Which cables now?

August 22, 2006

To Mike Silverton,

I am writing to inquire what you use these days for reference cabling in your audio system. I am having trouble telling from your reviews.

Roman

Blue Circle and Esoteric

August 9, 2006

To Jeff Fritz,

A long time ago you wrote about a system in “TWBAS” that included a Blue Circle BC3000 Mk II preamp and an Esoteric DV-50S source. I have an Esoteric DV-50S and I am getting that preamp, eventually. If you can remember, was that a good match? The rest of my system consists of a Bryston 4B ST amp and JMLab 1027Be speakers.

Mike Doukas

The Esoteric products that I’ve reviewed and owned have all sounded better using their balanced XLR connections rather than their single-ended RCA counterparts. It’s therefore no surprise that the DV-50S would sound best with a balanced preamplifier such as the Blue Circle. The BC3000 Mk II is fully balanced, and mated terrifically with the Esoteric while I was using it. I also imagine that the BC would lend a hint of tube liquidity to the Bryston-JMLab combination in your system. I think that is a characteristic you’ll enjoy, especially if the preamp you use now is dry and/or analytical in any way. As always, give it a try before you buy if you can, but I’d hazard it’s a pretty safe bet that the BC is just what you’re looking for….Jeff Fritz

"…more advanced power-conditioning strategies…"

August 4, 2006

Editor,

It's been fascinating reading about your process of putting together "TWBAS" and building your room for it. I have been dedicated to creating the best system I can within a significantly smaller budget than yours (Cary 306/200 CD player, Bel Canto Evo4 amp, Bent Audio NOH passive transformer preamp, Salk Sound HT3 speakers), and have learned a lot from your process.

However, I think there's one area where I might have explored a bit deeper than you have. I was quite astonished early on in my journey to hear how much of a difference good power conditioning can make. I therefore experimented with quite a few different options I could afford that have allowed me to create a realistic sound well beyond the capabilities of my un-power-conditioned hardware.

I started with a Shunyata Hydra Model-4 with lower-end Shunyata power cords (Copperhead and Diamondback). Then I added a balanced power transformer from Equi=Tech. As you know, balanced power works to eliminate common-mode interference and distortion in the power line. It also complemented the effect of the Hydra, which I believe eliminates interference and to some extent smoothes out irregularities in the 60Hz waveform. The transformer worked best positioned downstream from the Hydra, and adding standard Bybee purifiers on the balanced outputs of the transformer further refined the power and eliminated quantum interference (as I understand Jack Bybee's theory). I lived quite happily with this arrangement for a year or so.

That was not the end, however. I upgraded the power cords to AudioQuest NRG-5s (big improvement from their high-quality solid-copper conductors) and started wondering about using a more perfect 60Hz waveform. I thought about switching out the balanced power transformer for a PS Audio P500 or P1000 Power Plant that also would provide balanced power and in addition give considerable control over the frequency, voltage and waveform being transmitted to equipment. I think that would have been a great way to go.

But living in an area where brief power outages are common (and scary, when expensive equipment is at risk), I went another route and purchased a 1600W Uninterruptible Power Source from Tripp Lite that converted wall current to DC to eliminate grunge and then regenerated a 60Hz sine wave. (The Staco Unistar SX is a similar device that has received some favorable audiophile reviews, but I got a deal on the Tripp Lite.) It also provided voltage regulation +/- 2% and battery-back-up protection from power outages and surges. Placed upstream of everything else, this piece of equipment also makes available about 45 amps for momentary surge demand, exceeding the peak current available directly from the wall. The main concern with the UPS is that it is cooled by a fairly loud fan. No problem: I installed it in the basement under my system and ran the power output up through the floor. I also replaced the standard outlets in the UPS with audiophile-quality outlets.

A key discovery at this point (and why I am writing you this letter) was that placing the Hydra Model-4 anywhere in the power conditioning sequence (before everything else, between the UPS and the balanced power transformer, or after the balanced power transformer) degraded the sound slightly by softening it. The Hydra Model-4 also no longer had much effect on the noise floor. In short, the benefits of the Hydra were lost once it became possible to regenerate a relatively undistorted 60Hz sine wave. It has now been retired to our home-theater system, where it continues to do a fine job on its own.

So for now, my recipe is this: Regenerate the power from the wall into an undistorted 60Hz sine wave, convert it to balanced power to eliminate common-mode interference, and then eliminate quantum distortions with Bybee purifiers. If you don't have power-outage concerns, one shortcut might be to combine the first two steps using PS Audio Power Plants (maybe one for sources, one for amplification). I believe that this strategy is a way to start thinking about how the many power-conditioning options available might work together synergistically to create a better result than any of them could do on their own.

Downsides? Not sure there are any. With my particular amplification and speakers, there isn't any noticeable constriction of the dynamic range over what I hear with current directly from the wall. Your system may well be sensitive enough to detect some negative consequences, though.

In any case, it is my hope that one of your next steps in building "TWBAS" will be to look at more advanced power-conditioning strategies than simply removing distortion from the existing 60Hz AC line. I think you will hear some significant improvements in your system if you start with a more accurate 60Hz sine wave and then remove common-mode and quantum distortion.

Albert Bellg