Fooling with:APC H15 + PS Audio UPC200 + Shunyata Guardian - Page 2

I think the APC H15 is an amazing bargain.

But what it does is push my system past the line of comfortable long term listening. Keep in mind I'm well into transparency country with ATC, Nordost, Benchmark (NO Nordost for him! Gadzooks, if anything the DAC1 needs to be dumbed down and wear a wool sweater!). Had those Nordost power cables not arrived a few weeks ago, who knows, maybe the APC would be staying. It's boxed by the door as is the UPC200 to be returned but I'll bring home a new UPC200 as this one is their demo model.

Musically the UPC200 is OK. Some swapping was in there also, including cutting the UPC200 out altogether and returning to the Guardian. I tried to induce listener fatigue with the UPC/Nordost by going through the DVD-A for a few hours this afternoon at good volume levels and failed. In fact at the end I was right into the music, foot tapping, head shaking, acting the happy fool, I was myself again!
I will have to get use to the fact that via the Nordost/UPC combo music is louder, while I'm fairly programmed to know the levels of specific music beforehand by looking at the volume knob.

The UPC200 is probably not the final stop for me but from a system building angle it will allow me to move around and better assess power cords. That was the failing of the Guardian, it's cord was captive, a dead end. The UPC will let me progress. I suppose I could Audiogon a unit and save $100 but I think it's only fair to buy it from the dealer, which is what I'll do within the hour.

Just a last comment to finish off the mini-saga as I may have made my decisions but still had questions of the musical results and hadn't finalized that opinion.

After all the swapping and wrestling of the gear there was quite a mess of spaghetti to clean up, which yesterday I did do; untangled and kept apart there'd probably be sonic benefit as always from this. Also, changed the configuration to what I had planned all along-Vishnu from wall outlet to UPC200. Today was what I was curious about returning to listen with a fresh head, fresh ears and really not knowing what to expect, but hoping to not get that dreaded hyper-detail. I still have this mental block of expecting over detail and sterility from Nordost.

On went the Verve LP Urban Hymns and to my delight I was treated to deep, rich music. I didn't even notice detailing nor did it occur to me at the time. Sweet! I put on Tool's Undertow and it's not as good sonically as I remembered. Figuring I'm still in transparency country I put on audiophilia to test tonal neutrality in the form of the 200g Classic Records recent pressing of 'Who's Next'. Deep, rich, even dark but without obsuration of high frequencies. Walloping! Instant transformation from audiophile to music lover, shameless involuntary singing and foot stamping.

I'm very pleased with the Vishnu/UPC200 combo, so much so that I've another Vishnu coming to go between UPC and amp.
I'm addicted! $$

If you're going to try a Vishnu, be afraid, be very afraid for your wallet!
Now I'm curious about the new family of Nordost interconnects, particularly the Heimdall.
"HELP"

Off topic but how anyone can say cables 'n cords sound alike sure haven't listened to these babies.
Unless you're ears completely suck!

I have no idea as I've never had a premium power cord before. I have to presume that others, whether a top of the line PS Audio, Wolff, Kimber, etc, offer dramatic improvements.


The Vishnu replaced a Diamondback, I had three. The Diamondback if OK, as I've already described it's affect in my system, but the Vishnu has been way beyond it...at least for me. Of course it could be less dramatic for someone else. The differences between the APC and UPC were minor through the McIntosh/Triangle system yet major through mine and I would guess the Diamondback/Vishnu would be less dramatic in theirs compared to mine. With that idea of "your mileage may vary" I thought this UK forum listener's experience "I borrowed a Nordost Shiva.." interesting to read as the circumstances of curiousity mirrored mine although the end result differed.

I thought I was done with this thread but that last listening evaluation was so dramatic that I had to report it. You know me and that I go with my ears over what I've read although reading something can intrigue me of course. The only description of the Shiva/Vishnu I read was Roy Gregory's account in HIFI+ and I don't as yet have a bead on Roy as to his accuracy versus his enthusiasm. I've seen him dislike gear such as the active version of the ATC SCM20, so he doesn't gush over everything, which is reassuring. He's a Valhalla devotee and his take was that the previous generation Nordost top PC the El Dorado was equivalent to other lines' top dogs, something I've read from other reviewers in the past. He wired a Cyrus system with standard good quality cords, got used to it's sound then the Shiva "true to it's namesake, it promptly laid waste the world. From the first note of the first track the yawning chasm of it's superiority almost swallowed my credulity." I've severely abbreviated the account in order to follow Head-Fi's copyright guidelines.

There could have been any number of PCs to choose from in the $200 used range, surely with accompanying glowing reviews also. But it was something else that Roy said that caught my attention, more so than persuade or convince me actually. Regarding the Cyrus gear, "There is no way that spending that money on a better CD player, a PSX, rack, interconnects or any other upgrade is going to come close to what these leads can do."

I understood intellectually what he was saying, but without having that experience myself I wanted to try. ***Right now I'm reminded of Markl's warning in the past of "just wait 'til you start trying power cords"***

Now I hear how Roy was correct about upgrades, again at least in my system. The reality and logic are quite evident if your speakers or some other gear are very good value in the $2000-$3000 and above range, and a meaningful upgrade will cost a few thousand dollars, $300 for a power cord is a bargain.

Also, with all the A/B/C/D swapping short term and long term, I feel there is both an objective and subjective reality to wire. Often the quick switch back to the stock cord brings into focus the objective reality and sort of calibrates the difference (blind listening is here). Whereas the long term listen is ruled by the subjective and one's thoughts can lose some perspective often towards the positive. But that is how we listen to music, in the long term, and it is more important I think. It is a valid reality as shown by how the APC was so impressive in the short term of A/B, whilst in the long term subjective listen became wrong for my particular system.


Be sure to let us know how it works out!

You're not reading too much into it? I see the same prices for new at audiogon for APC $289 & $350.
I liked what I saw of the BPT CPC for $350-click "details".

I've been puzzled by claimed restriction of dynamics in the past, especially for a headphone rig. Some boxes will pass 2,300 watts but they restrict dynamics to someones Sennheisers. That needs to be explained to me. The K-1000 needs like 5 watts or something.

I'm liking a power cord so I feel funny suggesting someone else is imagining restricted dynamics.

The one I tried was without battery. What I remember of it was that after all the intense leaning in to listen with superior sounding software I just tried to ignore it and play a more standard set of music, do so for a number of hours, and man did that ever become fatiguing. Maybe the thing worked as advertised, lowering noise floor and increasing detail, but it sure wasn't enjoyable for me in my system. My system became more artificial sounding. Again maybe it was a system thing and that system is different now with larger three way speakers, proper room treatment, basic stock cabling and nothing between DAC, amp and wall.