AC Nexus Advanced Power Distribution & Ground Enhancement System: $20,000
Steve McCormack, once the proprietor of The Mod Squad, is the man who introduced the concept of accessory isolation feet—his Tiptoes were aluminum cones with flat tops and sharply pointed feet. Now he's brought to market this passive AC-power filter, whose Panzerholz enclosure contains two fist-sized silver-conductor capacitors from Duelund. The IEC AC inlet is a Bocchino Audio Marriner10 and the AC outlets are four Furutech Nano Crystal Formula duplexes. Four Cardas ground posts of…
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Powerline Accessories
Signal Processors
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Dirac Live room correction system full version: $449
Stereo version: $349
Of course, the sound quality is dependent on the hardware in the system, says KR, but the acoustic transformation capabilities of DLRC are well beyond what is built into most processors. (Vol.37 No.5, also see JA's NAD M10 review in Vol.43 No,1 WWW)
MartinLogan PBK: $119
An adaption of the formidable Anthem Room Correction system used in Anthem's Statement D2 processor, the PBK includes USB cables and a microphone and will work with up to four Paradigm subwoofers.…
Miscellaneous Accessories
AI Technology ELGR-8501: $160.75/1 oz
AI Technology's ELG-8501 is thermal grease made of more than 80% silver. JM uses a light smear on the mating surfaces of wall-wiring connections to prevent oxidation. He warns: "Never use any kind of silver paste on audio connections such as RCA plugs or amplifier speaker terminals." (Vol.36 No.10 WWW)
Audio Research Tube Damping Rings: $5 each
Damping rings for all AR products are now available to the public at large. They're made of a proprietary polymer material that converts kinetic energy to heat, and…
Interconnects
AcroLink 7N-DA2090 Speciale: $2375/1.5m pair
The less-than-snappily named 7N-DA2090 Speciale is technically laudable; commendably, AcroLink publishes the specs for this product's resistance (18milliohm/meter) and electrostatic capacitance (56pF/meter). It's made of 99.99999% pure multistrand copper, arranged in what AcroLink calls a "balanced twin core structure." According to MF, substituting the AcroLink interconnect for his TARA Zero Evolution "produced sharper but not unnaturally defined transients, shorter sustain and decay, and an overall well-detailed and more…
Designing and building a turntable isn't all that difficult. All that matters is in plain sight: Start with a base of wood, MDF, or acrylic; add some isolation "feet" for it to rest upon, and a spindle bearing such as any competent machine shop can fabricate, topped by a platter of acrylic or aluminum or suchlike. The motor can be an off-the-shelf AC synchronous type, fed directly by the electricity from a wall socket. Machining a correctly sized pulley and driving the platter with a belt requires minimal math skills to achieve the correct speeds. Build the motor into the base, or put it in…
The Mk2 features an internal "mechanical crossover" system that addresses frequencies above 100Hz by providing a smooth mechanical pathway for higher frequency vibrations to travel away from critical areas and dissipate. The motor, platter bearing, and armboard are on separate, interlocking plates (think of leaves on a tree, or think of the bearing as the sun, with the motor and armboards as "planets"), precisely mounted within the turntable in carefully optimized locations away from the center to further isolate the stylus/record interface from unwanted, internally produced vibrations (…
The Minus K suspension meant I could pretty much pound on both the HRS platform and the Helix One Mk2's base and hear nothing through the speakers. It's a really effective isolation device! A stethoscope placed anywhere on the 'table revealed zero motor and/or bearing noise.
Explosive, visceral sonics
Not surprisingly, the Döhmann Helix One Mk2's sound was more similar to the Continuum Caliburn's than it was to the TechDAS Air Force One Premium's; the TechDAS sounded smoother and, you might say, more elegant, refined, and relaxed—probably something to do with the air-bearing platter…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-speed, belt-drive turntable. Speeds: 33.3 and 45rpm (78rpm available upon request). Platter: 12" alloy/thermoplastic sandwich, 30lb. Integrated Minus K isolation system.
Dimensions: 23.6" (600mm) W × 18.9" (480mm) D × 9.8" (250mm) H. Weight: approximately 200lb.
Serial number of unit reviewed: DA-1019-058.
Price: $49,000 in black anodized aluminum, $55,600 in plated nickel and titanium finish. Approximate number of dealers: 5. Warranty: 5 years.
Manufacturer: Döhmann Audio Pty Ltd, Unit 2, 11 Friars Road, Moorabbin, Victoria 3189…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn turntable & Castellon stand; SAT CF1-09 and Thrax/Schröder CB tonearms; Lyra Atlas Lambda SL, Ortofon Anna Diamond cartridges.
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi One SACD player DAC; Lynx Hilo A/D-D/A converter, Roon Nucleus; Pure Vinyl and Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: darTZeel NHB-18S, Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L, step-up transformers; Ypsilon VPS-100, CH Precision P1 with X1 PSU.
Power amplifiers: darTZeel NHB 468 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx.
Cables:…