To get rid of RF in my power line, recently I've tried three things:
- a Topaz Ultra isolation transformer ($180 from EBay - this was a good
deal!)
- K Works Silencers, the basic power solution from K Works ($225)
- K Works Power Station, the ultimate power solution from K Works ($750)
The isolation transfomer is based on the concept of a 1:1 transformer that has very low capacitance between the primary and secondary windings, meaning that RF can't get through very well.
The K Works Silencers are devices that look like wall-wart transformer boxes, but there is no transformer inside. You equipment does not plug into them directly. What's inside are shunting capacitors that go across the three lines in your power circuit, wherever you plug this in, shorting out the RF noise. The Silencers also have ERS paper, which is a carbon-fiber paper that can absorb and dissipate RF.
The K Works Power Station is a power strip. Igor at K Works starts with a Belkin industrial power strip, strips it down, and loads it up with capacitance and ERS paper. It is like the Silencers on steroids.
The K Works philosophy is not to put any inductors between the power socket and your equipment. There is nothing to limit the current.
Short story: while the isolation transformer does good things, it is no comparison to the K Works products. They are amazing.
For my tests, the source was a Naim CD5x CD player and the amp/headphone combinations were Sonett/K601 and Audio Note P2SE/K1000.
All three power products improved the "you are there" palpable presence and midrange beauty, while making digital sound more like analog.
But the K Works had a profound effect on the highs. For the rest of my description of the K Works, just assume it applies to both his Silencers and his Power Station, with the Power Station giving you several times more of the effect.
With the K Works, there were a lot more highs, to begin. I was startled at the difference---didn't know power could have such an effect. It didn't really shift the tonal balance or make things "bright," however. And the additional highs were not shrill. The top octave became very present and defined. At the same time, a lot of the shrillness I associate with digital (a classic digital problem that was never a problem with analog) was gone.
I played trombone in college, and so I'm familiar with the sound of brass. The K Works products really gave brass a realistic bite and edge. My face reacted viscerally---in my jaw and lips I could feel the sensations of really nailing a note on trombone. Brass could be beautiful or thrilling in turns.
I own and use both the K1000 and K601 headphones. The K1000 has much more defined and highs and imaging, a huge advantage over the K601. However, the K601 has better bass, fuller lower midrange, and more definition across the entire spectrum.
It's hard to choose between the K1000 and K601. I would probably prefer the tonal balance of the K601 overall, but it's hard to give up that K1000 imaging. Well, an interesting thing happened with the K601 when using the K Works Power Station. The imaging became much more precise. It made up a lot of ground toward the K1000. I welcomed this change. I felt like I didn't have to compromise as much in the imaging to listen to the K601.
I had an email discussion with Igor at K Works. He chooses his parts carefully. I know. When I learned that I could just purchase some noise suppression capacitors and play with them myself, I did it. I wanted to see if I could improve on the Silencers. (This was before the Power Station got there.) Well, my own concoctions did not sound anything like his. They provided some benefits, but nothing like the all-encompassing benefit of the K Works products (Igor's products made every aspect of the sound better). He told me that it is tricky to find a noise suppression capacitor that actually sounds good. Also he said it is tricky to use ERS paper to get the full benefits. When ERS paper first came out, a lot of people purchased it in sheets and just lay in on their equipment. It is much more efficient in strips that go along and around wires.
I also thought I could double the benefits by using a combination of both the isolation transformer and the Power Station. Nope. Adding the transformer makes things worse. Igor's opinion is that an isolation transformer has to be very large (in the 2 kVA region) to avoid some of the current-limiting and ringing that comes with smaller transformers. (My Topaz was only 0.5 kVA).
K Works does not have a website, but if you want to learn more, you can find the Silencers at Todd the Vinyl Junkie, or you can email Igor at gorkuz@yahoo.com.
- a Topaz Ultra isolation transformer ($180 from EBay - this was a good
deal!)
- K Works Silencers, the basic power solution from K Works ($225)
- K Works Power Station, the ultimate power solution from K Works ($750)
The isolation transfomer is based on the concept of a 1:1 transformer that has very low capacitance between the primary and secondary windings, meaning that RF can't get through very well.
The K Works Silencers are devices that look like wall-wart transformer boxes, but there is no transformer inside. You equipment does not plug into them directly. What's inside are shunting capacitors that go across the three lines in your power circuit, wherever you plug this in, shorting out the RF noise. The Silencers also have ERS paper, which is a carbon-fiber paper that can absorb and dissipate RF.
The K Works Power Station is a power strip. Igor at K Works starts with a Belkin industrial power strip, strips it down, and loads it up with capacitance and ERS paper. It is like the Silencers on steroids.
The K Works philosophy is not to put any inductors between the power socket and your equipment. There is nothing to limit the current.
Short story: while the isolation transformer does good things, it is no comparison to the K Works products. They are amazing.
For my tests, the source was a Naim CD5x CD player and the amp/headphone combinations were Sonett/K601 and Audio Note P2SE/K1000.
All three power products improved the "you are there" palpable presence and midrange beauty, while making digital sound more like analog.
But the K Works had a profound effect on the highs. For the rest of my description of the K Works, just assume it applies to both his Silencers and his Power Station, with the Power Station giving you several times more of the effect.
With the K Works, there were a lot more highs, to begin. I was startled at the difference---didn't know power could have such an effect. It didn't really shift the tonal balance or make things "bright," however. And the additional highs were not shrill. The top octave became very present and defined. At the same time, a lot of the shrillness I associate with digital (a classic digital problem that was never a problem with analog) was gone.
I played trombone in college, and so I'm familiar with the sound of brass. The K Works products really gave brass a realistic bite and edge. My face reacted viscerally---in my jaw and lips I could feel the sensations of really nailing a note on trombone. Brass could be beautiful or thrilling in turns.
I own and use both the K1000 and K601 headphones. The K1000 has much more defined and highs and imaging, a huge advantage over the K601. However, the K601 has better bass, fuller lower midrange, and more definition across the entire spectrum.
It's hard to choose between the K1000 and K601. I would probably prefer the tonal balance of the K601 overall, but it's hard to give up that K1000 imaging. Well, an interesting thing happened with the K601 when using the K Works Power Station. The imaging became much more precise. It made up a lot of ground toward the K1000. I welcomed this change. I felt like I didn't have to compromise as much in the imaging to listen to the K601.
I had an email discussion with Igor at K Works. He chooses his parts carefully. I know. When I learned that I could just purchase some noise suppression capacitors and play with them myself, I did it. I wanted to see if I could improve on the Silencers. (This was before the Power Station got there.) Well, my own concoctions did not sound anything like his. They provided some benefits, but nothing like the all-encompassing benefit of the K Works products (Igor's products made every aspect of the sound better). He told me that it is tricky to find a noise suppression capacitor that actually sounds good. Also he said it is tricky to use ERS paper to get the full benefits. When ERS paper first came out, a lot of people purchased it in sheets and just lay in on their equipment. It is much more efficient in strips that go along and around wires.
I also thought I could double the benefits by using a combination of both the isolation transformer and the Power Station. Nope. Adding the transformer makes things worse. Igor's opinion is that an isolation transformer has to be very large (in the 2 kVA region) to avoid some of the current-limiting and ringing that comes with smaller transformers. (My Topaz was only 0.5 kVA).
K Works does not have a website, but if you want to learn more, you can find the Silencers at Todd the Vinyl Junkie, or you can email Igor at gorkuz@yahoo.com.
