HARP — Reduces resonance distortion in the current domain, sharpening timing, improving clarity, and deepening sonic realism in ways never thought possible in the power-category.

QRBB — Serves as an instantaneous energy reserve, dramatically enhancing the perception of dynamic impact and timing. ~ Patent No. US 10,031,536 ~

Compared to traditional power conditioning, Everest-X reproduces sound with a profound sense of physical timing and extended silence. Sound is more visceral and impactful due to the newfound absence of noise and distortion. Familiar recordings take on added scale as if more powerful amplification was added to the system. Everest-X imbues sound with a profoundly quiet background, bringing forward newfound harmonic detail from instruments and voice. Learn more at: shunyata.com/product/everest-x

Let’s take a step back and look at the typical power conditioner. For the sake of discussion, let’s take regenerators and their kin out of the equation, as they do a very different thing; we’re concentrating on those devices that take the juice from the wall and give it a gentle massage on the way to the audio electronics. The trouble with many power conditioners is that massage isn’t so gentle after all. Often, they use large transformers and filters to smooth out the spikes, ripples and noise that upset the AC apple-cart, but often the cure is as bad as the disease.

It’s not too big a leap to think of all audio with a plug as essentially ‘modulating alternating current’ and in smoothing out the lumps and bumps of that AC you introduce a kind of perceptible ‘lag’ that undermines the system’s timing. The best of the conventional transformer-based conditioners reduce that lag to a minimum, but never fully avoid it. It’s why advocates of ‘PRaT’ (Pace, Rhythm and Timing) routinely avoid power conditioners even in environments where the AC or ‘mains’ is notably poor. The argument being if you are going to prioritise improving your system, you are likely trading compromises, and it’s better to have those compromises somewhere other than the way that system ‘times.’ 

Giant transformer?

Gryphon’s PowerZone 3 isn’t a giant transformer in a box. I know I said I was treating the two PowerZone 3 models in the same breath, but if you think what kind of ‘giant transformer in a box’ would be required to tame 40A products, and you’d end up with something that would take up power amplifier floor space, and not the svelte shelf dweller that is the Gryphon PowerZone 3. 

So, what does the Gryphon PowerZone 3 do? It all comes down to more than a dozen years of research by a chemical engineer, Paul Hafner. According to the description published on Gryphon’s website, “In an electrical circuit, current flow is attended by micro-vibrations on a molecular level; basically, all current flow is, by definition, the transmission of energy through micro-vibrations. Following Paul Hafner’s theory and approach, the vibration of electrons in the conductor creates a series of minute resonances generated by the signal passing through it. Paul’s specific approach differentiates a Dynamic (variable) signal from a Static signal.”

The PowerZone 3 features resin-potted crystalline structures known as HafnerTech Conductor Modules that focus and optimise the vibrational flow of electrons and thereby minimise the spurious resonances and the distortions they create. The adapted crystalline structures within these modules facilitate this vibrational flow in an undisturbed way with no loss of energy through noise or heat. I mentioned the idea of ‘massaging the AC’ before; the HafnerTech modules act as a kind of molecular-level spa treatment for your electrons. It also acts as a curated current flow, which is said to result in fewer artefacts and restrictions to the AC reaching the audio electronics.

This is accomplished without any current limiting, filtering or active signal processing in order to preserve the integrity of the AC signal. Gryphon even claims that room acoustics will have a less deleterious influence on sound quality when the PowerZone 3 is in place, as “rooms tend to disproportionately amplify the negative resonant characteristics of reproduced sound”. 

The PowerZone 3 also benefits from the innovative SmartStack compound, a form of shim that combines liquid and calendered rubber for optimum noise damping. This material, developed by fellow Danes MENETA, is used in high-end automotive settings, and this is its first implementation in the audio world.

PowerZone 3 features star grounding, and all three ‘legs’ of the AC signal—positive, negative and earth—are treated equally. Each benefit from conductive environments specifically adapted to their unique needs. All internal wiring features Teflon-insulated 12 AWG silver-plated, OFC copper. 

Gryphon-like build

It’s hard to describe the build of the PowerZone 3, because Gryphon is one of those ‘without parallel’ brands in the audio industry that take construction seriously. From the thick black anodised chassis to the elegantly restrained graphics, right through to the sheer overall solidity of the build, this is made ‘right.’ In fact, it gets the highest praise… it’s built like a Gryphon Audio product! Funny that. 

While what goes on inside the PowerZone 3 are very different from almost every other conditioner on the market, there’s no denying it does a lot for your system. It’s not a subtle change, but neither is it so radical that it changes what you liked about your system in the first place. Instead, it’s like bringing out what was good about your system that made you buy it. Sounds are better illuminated; not spot-lit or too brightly or brashly brought into focus. It’s as if someone just raised the light levels a few notches. It’s even and well-balanced and… better.

Bass in particular snapped into focus with a clarity and precision that is extremely alluring and did so with all the transient energy and ‘snap’ required. The acid test of any power conditioning system here is ‘Chameleon’ by Trentemøller [The Last Resort, Poker Flat]. Those deep transients that can show up a port’s ability to choke up also highlight any softening or restrictions in power delivery, and there are none here. The sound of those almost square-wave deep bass sounds was more precise and had better leading-edge attack and less trailing-edge decay… as it should. This applied universally, to, whether it was just the one component getting the Gryphon treatment or the entire system. 

Fine detail is also brought to the fore, with Joyce Di Donato’s voice both powerful and incredibly articulate [Stella Di Napoli, Erato]. On ‘Tu sola, o mua Giuletta… Deh! tu, bell’anima’, it resolves down to her voice and a French Horn player. This allows the two to have their separated physical ‘spaces’ in the mix, but never gets in the way of the beautiful music that underpins the track. And that’s the joy of the PowerZone 3 in a nutshell; it brings out both the bits that audiophiles crave and what music lovers want from their sound. All the while not changing the intrinsic performance of the system the listener originally selected.

It behoves a reviewer to find flaw in a device, but in this one that’s hard. It’s self-sealing; the performance is less noticeable in equipment that isn’t that resolving, but you aren’t going to use a power conditioner that costs three times as much as your system, are you? Also, if you have some legitimately dreadful problems with your electrical supply, this isn’t the cure. The PowerZone 3 is more about bringing refinement to a good supply than transforming a bad supply into a good one.

The big theory

In fact, what little criticism the PowerZone 3 faces has nothing to do with its performance; it’s that the claims for why it does what it does will rankle with audio’s Science Club… who don’t need to listen to the Gryphon PowerZone 3 to form an opinion about it!

For the rest of us, the Gryphon PowerZone 3 is a game-changer. It helps bring out what your system is capable of without sacrificing one aspect of its overall performance. Sure, it’s expensive and that puts it in the context of some very lofty audio electronics, but if you want those electronics to have a glow-up, go for Gryphon!

Specs & Pricing

Type: Power optimiser; PowerZone 3:10, 1 bank of 8 Furutech outlets, 20A capacity, 1x HafnerTech module; PowerZone 3:20, 2 banks of 4 Furutech outlets, 40A capacity, 2x HafnerTech module
Dimensions (WxHxD): 48.6×12.5×28.5cm
Weight: (PowerZone 3.10) 10.9kg, (PowerZone 3.20) 11.9kg
Price: PowerZone 3.10: £14,500, $14,000, €15,500; PowerZone 3.20: £17,950, $17,500, €18,950

Manufacturer
Gryphon Audio Designs ApS
www.gryphon-audio.dk 

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Enter the Stromtank S-2500 Quantum MKII. Having tried a passel of conditioners and regenerators in the past, I was eager to give the Stromtank a whirl to see if what it had to offer differed from its rivals. In fact, I asked the factory for no fewer than two units, one for the digital front-end and the other for my analog rig. Their performance proved to be as enticing as their looks.

Getting the Stromtank up and running proved to be easy. First you insert a key that is supplied with the unit to ignite it, so to speak. Then you flip two separate power switches in succession to turn on the unit. The factory supplies inexpensive Belden cables with the Stromtank, noting that the quality of the power cable makes no difference. Once the unit is fully charged up, you can expect at least a full day’s performance before it automatically goes into recharging mode. It will continue playing even while in charging mode. I never triggered the charge mode, as I always put it into standby when I was listening via a button on the front panel that you depress and that signals the change by altering the light on the front screen from green to blue. There are a total of 16 lithium batteries in the S-2500 MKII, as well as an inverter.

What effect did all this electronic wizardry have upon my stereo system? A number of positive ones. With analog playback, I was surprised to discover that the Stromtank appeared to improve the speed stability of the Air Force Zero turntable. In reviewing the direct-drive Oswalds Mill Audio K3 turntable, I was struck by its accuracy, particularly when it came to reproducing transient information. Whether it was classical or jazz music, the K3 had a metronomic precision that was extremely impressive.

My sense was that in this regard the Stromtank had what can only be termed a salubrious effect upon the performance of the Zero. On a Cheech and Chong LP called Los Cochinos, I listened closely to the boisterous number “Sargent Stadanko,” which centers on a police officer who visits the classroom of Sister Mary Elephant to warn her young charges that “Only dopes use dope.” The Stromtank improved the enunciation of both Cheech and Chong, increased dynamics, and rendered the background guffaws of the high schoolers far more intelligible. Overall, the presentation was also a lot more dynamic. Something similar occurred on a Concord LP called The Artful Dodger that features the pianist Victor Feldman. On numbers such as “Limehouse Blues” and “Agitation,” I was smitten by the increased resolution provided by the Stromtank. The result was that instruments such as the drums and piano sounded crisper and less smeared than when I heard them before without the benefit of the Stromtank. Another nice perk was that the Stromtank seemed to help clean up the fracturing that could take place on some LPs when the piano keys were vigorously struck in the treble region.

A case in point was a marvelous Decca recording from 1976 of the Romanian pianist Radu Lupu playing Schubert’s Sonata in G major. I always cringed at certain points where the piano notes would splinter as Lupu walloped the keys, but with the Stromtank in operation the Air Force Zero sailed through the previously offending passages with ease. Overall, the Stromtank had what might be called a disaggregating effect upon some of the nasties that can plague older vinyl recordings. Put otherwise, it had the effect of cleaning up the sound. On a Riverside pressing, Last Chorus, the alto sax, drums, trombone, and trumpet were comfortably in their own spaces without any of the fuzziness that can sometimes surface on older jazz recordings.

When it came to digital recordings, I was also intrigued by what the addition of the Stromtank to the sonic mix would produce. As it happens, unlike a certain reviewer who resides in New Jersey and regards digital recordings with frostiness if not hostility, I’m a fan of the genre. The Stromtank amplified, as it were, some of the inherent strengths of digital recordings. One aspect of digital I very much enjoy is its silky rendering of violin and brass passages in the treble area. The Stromtank added another level of finesse to the proceedings. Perhaps this was because of its ability to remove hash and grunge or simply because of the constant sinewave that it produces, or a combination of the two. On a Chandos recording of the violin virtuoso Francesca Dego, for example, of the Busoni Violin Concerto in D major, I relished listening to her rendition of the second andante movement, which achieved a kind of aching purity. Then there were the supple and precise 16^th note passages in the final allegro impetuoso movement. All in all, it was a breathtaking experience.

Another aspect of the Stromtank that was palpably evident on digital recordings was its tonal fidelity. I have a soft spot for classical trumpet and listened extensively to the Hungarian virtuoso, Gabor Boldoczki, playing Handel and Telemann concertos. The Stromtank intensified the tonal density of his playing on the piccolo trumpet and brought out with a new degree of clarity his shadings of notes. I heard the same phenomenon on a BIS recording of Andrea Haefliger playing Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major. Not only was there an added degree of richness in the bass, but the trills that begin the sonata’s second movement were also articulated more clearly than I had previously experienced them. In a word, they sounded more pearl-like.

After listening to the Stromtank for a few months, I also plugged the DarT-ZeeL NHB-468 monoblock amps into it. The Stromtank was easily able to handle the amplifiers’ power draw. The noise floor was further reduced and the sense of hall space increased. But plugging in the amps also led to a somewhat more subdued performance. It wasn’t that dynamics were suppressed, or transients blunted. Adding the amps to the Stromtank simply produced a plusher ride, one that some listeners will gravitate toward, and others find too much of a good thing.

The Stromtank amply delivers on its promise to elevate the performance of a stereo. More often than not, power products have as many pluses as minuses. Not here. There was no blunting of dynamics, no softening of transients, no smudging of harmonics. On the contrary, the S-2500 MKII lowered the noise floor, enlarged the soundstage, increased the sense of black backgrounds, retrieved additional detail, and fortified dynamic swells. Throughout, it brought me one step closer to the musical truth. Let me put it bluntly: I’m not sure I can live without this marvelous device.    

Specs & Pricing

Input voltage range: 50 to 140VAC/150 to 265VAC
Input frequency: 45Hz to 65Hz (autosensing)
Output voltage: 100–130Vac/200–245VAC (pure sinewave ±2%)
Output frequency: 50Hz/60Hz ± 0.05% (crystal controlled)
Harmonic distortion: <2%
Continues power @ 25°C: 600VA
Power 30 min. @ 25°C: 1000VA
Dimensions: 48 x 45 x 30cm/19″ x 17″ x 12″
Weight 61 kg/134 lbs.
Price: $27,250

As expected, Nordost’s construction and finish-quality were first rate—and rugged, too. With equipment coming and going, the IEC connectors can get a workout, but the QB8 felt as if it was more than up to the task over the long haul. Beyond the convenience factor of multiple outlets, another virtue of a passive distribution unit is to approximate (as closely as possible) a hard-wired connection. To that end, the contact surfaces of the inputs must be pristine and snug. It’s all about transferring current. Thus, the actual quality of contact between IEC connectors and the flat prongs of the power cords from the system’s components is more about pressure than contact-patch size. The QB8 excels in this respect.

The QB8 can be placed directly on the floor or “suspended.” The latter will mean adding a quartet of Nordost Sort Kones—mechanically tuned resonance control devices. The three models of Sort Kones are priced at $104, $184, and $449 each, depending on the material (aluminum/ceramic, bronze/ceramic, titanium/ceramic). These footers are more sophisticated than they outwardly appear. Central to Sort Kone is the ceramic coupling-ball located invisibly within the assembly. Nordost claims that it ameliorates internal vibrations occurring within a component’s audio circuits and power supplies. Sort Kones are available in three versions with posts composed of different metal compositions. Depending on the room setup and associated system components, they are more than worthy of an audition.

Evaluating power distribution units is about as straightforward as anything in high-end audio. After burning the QB8 in for a few hours, I began listening to a system comprising the Aesthetix Mimas integrated amp, dCS Puccini, and the Lumin S1 Music Player. A SOTA Cosmos turntable feeding a Parasound JC-3+ phonostage handled analog duties. Cables were Audience frontRow throughout, except for the Esprit Aura phono interconnect. Repeatedly taking the QB8 in and out of the system while playing familiar reference material was the most informative path for this evaluation.

In sonic performance, audiophiles new to this segment should not expect shifts in frequency or tonal character from a distribution unit. It’s not a “fixer” in that sense. Nor is it going to correct sweeping problem areas like a loudspeaker’s suckout or edgy top end. Like all top-drawer power components (distributor or conditioner), the QB8 is the quintessential incrementalist. It operates on a finer, more granular level, honing and polishing the qualities of an already established, finely tuned system. As a so-called “passive device,” the QB8 doesn’t add to or color information that is already present in the source material. Rather, it is restorative, bringing to light low-level details and micro-dynamic shifts that have been obscured.

The sonic results make themselves known immediately and consistently. However, the real conversation about transparency and resolution begins with a low noise floor. In a manner of speaking, it’s what you don’t hear in the way of noise or distortions that paves the way for everything you do hear. And so it was with the QB8 in the system. It removed a subtle opacity that hung over the orchestra, immediately improving focus and layering. More fully resolving timbral details and low-level transient information was its bailiwick. Whether it was the clarity of the rattles from a tambourine or a snare drum, or the grit and clarity from the mouthpiece of a close-miked sax, trumpet, or trombone, cues seemed more distinct and energetic.

Further, the QB8 removed a superficiality that often clings to a close-miked vocal like that of singer/songwriter Lauren Daigle, whose distinctive throaty vocal during “Rescue” took on a new immediacy and vitality [Look Up Child]. In purely acoustic settings, the QB8 seemed to allow my system to further define the boundaries of the venue of a recording, such as the vast reverberant environs of the Troy Savings Bank in New York where acappella singer Laurel Massé recorded her Feather and Bone album. Complex image groupings were less smeared and congested.

The upshot of these observations, incremental as they are, is best illustrated listening to a solo grand piano. As I played back keyboard artists ranging from Keith Jarrett and Michael Garson to the brilliant Minoru Nojima from his classic Reference Recording LP Nojima Plays Liszt, the sonic experience became more expressive, filled with greater musical emotion. After repeated listening, I came to think that this impression was owed to the pristine timing and individuation of each note and the lack of any perceived noise around the notes. This restored in each performance an unforgettable “live-in-concert” immediacy.

Nordost’s QBASE8 Mark III is priced in a sweet spot for the majority of entry- to mid-level high-end systems. A relatively small but satisfying investment by audiophile standards, the QB8 achieved high marks in my own roughly $30k small-room setup. It proved time and again that when you’re seeking the final touch of musical refinement in your system, no part of the audio chain can be taken for granted. An easy recommendation, indeed.

Specs & Pricing

Price: QB8, $2299 (QB4, $1399); Frey power cord, $2199/1m; Sort Kone BC bronze with ceramic ball, $184 each

NORDOST
93 Bartzak Dr
Holliston, MA, 01746-1374

Price: $17,000. monarch-systems.com

McIntosh PS2K Powered Subwoofer

With four 13″ woofers and massive magnets, the PS2K Powered Subwoofer from McIntosh Laboratories is powerful, to say the least. The system uses McIntosh’s patented Low Distortion High Performance (LD/HP) Magnetic Circuit Design to significantly reduce distortion while increasing the drivers’ power handling and efficiency. Each of the woofers is driven by a dedicated 500W Class D amplifier. The PS2K further pushes the pinnacle of McIntosh craftsmanship with its innovative multi-layer carbon-fiber cones that are strong, can resist long-duration extended-excursion travel, and are made rigid to reduce flexing. The PS2K features a variety of connection options that are compatible with virtually any installation. Equipped with two McIntosh protection technologies, Power Guard^® (a feature created to prevent harsh-sounding clipping in real time) and Sentry Monitor (a fuse-less short-circuit protection circuit, which automatically resets when operating conditions return to normal), the PS2K comes in a high-gloss black finish with carbon trim and an aluminum base.

Price: $50,000. mcintoshgroup.com

Sony MDR-7506 headphones 

These $100 (or less on the street) closed-back wired headphones outperform many models at 3-5 times the price. That’s largely because Sony did a reasonable job of following the Harman curve that is often used to approximate the effect of your outer ear on frequency response. The MDR-7506 has a few drawbacks, but so does practically every headphone.  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphones 

Audio-Technica offers a closed-back, wired headphone that sounds quite good. At $150, we consider it a worthwhile step up in frequency balance and comfort from the Sony MDR-7506. But, if you’re really on a tight budget, the Audio-Technicas are mathematically almost twice the price. And we think you should be the judge between the Sony and the Audio-Technica because the differences between headphones, with their inevitable deviations from perfect and human-to-human differences, may play to your hearing differently than they did to ours. 

Korf HS-A02 Ceramic Headshell 

If you are using a standard removable headshell, this would seem to be the one to beat. We like removable headshells because they make cartridge swapping fairly easy and they save the expense of multiple arms. The Korf has good mechanical rigidity measurements and is reasonably priced at $215 or thereabouts.  

AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt Amp/DAC 

We generally recommend wired headphones, because Bluetooth by design imposes severe data rate limitations on your music. Wired headphones generally perform better with an amplifier and you can certainly get a better DAC than the one in your phone or PC. The Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt addresses all these issues in a tiny, easy to carry package. The Dragonfly amp works with higher sensitivity headphones and the onboard ESS DAC chips are impressive. At $329.95 (or lower on the street) the form factor plus sound quality are easily recommended.  

Fluance RT81 Turntable 

If you are interested in investigating the “vinyl thing” or need to replace an old turntable without breaking the bank, the Fluance RT81 is an excellent place to start your shopping. This turntable is nicely finished, comes with the Audio-Technica AT95E cartridge, a favorite of Fremer’s, and has a built-in phono preamp. At $249.99 it is an amazing deal and delivers key elements of the analog magic with simple, but careful, setup.  

Audioquest Powerquest 303 AC Conditioner 

You can spend thousands on power conditioning and, once you have a feeling for how electrical signals actually work, you might be open to that idea. Some people can’t go there, either intellectually or financially, and for them Audioquest offers the $459.95 PowerQuest 303. This can be the AC hub of a reasonably-sized system with the security of linear noise-dissipation filtering designed by a real power delivery expert – Audioquest’s Garth Powell. Having a hub like this is also a great enabler to have a common grounding point for all your gear.  

Stein Music The Perfect Interface Carbon mat 

We have had good luck with LP to platter interfaces that are on the firm side. When such a mat isn’t stock (as it is on some ‘tables) both Michael Fremer and I have had a good experience with the Stein Music Perfect Interface Carbon mat. It is made from a special Japanese paper and seems to slightly tighten up the image and the bass from various turntables. For $468, this is a worthwhile tweak for already refined and well-set-up vinyl systems. 

Focal Bathys Headphones 

At $699, the Focal Bathys headphones are around twice the price of the well-established wireless headphones from Sony and Bose and Apple. But from a sound quality standpoint, we’d say they are also “so much better”. One way the Focals are better is in frequency response. The Focals just seem to follow the difficult Harman curve for HRTF correction more closely than less expensive models. Music sounds deep, balanced and clear without stabbing you with a knife in the upper range. And, the Focal Bathys can be connected via a cable when you are in the office or at home, so that you can get around the horrible data rate limitations of Bluetooth that the tech community has imposed on the world.  

Magnepan LRS+ speakers 

This one is kind of a miracle of modern science. The $999 Magnepan LRS+ offers more than a taste of what the high-end can do at 10X its price point. From the upper bass to the upper treble, the LRS+ is detailed and balanced. As a dipole, it can image with the best when properly set up in a small to medium room. Like all dipoles, it is bass-shy, but we there are subwoofer solutions available and more coming to address this. The LRS+ also likes a powerful amp, though these can be had without breaking most banks.  

AudioQuest has even gone one better on this. It claims that the Niagara 3000 not only doesn’t limit current but that the two High-Current outlets can also provide what it calls “Transient Power Correction” (TPC). For a very brief period (up to 25mS), these outlets can provide up to 55A peak current for power amps/integrated amps/subwoofers, so that the voltage does not sag when they need it. Conventional Class A/B or Class D power amps can modulate the AC line as they draw more current during musical peaks, which can be bad for dynamics. My Stamina Class A integrated amps draw the same current (~1.5A each) from the Niagara 3000 continuously, regardless of signal level. Sorry AudioQuest, those don’t test your TPC abilities! However, I did some listening with the excellent AGD Alto and Tempo amp combination, which is Class D (see my review in Issue 338), and it sounded great with this conditioner. I can’t be sure exactly how much TPC was being used, but the Niagara 3000 made a major upgrade to the sound of these amps and to the black silence of their background.

Over the Falls

Before we dive into the listening, let’s look at which Niagara you need for your system. The Niagara series includes four models starting at $1595 for the Niagara 1200, which I have had in my system for two years now and which sounds great. Online, I saw a special for a Niagara 1200/NRG-Y3 package (normally they come with no power cable) for around $1000. So, no one with a system worth $6k or more has any excuse not to get Niagara-level power-conditioning technology. AudioQuest does offer the considerably less expensive PowerQuest Series, though it is better suited for entry-level systems. When you step up to the Niagara 3000 from the 1200, you get two more octaves of Level-X, differential-mode noise-filtering, one more bank of ground-noise dissipation (for a total of three), and two of the high-current TPC outlets (none in the 1200). The 1200 has two high-current outlets optimized for amplifiers, but lacks the current reservoir found in the 3000, 5000, and 7000. The 3000 also has a bigger and fancier chassis, though the little 1200 is quite attractive, too. I had been using the 1200 “face-down” behind my rack, with the outlets pointing up, and indeed it was designed to facilitate this. The 3000 could be used this way also, but it is so deep that it would be in much greater danger of tipping over, and the front panel is such a gorgeous gunmetal-shade  of polished chrome that I didn’t want to hide it on the floor.

As for moving up from the 3000, you can expect the same sonic benefits and more in the pricier models. The Niagara 5000 costs $5900, adds common-mode filtering, two more octaves of differential filtering, doubles the banks of ground-noise filtering, and has greater peak current from TPC on the high-current outlets (90A). There are also nearly twice as many outlets, 12 total, so those with big complex systems might want to spring for the 5000 or 7000. The 7000 costs $11,000, adds four more octaves of common-mode filtering, and two Patented DBS Symmetrical power-isolation transformers feeding all source outlets.   

Enjoy the Silence

Was I blown away by the sound when I replaced the Niagara 1200 with the 3000 in my system? No, not right away. There are a few reasons for this. One, the 1200 uses some of the same noise-reduction tech as the higher-priced models, so I was already accustomed to the wonderful performance it delivers. Also, as AudioQuest preaches, noise dissipation is a holistic process. It takes an entire system of power conditioner and cables to achieve it the way AudioQuest has designed it. So, the greatest benefits of upgrading to the 3000 were especially noticed when I also changed some of the cables to the Blizzard and Thunder. I also must shamefully admit that in some ways the new sound of the music without high-frequency noise riding on the signal sounded “wrong” to me. It took a while to adjust to the purer, smoother, more natural, and more realistic sound with the Niagara 3000. But yes, ultimately it was a significant upgrade from the sound with the 1200.

My Stamina amps pass on more signal than usual, so they sound a bit bright in the absolute sense. (The Stamina is an ultra-simple single-ended-MOSFET design with less filtering, no transformers, almost no wire, and no circuit boards, etc.) Normally, they do not match well with certain interconnects and speaker cables because of their simplicity. Well, the Niagara 3000, the Blizzard, and the Thunder changed all that. By “bright” I mean frequency peaks in the 2kHz–20kHz range (though I can’t hear any higher than 15kHz nowadays). I was surprised by the  way the Niagara and AudioQuest power cables seemed to smooth the tonal balance for the better.

Then came another surprise. I put in the AQ Vodka Ethernet cable, and it somehow perfectly complemented the AQ Yukon interconnects, with a mellowness in the treble that completely canceled out the slight apparent forwardness in the Yukon’s top end. This whole system of Thunder, Niagara 3000, Blizzard, Yukon, and Vodka now sounded incredibly liquid. It was as if they were made for each other (which they actually were). Phenomenal smoothness, incredibly low noise. The whole system, which I know to be a touch bright and a little too analytical and strident at times, now had a special midrange glow the likes of which could normally be associated with analog sound or tubes—none of which were part of my system. I had to keep putting on one album after another to make sure I wasn’t just hearing a lucky accident, where the sound of the system/cables was matching with the balance on the recording. Nope, every single one had the same wonderful qualities.

But then, I had been paying close attention to all the sonic components and the overall balance of the New Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra in rehearsal. My choir, Coro Lux, would be performing Handel’s Messiah with them, and I noticed there was a lot of high-frequency content in live sound. So, for my system I judged the Vodka Ethernet too much of a good thing and went back to the Shunyata Delta V2 Ethernet. The final configuration that was best for my system was Thunder, Niagara 3000, Blizzard (to CXN v2), NRG-Z3 (to Stamina), Yukon, Delta V2, and Goertz MI-2T, though it was a touch too polite and filtered until I moved the NRG-Z3 for the Stamina back to the high-current TPC outlets. Even though my amps’ current draw shouldn’t change with signal level because they are Class A in operation, the high-current outlets sounded better. Go figure.
AudioQuest’s Garth Powell explained that although Class A amplifiers have the fewest issues with current compression when compared with Class AB and particularly Class D, the power supply in a Class A amplifier is still modulated on musical transients, which is why the transient current reservoir and impedance buffer helps.

To put the differences in stark contrast, I did close-in-time listening, starting with my old (90s vintage) Audio- prism Power Foundation III power conditioner, using the same final cable configuration from the previous paragraph. I queued up Simple Minds’ “Street Fighting Years” (Qobuz 16/44)—the tracks which were recorded live in Verona. They have that amazingly huge, natural reverb from the hall. Switching to the AudioQuest Niagara 1200 made subjectively large improvements. The upper treble/top octave was no longer too “hot,” the bass was more solid, and the sense of space was far more expansive. Not only was the presentation less noisy, there was now a lack of grain, which had been so prevalent with the older conditioner that it made high-res tracks sound like they were only 16/44. Then I switched to the Niagara 3000, and the soundstage was larger and more three-dimensional, and the bass extended even deeper. The overall sound was quieter, less bright, and instrumental and vocal timbres were more natural, especially Jim Kerr’s voice—significant, if subtle, improvements to the overall presentation. Very nicely done AudioQuest.

Specs & Pricing

AC Outlets: Source (5); high-current (2)
Maximum input current: 15 amps (RMS)
Dimensions: 17.5″ x 3.45″ x 15.2″
Weight: 28.9 lbs.
Price: $3900

Associated Equipment
Sources: Cambridge Audio CXN v2 streamer/DAC, or CXC CD transport with DacMagic 200m DAC (streaming from optical ethernet link with Sonore opticalModule Deluxe)
Integrated amps: STAMINA single-ended, Class A, MOSFET monoblocks; Cambridge Audio CXA81; Bluesound Powernode Gen 3
Preamp/power amp: AGD Alto and Tempo
Loudspeakers: Paradigm Founder 80f, Paradigm Premier 800f
Digital cables: AudioQuest Vodka and Cinnamon Ethernet and Coffee SPDIF, Shunyata Research Alpha V2 and Delta V2 Ethernet
Analog cables: Interconnects: AudioQuest Mackenzie and Yukon XLR and RCA, Shunyata Delta V2 RCA, Kimber Hero RCA; speaker: AudioQuest Rocket 88, Shunyata Delta V2, and Alpha Core Goertz MI 2T (all bi-wire)
A/C power: AudioQuest NRG-Z3, NRG-Y3, Blizzard, and Thunder cables; Shunyata Venom NR-V10 and NR-V12 cables; AudioQuest Niagara 1200 conditioner; isolation transformers for network gear

The PQ-303’s Linear Noise-Dissipation comprises Differential-Mode filtering (30kHz–1GHz), which addresses asymmetrical noise already present on the utility line or backwashed via electronic appliances and components. The PQ-505 adds Common-Mode filtering (30kHz–100MHz) to address symmetrical noise, which is typically picked up by the AC Line, Neutral, and Ground leads. In the PQ-707, Noise Dissipation is taken even further with a wider-bandwidth (8kHz to 1GHz) Differential-Mode filter.

The PQ-707 also includes Transient Power Correction (TPC). In the PQ-707, TPC provides a current reservoir of up to 45 amps peak on-demand power for any amplifier (up to 25mS), supplying the low-impedance current the amp needs to produce thrilling dynamic contrasts, bass extension, and control.

Protection Assured

All models feature Non-Sacrificial Surge Protection and Extreme-Voltage Automatic Shutdown at 140VAC.

If more than 140VAC is present on the incoming AC line for more than a quarter of a second, the circuit will instantly open a high-current relay that will disengage the AC power from all the PowerQuest AC outlets, activating the red front-panel LED “Overvoltage Protection” warning indicator. Once the event has passed, or the building wiring fault has been corrected, the circuit will automatically re-engage.

Take comfort in knowing that valuable gear is well protected.

Power to All

All North American models provide 12 total AC outlets: 4 High-Current outlets for variable-current amplification components (power amps, powered speakers, A/V receivers, subwoofers, etc.) and 8 Linear-Filtered outlets for constant-current source components (TVs, media-streaming devices, disc players, turntables, preamplifiers, cable boxes, etc.).

Each AC power bank is isolated and optimized for the connected device, enhancing the PowerQuest’s ability to efficiently control the complex interactions of:

1. Radio-frequency noise and other induced noises present in the AC power supplied from the utility
2. The noise that will be present on and in every AC cord
3. The noise that is produced within your system’s components and that “backwashes” into the PowerQuest’s output circuits.

Finally, all models come with optional 2RU rack ears and a detachable 2m PowerQuest power cable with a flat-to-wall plug.

The inclusion of a Direction-Controlled AC power cable is crucial to maximizing RF-Noise dissipation and means each PowerQuest unit is ready to go from the box to the rack in just minutes.