Audioquest Niagara 5000
joecoulson
Posts: 4,943
This thread will be an ongoing review of this piece of equipment that I consider my end game power source. This unit replaces the 1000 model that I was quite happy with with some significant upgrades that even with minimal time are very noticeable.
The size of this unit is quite different then the model it replaces. The 1000 unit was a strip style conditioner which was approximately 5X5X20 and weighed under 6lbs. The 5000 comes in at the same height but is more of a rack style at 18 X 18 length and width. It is also much heavier at 38lbs.
The face of the unit is a mirror finish metal which I assume is polished steel. The rest of the case is powder coated metal with at least 3/16 thickness.
There are 12 outlets in total which is twice what I had before. And most importantly there are 4 high current of which I only had one before. This means the monoblocks, SVS and the Marantz can all be plugged in and benefiting from the conditioning. One of the kickers for me was that this unit uses a 20 amp connection which is a different IEC plug that what I had in the Audioquest Thunder cable. So even though this sounds crazy, I opted for the higher end main connection cable to pair with this unit. It’s the Hurricane High Current 2 meter. And it alone costs over twice what the 1000 did. But why have the 5000 if the bottle neck would be the power cable that supplies it. Again, I plan on this being the end game power solution.
The size of this unit is quite different then the model it replaces. The 1000 unit was a strip style conditioner which was approximately 5X5X20 and weighed under 6lbs. The 5000 comes in at the same height but is more of a rack style at 18 X 18 length and width. It is also much heavier at 38lbs.
The face of the unit is a mirror finish metal which I assume is polished steel. The rest of the case is powder coated metal with at least 3/16 thickness.
There are 12 outlets in total which is twice what I had before. And most importantly there are 4 high current of which I only had one before. This means the monoblocks, SVS and the Marantz can all be plugged in and benefiting from the conditioning. One of the kickers for me was that this unit uses a 20 amp connection which is a different IEC plug that what I had in the Audioquest Thunder cable. So even though this sounds crazy, I opted for the higher end main connection cable to pair with this unit. It’s the Hurricane High Current 2 meter. And it alone costs over twice what the 1000 did. But why have the 5000 if the bottle neck would be the power cable that supplies it. Again, I plan on this being the end game power solution.
Comments
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Is the 5000 regenerative or conditioning?
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It is conditioning. I will post further a little later. I did edit the post since you posted Kerry.
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Ah reflection of the carpet, my first thought was that's cool, what sort of hieroglyphics are etched in the front panel. Then I saw the second picture and imitated Homer Simpson.
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It's interesting. I've been kicking around the idea of picking one up and trying it out. A lot of hype behind it for sure and audioquest is really talking it up.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Nice upgrade! After you get some time on it I would be interested in how you feel the 5000 compares to the 1000. I bet the Hurricane sounds incredible. I use a Tornado which I just love and the Hurricane should even be better.
You may want to experiment with the placement of Hurricane. I found in my system using a much cheaper PS Audio power conditioner that the Tornado made my system sound the best when used on my DAC rather than from the wall to the power conditioner. -
I'm still sold on regeneration. Only.
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Not sure why so many dealers would swear by it (I know why) if it wasn’t up to snuff.
The thing makes some very apparent and immediate changes to my system as soon as plugged in. Fantastic gear. -
It certainly looks the part, gorgeous.
Even better that you were able to hear some immediate changes, instead of sitting there wondering if anything is different. -
I still would like to hear someone explain how putting a bunch of capacitors in front of your system is magically better than regenerating power to a clean and perfect wave.
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I'm not sure if one approach is technically "better" than another. I believe the only way to be sure you found the choice that works "best" to your tastes, would be to compare and listen to them back to back in your own system.
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Kerry. I’m not an engineer at all but I can tell when something makes a solid change to my setup.
When I first got the AQ Niagara 1000, the change was immediate. I noticed many things like a widened soundstage, better localization of musicians and vocals and overall just more dynamics and power ( in impact)
This new one has taken things further in the same regards but it has done something else much more magical. In MJ’s “Beat it” the recording studio is now front to back in my listening space. This song now has a front to back depth which was not there before. I can hear the vocals bouncing off the back walls as well as the sides. I don’t ever think I have had front to back imaging before. I’ve always noticed gains left to right and even vertical imaging. But this is new.
The other thing I noticed is at reference levels, midrange type music (classical, singer songwriter etc) sounds much smoother. The Elacs have a strong midrange and tweeter setup with that concentric design, but the upper ranges could get slightly harsh at much higher volumes. 90-100db levels. Not now, so so clean. I imagine adding the dedicated 20 amp circuit will only further this ability.
I have purposely not plugged in the subwoofer yet because I wanted to test that separately. I did however plug in the Marantz which was not on the old AQ. The movie we watched the other night (Lego movie 2) had much more impact than movies previous. I might have gotten that with the 100, who knows. But it doesn’t matter as there would not have been an open high current outlet for it. There is now.
The words are hard to come up with for these changes. It’s more about what I didn’t have before that I do now with this change. Blacker blacks, the decay now has motion (if that makes sense). Very cool stuff. I’m quite happy knowing I’ll never have to upgrade this. Ever.
Not that cable. Thing is a BEAST. -
I'm not sure if one approach is technically "better" than another. I believe the only way to be sure you found the choice that works "best" to your tastes, would be to compare and listen to them back to back in your own system.
Actually, you probably could technically put them on scope and check. Some things aren't measurable, others are. -
What I can hear is. Don’t need no scope for that
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I find this description interesting as it forms a unique opinion on regen
The Niagara Series is unique in that it has both passive and active circuits, but it does not rely on any of the conventional circuits or technologies that have been used for AC power for decades. Active regeneration or battery backup seems as if it might be ideal as it’s pure DC power (direct current), and that’s what our audio and video components use to power their circuits. It’s also described to be “off the grid.” Unfortunately, to generate the AC power that the components’ power supply requires, there is an oscillation circuit that follows the battery or DC circuit and that raises the impedance, as well as limits the majority of noise reduction to the bandwidth of the active circuit/amplifier -
Joe, awesome purchase. Is that a marble amp stand? Also, do you leave it powered on constantly?Audio Room
PS Audio Perfectwave DAC MK2, Bridge 1 streaming perfectly now
Marantz SM-11S1
Foundation Research LC2
Kef XQ1 bookshelves
Dual Goldenear Forcefield 3 Subs
PS Audio receptacle
3 PS Audio Noise Harvesters
PS Audio power, interconnects and speaker cables
Homemade sound absorption
Lots of blocks for weight and a red single listening chair -
It’s granite and is a temp solution until I make the matching outrigger stand out of steel.
And yes I do. Leave it on. I did with the 1000 also. -
One other comment. I have never had an outlet grip a plug even half as much as this thing. It’s crazy how it holds a plug so tight in place. Good for nothing coming loose.
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Ooow, are you a ‘maker’? I was thinking about stands the other day and wondered if a high-temperature rated viscous oil sealed into a welded frame would make an excellent vibration absorber.Audio Room
PS Audio Perfectwave DAC MK2, Bridge 1 streaming perfectly now
Marantz SM-11S1
Foundation Research LC2
Kef XQ1 bookshelves
Dual Goldenear Forcefield 3 Subs
PS Audio receptacle
3 PS Audio Noise Harvesters
PS Audio power, interconnects and speaker cables
Homemade sound absorption
Lots of blocks for weight and a red single listening chair -
My good friend owns a metal fabrication shop. Looking to make one and see how it comes out.
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joecoulson wrote: »What I can hear is. Don’t need no scope for that
That wasn't meant for you. The statement was made that one approach may not technically be better than another, hence, a scope is introduced. -
joecoulson wrote: »One other comment. I have never had an outlet grip a plug even half as much as this thing. It’s crazy how it holds a plug so tight in place. Good for nothing coming loose.
I like that. Especially with large diameter cables that have a huge mechanical advantage over normal outlets.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. -
Kerry, you can’t offend me. You pointed me in the direction of some of the best audio purchases I ever made (PS A)
I respect your opinion as I am sure you do mine. -
Fill the frame with oil. High temperature so it resists the heat from welding. Will not rust inside, bet it would be awesome. Polished 316 SS would look incredible, to match your facia plate.Audio Room
PS Audio Perfectwave DAC MK2, Bridge 1 streaming perfectly now
Marantz SM-11S1
Foundation Research LC2
Kef XQ1 bookshelves
Dual Goldenear Forcefield 3 Subs
PS Audio receptacle
3 PS Audio Noise Harvesters
PS Audio power, interconnects and speaker cables
Homemade sound absorption
Lots of blocks for weight and a red single listening chair -
As I listened to CSN -Guinevere tonight with a WAV 96/24 file, I was blown away with how well music was produced by some artists in the late 60’s. Amazing track on my rig
I have a system that is a double edge sword now. Even though I love streaming from Tidal, there is a clear jump from the 44.1 streaming files to an SACD, hi res file or even vinyl. And if the recording sucks, it sounds bad. -
I'm replacing my wall receptacle tomorrow because moving the rack in and out has damaged the original one. At one time I was using the Pangea AC-9SE which completely sux for flexibility and it did a number on the outlet. Wish I knew an electrician that would run me a dedicated 20A circuit. I did have an issue with that same cable coming loose from inlet on the Power Plant.
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Wish I knew an electrician that would run me a dedicated 20A circuit.
Isn't it a job that any competent local electrician could do? You could even use some fancy in-wall wire like this: http://www.soniccraft.com/product_info.php/cardas-in-wall-power-cable-3x10-p-4908 -
I am an electrician, but, competent is a different subject. That cable looks like something I need.
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Wish I knew an electrician that would run me a dedicated 20A circuit.
@lightman1 is working by you right now I believe.....
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Nice review Joe and your results mirror mine with my now 2 week old Furman unit. I didn't believe quality power conditioning could make that much of a change until I lived with it in my rig. Now there's no going back and I'm already bidding on another one for a secondary rig.
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Joe, interesting thread that I thought you might like: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/audioquest-niagara-7000-tested-with-power-line-meter
