Look what i picked up today!
joecoulson
Posts: 4,943
in Electronics
Comments
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Ooh! Aah!
Cool.
Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. -
Your local HiFi dealer must love you!
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So I have been back and forth for some time now on what to replace my snake oil monster power center with. I read enough to know I got duped back in that day paying full price for this thing but I digress.
The PS Audio Detect and this Audioquest Niagara were on my list with my budget. Both would require a main power cable upgrade. With my reading on how the AQ has changed many people’s systems, and the feedback of my dealer (shout out to Sound Image in Marietta GA) I settled on this. Along with it I purchased:
The Thunder 1M power cable
A NOS Atlas 1.5m cable
Two NRG<3 0.2m power cables
I am awaiting the AQ 3 plug adapters so I can use this Atlas cable to power the Linn’s until I can get some more coin and get some Wireworld cables from our friend Skip.
Anyway, the unit has this polished gunmetal finish to it, beautiful and it comes with a polishing cloth.
The Thunder cable is a beast and stiff as heck. Managed to get it hooked up and am glad I have the Furitech outlet that was so kindly Karma’d to me from Paul, because it grabbed it beautifully.
As I type, I am listening to Eric Bibb’s DSD of Spirit and the Blues. The presentation of sound has come forward much further. The voices are coming right out at me between the speakers. The bass has tightened up considerably. The rimshots in Just Keep Goin On are amazing. I’m am going to have fun going through some familiar music as I continue to see the differences. (Already some are huge and some are subtle but this is definitely a huge upgrade)
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Good Gawd, that is one mean looking Power Cable
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Thanks gentlemen. Listening to Beck - Sea Change now on DSD and the first track The Golden Age is taking my breath away. Was a great track to begin with, but it’s like someone took a filter off and everything has more everything? Does that sound right?
How does a power strip do that?
Very happy while confused. -
Gorgeous! Lots of bling factor there! Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD. -
Thanks for your review.
I'll bet those beautiful additions DO make a great improvement to your system.
Now you need this wiring going to the back of your outlets;
Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
That AQ Thunder cable got mentioned in Stereophile a few times recently. It seems that everyone who tires it out likes what it brings to the table! It's no surprise that it is performing admirably for you.
Regarding the Niagara 1000, how did you decide on this particular model? Did your local dealer have a demo set up where you were able to hear the improvement it brings versus a traditional power strip? -
That AQ Thunder cable got mentioned in Stereophile a few times recently. It seems that everyone who tires it out likes what it brings to the table! It's no surprise that it is performing admirably for you.
Regarding the Niagara 1000, how did you decide on this particular model? Did your local dealer have a demo set up where you were able to hear the improvement it brings versus a traditional power strip?
I have two dealers that I trust a lot. One of which I have known for 13 years and both of them swear by the technology in these power devices by AQ.
I have not done a direct A/B test until I got it home. But I was not worried as when you have a great relationship with a local dealer who you go to ILO online purchases, they will typically let you return items if they do not work for you.
I went back on forth on the Detect vs this one as that one offered more outlets which would have been more convenient for my application. But it was not as highly reviewed (as it shouldn’t be for half the cost) as the Niagara. All in all I like what this company does in regard to R&D and lots of pro ears seem to like their power products (their higher end stuff anyway)
Been quite happy with the interconnects and type 4 speaker wire I have acquired so it was an easier pill to swallow. It was a pill too, spent almost $2k today on power products. But I do believe this setup will carry well into further upgrades down the road (which is inevitable)
On a side note, the Sony tv I have (x900e) is producing some brilliant colors with this thing. The picture has more contrast and pop. Nice little side bonus.
Some have suggested this might be my first step in going away from 5.1 and just to 2.1. We’ll see because I still love movies. -
joecoulson wrote: »On a side note, the Sony tv I have (x900e) is producing some brilliant colors with this thing. The picture has more contrast and pop. Nice little side bonus.
That's crazy! Crazy awesome. -
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Lol!!
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That is a serpent and straight from the devil! Run, don't walk!!! Seriously, that looks really cool...enjoy!joecoulson wrote: »"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
Last song of the night was my new fav reference track : Angus Stone- Draw Your Swords
All I can say is it was totally worth the coin
I had the lights off and when Julia Stone was singing the first chorus, the sound seemed to bounce off all four walls as if I was in the space she was singing in. This is the first time I have felt in the middle of music in my system. Such a forward presentation that her voice was in my face! I’m still dumbfounded how a power conditioning unit/cable combo can make such a profound difference. You would think I am selling these, but I’m not. This net gain in sound is equal to the sum of two to three upgrades I have done previous.
Sorry to keep posting, but dang I’m happy. -
Reminds me of a quadrapole in a mass spectrometer.
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Once people try these higher end power conditioners, the BestBuy stuff is like kids toys. Congrats man, now you know, what you didn't know before. HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
PreachOnce people try these higher end power conditioners, the BestBuy stuff is like kids toys. Congrats man, now you know, what you didn't know before.
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Have not tried the new AQ cords but would like to someday. Meanwhile I will bum it with what I got.
Congrats on the Thunder and the 1000, I like AQ tooMagico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Thank You Joey
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Looks great Joe!Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables.
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very nice
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Never been an audioquest fan. I’ve always found you have to dive into their high end offerings for anything to sound good, at the expense of cost vs value. That being said their new power cords are fantastic! And I also own a niagara 5000! I’ve owned a few
Different high end power strips, power
Conditioners, balanced power transformers, and a few others, and these new audioquest products sound amazing!2 channel:
Bryston 4B3, Bryston BDA3, Cary SLP05, Shanling CDT1000SE with parts conneXion level 2 mods, Nottingham analogue ace space 294, soundsmith Carmen MKii, Zu DL103 MKii, Ortofon MC 20 MKii, Dynavector XX2 MKii, Rogue Audio Ares, Core power technologies balanced power conditioner, Akiko Corelli power conditioner with Akiko Audio HQ power cable, Nordost heimdall 2, Frey 2, interconnects, speaker and power cables, Focal Electra 1028 BE 2, Auralic Aries Femto, Black diamond racing cones, ingress audio level 1 roller blocks, JL Audio E110 with Auralic subdude, Primacoustics room treatments.
Theater:
Focal Aria 926,905,CC900, SVS PB ultra x2. Pioneer Elite SC85, Oppo BDP93, Panamax M5400PM, Minix neox6, Nordost Blue heaven LS power cables. -
Just a quick update, its been almost a month now and every time I listen to music (which this time of year is few and far between with all the kid's activities) this system just pulls me out of reality. I have listened to most of the stuff that I am most familiar with and some new music, and really like the results. It has made me want to leave 5.1 behind and have made the decision to start moving in the 2.1 direction.
My only hiccup is the amount of connections needed, which really limits my options for a preamp.
The AQ should be mostly broken in by now and with the system at reference levels, there is no harshness, brittle midrange or any breakup. its definitely helped the Linns get fed all the power they need. One of the nicest additions to the rig I have done.
