I've owned an original Shunyata Hydra for quite some time and have been quite pleased with it. But, I also live in an older section of Durham where brown-outs and power fluctuations are pretty routine. Since the orig Hydra has no built-in protection, I started looking at what's on the market. Certainly the new Hydra 8 is an option, albeit a fairly pricey one given the recent Mk II release. Two others vendors that seem to stand out are Equi=tech and Running Springs Audio.
Fortunately for me, both the Equi=tech 1.5Q and the Running Springs Audio Jaco are currently sitting in my living room. Thank you, Carl for the loan of the Equi=tech (and sorry, Rich, for prying it away from you). And much thanks to Shane and Dan Babineau @ RSA for the Jaco which is a CES demo unit with the new 'Elite' designation with RSA's latest platinum foil caps upgrade.
Before I go into any details, a bit of background on my system. My McCormack DNA-500 likes power and I want to make sure I avoid any conditioners that might be accused of current limiting. I do have a separate 20a circuit just for audio. Other components in my system include:
-- Maui modded Tact 2.0s pre with both ADC and DAC boards
-- Logitech Duet
-- Oracle CD transport
-- EE Minimax Phono Pre
-- Kuzma Stabi S/Stogi S
-- orig Shunyata Hydra w/Airsine PC
-- Black Sand PCs
-- Grover ICs
-- JPS SC+ biwire speaker cables
-- Aerial 10T speakers
First up, the Equi=tech 1.5Q. Rich pretty much said all there is to say about this unit here:
http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=1126.0... and all I can do is echo what he said. But... my experience started off a bit shaky. I plugged it in, plugged all my gear into it, then flipped the power switch on. It tried to come on, but then immediately popped the circuit breaker. Hmmm. I tried it again without anything plugged into it. Same thing. I finally resorted to leaving it plugged in and on and then reseting the circuit breaker. Surprisingly, that worked and it has worked fine ever since. Perhaps a weak circuit breaker or maybe my outlet needs tightening down. But I'm certain that the Equi=tech does put a large initial draw on the line. Rich did report a hum from the Equi=tech and I have to say the same is true for me. It's low level and not noticeable when music is playing. But, I am aware of it when in the same room if there is no other background noise or music playing.
I will say the impact of the Equi=tech was immediate and positive. I had been listening to Jane Monheit's latest album which is excellent if you like the whole jazz chantuese thing (I'm a sucker for it). After inserting the Equi=tech, it seemed that Jane went from seated to standing and took a step forward. Base seemed to tighten up and everything seemed more open, dynamic and eerily louder. I don't have a sound meter but am very curious to know if it does affect volume or is it just my perception.
Next up - the RSA Jaco. After plugging in all equipment to the Jaco (no circuit tripped this time), Jane Monheit decided to sit back down. Still, she was singing from a very black background with sumptuous tonal quality and detail and a very musically engaging presentation. Of course, the Jaco is a relatively new unit and more breakin was likely required, so jump forward a few days...
Without doubt, the Jaco did improve over the course of 3 days of continuous play (or perhaps my ears became more aware). I hear nothing that would indicate the Jaco is constraining anything. Everything about it takes the music to another level over just plugging in to the wall. Even compared to the Hydra, the Jaco seems more neutral with musical details and sound staging exposed that, in comparison, seem to get a bit glossed over with the Hydra. But, I find the musical presentation with the Jaco a bit different than the Equi=tech. Perhaps a bit of the yin-yang thing going on. Where the Jaco offers perhaps a more relaxed yet musically engaging presentation, the Equi=tech seems to beef things up a bit more. The sound stage seems a bit bigger and I kept thinking I needed to turn down the volume a bit when using the Equi=tech to get a fair comparison.
Which provides a more neutral presentation? Dunno... but that's my take after just a few days of listening. Right now, both of these meet all my needs and I'd be happy with either. The whole discussion about whether balanced power is a bad idea in the home is something I should dig into a bit further and the Equi=tech hum might ultimately drive me a bit nuts, but no doubt, further listening will reveal a personal preference.