolar System Disorders => Topic started by: mdconnelly on August 23, 2009, 09:35:25 AM
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Over the last 6 months, I've had the opportunity to try numerous power products and cables - all having had a clear sonic impact. Given that, I've come to accept just how much correlation there is between power and sound quality, particularly since I live in an old section of Durham NC where all power is above ground and often subject to the whims of weather and other strange anomalies.
In the course of this time, I also began reading more about Alan Maher products both here on AN (see http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=1458.0 (http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=1458.0)) as well as over on Audio Circle. All of his products focus on the various causes of power line noise. Some are designed to focus component-specific, others system wide, and still others meant to treat non-audio circuits in an effort to improve the overall power grid in your home. I'm not an EE, but am intriqued by his approach.
I was fortunate enough to be reading AC at a time when Alan released his latest Quantum Studio (QS) component at OEM pricing for a very short period of time. I jumped and received it approximately 1 month ago. The QS is designed to be run in parallel by plugging it into a spare outlet from where all other components are fed. I've got a dedicated 20a circuit with a single duplex so the QS went in oneoutlet, the other feeding my Running Springs Jaco which in turn feeds everything else. (we'll postpone the discussion as to whether the QS and Jaco are, in fact redundant, for a later time).
As Alan very openly notes and others have posted, the first few weeks of breakin with most of his products will not sound good and, given that the QS has Bybees in it, it takes at least a month to hear the full benefit. Well, they're right. I've not heard anything that has as remarkable a breakin period as the QS. After just a short time, the sytem went flat. Soundstage collapsed, details gone, and bass missing in action. It was like I replaced all my components with a low-end receiver.
But between two and three weeks, the soundstage started opening up again, details began to reappear. The top-end still varied a bit day by day and bass was kinda flabby when present. Still, something good was going on.
Week 3 ,.. Soundstage took a nice step forward, details not only in voice and instrument, but in the finesse of harmonic decay, were wonderfully noticeable. At 1 day short of 4 weeks, bass is now deep, tight and tuneful, mids have a richness I've not heard much from solid state and top end is extended yet relaxed. If I have to compare it to anything else I've heard, it would be all the benefits of the Equitech balanced conditioner (huge soundstage, bass slam, extended top-end) without the transformer hum. But of course, there's no way to directly compare. But, to me, there is definitely more there now than before I added the Quantum Studio and it sounds damn good!
Is there a down-side? Well, Alan will tell you that if the QS looses power for more than a few minutes, it will throw things back requiring the QS to have to restabilize the circuit again. At some point, I'll have the courage to pull the plug on the QS just to see what happens, but not yet - things are sounding too good. I'll give it another couple weeks before I do that. Might want a few witnesses when I do... ;-)
I have to echo other reviews about Alan Maher products... the Quantum Studio conveys a remarkable sonic improvement without any downside short of the breakin period as far as I can tell. Definitely worth checking out...
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Mike,
Nice review. Just for the record: My power went out recently for 45 minutes without a problem. Of course, rather than being concerned about our felines or sleeping in 100 degree stagnant air, I was wondering what it would do to the sound. :rofl:
This nervosa is bad stuff! Glad you are enjoying the sound.
Phil
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Nice Mike. Now you got me thinking about trying it, because our sonic observations are so often very close. But you need to practice your hyperbole before you can equal rollo's Alan Maher product reviews. ;)
I volunteer to be a witness when you pull the plug on your nirvana. How long is it supposed to take before the effects are resuscitated after a flat line? Not 30 days again?
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Phil, it's great to hear that you did not experience any bad degradation after 45 minutes. Alan said that an extended power outage could set you back a week or two.
What I really want to hear is what my sytem will sound like after I pull the QS out since it should revert back to pre-QS sound quality within a matter of minutes.
If folks are around Labor Day weekend, perhaps we could do a mini-G2G just for the sake of this. Might be fun! AlanMaherDesigns dot com will also be having a Labor Day sale on most all of their gear so the timing could be good. Let me see what I can arrange and will post here if anyone is interested.
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You guys are sooooo brave. May I thank you on behalf of curious audiophiles worldwide (enough hyperbole, Rich?).
That would be an interesting experiment. I look forward to reading the results.
Mike,
when you are ready and when I have another few days on the Infinity CBF (the one Rollo loves), I'm going to tweak your nervosa. If the magic doesn't disappear, and refinement continues, in the next few days, it is fair to say that this little $25 box takes the Quantum up a level.
On behalf of audiophiles worldwide, I have to ask: When did you try a tweak or buy anything that cost $25 audio dollars (equivalent to 25 cents in real world goods)?
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Phil... yeah, I'm thinking the Infinity CBF is definitely on my list. My problem is simply how to prioritize among the many products. The Infinity is a no brainer I think, particularly after my experience with the Quantum Studio.
Rich, regarding the hyperbole... well, I've learned my lesson there. It's real easy to get caught on the next-totally-awesome-gottahaveit-thing bandwagon. But... this stuff definitely seems to fall into that category. At least it's working for me.
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Nice Mike. Now you got me thinking about trying it, because our sonic observations are so often very close. But you need to practice your hyperbole before you can equal rollo's Alan Maher product reviews. ;)
I volunteer to be a witness when you pull the plug on your nirvana. How long is it supposed to take before the effects are resuscitated after a flat line? Not 30 days again?
It takes 16/17 days. About a week to hear any substantial improvement. Be patient.
charles
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Mike-
Thank you for your review. :) Single parallel filters, especially of this magnitude, require a backup network in order to maintain sonic quality during power loss. As in Phil's case, he has not only the main circuit covered with multiple filters, but he also has non-AV circuits addressed, which help greatly to reduce the strange anomalies in harmonics when the power is switched on and off. The strange anomalies of harmonics really has to do with the interaction of the circuit breaker and the adjoining circuits. They also go through a period of magnetic flux, simply because things are plugged into those circuits. Since everything is connected at the panel, all of those imperfections are heard on every circuit as is. All the goodies of the QS are heard on those parallel circuits as well. By damping the non-AV circuits, we can control the magnetic flux during power outages. As Phil said, power can be out at 45 minutes at a clip, and you will experience 0 loss of quality. One suggestion, as we've discussed, is to pick up two or three Ref II filters - these will help in the bass and lower mid region, as well as the top end. Another option for some spare storage around the house is to look at the upcoming PE v3. PE is famous for storing stray voltage during times of peak and releasing it during dips. The v3 is now all copper foil caps, and that has definitely improved the filter's sound quality. I look forward to your experiment during Labor Day. If you guys can round up 10 or more, we can always work up a bulk order package. Keep us posted!
Regards,
Alan Maher
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I've been sitting on the fence about these products and reading / ruminating. After reading, the product's design and power supply in my location seem to indicate the products are not for me.
I'm in rural NH where we experience power outages from time to time, from seconds to a few hours, to this past December's ice storm related 8 days. Frankly, it seems overly problematic to consider using a product that after more than 45 minute's of power loss (A. Maher's post) may subsequently require "16/17 days" (per Rollo's post) to reset. Probably not an apt fit for my area, which is not to say it does not work for others. Thanks to all for their informative posts, and my best to all who can make use of Mr. Haher's products.
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I've been sitting on the fence about these products and reading / ruminating. After reading, the product's design and power supply in my location seem to indicate the products are not for me.
I'm in rural NH where we experience power outages from time to time, from seconds to a few hours, to this past December's ice storm related 8 days. Frankly, it seems overly problematic to consider using a product that after more than 45 minute's of power loss (A. Maher's post) may subsequently require "16/17 days" (per Rollo's post) to reset. Probably not an apt fit for my area, which is not to say it does not work for others. Thanks to all for their informative posts, and my best to all who can make use of Mr. Haher's products.
Maybe I should have clarified that the 16/17 day period was for initial break in NOT resetting. I do not have a clue how long the Quantum Studio takes to reset. Hopefully Alan can chime in here.
charles
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I will say that as far as the Quantum Studio is concerned, break in is only beginning to achieve improvements at the 16-17 day mark. After 3 weeks things were sound much better than pre-QS. I'm just a bit over 4 weeks now and loving it.
Alan did address the issues with loss-of-power reset. I suspect after a significant outage, it could take a couple weeks to restore nirvana ;-) although if you're also using his Ref IIs or PEs, the risk of audible loss is evidentally diminished a good bit.
I'll post my findings when I'm brave enough to pull the plug...
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That's awesome Mike. Especially since your experience is lining up with rollo and Phil. I can't wait to hear it. Hopefully is demonstrable without requiring lengthy reforming of the effects.
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I have to agree with Rollo's enthusiastic report on the Infinity CBF, the little black box that costs all of $25. In my system, the infinity reduces noise beyond what the Quantum AC can (and that really surprised me) and works perfectly with the Quantum.
Specifically, it deepens the bass significantly (much more woof in the woofer) and generally adds more weight and body to instruments. Spatial information is also improved, as is tonality. Cool stuff.
This little experiment makes me realize just how much junk finds its way into components. The infinity is well worth trying. Mine is taped over the bottom outlet of the amp's dedicated line.
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Phil-
That is an excellent choice as a second application once the circuit breaker/panel wiring has been treated.
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Phil-
I forgot to mention, the Infinity CBF can also be used to treat non-a/v circuits the same way as our active line. Non-A/V circuits will magnify the dynamic tonal reproduction you are already enjoying with the single Infinity CBF. I have about 10 installed throughout the home to address non-A/V circuits...some circuits have more than one installed, but they are used to filter specific applications (appliances/lighting).
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Last night, Shane (hometheaterdoc) stopped by to delivery a Salamander cabinet and while he was here, I had him listen to my system with the Quantum Studio in my audio circuit as well as a trio of Ref IIs inserted in non-audio circuits.
I think he was quite surprised at the difference/improvement since the last G2G at my place. Tonal quality was richer, more body and bass slam and soundstage bigger/taller. I'll let him comment so as to not put words in his mouth.
But one of the interesting observations is what it did on a particular track: Good Morning Heartache by Karrin Allyson. While Karrin's voice sounded perfect and well placed, there is an acoustic guitar on and off in this track this is normally placed front right in the soundstage and that's exactly where it is in headphone listening. But that's not what we heard in my room - in fact, it sounded like the guitar component (but only the guitar) was out-of-phase. String plucks were where we expected them but then we'd hear some of the guitar suddenly coming from the left speaker. It was eerie.
After exchanging email with Alan Maher and trying a number of things today, I'm convinced that this is a result of room and speaker placement - not the recording and not directly attributed to the QS or Ref IIs - but rather, a result of the enhanced soundstage that they are enabling. I've been playing with tow-in and have found I can definitely affect it in doing so. I'll post more when I can mess with speaker placement further.
Anyone else ever experience this?
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You might be experiencing some comb filtering or lobing. It can sound a little like a phase effect. definitely play with speaker placement to see if you can make it go away. Sometimes you can get a similar effect by moving your head a little left and right of the sweet spot, or sometimes more forward or more back. What kink of speakers do you have (some styles are more prone to this than others)?
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Yes, Shane and I both noticed that leaning forward or leaning back affected it. The speakers are Aerial 10Ts. When I get a chance, I'll definitely try shifting the speakers more to see what I find. There's not a lot of wiggle room with speaker placement given my room. See here:
http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=1257.0
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Did you notice this phenomenon after installing the power filters? When you finally try unplugging them, it will be interesting to see the effect on the guitar in that recording. This is some really deep nervosa - I LOVE it!! Maybe the guitar was recorded out of phase (wouldn't be the first recording snafu) and now you can hear the effect more clearly?
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Or, you're getting the noise levels down low enough that you can hear the comb filtering in the room more clearly. Comb filtering is very common in most rooms and difficult to pin down as a true phase anomoly rather than just a smearing.
Bryan
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I definitely think the noise level has been lowered and Shane swore that the guitar in that recording was well placed right-front when we all listened to this track at the last G2g at my place. It's the 5th track from the ZCable compilation CD Shane had.
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Good idea Bryan.... I feel more comfortable with the idea that more is being revealled when everything else is better too. As opposed to the idea that the power conditioner put some voodoo on guitars.
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Mike,
This is really interesting. Please let us know what you find out. I find that the guitar in particular sounds very good in my own system.
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We offer a speaker set up guide on our web site which is a modified version of the Cardas (recording industry standard) method.
Use the standard method for short wall set up. Use the dipole method for long wall set up.
http://alanmaherdesigns.com/DIY.aspx
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Phil, the interesting thing is that the tonal qualities of the guitar are excellent, but image placement in the soundstage is just weird.
Alan, I am paying close attention to speaker placement trying to sort this out. Thanks for the pointer. Unfortunately, I am a bit constrained with what I can do in the room beyond movement of the speakers a few inches in various directions. Stay tuned....
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Thanks for the pointer. Unfortunately, I am a bit constrained with what I can do in the room beyond movement of the speakers a few inches in various directions.
Good point that speaks to a broader topic (mods, feel free to move this post to another area if you like).
I ran across the Cardas 'Golden Triangle' placement article some time ago, read it, thought something akin to "That's nice to know but it won't work with my world due to resource constraints", and moved on. In audio as with other areas, I think it's helpful to know what's ideal and apply it within your own paradigms as best you can. Resources - space, $, time, etc - are finite. Some persons have the ability to build a room from scratch, some can use an existing room and work within it somewhat (my case), and others may have to share the audio-based room for other uses.
BTW - this is a great thread and I hope it continues. Fascinating how Alan's products seem to promote better audio, as attested both here and in the AC threads. Love the DIY filter cost and its ease of application, too!
Alan - sorry for misspelling your last name in my earlier post - mea culpa! :duh
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Ah Ha ! The slings and arrows of cleaning up the sound. You will now hear everything . Good and bad. That track could very well be out of phase in your system. Do you have a polarity switch in your Pre or CDP? If so try reversing the polarity and listen again. As an experiment [ if you do not have the switch] reverse your speaker cables to polarity and listen again. Many Cds are recorded out of phase. Actually in my experience The even numbered tracks are "in phase" and the odd numbered tracks " out of phase. Not all systems are the same some are a reverse of my description. It happens in the transfers to the CD at the pressing plant. Labels that are in phase are RR, Telarc, Chesky, Classic and Acoustic Sounds. Others can be either. Listen for better defined bass and less sibilance. Volume will be a tad louder as well. Once you determine which track [ odd or even ] is in phase for YOUR system your done. REALLY.
MAY THE PHASE BE WITH YOU.
charles
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Actually in my experience The even numbered tracks are "in phase" and the odd numbered tracks " out of phase.
:lmc:
Now I'm smiling :D
Thanks charles!~
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Now I'm confused. :?
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I'm smiling because rollo's left and right brainwaves are out of phase. :D
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late to the party with comments... sorry, it's been a bit crazy this weekend...
The weird thing about Mike's setup is that I don't think he moved his speakers from the last get together. They sure did look like they were in exactly the same place. So that's why I'm confused. We didn't listen to that track at the last meet with his cables in the system. We only listened near the end of the evening when we had the system wired with all Aluminata cabling. With all JPS wiring, the imaging was correct and the guitar was properly placed. Now, with his current combination of gear, the imaging was not correct. So there was a difference in frequency response that was attributable to his current cabling or the Alan Mahar gear. How cables or his product could cause that much of a frequency response difference is interesting....
As to the system itself and it's current sound: The Alan Maher products were definitely doing something in there. The only other change was running a JPS Kaptovator on the power conditioner instead of the stock Mongoose. That definitely had an effect... but overall, the entire system sounded *much* smoother than last time before we swapped in the JPS. The image was about 3 feet higher. It was almost larger than life. Think big Maggies where everything is up high and everything is slightly too large in the soundstage. You could still hear the edge of a couple items in the system. But at the same time, it was more organic than I've heard it previously with Mike's combination of gear. Instead of immediately noticing and being bothered by the edge, it took a few minutes before it really bothered me and even then, the edge was still subtle. It was more cumulative than instantaneous. I was able to focus on other things in the music and was struck more by the ease and musicality of things rather than immediately zeroing in what I would perceive as an issue. Noise floor was lower than last time by a good bit. That let more resolution and detail come through and resulted in less smear (with the exception of the aforementioned guitar and that range of frequencies) to things. Instruments and voices were more properly placed with good definition around the edges of things.
Overall, a big improvement from the beginning of our last get together at his place.... I'm impressed with how much change has occured with Mike's system since last I heard it... very very nice... now if he would just hurry up and finish up some acoustic treatments, I think it would take a few more big steps in the right direction............ :)
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Thanks for jumping in Shane!
What Shane heard in my system was the result of a bit over 4 weeks of the Alan Maher Quantum Studio in the same dedicated circuit as all my audio components plus 3 Ref IIs recently inserted on non-audio circuits (e.g. frig, computer, TV circuits).
I will say Shane's description is dead-on. There is a rich, smooth, organic feel to the music that is extremely engaging. The soundstage is also a step up and out. People talk about a walk-thru soundstage but this is the first time I've felt a sense of that in my room. Other than that one song where the guitar image is confused, all other tracks I've listened to place voices and instruments in a 3D space.
Given that I'm helping Shane break in a JPS Kaptovator, there is no doubt that it, too, is contributing. It's an awesome power cord. So I thought I'd swap it out over the weekend and revert back to the Mongoose and Flavor 4 PCs to discern what it's doing vs the AM products. Where the Kaptovator excels at bringing out detail, presence and definition, the Mongoose tends to tame things conveying a more relaxed presentation (too much me thinks). As we heard at Carl's, the Flavor 4 was more engaging than the Mongoose, albeit, without the finesse and refined detail of the Kaptovator.
But what was most exciting was that the rich, organic tonal quality, and expanded soundstage was there regardless of power cord. That is clearly attributable to the Quantum Studio and Ref IIs. Hyperbole aside, I'm loving what the Alan Maher products are doing in my system.
Interesting aside... a bad storm over the weekend knocked out power for maybe a minute late Friday night. If there was an impact on the sound, it wasn't discernible the next day.
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Interesting aside... a bad storm over the weekend knocked out power for maybe a minute late Friday night. If there was an impact on the sound, it wasn't discernible the next day.
Good news!
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I now have two audio friends that have this Ouantum Studio thingy in their systems and both are singing praises about what it is doing for their systems. A basic question: Do you still need a power conditioner with the Quantum Studio plugged into a circuit?
I am waiting for Alan to post the Labor Day Special Prices as I am interested!
Ken
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Ken-
The short answer is: yes, the Quantum Studio can be considered a power conditioner.
Our philosophy is very simple - we look at the service panel as one gigantic power conditioner for the entire home. Typical applications lump everything into one box with mediocre results, which is obvious by looking at the huge resale market on any given day on AGon. What we are doing is educating the user how to fine tune each circuit in the home using AM design products to benefit the entire home. Let me explain- when you install a Quantum Studio at the audio/video duplex, the Studio not only talks to the AV equipment, but to every appliance plugged into your home. When you add a Reference II to a non-AV circuit (to address the washing machine, for example) the Ref II looks at the entire electrical phase to see if there are any other AM design products installed. If it finds one, the two products will couple together, creating one larger product. The benefit here is extended frequency bandwidth and noise suppression. Every time you add an AM designs product into the home, it will do the exact same thing. So what we have done is design a way to tune the panel using a very simple method, and have had superb results and feedback using this method.
First, start with our standard PE, now in its third generation (PE v3). Set some time aside one day with a pad and pen, and take a look at your panel box. Write down every circuit that has a receptacle installed. Now go to the stereo, turn it on, and plug the PE into the first circuit that has a receptacle installed, and allow it to set up for 20-30 minutes. While listening to music, your stereo system will go through one of three changes:
1) you will hear increased dynamics with punchier bass and more extension
2) the install will sound neutral with very minor differences (small adjustments and refinement)
3) the circuit will sound dull or lifeless
Once you have determined what each circuit sounds like, unplug the PE and allow the circuit to collapse for 10 minutes before moving on to the next circuit.
With that said, on all neutral circuits in the home, a minimum of one PE should be installed. It is highly recommended that the PE is used for individualized power factor correction to address large appliances like refrigerators, air conditions, furnace, etc. On the dynamic and extended circuits, a mix of PE, Ref II, and Infinity Shield is recommended. Again, use the PE for large appliances, the Ref II for small appliances (ie: coffee maker, digital alarm clock, hair dryer, etc.), and use the Infinity Shield to address high frequency noise(florescent lighting, microwave oven, etc). The dull and lifeless circuits require an impedance shift. In order to achieve that on the cheap, I would recommend a Hammond 193L choke be installed across the load.
With all that said, all our large filter models (PE V, PE VI, Quantum Studio/and IEC) are considered power conditioners. I’m not really a big fan of surge protection, simply because I think it’s useless (I have never encountered any situation where a surge protector ever protected any equipment on a 120v circuit from a lighting surge). Reason for that is lightning enters your home via the ground rod in the backyard, which is split in your panel box between the earth ground and neutral wire. This bypasses the breaker and enters the component, bypassing the fuse in the component. The only time surge protection works is when a minor voltage irregularity is caused by a component short. 99.9% of the time the breaker trips the circuit before the surge protector even kicks in. If you really want to protect your home, it is highly recommended to look at thermal magnetic circuit breakers. A good one will run you $45-$75 for a 20A breaker.
Our filter concept throughout the home does several other things for you. First, they will squelch any form of internal spark or arc riding on the circuit. Second, as you begin to cover more and more circuits throughout the home and understand the concept of tuning each individual circuit, you will begin to notice that larger surges are now just being absorbed by the multiple filters installed throughout the home. One thing PE technology addresses is, every single time a magnetic surge passes by a PE it is reduced. In the case of a standard PE it is reduced by -6 db, and our larger filters by -24 db to -30 db (this is acoustic db which has nothing to do with magnetic saturation). Third, the PE will take the excess magnetic energy and break it up between the many filters and store it. When needed, the PE will now release the stored energy as the circuit dips to maintain total house-wide power factor correction.
I realize this is a very long-winded explanation to a very direct question, but there are many factors involved that I wanted to ensure were addressed. At the same time, I want to ensure the consumer is aware of what benefits our AM design products can do for them besides the typical audiophile tonal changes. I can go into more detail on our Infinity CBF and IEC filters and what they offer at a later time.
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Alan:
Thank you for the detailed explanation.
Ken
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Thanks Alan, I understand a little more.... enough to take the plunge. Look forward to seeing what your products do in my system or should I say our house.
Rob S.
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Last night, Rich(idoo) and I took on the challenge of 'pulling the plug' on the Quantum Studio and 3 Ref IIs I have. It was a facinating experience!
Phase I: Gave Rich a chance to get a feel for my system with all AM products in place. All power to components was via my Running Springs Jaco fed by a JPS Kaptovator. Rich can comment on his impressions, but for me, the music was smooth, engaging, dynamic and detailed in a tall and 3D soundstage.
Phase II: after listening to maybe a dozen tracks, we swapped out the Running Springs Jaco and replaced it with a simple power strip feeding all components. While I felt this added an edge and growl to the top end and cost a bit of definition, it was also clear to me that all the benefits of the QS and Ref IIs were still intact. Rich liked the sound even more without the Jaco than with it commenting that it seemed more alive and engaging. The Jaco does contribute to a smooth & relaxed presentation. We had a similar experience with it at Carl's last month.
Phase III: Pull out the Ref IIs. While I went around removing the Ref IIs, Rich sat and listened. After I pulled the first two, Rich said he already could hear a difference. With all 3 out, the 3D soundstage dropped to a 2.5 soundstage. Less front to back, less height. The richness of the upper bass/lower mids seemed less. We were listening to a fabulously recorded guitar CD of Rich's (but damn, I can't remember what it was - Rich?). It was clear that some of the guitar body and string resonance was less defined with a lessened sense of the recording venue.
Phase IV: Put the Ref IIs back (note that we haven't touched the QS yet). Within minutes the soundstage, instrument tonality and detail returned. Nice to know just how much the Ref IIs were contributing and how easily they were able to re-engage. Note also that the Ref IIs are on non-audio circuits (frig, TV and computer circuits). Pretty amazing that their impact on these circuits were so easily heard even tho my system is fed by a dedicated 20a circuit.
Phase V: Pull it all out - Ref IIs and QS. The easiest way to describe this is to quote Rich "hmmm, sounds just like a stereo now". It still sounded nice but in comparison to what the AM products were enabling, it was just ... boring. Soundstage depth gone and that wonderful resonance of the guitar body and strings was lost. To me, there was also a more pronounced electronic edge to the sound. Was this the same sound that pre-Maher I thought sounded so wonderfully engaging? I guess so, but compared to the sound with the QS and Ref IIs, it left something to be desired. We listened to a number of other tracks that we had listened to earlier with similar results.
Phase VI: Damn, will it really take 2 weeks before the magic returns? Inquiring minds want to know! We spent maybe 15-20 minutes listening with the QS and Ref IIs out of the circuits before putting the Ref IIs back in. Ah, within minutes some of the benefits seemed to return. Putting the QS back in didn't seem to have an immediate affect but we continued to listen for at least another 20-30 minutes I think. At the end of that point the system was sounding very good, perhaps somewhat less than where it was when Rich arrived several hours earlier, but damn good. I continued to listen until about 1am (mistake!).
Overall, I gotta say that if you even think you have power line noise, you really should check out these products. It took me awhile but I finally got it. Alan's products simply and effectively address power line noise in all its forms (hence the number of different products). Get rid of the noise and you get seriously improved sound. Works for me!
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Thanks for the invite Mike. We had some good fun.
The CD we used for the comparisions was chosen because AM told Mike that soundstage will be the cue to listen for when the devices are pulled. Not being familiar with Mike's music collection, and not hearing any particularly good natural soundstage recordings in the testing playlist he made up, we chose the CD which we could both hear a great soundstage, along with clear, dynamic acoustic recording with steel, wood, flesh instrument with somewhat extended freq range. It is the disk I got from Marvin, (mboldda1.) http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=1520.0 I think it was track 4 that we used.
The changes made by pulling and reinstalling the Maher pieces were audible, but more subtle than those from removing the Jaco, which was night and day. I hate passive AC filters! Granted Mike did have the power amp plugged into the Jaco too but Running Springs says no problem. NOT!
Pulling out the Maher small wall wart thingies was a bigger change to me than pulling out the Studio. But the wall wart removal may have only been audible while the studio was active, holding down other noise that would have otherwise obscured the warts' effects. The wall warts added textural detail and focused soundstage cues more clearly. It enhanced the illusion of reality by a small amount. On lesser speakers and amp I would question whether it would be as audible, but then maybe I would have noticed something else in that circumstance. Mike's soundstage exists in the pit of his brick fireplace, so he needs all the help he can get! The effect of the wall warts was significant enough to warrant the price. I did not know the timing of Mike removing the warts from outlets in other rooms, so it is hard to tell whether the effect is from one wart, or one in particular, or all three being removed. If the effect is coming from curing one particularly bad outlet like the one with PCs SMPS then it would be a bargain for the price. If it is cumulative effect then less valuable for the price of three units. But we did not test the warts without the Studio to know their value working on their own.
Removing the Studio had a bigger effect than removing the warts. It was heard as grunge entering the tone, especially in lower midrange (related to 120Hz?) The system became subtly less refined, it was a bit of an edgy grunge, so I don't think it is sinewave related. I did not notice any additional spatial blurring as I did with the wallwarts, but that could be because the tonal grunge masked the spatial differences. The excitement and clarity of the high end audio system was reduced, but I think I would adjust to the grunge and survive just fine. It is a still magnificent sound. At home I have tube amps plugged straigt in. My AN review of Equitech would suggest I am total denial and suffering with godawful sound without the Q, but I can tell you that is not true - at least not the suffering part. I believe the power conditioning would make my system better, but I also believe a Porsche would make my driving experience better, but I choose not to partake for many reasons, financial and otherwise. How much is good enough? Different for everyone according to passion and means.
The flying guitar discussed above was still all over the place with or without the Maher components in. It is an artifact of poor miking on the recording or room nodes in the recording room. I think it is caused by some lower notes peaking at the location of another mic panned right and cause the guitar to sound like it is stretched across the stage only on some notes. Crazy! The spatial focusing of the Maher products, wall warts especially, made the panned notes more easily noticed.
The most valuable discovery last night IMO was putting some couch pillows on top of the couch behind Mike's head. The echo from behind was much more disturbing than the noise on the powerline. But the Maher devices DO work, although I would not agree it is to the extent that others have described Maher products here, but they are using different products in different ways, every system is different, every person has different priorities in their listening, and challenges in their listening environment. Maybe in my own system which I am very used to I would notice bigger changes over time. I hope to get that opportunity. But I hope to afford new interconnects even more at the present moment.
From memory, I judge the Equitech Q1.5 having a bigger effect on my system than Mike's Maher products did on Mike's system in terms of tonal clarity, spatial improvement and dynamic headroom. But my imagination and memory are scary things, and the Maher parts definitely don't have mechanical hum. Maybe the products Alan sells at similar price to the Equitech would outperform it. It would fun to hear Mike's Maher filters on some of our other systems in the area.
I think Mike had a big relief when he heard the positive effects of the Studio return in < 15 minutes after replugging it. I could tell he was nervous about removing it. We did try to plug the thing into a UPS, but then we thought the UPS was still plugged into the house, and I did hear a drop off of clarity when he unplugged it from the UPS. But unplugging the UPS from the wall didn't work because it started beeping. :duh A potential explanation is that it requires greater time to break in from new, and then reforms quicker after subsequent unpluggings. But it did need to warm up for a few minutes after unplugged for 20 minutes.
Thanks to Mike for the chance to hear these popular and controversial products for myself.
Rich
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Wow, thanks Mike and Rich for getting together, doing this test and sharing your results. I've had a long day and can barely keep my eyes open yet still I was glued to this thread reading over your findings.. and was so happy to hear it I had to post a thank you..
-C
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nice experiment! So much easier with two people too. Thanks for detailing your findings.
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Very fair and well written review there Mr. Richadoo. You should write for Enjoy the Music.com or something like that SERIOUSLY.
Anyway your review prompted me to remove the one and only Infinity installed on the circuit panel breaker. the grunge was back the soundstage collapsed and the bass was lighter.
It is so hard for me to understand that a box of minerals can do this. Which leads me to WTF are the other companies doing instead of this approach. Where did this science come from ? Aerospace industry, military, what ? Sonar, radar use what?
Just buy one Infinity and you be the Judge. Amazing just amazing.
charles
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I worked in a "new age" magic crystal store in the late 80s. People were lining up to buy magic rocks from space (moldavite) for $25/gram. I can tell you those minerals have something going on. Tourmaline has a lot of physical effects and is used in many products, especially from Japan. Carry a piece in your pocket and you will have abundant physical energy like energizer bunny. Acoustic Revive makes a power strip packed with tourmaline dust, it is incredible. I have a vegetable juicer with a ring of tourmaline dust in the exit spout. Juice stays fresh all day instead of rotting in an hour like my other juicers.
Maybe I should be Alan's best customer? Maybe someday I will.
Thanks charles, I like to write reviews. Still waiting for John Atkinson to call with salary offer. haha Otherwise I am AN exclusive! :D
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Well don't know about being Alan's best customer. A complete system can get a bit expensive to treat the all the panel breakers and circuits. Still less than that Audience or other exotics. The best part IMO is that one can build on Alan's products . One does not have to buy them all at once.
So you want me to call Atkinson or Harry for a job ? Hey, hey, hey ? Maybe we should start our own rag. I can see it now. " AUDIOPHILE REVIEW" Hey if the NY Audio Society can have one we could as well. Any takers ?
charles
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Ha! Rich will have to carry a lot of Tourmaline in his pockets if he's going to start his own audio rag :rofl:
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Well don't know about being Alan's best customer.
I meant that I might have the nascent psychological proclivity to follow that path to the extreme. So far I am not aware of such tendencies. But I enjoy reading about your adventures. I always buy a car that is the last year before a big model change, late to catch on.
An audio rag sounds fun! No mfg loaner gear and all communication with advertisers and readers is published. Every review should contain multiple auditions in differing systems by different reviewers. Without favors owed, the reviewer is free to say whatever he wants. As trust from readers grows, so does advertising value. A moral audio magazine! Non-profit status pays my huge salary and gives the rest to music education charity. Although there wouldn't be much left after buying and selling all the review gear.