Audioquest Niagara 1200 Power Conditioner

I trembled a bit when i seen it ... I am very happy with the Shunyata Hydra8 so I splashed some ice water on my face from the fountain at work and went on about my day

I bought one of the Niagara 1200s last year when they were in short supply and tried it out in my two channel system. Initially I thought it resulted in kind of a brighter/harsher sound so I put it in a secondary home theater based system for a few months. When a PS Audio AC regenerator I was using for my main two channel system broke a few days ago I decided to put the 1200 back into the two channel system.

The difference is now profound and positive compared with what it did before. With the PS Audio product I had an audible low level buzzing sound from a new turntable with a low output moving coil cartridge into any of three different phono preamps with the PS Audio power conditioner. At 60dB gain it was acceptable but at 63dB gain it was a no go. That buzz is now almost entirely gone with the Niagara 1200 in the mix. The high current outlets also seem to not constrain the power getting to a Parasound JC5 as much as with the PS Audio unit using its un-regenerated outlets because the volume control on my preamp is producing the same perceived output at 11 o'clock on the volume knob as it was at 12 o'clock before.

Too bad the price rose to $1295 recently on the Niagara 1200. It seems to me to have been a steal at the original price even though I wasn't wowed with it originally.

FWIW, the PS Audio product would no longer produce 120 volts from its regenerated outlets but it was around 20 years old. The buzzing may have been a side effect of its about to go bad but I doubt that was the case.

I tried a generic power strip in my system too and the buzz from the turntable and phono pre was still obvious. The noise was only evident when that input was active and the digital component inputs were dead quiet. So I think I am safe in saying the 1200 does filter noise out of the system in some way. In my case it was a major change for the better. Next up is to add some Audioquest Monsoon and NRG-Z3 power cords to the mix since I have heard those can make the noise reduction capability even better. Worth a shot.

Polkitup2 wrote: »

I use the Monsoon from the wall to my 1200. I also use the NRG-Z3 on my ARC pre-amp. They work great in those positions. I tried the the Monsoon on my DAC, but it made the sound a little bright/harsh. It was possible that it was not fully burned in when I tried it. I use the Tornado HC to my DAC and it sounds phenomenal. In fact the Tornado made the system sound better whatever position it was in. I have a Blizzard coming for my amp. Then I will be all AQ power.

Sounds like we're on the same power path.



I have been using old PS Audio power cords (Statement, Plus, Prelude) for many years but figure it's time to try something new. Those make a very noticeable difference but I've always wondered if the ferrite materials they use cause some harm to the audio signal. I suppose it's entirely possible the PS Audio cords may be better suited to my system though.