[botchki]

I just received a Mapleshade Clearview Double Helix MK 2 power strip today and am just absolutely stunned by what it has done to my system. I was previously using a Monster Hts 2000 and was hoping for some improvement as the Monster didn't work well for me. What I got from this Power Strip is the equivalent of an upgrade in components. I feel like I went out and spent several thousand dollars to get the best possible sound from my system, not the $275 I actually spent. I was skeptical as not only is this company unique in their products and designs (definitely wierd looking), but they make claims to this power strip that it has outperformed a number of high-end power conditioners including Tice, Chang Lightspeed, Ps Audio Power Station, Monster, and API Power Wedge, by a significant margin.

So what did it do for me? It totally opened up my system. More clarity, transparancy, blackness or silence if you will, more depth, detail, instument seperation, soundstage. Notes just seem to hang in the air if that makes sense. It's just dynamic and I'm floored. I thought I had a good system before but was looking for more and thought about possibly upgrading interconnects and speaker cables, now I think it's incredible and don't want to change a thing.

If any of you are looking to upgrade the sound of your system without spending a fortune I can't think of a better place to start and possibly finish. Their website is www.mapleshade.com and they are wonderful, knowledgeable people to deal with, especially Pierre. And for a price of $275 or less (vs. what $900-1500 for a PS Audio?) with a 30 day return policy, for me it was worth the trial and it paid off in spades. I wouldn't have believed it...now I just can't stop listening and smiling.

 

[markl]

Your link doesn't work. Intrigued, I tried Google and it took a while to find this, so I thought I'd post it for others:

http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/tweaks/powerstrip.html

Mark

 

[markl]

After reading about it, it says nothing about surge supression. As for me, I need the peace of mind of surge supression. Also, on the outside, it looks like the power strip you get at Home Depot. And what's up with that cord? It looks like small wires wrapped in cellophane. There are no pictures of the guts and info is limited. Does it limit current? can you use it on your high-powered amps?

Well, it's one funky looking power strip! Check it out:

Mark

 

[eric343]

Who knows? But that looks quite easy to DIY; I'll have to try it some time...

It sounds like he's getting the same improvements you did with your Nites...

 

[markl]

Har har har...

But clearly there's no magic pixie dust in that strip. Those are naked wires!

I'm not going to knock it until I've heard it, and I'm certainly curious. But you must admit it looks funny.

Mark

 

[eric343]

Yeah - all the Mapleshade cables are like that. They're not naked, just enameled (only), with the cellophane sheath for a bit of protection against scratches.

Hmm... I have some Radio Shock magnet wire lying around... I wonder how it would sound twisted together a la a Mapleshade? When I get some time and get around to ordering some IECs/plugs from THL, I'll build one...

 

[DanG]

Apparently, one of the important elements to building a good power strip is to make sure that each outlet is wired separately from the rest. Also, the actual outlets should be of pretty high quality.

 

[pigmode]

I have the PS Audio Juice Bar. It consists of several PS Audio Power Port outlets wired individually as mentioned by Dan.

http://www.psaudio.com/products/juicebar.asp

I could barely tell any difference when I put it in my system. Oh well, I guess should get off my butt and install that ACME silver plated outlet I've had on the shelf for about 4 months.

 

[botchki]

Sorry I misdirected the website. Thanks Markl for posting it. I agree it does look funky and it's kind of culture shock when you get it, but it works magic, at least in my system. As for peace of mind having surge protection, I'm kind of skeptical on that. I don't believe there is any such thing. I was using a Monster Hts2000 prior to this and the difference is night and day. Yes, monster warrants their strip against electrical surges as do some others but I would put my $ on this thing being equally as good or better. Can you use it with high end amps? I have a $2500 Simm Moon I-5 as well as a $1000 MF A3cd player, with Gershman Accoustic speakers and I feel much better with this than I did with the Monster.

As for construction info, they use a "6 outlet strip that uses dielectric identical to the finest audiophile capacitors and uses the thinnest possible thickness of that good sounding dielectric. Equally important, it uses unusually thin internal conductor strips very much in line with our thin conductor philosophy to minimize skin effect." The insulation is a handmade, super-thin polymer sheath for lowest dielectric absorption.

As far as DIY, I think there's more to it than meets the eye and would be harder than it looks. Call Pierre and talk to him about it. He's a very easy person to talk with and will tell you anything you want to know about this and his other products. Number is 1-301-627-7922.

Funky yes, basic no. This thing is something special and was a hugh upgrade to an already nice system of mine.

 

[wasifazim]

Quote:

Originally posted by botchki Yes, monster warrants their strip against electrical surges as do some others but I would put my $ on this thing being equally as good or better.

erm, that's a bit tough to pull off since the Monster uses MOVs for surge protection whereas this thing uses...nothing.

- Wasif.

 

[TimSchirmer]

Quote:

Originally posted by eric343 Yeah - all the Mapleshade cables are like that. They're not naked, just enameled (only), with the cellophane sheath for a bit of protection against scratches. Hmm... I have some Radio Shock magnet wire lying around... I wonder how it would sound twisted together a la a Mapleshade? When I get some time and get around to ordering some IECs/plugs from THL, I'll build one...

Hey... I do the same thing when i make interconnects!

Yes, they do sound good too... much better than most sub-100$ cables i've heard.

 

[Orpheus]

alright... i just HAVE TO say something to this one!

...now, i dunno the specifics of this thing, cause the website really doesn't say anything about technical specifications. but it seems like their conductors are barely large enough to sustain small components. i see a two twisted pairs... i assume one conductor of each pair is the ground... otherwise there is no dang ground!... and if there's no dang ground, welp...... you better buy some fire insurance for your house fast! (though i dunno if they'll cover such negligence on the part of Mapleshade.) now... assuming they are grounds, the remaining conductors are REALLY thin!... can this be adequate for anything drawing more power than the smallest of CD players!?

now this is kinda the bull that i don't like: "Equally important, it uses unusually thin internal conductor strips very much in line with our thin conductor philosophy to minimize skin effect." i assume they're talking about thinning the conductor, but with still the same cross-section area (...check out their other interconnects... they have "ultra-thin" copper ribbons)... anyway... making a conductor thinner while retaining the same cross-section area increases surface area!!!--and that means MORE skin effect!... if you want to decrease skin-effect, you want the roundest conductor you can get.

...anyway... i stongly urge you to get rid of these things. the fire-hazard potential is alarming... even if it does have a real ground. what if you accidentally scratch these cables?--you could be toast! or what if you draw a power surge and the current arcs! man... there's a reason why power chords have a thick rubber jacket around them!

(you also probably noticed the cheap power strip... i am pretty sure they just bought these strips for less than $1 from some Chinese company and either rewired them... or did the internal connections themselves.)

wanna open the thing, and let me know what's inside? i'm just conjecturing... so perhaps you can shed some light on this unusually cheap looking product.

 

[Budgie]

That doesn't look to me like it could possibly pass the UL safety requirments for ac line wiring. keep the kids and pets away from it. PZZZT...Poof!

 

[pigmode]

It's better to sound good than to feel good.

 

[blip]

I dunno... there is something kind of funny about that page. I guess its that they keep on saying how their (interconnects/power cables/ speaker cables etc.) "smoke" the competition without mentioning who was doing the comparison or what method they were using. Only once, as far as I saw, did they give a source for their claims. For all I know they make a great product, but I'm kind of distrustful of them.

Besides that, I was looking at their power cords, and I'm not 100% sure what makes them different from ones that I could build with the 5 dollar magnet wire assortment from radioshack and a couple of high end plugs.

As for the powerstrip... Who knows what kind of alchemy is going on inside that thing. The site seemed pretty secretive about the company's methods, so it doesn't surprise me that they don't say much.

Edit: Also what's up with this (http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/twe...reatments.html) iconoclast thing... I've never heard of using a de-staticer (or whatever you call it) with CDs...