The Fifth Element #81 Contacts

Sidebar: Contacts

AI Technology, Inc., 70 Washington Road, Princeton Junction, NJ 08550-1012. Tel: (800) 735-5040, (609) 799-9388. Fax: (609) 799-9308. Web: www.aitechnology.com.

Ayre Acoustics, Inc., 2300-B Central Ave., Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: (303) 442-7300. Fax: (303) 442-7301. Web: www.ayre.com.

Caig Laboratories, Inc., 12200 Thatcher Court, Poway, CA 92064. Tel: (858) 486-8388. Fax: (858) 486-8398. Web: www.caig.com

D.W. Electrochemicals Ltd., 3-97 Newkirk Road N., Richmond Hill, Ontario L4C 3G4, Canada. Tel: (905) 508-7500. Fax: (905) 508-7502. Web: www.stabilant.com. US distributor: Posthorn Recordings, 142 W. 26th Street, New York, NY 10001-6814. Tel: (212) 242-3737. Web: www.posthorn.com/Stab_2.html

Klein Tools, Inc., 450 Bond Street, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Tel: (800) 553-4676. Fax: (800) 553-4876. Web: www.kleintools.com.

Littlite LLC, PO Box 430, Hamburg, MI 48139. Tel: (810) 852-4242. Fax: (810) 231-1631. Web: www.littlite.com.

Shunyata Research, 26273 Twelve Trees Lane, Suite D Poulsbo, WA 98370. Tel: (360) 598-9935. Web: www.shunyata.com.

ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
the_80s_werent_all_bad's picture

...that makes amps, source components and power line accessories is accuphase. 

Your point is an interesting one, however - there are few companies that do this. 

DoggyDaddy's picture

"cedar closet blocks," eh?  As so often, these articles perplex me b/c I sense the presence of truly helpful stuff - and of true BS.  And no one can tell me snake-oil isn't a problem for the industry (yes, I will shell out real $$ for gear, so it's not a resistance on my part to prices per se).  I wonder: of 100 random people, how many could tell the difference between the system w/ and w/out the blocks...?

fyzzics's picture

that makes both audio gear and power filters is PS Audio.

As for the rest of the recommendations, well, at least the Stabilant 22 is very good and probably worth the small investment.  I use it.  It keeps connections stable.

Too bad nobody was on hand to measure the "obviously rolled off" high frequency response of the system when first plugged in to the power filter.  We could have actually captured the fabled burn-in effect in action.  Oh well, maybe next time...

bigmike1976's picture

or fill them,

It was a good article and I certainly can uphold the validity of Ayres' posture on filtering technique.

But....and here it comes...I'd be willing to bet that the outlets that most guys have their gear plugged into are not dedicated circuits. Thus, replacing the outlet, however corroded or not, will do little good. Unless you have dedicated circuitry for your audio gear, you are depending on multiple outlets downstream from your equipment to bear the weight of the power supply chain. This is a critical point to make. To further that, you can buy a 'good' Specification/Hospital Grade receptacle from any electrical supplier for around $20-$30 that will do a stellar job of clamping down, politely but firmly, on the prongs of your audio gear power distribution/filtering components' umbilical cord. And it will last for many years t come. The fact that an outlet that is made with cryogenic manufacturing processes is going to make a significant difference, I think, could be a bit far-reaching. But, I am sure there is a market for them.

Really all I am saying is, along with the really great gear, you need to find the ever-so-elusive 'quality electrical guy' to install the circuit with the same care as he would an outlet in a clean-room (computer main-frame room). That should be the first step in cleaning up the power on your system. Then, by all means, enjoy the fruits of clean power. It's not Kool-aid, it makes a huge difference in sound reproduction, even on a less costly system than the one in this article (which by the way, I am envious of..)

1likeh1f1's picture

Tacking on "audio" or "audiophile" to electrical components, particularly outlets and power cords introduces an unnecessary cost element to otherwise sound steps (pun intended! cheeky), an audiophile can take to increase the fidelity of power to their system.  For example, I saved 80% of the cost of the "audiophile outlet" by utilizing a Hubbell top-of-the-line duplex after having a qualified electrician run a dedicated 20 amp circuit for my main system (with super-spec'd gauge copper wiring - considering the run required). 

Some thoughts about mains/PC's:  As an audiophile, I realize that EVERYTHING makes a difference (whether the difference is "good" or "bad" becomes a matter of objectivity in some cases, subjective preference or collateral circumstances in others.)  Also, the AMOUNT of good or bad gained becomes very relevant with some components, sources, etc.  (Stuff we all know, but don't always apply).  In the case of I/C's, I see the need for alot of care in the technology, materials and construction techniques to optimize with the rest of my main two channel system (i.e., transmission of the low-level signals transduced.)  So, I leave it to the experts for these - Kimber Select and Transparent Reference in my particular application.  However, for my mains, I researched and built my own (great fun and not difficult - just a little craftsmanship applied along with diligent sourcing and selection of materials).  In the case of the mains, I used 8 gauge stranded copper for all but my digital sources and 10 gauge shielded stranded (with ferrite cores added) for them (cable purchased from Anixter/connectors from Parts Express/other stuff like the braided cover, shrink seal materials, ferrite cores, etc. from a local electronics supplier.)  I won't bore you further with all the details here, but I found tremendous improvement over the standard (high quality) manufacturer's cords that came with the equipment (ARC Ref mainly).  I attribute most of the improvement with the amount (gauge) of copper as opposed to the grain, etc. for the mains (after all, the manufacturer of a fine copper cable is not going to do anything stupid w/r/t the copper conductors, diaelectics, geometry, etc given their main objective (another pun intended!) is the safe and effective transmission of the electric current), coupled with good solid Wattgate connectors and the best-quality Hubbell duplex connected to a dedicated 20 amp circuit supplying good clean power.  I've used a PS Audio Power Plant for many years and it is a mainstay for a black background as well.  So, the whole enchilida is what works in harmony to produce my desired result.  Do I think the OCC, PCOCC, cryo, etc. makes a difference in mains?  Probably.  Is it worth the difference in price from the $200 in materials cost I incurred for my seven PC's?  I seriously doubt it.

Happy Listening!

ajcrock's picture

It would be nice to see some measurements on the power filter.

otaku's picture

I am a puzzled by the announcement of a forthcoming download of the Ayre Irrational but Efficacious CD. I had always assumed that since it was offered as a CD, its main benefit would be to the CD player. Does the presence of a download imply that it is aimed at improving the amplifier and/or speakers? I am not trying to start a flame war here, just wondering whether the disk or download would be helpful to my system.

John Marks's picture

Hi.

The CD is sold by Music Direct with a money-back guarantee. So if you buy it and try it and it does not work for you, you are only out the shipping both ways.

Offering the Full Glide Tone as a download, as I understand it, has two benefits. One, the Tone can have technical specifications greater than a CD can deliver. Two, it allows people who have changed over to computer music to treat their front end.

As I understand the theory, the Full Glide Tone is believe to work on all the electrical devices and components in your signal path, through the crossover and to the voice coils. Furthermore, it may have a mechanical effect of the woofer surrounds.

ATB,

 

John Marks

otaku's picture

I purchased the iPod version last night and tried it out.  It seemed to help, although it is hard to tell since there is obviously no way to do an A/B comparison.  

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