Well here's what I'm going to do. I've got two electrical outlets behind my audio cabinet and I have ordered a Tesla Plex for one and a Porter Port for the other. An electrician friend of mine is going to install them for me and then quote me a price on two dedicated 20 amp lines. It will be a while until I actually have those installed (unless he is ridiculously cheap, which I doubt). Then I am going to purchase a pair of power chords, one for the CDP and one for the amp and plug them both straight into the wall. They will probably be the new Black Sand Violet ZII or maybe the Kaplan HE. Those are the only two I am considering. I will post my results as I progress. |
Hmm! How long was the breakin ? as it takes about 250-300 hrs to do justice, after trying different cables in variuos positions the Statement SC to the Quintet did yeild a much smoother sound while the Ac-10 gives an more open presentation, however the Ac-10 on the amp was perfect in timber and musical balance.I heard a similar response on the AC-10 on AA and he said the Ac-12 gave the added weight to the music image along with the great deep bass you described, If it where me I would try different PC's, if that dose'nt do it my next step would be the PPP! keep us posted on your findings. |
Jdub39 , I'm using a DH Labs Power Plus cable from the wall to the Quintet. I originally used a PS Audio AC-10, but after comparing it to the DH Labs cable, I sold the AC-10. By comparison, the PS Audio cable was bright and edgy, although it went deeper in the bass. |
Allenjohns, you may want to consider the PI Audio Group Majik BUSS filtration system ($595). This thing performs as advertised; and it works well with existing conditioners. Check their website for details. There is also a little bit of information here on A-gon, but more on Audio Circle. Since you have some room in your budget, you can get Dave Ellege, PIA's owner, to work with you to build something custom for your set-up. I had Porter Ports installed on one duplex to go with the standard outlets on the other side. Dave's a nice guy and he'll give you a 30-day audition.
In my case there was visual proof that it was cleaning up the power in my listening (family) room. I have some PS Audio Noise Busters in place. Prior to installing the Majik BUSS the Noise Busters would sometimes blink like crazy depending on what else was going on in the house ... plasma TV running, clothes dryer, refrigerator, light dimmer operating, etc. As soon as the Majik BUSS was installed these NB's went dark.
To further clean-up any remaining artifacts, try the Audio Prism Ground Control spades. They're $150/pair from Music Direct, and definitely a worthwhile tweak. |
What powercord is on the Quintet? as it affects overall sound. I first tried an older plus cable and found it to grainy as well ,I then used an Statement Sc and the grain is gone, I plan on trying the new AC-10 or AC-12 which is on my Amp at the moment, the cable change alone will work. |
thanks for sharing, i thought both were great cables, probably more refined with oval 8(from the review i read), hence i ordered oval 8, i've been auditioning this swedish cable called supra sword(their flagship cable)they are really good cables, it's like listening to vinyl, so organic and coherent, and tons of details, and it's copper stuff.
just my two cents |
I have not tried the Oval 8. I bought the Oval 9 based on recommendations from AudiogoN members. |
I'm thinking about going up to solo crystal oval 8, have you compared the two? Oval 9 and oval 8? |
Karmatogdral, I was using silver coated copper cables from DH Labs. I've read that silver cables can add glare and grain to the sound so I moved to copper cabler from Analysis Plus. Copper Oval-In IC's and Black Oval 9 SC. The AP cables have about 80 hours on then and are just starting to open up. So far I'm happy with them. |
hi John,
I'm also using Spendor speakers and thinking of getting Analysis plus cables, what interconnect and speaker cables do you recommend? |
6N= 6 nines copper or 99.9999% pure. OFC= oxygen free copper. There are several good companies that use 6N or even 7N wire. Harmonic Tech, Acrolink, and others. Oyaide is continuous cast copper- I am not sure of its purity but I believe it is 6N. |
Bacardi, my power amp cord is a DH Labs Power Plus.
Srwooten, what is 6N copper and how does it differ from OFC? Is Oyaide the only company that uses it? |
My first suggestion is to try a Synergistic research Teslaplex($95.00) for your wall outlet. Second, a S.R QLS 6 or 9 is nice with a Tesla T2 power cord. You will notice a huge difference with those three upgrades. Then plug everything into your QLS. Your amp into the bottom outlet of the Teslaplex. Unless it sounds better in the QLS. What cord do you use for your power amp??
Regards Bacardi |
Something I found to make the greatest difference in sound was having dedicated "home run" lines put in for the system. If you don't have dedicated lines for your system, spend the money on a good electrician before you spend on conditioner. I also upgraded my service at the same time. |
I use the PS Audio PPP and am fairly happy with it. You might want to consider power cords with 6N copper. I believe the DH wire is OFC. This IMHO could reduce grain. I like Oyaide Tunami wire. Just a thought. |
I have tried my main components with and without a conditioner. The amp sounds better plugged straight into the wall, but the CDP sounds better thru the Quintet. With the CDP plugged into the wall outlet, I hear the soundstage as images in my room. With the CDP plugged into the Quintet, I hear the the images in their room. What I mean is that I hear the musicians in the room it was recorded in. I want more of that. BTW, I would also be interested in feedback on something like an Oyaide power strip compared to a power conditioner. |
my main goal is to take the edge off the system Try listening without a conditioner. You might be pleasantly suprised.Just a thought. |
