Vinshine X Collaboration with Kinki Studio, TheTai Hang power enhancer
What a surprise after installing the Taihang in my system,, in a word, amazing. Stage depth clarity was amoung one of the first things I notice. My system consists of tubes pre and power amps, with a digital and analog front end. Tubes as we know exhibit a second harmonic noise distortion which is a given and something we live with as it’s our perception as being more musical. Dirty power can add more nastiness to this by way of unfiltered AC. With the addition of the Taihang it has made all the background information much more clearer. My speakers are fairly high resolving so was able to take advantage of this additional gain the Taihang give me. Leading edges from instruments started and stopped more precisely still retaining musicality. Black background noise seemed non existent as we like saying but in this case it really does without straining to not hear. So clean power can do all this, seems to be! Also will mention as in some cases experienced with power amps, I sensed no loss in dynamics or compression which is one of the biggest concerns when implementing such products. This in my first day of listening. So again I’ll go back to my original statement, amazing! Alvin’s collaboration as he calls it, has some magic inside this beautifully crafted box.
Long story short, increasing the gain on the back of the ZRock3 increased the static/buzz while connected to the SE84UFO. I also tried this with my Pass Labs XA-25 with similar results. I could turn the gain down, but now I was turning up the volume on my preamp to get the same amount of volume
I am still testing some things out, but ironically if I use my XA-25 in conjunction with the ZRock3, the static/buzz volume increases, although to a much lesser extent when the ZRock3 gain is turned up. I guess Decware products are made to pair better with their stuff so it makes sense in that regard.
@jwlaudio I’ve had the same experience with the ZR3. Thank you so incredibly much for sharing your findings - Tai Hang now on the short list.
I definitely don’t want to sidetrack this thread, but I would be curious whether @karl_deschhas experienced the same static/buzz with his ZR3, Decware Torii, and Zu U6s? I’m thinking probably not.
@stevehuffThanks for the review, it's definitely helped me out with what was probably DC on my line. I am not a reviewer, but can I just review your Nagra stuff... for personal reasons =)
Hey guys! This piece replaced my Puritan PSM 156 and I couldn't be happier. One day I will get a 2nd one. It's incredible for the price and I have my amp, preamp, dac and streamer plugged in and it has fixed the DC issues, lowered the noise floor to nothing, and for me there is a bit for solidity to the foundation. Where the PSM 156 tipped things up in the treble a little, this one does not do that. Rather, it seems to take out any edge that was here. Incredible value, and not snake oil.
I took a leap of faith after watching the Hifi Huff review. Well, also because i have only had good interactions with Vinshine, pre & post purchase. On with my impressions:
At this time, this is limited to the static/buzz I hear on my Cornwall IVs when music is not playing. This was audible from my couch, which probably irritates me more than it should. The static/buzz started when I purchased my 1st tube amp, the Decware SE84UFO2.1. I reached out to Decware and one of the recommendations was to get a humdinger by Van Alstine. I can't remember the order of my purchases, but I also have the Decware Line Conditioner (ZLC). I had the following plugged in, in the following order: Wall>Humdinger>ZLC>stereo gear. This reduced the amount of static/buzz but it was still audible from my listening position. I also moved so I have 2 test cases for this, however the result was pretty much the same. Anyhow, I didn't learn my lesson or I like to torture myself so I ordered a Decware ZRock3 (EQ) to get a little more bass from my SE84UFO. The ZRock has a gain in the back in addition to the knob on the front to increase/decrease base (there is also a switch, but that's not really in scope at this time). I apologize for my crude descriptions of these features. I tried the ZRock3 between the Preamp and the Amp and also between the DAC and Preamp, as that is the recommendation from Steve at Decware. Great, honest guy by the way. He recommends placing the ZRock where it sounds best to me.
Long story short, increasing the gain on the back of the ZRock3 increased the static/buzz while connected to the SE84UFO. I also tried this with my Pass Labs XA-25 with similar results. I could turn the gain down, but now I was turning up the volume on my preamp to get the same amount of volume (I don't know if this is a bad thing or not, but it's just what I experienced). Keep in mind, this is my experiences PRE-Tai Hang.
Post Tai-hang: By post, I mean I've eliminated the Humdinger and ZLC from my chain. It's just the Tai Hang to my stereo gear. I can plug in my SE84UFO and ZRock with the gain turned up to MAX and the static/buzz is no longer audible from my couch. It is still there, but I have to put my ear up to the horn on my Cornwalls to actually hear it. Success! I have been chasing this "issue" for a couple years now. Glad to say it was money well spent on the Tai Hangs. I purchased 2 so I can really maximize the benefits (1 Tai Hang for my amps/preamps/tube gear and 1 tai hang for my sources (DAC, transports)).
I am still testing some things out, but ironically if I use my XA-25 in conjunction with the ZRock3, the static/buzz volume increases, although to a much lesser extent when the ZRock3 gain is turned up. I guess Decware products are made to pair better with their stuff so it makes sense in that regard.
Once I situate my gear again to plug into their appropriate Tai Hangs, I hope to just enjoy the music soon.
I’ve had my Taihang in my system for a week now and it is replacing a PMS-156. Everything about the T/H is big improvement over the 156. It is much better built. The H/T is solid and has heft to it. The 156 looks and feels like an entry level piece, where the T/H has style to it and fits the part of a high end system. The T/H is in a different league sound wise. It is truly a superior performer. It has brought a whole new level of performance out of my system. Plus it's less expensive. Although it has two less sockets, I would rather trade that for the uptick in performance. Thank you to Alvin, Annie and the Vinshine team and congratulations. This is a great product.
Hi everyone. Just got my unit in the US yesterday and so far seems I wasn't hit with tariff 🤞 although I heard its like taxes in that you can be chased for it at a later date...
So far I have my Phono, integrated and DAC running of it. I have kept my turntable on another circuit as it has a switching power supply and I thought that might be a good idea.
The system is sounding good although it's too soon for me to really know much. I think I am expecting a good result to be that the system sounds like it does on a good day, all the time:)...
There have been some comments that loading up one unit with all your gear including power amp might not be the best and in that case a 2nd unit might be required for the power amp (depending on its draw).
So I am trying to calculate how much current my integrated is requiring under load.
Does this sound right?.... Seems low to me.....
AMP = Leben cs600X (push pull tube, class A ~35W)
- The Leben CS-600X integrated amplifier has a maximum mains power consumption of approximately 195 watts
- Determine max current (A) = power (P)/Voltagee(W)
- For the US this means
- (A) = 195W/120V = ~ 1.63 (A)
- While the exact “normal” current draw is not specified in the manufacturer’s documentation, it is reasonable to estimate that typical consumption is between 60% and 80% of the maximum, depending on listening habits and speaker load.
- This would equate to roughly 1.0 to 1.3 amps during normal use.
frankpic, how many watts are we talking about from your tube monos and do you know the amps they draw? Did you just have to much gear that needed isolation or were you worried about not enough current?
Great write-up. I purchased 2 units, one dedicated to my mono tube amplifers and the other for my preamp and music streamer/dac. The background noise is now lower, dynamics feel more unrestricted, and generally there's a noticeable improvement in sound quality. In the past, I was restructed in not being able to use power conditioners with my tube amps as they made the amps not sound as open and dynamic. Not the case with the Tai Hang units. Well engineered and thought out. I also admire the build quality, and look of the units. Well done and all for a fraction of the expected price.
Every dc blockers and balanced transformers I ever used suppresses transients and dynamics, particularly with amplifiers.
So all the reports saying this device not doing that is exciting. A foil inductor for power conditioning? Very interesting.
@alvin1118going by internal pictures you are doing a stage of filtering for each 2 outlet receptacle? This means adding a third receptacle (to get 6 outlets) would be difficult?
Perhaps you could make the boards modular and have them in the chassis sideways, so the Tai Hang could have 4/6/8 outlet versions?
this is my first "full" power conditioner. I resisted getting one for all these years because I thought it was too close to snake oil. It's a huge improvement over the balanced isolation transformer I was using. All the usual improvements people cite from improving power are there.. much blacker background, sense of ease and lack of listening fatigue.. the equipment just seems to work better.. monoblock amps seem more dynamic with less compression affecting dynamic peaks in the music. I'm incredibly happy with it. Build quality is great too, the chassis is solid as a rock and sockets are all perfectly mounted, the faceplate is beautifully cnc'ed with horizontal ridges. even the blue led is noticeably dimmed to prevent annoyance. A really great product. You can tell they spent a lot of time on it. appearance is super polished and beautiful. all my other gear is black but the silver tai hang is so pretty I don't mind it standing out on my shelf
OK, I just added it to my 2-channel rig and Wowza! No edge to anything, more detail, more weight, better timbre, soundstage. It reveals more detail but not in a fatiguing sorta way. I think the more revealing your rig is the more you'll appreciate this. An absolute bargain at its price.
Not trying to be a fanboy, but this is one of those improvements that keeps you hooked on the hobby. I thought my rig sounded better before, but I was hoping for more body and better timbre. Mission accomplished! Cycling through my collection and have absolutely no reservation about playing any type of genre. That's always the sign of a good piece of kit.
Just thought I'd chime in on my experience with the unit. I also had some DC issues that I'd been trying to address. It has completely increased the musicality of my headphone rig which centers around RAAL amplification and headphones. My experienced mirrored Srajan's. Deeper, darker background. Better tonal saturation and weight which was a meaningful improvement. And shockingly, absolutely no loss in dynamics. The rig was fairly dialed-in, but this has taken it to another level. Previously, power distribution was via Furutech (same as Srajan's). In the past this solution bettered everything else I've tried. Also wish it had 6 outlets, rather than 4.
I'll be adding a second to my 2-channel rig which centers around Voxativ speakers and Lyric amplification. I've cycled through a ton of different power solutions. The most involved was dedicated lines along with Isoclean units. I've also tried some other DC blocking solutions and they didn't come close to this one.
Within the context of my expectations and experiences with "power conditioning", this is a product that I'd highly recommend.
Not knowing if I can get one before the May 1st deadline is what made me hesitant. Then I read this morning that a 104% tariff against China will go into effect at midnight tonight so so much for that.
No way in hell I'm going to pay just over double for anything. No wonder Alvin looked so serious and despondent in today's video. America has a huge customer base and this will hit his business in a very bad way.
Alvin came on YouTube today with bad news on future sales to the U.S. April 20th is his drop dead date for any current orders that will not be affected by the new tariff changes. He looked serious and said “this is not a sales pitch”, and I believe him.
So if anyone wants one at these prices and in a timely manner, now is your time to act. No skin in this game, other than I have one and am very satisfied with its performance ratio.
I don't expect any issues since my system is pretty low power, but how does one calculate the current draw? E.g. my Pass Labs XA-25 says 240W consumption, I don't see anything besides that.
Also, does this sound right for 2 Tai Hangs?
1 unit to handle the Amp + Pre-Amp.
1 unit to handle my DAC, CD/SACD Transport?
* I have a Decware ZRock 3 that I use between my DAC and Pre-Amp. Should I plug this in Tai Hang for the Amp/Pre-Amp or with the DAC/Transport?
** I should have spare outlets on either, where should I plug in my TV =)
Srajan at 6moons gave it an award and may buy another. Its main purpose is to scrub DC off the line and in so doing, opens up the sound more. He noticed more clarity without any downsides and he's a fiend for clarity.
As for comparisons to the Puritan PM156, a review left at the Vinshine site states that it equals, if not exceeds the performance of it for much less.
Gonna give this a try in my other system. Have two PSM156’s so it’ll be interesting to A/B/C this between my PSM 156, Niagara 1200 and not using one at all.
I’ve been a believe in power conditioning after I had custom 20a outlets put in, with audiophile wall outlets. The PSM 156 took care of my noise problem, also tried expensive power cables (they do help) and hum eliminators. Have since moved on to shunyata power cables, but still love the PSM 156.
This will a cool item to try at it's price point and based on internals, looks more impressive then my 1200.
This is a first for me; I have never lowered the noise floor on my system before. I have increased transparency consistently but never lowered the noise floor. I’ve been listening critically since the early ‘80s and have used a wide variety of components in the last 45 years. I greatly prefer tube amplification and enjoy building my own, but I also buy commercial units every now and then.
After adding the Tai Hang to my system, I noticed some things right away. Dynamics, especially the low-level details, are noticeably better. Think about brush work on cymbals…those subtle accents in the background that are contributing nuance to the music. I’ve certainly experienced increases in transparency and low-level details during prior upgrades, but there was a subtle difference this time.
There’s just something different between increasing the resolving power of the system and reducing the noise level. I can’t hear “blackness”, at least my brain can’t, but I can certainly hear a number of small things now that were buried beneath the noise floor before I cleaned up the mains supply. The decay of notes are longer and clearer; they don’t get chopped off when they hit the noise floor, plus the low-level dynamics I mentioned above.
I started my evaluation with my headphone system, which is simple, but has good resolution. It’s not uber high end but it definitely has enough transparency to identify small changes in the system. FWIW, this is my 7th standalone DAC and it’s a stunner, especially when fed a clean hi-res signal. I put a very light load on the Tai Hang in my initial use case, so I can’t verify what it does with heavier loads like a power amp. Next month, after I upgrade my power amp…
Here are the system details:
JRiver Media Center 33, outputting 32bit/768kHz on USB
Holo Audio Red DDC, outputting 32bit/768kHz on I2S
Holo Audio Cyan2 DAC using balanced outputs
Auris HA-2 SE+ Headphone Amplifier
Sennheiser HD 6xx Headphones (300 ohm)
HIFIMAN SUNDARA Headphones (37 Ohm)
Kinki Studio x Vinshine Audio Tai Hang
Furutech FP-314Ag Power Cables to components
Furutech FP-3TS20 Power Cable to input of Tai Hang
*Question; So each plug on the back of the TaiHang will deliver 15A per outlet even when all 4 outlets are in use? Thus 60A in total assuming the wall outlet is giving 15 A capacity? Thank you,
*@daytrader: Each outlet is capable of delivering 15A. However, the actual limit depends on the wall sockets’ current capacity, which typically ranges from 13A to 20A, as well as the total power draw of all equipment connected to the Taihang.
For example, the following equipment are connected to the Taihang, with their respective operating currents: CDT 1.5A DAC 1.0A Preamp 1.5A Power Amp 8A The total current delivered by the Taihang will be 12A.
However, during peak moments—such as when the music demands higher wattage from the power amp—the current consumption may briefly spike to around 13A. The Taihang is designed to handle such instantaneous surges without issue. Hope this helps! Many thanks, Alvin Chee @ Vinshine.Audio.
Tyray, it was I who had the Kinki conditioner at a good price. In my system, there was a small reduction in bass. The unit did provide a darker background and seemingly wider soundstage, but the difference was not night and day. I'm done with power conditioners. I have tried a few, and there seems to always be a slight reduction in dynamic range. I think I will leave well enough alone.
@dwest1023, sometimes when looking at a generated out of Singapore website, it shows prices in Singapore prices versus US prices which will be much higher in Singapore prices versus US currency exchange rate prices, which is a good thing. But be sure read the ’fine print’ information.
IMPORTANT NOTES
By placing an order, you agree to the following warranty and return policies.
The Taihang can be positioned near the equipment, but please note that spike shoes are not included in the package. We ship to Canada via FedEx or DHL by air with tracking. Feel free to reach out to me at sales@vinshineaudio.com for further assistance.
Each outlet is capable of delivering 15A. However, the actual limit depends on the wall socket's current capacity, which typically ranges from 13A to 20A, as well as the total power draw of all equipment connected to the Taihang.
For example, the following equipment are connected to the Taihang, with their respective operating currents:
CDT 1.5A
DAC 1.0A
Preamp 1.5A
Power Amp 8A
The total current delivered by the Taihang will be 12A. However, during peak moments—such as when the music demands higher wattage from the power amp—the current consumption may briefly spike to around 13A. The Taihang is designed to handle such instantaneous surges without issue.
Alvin, to be clear based on your description posted above…
”It’s a high-current power enhancer capable of delivering up to 60A instantaneously (though it’s ultimately limited by the 15-20A capacity of the wall socket). I’ve connected my source, DAC, preamp, power amp (monoblocks), and all my other gear through the Taihang, and it performs exceptionally well. I don’t notice any compression, bass loss, or anything negative. On the contrary, the Taihang brings out more nuances, details, and a clearer instrument placement with a more defined soundstage.”
*Question; So each plug on the back of the TaiHang will deliver 15A per outlet even when all 4 outlets are in use? Thus 60A in total assuming the wall outlet is giving 15 A capacity?
I bought my Jays CDT3 MK3 through Alvin and he is a first rate man to do business with...very helpful and really concerned with your overall satisfaction! Thank you Alvin!!!
@classicrockfanyou base that opinion on what? I get it - you don't believe in power conditioning, that cables make a difference, and that re-clocking can be helpful in the digital domain. Everything you don't believe in is "snake oil?"
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