A more modern version of the AudioPrism noise-sniffer? Very useful. Have the seen the videos on YouTube of Isotek using a similar device with their units?
Audioquest Niagara 7000 tested with Power Line Meter
A few months ago I bought a Niagara 7000. Upon plugging all of my components in I noticed an immediate, dramatic improvement in the sound. I was blown away.
This post is not a review of said unit, but I wanted to share with you a test I did in comparing the noise of the electricity in my house to that which is coming from the Niagara 7000.
I bought a Power Line Meter from Alpha Labs. https://www.alphalabinc.com/product/plm/
My local dealer had one at the shop and I immediately wanted one so I ordered it online.
I plugged it into the outlet that the Niagara is plugged into and it read between 1100 and 1200 mV. For comparison, I tested the power at my office and it read in the range of 450 mV. Needless to say, my home power lines have a lot of noise in them!
Now, when I plugged the meter into an outlet on the back of the Niagara it read only 11 mV. That is an incredible reduction in line noise. I did not expect it to read so low.
The dealer I mentioned did the same comparison between the standard outlets in the shop and a Niagara 5000. Without the Niagara it was around 500 mV and with it was around 50 mV. I had wondered what the performance gains might be between the 7000 and the 5000, considering the former costs twice as much. If the meter test is any indication, the 5000 allows around 5 times the noise through.
Granted, none of these tests are done scientifically or in a controlled environment, but they are still interesting numbers.
It would be interesting to test different brands of power conditioners to see how they compare.
This post is not a review of said unit, but I wanted to share with you a test I did in comparing the noise of the electricity in my house to that which is coming from the Niagara 7000.
I bought a Power Line Meter from Alpha Labs. https://www.alphalabinc.com/product/plm/
My local dealer had one at the shop and I immediately wanted one so I ordered it online.
I plugged it into the outlet that the Niagara is plugged into and it read between 1100 and 1200 mV. For comparison, I tested the power at my office and it read in the range of 450 mV. Needless to say, my home power lines have a lot of noise in them!
Now, when I plugged the meter into an outlet on the back of the Niagara it read only 11 mV. That is an incredible reduction in line noise. I did not expect it to read so low.
The dealer I mentioned did the same comparison between the standard outlets in the shop and a Niagara 5000. Without the Niagara it was around 500 mV and with it was around 50 mV. I had wondered what the performance gains might be between the 7000 and the 5000, considering the former costs twice as much. If the meter test is any indication, the 5000 allows around 5 times the noise through.
Granted, none of these tests are done scientifically or in a controlled environment, but they are still interesting numbers.
It would be interesting to test different brands of power conditioners to see how they compare.
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With one of these https://www.amazon.com/SF-Cable-prong-Adapter-60320-C14/dp/B004OC579E you could have a field-day testing PCs. |
Of course simply knowing how much noise is eliminated is one indicator of how effective these components are, including power cables. But the real test is in how good the music sounds. My experience with the Niagara 7000 is the background is black as night and the music appears from blackness. The sound is also more powerful and the soundstage wider and deeper. I really just want to sit and play record after record, the music sounds so good. To my lay ears the unit does everything it's advertised to do. It does not choke or compress the music, but rather brings out the best. I always thought the system I had sounded great, so I was astounded how much better it got after plugging everything into the Niagara unit. |
Right On! snackeyp the figures that you tested, home mv vs. office mv, will indeed depend on locale. Do you live in one of our major U.S. cities? Apartment, condo or single dwelling residence (house)? These places will vary as well. The AQ Niagara is proving to be quite a revolutionary product. I look forward in reading more about your findings as you massage this conditioner into your system. Happy Listening! |
In the June, 2017 issue of Stereophile, there was a head to head comparison of these two units. I couldn't find it online so I guess it hasn't been posted yet. As I recall, they gave a slight edge to the Niagara 7000, but it was very close. The Niagara is $3K more than the Denali, so who is to say if that is money well spent or not? I would like to do a comparison myself someday if I get the chance. It is my belief that both products are of the very finest quality. |
Hi Snackeyp, In case you are interested in my choice of Audioquest Niagara 7000 over Shunyata Denali 6000 S. The 7000 was 1.8x more expensive than the 6000, and I still preferred the Niagara. Here is my link: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/shunyata-or-synergistic-for-power-conditioning |
I hate to be a negative nancy but we tested the Niagra 7000 and were not that impressed vs our reigning champ the Audio Magic Oracle. In our $150k Reference system the Niagra made the entire system sound noticablely more closed in and less musical then the Audio Magic. We were going to purchae the Niagra but sent it back. We have also tested noise meters on many power line conditioners just because the line noise is low doesn't mean the power line conditioner is producing a sound quality improvement that is different than just noise reduction. In our tests of many power conditioners it is the improvement in soundstage width, depth, and macro dynamics that are greatly improved vs just lowering the noise floor. For the record we have tested Running Springs, Isotek, Silver Circle, Audience, older Shunyatta older Synergistic Units and a few others. With any power conditioner you must test it yourself. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
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like all things measure if you can but always listen. best to do both rarely does a well designed power amp benefit from what I would call a relatively low end conditioning product.... in my 3 systems i use Furman and Isotek products to clean up the digital side, small signal analog on a seperate circuit and sometimes conditioning and on my reference system the amps have built in power conditioning- i just lean back, smile and listen in bliss..... i will say AudioQuest seem to be getting many best of shows, positive reviews, happy customers.....might look into one some day... |
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