I have had the ADD Powr Wizard in my system for a couple of weeks and I'm impressed


The audio writer's conundrum: How do you find the right words to describe sound? It's not easy. It's like trying to describe a color. You will get a sense of it but in order to really get it you have to hear it. We have all read many audio writer's attempts to do so with varying degrees of success. What does the writer wish to convey about how a particular component sounds? And more problematically, how does that get put into words?   Here is the bottom line for me- how strong is the emotional impact of the sound when I listen to the equipment? That is it. And of course that can not be separated from the companion question- How strong is the emotional impact of the music? One reason that this hobby is so amazing is that these questions are two sides of the same coin and complement each other beautifully. Collecting fine (and well recorded) music is a great hobby in and of itself. Couple it, however, with the equally enjoyable hobby of component swapping and tweeking and you have a match made in heaven. It's like what happened when John met Paul.
All of which brings me to this review of the ADD Powr Wizard. What I keep returning to over and over again with this thing plugged into a nearby outlet is how intense my emotional connection to the sound and the music is. To use a well worn audio writer cliche, It's like I'm listening to my collection for the first time and hearing things I never heard before. But it is so much more than that. It's not just that I am hearing more of what is on the record it is that I am hearing more of what the artists on the record are intending to create with their music. The ADD Wizard allows me to do this more completely than any other addition to my system over the last 10 years. It lets me fully relax into the music. With all my other tweeks, at least the good ones, the ones that work, I was able to get a better sense of space and detail each time I added one. The benefit of the Wizard is on a different plane than that. Yes it adds to the sense of space and detail in the sound, but it also creates a stronger impression about the music itself. It's a feeling of being one with the music. Hard to describe but very powerful!
You will have to read the literature to get a sense of what ADD Powr is doing with its algorithms and how they are being applied to the household electric circuit in order to filter out the audio nasties so that the music can come shining through in all its glory . That part of the review is way above my pay grade.  I would love to be able to understand that. But hey that's what makes tweeks so much fun. The fact that you may not understand the electronic or physics of it doesn't mean that you are not hearing amazing things from it. And in the case of the ADD Powr Wizard what I am hearing just makes me smile.
bradmorris1

Showing 13 responses by bemused

"The product is discussed on the website: The AC line is "re-referenced" or re-clocked with low frequency harmonics to increase the s/n ratio. Uses 2 AC transformers. Let me guess, another Schumann Resonator in a different package. Perhaps?"

You have raised a legitimate point. ADD-Powr explains why Schumann resonators affect audio signals and systems. 

"Precisely what is the advantage of adding noise to the electrical circuit, and what is the benefit of, "electrical environment conditioners rather than AC line conditioners.""

This is not the "noise" familiar to many - that of the RF interference type.
Here the term "noise" is a very low frequency disturbance. It is not filtered away, unlike EMI and RFI, by power supplies and power conditioners.

It is conditioning the power line itself with added harmonic energy that indeed changes the reference or environment from which emerges the "juice" to power and render audio signals, for example. The idea is about adding something to create a tangible benefit. In this case it is harmonic frequency information that will resonate other electrical signals, such as audio.

If you read further, ADD-Powr asserts that pulsing the AC line (the reference) with a very low frequency square wave will impress a vertical modulation such that this "up - down" movement results in a small square wave that is carried into power supplies. Transformer secondaries,  AC bridge rectifiers, and the DC filter stages will behave as normal but with this signal pattern on the DC voltage. 

The square wave is comprised of, or is the summation of sine waves, cosine waves harmonically related. This discovery was made by the physicist, Fourier. Perhaps when such a signal is introduced, of a very low fundamental say 10 Hz, it will affect the frequencies of another complex signal like an audio signal? It and its harmonics will affect a complex audio signal and its harmonics. Makes sense to me.

The key to adding energy is the process of resonance. The idea of a tuning fork resonating another tuning fork at the same driving frequency (or harmonic) is understandable.
ADD-Powr claims that it is electronically doing something similar here.

I am sure that the technical details could be given, as with any amplifier, DAC, speaker, etc.
It is not really necessary.
The overall idea is all that is necessary for the layman audiophile to subjectively evaluate the merit and claims of the inventor or manufacturer.
But would that information aid in auditioning the product?

Of course, one must demo before buying any product. There is a 30 day money back guarantee, which is plenty of time to determine whether the product works for your system and your ears.
Use whatever test you are comfortable with.
The products work on single phase circuits and balanced power configurations.

Again, it is not "noise" in the way that you are used to thinking.
Give it a chance. You will not be disappointed.






WOW!! You nailed it perfectly @bradmorris1      Great words well articulated indeed !
HEAR! HEAR!   Great pun @david_ten 

Everything you wrote is exactly what I hear and feel as well.  Isn't that the point of the hobby? An emotional connection "to the sound and the music."

btw, you should be a reviewer! @bradmorris1
IMO it is a fine web site. It looks to be a work in progress. The idea is expressed fairly well but perhaps could benefit from an explanation video.
My system has a Sorcer X4, a Wizard, several eau2s, and Symphony Pros.
There really is nothing out there that can approach what ADD-Powr has achieved. The ideas of a low frequency square wave pulsed  AC power reference, Fourier harmonic series, and resonance, has raised the bar for audio excellence bar none. 

Recordings whether sourced digitally or by analog sound remarkably fresh and interesting.
Harmonic resonance...hmmm....an interesting concept to say the least.
Audio nirvana perhaps!?

@ ozzy   I also got a Symphony I/O. I installed it near my modem and router.

Audio and video improvement in streaming has improved big time!  Amazing!

When I switch to the Hi setting I become immersed in the sound.

 

ozzy,

I use the mid range setting often, but mostly it is at the high setting.

Most of the time I turn it off.

"What a loyal fan! 81 of the 82 posts are very favorable for Add-Pwr products.  Nothing else seems to be of interest."

That's because I know about the subject matter and offer my support whenever I can.

Through my sources, I believe that there is preliminary test data that shows FFT spectral acoustic measurements, FFT noise floor measurements, and frequency response and THD measurements with a Harmon Kardon amplifier. Testing was done by a Harmon tech.
The results are interesting and curious enough to warrant further tests.

It sure would be of interest and worthy of scrutiny by other professionals.
Surely it is possible that he may find zero benefits, based upon his knowledge and experience, but he cannot refute acoustic spl measurements,  And if those dBs reveal more acoustic energy simply from a device plugged into AC power, then that is a benefit to the amplifier's power supply.
Yes, I started with 3 ElectraClears and 2 Symphony Pros and recently added a Sorcer X4 located at the breaker panel. 
The smaller units really, really added a clarity, detail, and musicality that I had thought was improbable if not impossible to attain. I was stunned and listened for longer periods without ear fatigue. The emotional engagement factor is an additional bonus!
The X4 added further improvements to a wider, deeper sound stage. The instruments sound more real and vital. Yes, the longer the unit is plugged in the better the improvement. This, I think, is because the harmonic resonance takes a little time to really kick in and saturate the audio system.
@ozzy @wisper 
I moved my Sorcer adjacent to the rack, plugged into a wall outlet on the same circuit and voila, the magic was unleashed but now with much more improvement. I was stunned at the level of richness, clarity and depth to the sound. Thanks for the tip...!
bernardo,
I installed the Symphony Pro on a shelf elevated 5', behind a Morell Octave Signature speaker.  The eau2 electraclears are plugged into wall outlets in the living / listening room.
 
No question about it. I agree with your observations about the power cord influence, including premium brands. I am using one made by Tweekgeek specifically for the Sorcer. 
I've got some resonance feet from Nordost to try out.
Indeed, those products were also available from Quantum in the early 2000s. There are posted reviews of said devices at the ADD-Powr site.
Apparently the Symphony made a big impression upon the reviewer, Doug Blackburn of Widescreen Review. He reviewed many AC power conditioners, including Monster Cable, Shunyata, and the Quantum unit's sonic benefits out-performed the others.

Here is a you tube video from RMAF 2019.

 

On-the-fly spontaneous  A/B Sorcer demo. IMO the difference is audible.