[DaveBSC]

Quote:

I am pretty much convinced that when I get my transport working again I will be satisfied with my source again.  And good power is a huge priority (Thanks Dave BSC).  I am currently using a Chang Lighspeed conditioner.  It's good, but I really think I'd like to try a power re-generator. 

I had the Power Plant Premier in my system for awhile. Compared to the conditioner I used before it (Richard Gray 1200S) it made some noticeable improvements, but I didn't love it and ultimately sold it. One thing I noticed is that it's extremely sensitive to the power cord connecting it to the wall. It seems like it should be much less sensitive to that than a passive conditioner, but that wasn't the case in my system. All of the mid-level cords I tried on it were flawed in one area or another, and those flaws were passed right on to the PPP and all of the components downstream. I think if I had kept it, I would be using something like a Stealth Dream or Shunyata King Cobra CX on it because it definitely needs a SOTA power cord.
 
The other thing I didn't like about it though was that it didn't seem to improve the performance of my amplifiers. The Richard Gray improved the performance of everything attached to it, but it couldn't filter bad power nearly as well as the PS. When the power line noise dropped to the lowest levels after about 2am though, I liked the sound of the system through the Richard Gray much better than the PPP. I went through a ton of different power cord combinations to try and get some of that 2am magic out of the PPP, but I was never able to get there. Since then I've been using Adept Response conditioners that I'm very happy with. The 2am sound is better than ever, and at 2pm the system still sounds superb whereas through the RG it was very flat and dull. More importantly, the AR can handle anything you throw at it, from the most sensitive source components to the hungriest monoblocks, and unlike the PPP where I had to get a warranty replacement after mine died after a year, build quality is top notch. 
 
If you can, I would try to audition a few different conditioners. Unfortunately in this case home auditions are a must, because obviously the dealer's power is going to be totally different from yours. I highly recommend trying an AR model, particularly the Teflon variants as I think they are unbeatable. I don't have much experience with Running Springs other than the Haley, but a Jaco or Dmitri is probably worth a look as well.
 
 

 

[tjkurita]

Thanks Dave and RGS!  This is really good advice and very interesting information regarding power conditioning.  It's so hard to tell what is going to happen during each component change.  I really feel like my system is getting to a point where it sounds great.  But pushing it to the heights is really difficult.  When the resolution is high, any changes can have a major effect.  I think that once a system is sounding really good, synergy makes a big difference.  It's hard to get good synergy without spending a significant amount of money. 
 
Thanks again.

 

[rgs9200m]

Well, the Adept Response sounds intriguing, and I would try it if I had the money.
If you don't, and if you are starting out to test power conditioners, there are usually used Hydras available (6's and 8's) for either side of $1000, and re-sell pretty easily.
I would give these a try, as they don't have a really dramatic affect (that can be negative and very audible in some aspects with power products), and they have a very large following (check other big audio site forums).
I actually use 2 Hydra 8s for my systems and have used them for years and would not be without them.
But I have not tried others besides the PSaudio one and a small BPT one for a short time and a TICE many years ago.
Good luck.

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Well, the Adept Response sounds intriguing, and I would try it if I had the money.
If you don't, and if you are starting out to test power conditioners, there are usually used Hydras available (6's and 8's) for either side of $1000.

What bugs me about the Hydras is that there's maybe $50 worth of parts in them. The Hydra 4 is basically a MOV in front of two outlets with an Okaya noise suppression cap on each. It works, the point is that basically any body could make one themselves. Just buy a power bar from some place like Cryo parts, install a capacitor ($2 part) across each outlet, and you've got a Hydra. Losing the MOV will actually improve the performance.
 


 
Obviously Audience makes a healthy profit on the AR models as well, but the design is still considerably more involved, and the Teflon Auricaps are a lot more than $2 a piece.
 

 

[rgs9200m]

Wow, I never knew that. I wonder if the Hydra V-Ray is any more sophisticated.

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Wow, I never knew that. I wonder if the Hydra V-Ray is any more sophisticated.

The Hydra 8 II and V-ray II are scaled up a bit from the Hydra 4 and use more than one noise suppression cap per outlet, but I think the overall design is pretty similar, and they are still using a MOV for surge and spike protection. I just think Audience and RSA have moved the game on a bit compared to Shunyata and Chang's designs. Supposedly the new Bybee is very good as well, but my concern there is that it has no power protection of any kind, it's just a noise filter which makes me nervous.

 

[rgs9200m]

OK, thanks for that info. I learned something! Best of luck.

 

[Larry I]

Based on the photographs above, I went to the Shunyata site.  It appears that the Hydra 8 is much more than a scaled up Hydra 4.  Like the original Hydra, the Hydra 8 is .packed with their version of a ferrite type of material that is used to absorb rfi that is riding on the powerline and being radiated by the lines, but, this feature is not included in the Hydra 4.   This ferrite-type material served a purely passive function and was not actually in the circuit.  The original Hydra did not include any filtering that was actually in the circuit, nor did it have MOVs to provide spike protection.  Such filtering and spike protection, at least arguably, could adversely affect the ability to deliver power as instantaneously as having nothing in the circuit. 

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

 

The original Hydra did not include any filtering that was actually in the circuit, nor did it have MOVs to provide spike protection.  Such filtering and spike protection, at least arguably, could adversely affect the ability to deliver power as instantaneously as having nothing in the circuit. 

Interesting, I didn't know that about the original Hydra, I just assumed it was capacitor based like the current models. That actually sounds a bit like the Acoustic Revive boxes, which are purely passive devices with no filtering in the circuit.

 

[reverendo]

Can anyone give me an idea on the sound of the DCC2 (non-SE)? I have the opportunity of buying one, but it would be blind. I'm thinking of connecting it directly to my Gryphon amp. What kind of price would be a good price.
best regards

 

[tjkurita]

For me personally, it is the best digital I have owned.  I had a linn genki and a meridian g08. 
 
The Emm Labs really outdoes that stuff in very significant (all) ways.  To my knowledge, it is faster, higher resolution, more dynamic than anything below $4K.  And that's about what you want to pay for a used one.  Certainly no more than $4K.  Combine it with the DCC2 for about $6-$7K.  Considering that this combo was about $20K when new, it is one of the best bargain sources out there.
 
I have not heard the SE versions but it is widely accepted that they are even better. 

 

[Icarium]

For what its worth after foo_me heard my spectral sdr-2000 he sold his dcc2 se stack and bought that instead. He had upgraded from a Capitole player to the dcc2 se stack.
 
http://www.spectralaudio.com/sdr-2000.htm
 

 

 
Fully discrete. Separate power supply. Temperature controlled. 
 
Designed by Keith Johnson of Berkeley Audio and Pacific Microsonics (Co-inventor of HDCD and the legendary Pacific Microsonics Model 2 AD/DA used by Steve Hoffman and many peers) fame. Also has a new hi rez digital format and is a noted classical audio engineer. Uses 20 bit discrete dac chips made by ultra analog which was acquired by Wadia.
 
Can be had used on audiogon for 2-3.5k for the dac 5-6k for the combo with its dedicated power supply.
 
I like it so much I have two.

 

[TheGhostWhoWalks]

The best bang-for-your-buck you can get in terms of a digital front-end is to send anything you get to either Reference Audio Mods or The Upgrade Company. I've heard some of their modded low-end players and they easily beat even the very best stock gear out there. Mods done on truly SOTA soures are mind-blowingly amazing though, so you're not wasting your money by buying higher-end gear and having it modded. I haven't done extensive listening to the EMM's but I've been impressed every time I've had a chance on them. If I was to ever sell my Reimyo it would very likely be to get an XDS1.
 
As for Power Conditioning, I was underwhelmed with what I tried and I still feel that putting one's system on a dedicated line with good cabling does an equally good job as as power conditioning. I would love to try an Audio Magic Oracle though...

 

[tjkurita]

The Upgrade Company looks very interesting.  I wonder what it would cost to have my digital upgraded through them...  Very interesting indeed...  I have a feeling this will be my next step.  Can they replace the entire transport mechanism as well?  That is, the motor and tray and laser?  Or do they have to work with what's there in that area?  The reason I ask is that the old aluminum CDSD is notoriously noisy (physically noisy when it spins) and if that noise could be eliminated that might be my next move. 

 

[tjkurita]

That is a beautiful DAC! 
Quote:

For what its worth after foo_me heard my spectral sdr-2000 he sold his dcc2 se stack and bought that instead. He had upgraded from a Capitole player to the dcc2 se stack.
 
http://www.spectralaudio.com/sdr-2000.htm
 

 

 
Fully discrete. Separate power supply. Temperature controlled. 
 
Designed by Keith Johnson of Berkeley Audio and Pacific Microsonics (Co-inventor of HDCD and the legendary Pacific Microsonics Model 2 AD/DA used by Steve Hoffman and many peers) fame. Also has a new hi rez digital format and is a noted classical audio engineer. Uses 20 bit discrete dac chips made by ultra analog which was acquired by Wadia.
 
Can be had used on audiogon for 2-3.5k for the dac 5-6k for the combo with its dedicated power supply.
 
I like it so much I have two.