[Joey_V]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick82 /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's what my other personalities told me.

LOL.

 

[Patrick82]

I'm already seeing a psychiatrist. My other personality is a psychiatrist, does it count?
The other personalities tell me to build something and then "they" will come. I tried to build my muscles and nothing happened. I tried to grow my beard and still nothing. I tried to grow fur on beans and still nothing. Now I build the audio system and I think something is happening now! When I tweak my system for a blacker background I might be able to hear the voices! I need to cover my whole body in ERS Paper...

 

[Patrick82]

The difference was so big with Premier so it took a while to give an accurate score on my improvement scale list. Here it is:


My upgrades


1 = Noticeable improvement
10 = Night and day
1 000 000+ = Unreal

July 2005

Valhalla power cord for Krell KAV-500i = 15
High Current Ultimate Outlet between wall and Power Plants = 5
QuickSilver on everything = 15?
QuickSilver on fuses = 2
MultiWave II+ for source = 5
xStream Statement between wall and Power Plants = 60
44.1 kHz to 768 kHz = 5
MultiWave II and II+ for amp = 20
Solid-Tech isolation = 100
QuickSilver GOLD upgrade = 5
Valhalla between wall and Power Plants + hardwired = 60
Hifi-Tuning Gold fuse = 1
Nordost Solar Wind 1 conductor + remove PCB = 220
Nordost Valkyrja 1 conductor = 140 (360 compared to Stefan AudioArt)
PS Audio GCC-100 = 200?
Cary 303/300 to DAC-1 = 500
Modded Valhalla power cord (2+2+1) for DAC1, and computer as transport (Valhalla and Power Plant) = [size=small]5000[/size]
Computer to Cary transport. From 2 to 1 Power Plant. 2 conductor Valhalla power cord for amp. Extra isolation step. Cary from 3 to 0 isolation = -200 (less detail but more neutral?)
Valhalla digital XLR = 5?
Valhalla power cord 2 to 1 conductor for DAC1 = 100
Valhalla power cord 3 to 2 conductors for Cary = 5
Valkyrja internal wiring for CD player = 5
Valkyrja speaker cable hardwire into PCB = 380
Valkyrja input signal wire for amp, from 24 AWG to 22 AWG = -3
Modded Valhalla interconnect 1 conductor = [size=medium]1 000 000[/size]
Brilliant Pebbles Mini = 0.05
Bypass fuses amp = 80
Bypass fuses Cary transport = 2?
Shortening Valhalla power cords = 1
Disconnecting ground of DAC1 = 0.5?
Valhalla power cord 2 to 1 conductors for Cary = 5
Valhalla power cord 3 to 2 conductors for wall = 1
4step to 5step isolation for DAC1 = [size=small]1200[/size]
Hardwired into Power Plant = 5?
ERS Paper full coverage = [size=medium]2 000 000+[/size]
Valhalla interconnect XLR + hardwire = [size=medium]1 300 000[/size]
Valhalla interconnect dedicated shield ground = [size=medium]3 000 000[/size]
Noise Harvester + tweaks to compensate = [size=medium]10 000 000[/size]
Power Plant Premier + Magix = [size=xx-large]1 000 000 000 000 000[/size]

February 2007

Numbers are only accurate when based on the order the upgrades were made.

 

[Patrick82]

The improvement is so big there are no words to explain! With my previous upgrades the improvements were so big that it was like listening to my albums for the first time. But with the Premier all my old albums are gone, I'm listening to completely different albums with new detail everywhere! Even mp3 has more detail than ever.
I'm not listening to my old system either, it sounds like a completely new audio system! Premier is something very special.

I didn't listen to my system for 2 days and noticed it sounded more transparent than before! It's still burning in!

 

[Patrick82]

Something weird happened. It sounded very edgy and bright after a few days, but also more transparent and detailed, the next day it was unbearable and I needed to do something about it. 4 days earlier I had put Solid-tech Feet of Silence under my P300 Power Plant, and I didn't seem to hear a difference at all, but now I do! Premier became more revealing after burn-in!!!

Ok, so I search around my system to find the problem of the edgy sound. Then I remove the Feet of Silence under P300 and put back the tennis balls. Edginess was reduced and it sounded flat and dull and had less low-level detail. I liked that better at first. Then I put the Feet back and heard more dynamics, speed and low-level detail. There was too much whiteness but I liked it more because of more blackness.

So the hunt continued. I saw that my amp's Valhalla power cord had an AC connector on it (before the Premier it was hardwired to P300 Power Plant). So I took out my year old QuickSilver GOLD Contact Enhancer and pasted the connector. Less edginess! The low-level detail was reduced as much as when I replaced Feet with tennis balls under P300.
Then I pasted the connector for P300 and got little less edginess, but the difference wasn't as big as when pasting amp's AC connector. Then I pasted the rest of my system; transports and cable to the wall...
Where is sibilance? Where is low-level detail? Vocals sound more real because they are smoother. Detail should improve with a few weeks of burn-in.

 

[Patrick82]

Bass problem is fixed. Problem was RFI/EMI for P300.

OMG. I wrapped the P300 Power Plant with ERS Paper again and the bass fullness is back and better than ever! It's all about ERS Paper, that's where the low-end fullness comes from. Removing AC noise increased upper bass heaviness, and removing RFI/EMI increased the frequency extremes.

I'm getting crazy full bass now. More than ever before. It is so strong I can feel in body.

 

[mlhm5]

Isolation Transformer - $168 for 250W - $242 for 500W and $379 for 1000W

 

[Patrick82]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick82 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I plugged the LCD into Premier with Statement cable again and didn't see a difference, maybe I don't care enough about image quality. It also seemed like the audio quality became worse the more I plugged into it. I heard this many times and thought it was all in my mind, maybe it's real.

My computer transport sounded too cold and edgy and my Cary transport sounded too warm and smooth.
I disconnected my computer from Premier and plugged it in into another circuit. Now my Cary transport doesn't sound too warm anymore, bass is tighter too. Having more plugged into Premier sucks the life out of music?

The computer draws 5 times more power than the rest of the gear plugged into Premier. I guess I need to replace into lower wattage components then.

 

[Patrick82]

I was hoping computer would sound good enough when not plugged into Premier, I was wrong...


I plugged my computer into the wall with stock cables and extension strips. It sounded thinner, edgier and muddier. Then I plugged it in with Valhalla to the wall and bass was stronger and there was more detail. But the edgy and muddy signature still remained. There wasn't any blackness in between transients, it was covered with mud in between. It sounded fine at first but after a few minutes I couldn't stand it anymore.
So I plugged the computer into Premier Power Plant. It sounded blacker with sharper transients! I could hear the transients separately instead of covered up with mud. But there was slight edginess.

Lastly I plugged the Noise Harvesters back in and the edginess had turned into fine sand. The transients still have blackness in between but they are rounder and smoother.
The increase in heaviness was the most apparent.

 

[Patrick82]

I connected projector into Premier. I also put Feet of Silence under the projector, and 2 sheets of ERS Paper on top.

1.5 meter Statement power cable > Ultimate Outlet > 3 meter stock power cord > PT-AE900E

I turned it on and didn't see a difference, still blurry text. It doesn't look like real life. But after a while it seemed like colors were brighter, after a couple hours I have the worst headache in years, coincidence?

 

[Patrick82]

Or maybe the headache came from staring at the white light when adjusting the focus of the lens. I tried to dodge it but a little light entered my eyes.

 

[gotchaforce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick82 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The difference was so big with Premier so it took a while to give an accurate score on my improvement scale list. Here it is: My upgrades 1 = Noticeable improvement 10 = Night and day 1 000 000+ = Unreal July 2005 Valhalla power cord for Krell KAV-500i = 15 High Current Ultimate Outlet between wall and Power Plants = 5 QuickSilver on everything = 15? QuickSilver on fuses = 2 MultiWave II+ for source = 5 xStream Statement between wall and Power Plants = 60 44.1 kHz to 768 kHz = 5 MultiWave II and II+ for amp = 20 Solid-Tech isolation = 100 QuickSilver GOLD upgrade = 5 Valhalla between wall and Power Plants + hardwired = 60 Hifi-Tuning Gold fuse = 1 Nordost Solar Wind 1 conductor + remove PCB = 220 Nordost Valkyrja 1 conductor = 140 (360 compared to Stefan AudioArt) PS Audio GCC-100 = 200? Cary 303/300 to DAC-1 = 500 Modded Valhalla power cord (2+2+1) for DAC1, and computer as transport (Valhalla and Power Plant) = [size=small]5000[/size] Computer to Cary transport. From 2 to 1 Power Plant. 2 conductor Valhalla power cord for amp. Extra isolation step. Cary from 3 to 0 isolation = -200 (less detail but more neutral?) Valhalla digital XLR = 5? Valhalla power cord 2 to 1 conductor for DAC1 = 100 Valhalla power cord 3 to 2 conductors for Cary = 5 Valkyrja internal wiring for CD player = 5 Valkyrja speaker cable hardwire into PCB = 380 Valkyrja input signal wire for amp, from 24 AWG to 22 AWG = -3 Modded Valhalla interconnect 1 conductor = [size=medium]1 000 000[/size] Brilliant Pebbles Mini = 0.05 Bypass fuses amp = 80 Bypass fuses Cary transport = 2? Shortening Valhalla power cords = 1 Disconnecting ground of DAC1 = 0.5? Valhalla power cord 2 to 1 conductors for Cary = 5 Valhalla power cord 3 to 2 conductors for wall = 1 4step to 5step isolation for DAC1 = [size=small]1200[/size] Hardwired into Power Plant = 5? ERS Paper full coverage = [size=medium]2 000 000+[/size] Valhalla interconnect XLR + hardwire = [size=medium]1 300 000[/size] Valhalla interconnect dedicated shield ground = [size=medium]3 000 000[/size] Noise Harvester + tweaks to compensate = [size=medium]10 000 000[/size] Power Plant Premier + Magix = [size=xx-large]1 000 000 000 000 000[/size] February 2007 Numbers are only accurate when based on the order the upgrades were made.

Patrick you are the andy kaufman of the audio world, and you are very good at it.

 

[Patrick82]

After 20+ times trying to switch from MWave4 to Mwave1 I finally did it. MWave1 of Premier is better overall than MWave4 of P300, even when P300 was plugged into Premier.

My DAC1 was hardwired into P300 Power Plant with Valhalla power cords going in and out (2 meters total). It was using Magix levitation feet and 30+ sheets of ERS Paper. I had that plugged into the Premier, bass was crazy.



Amp with MWave4 too = Crazy bass

My GCC-100 amp was plugged into Premier, then I plugged it into P300 by adding a JuiceBar, stock cable and step-up transformer into the path. Bass was the craziest ever, very full and huge. But then I heard some muddiness and boominess, it reminded me of AKG vs Sennheiser. It was the boominess that made bass so full and huge!

So one last time I did a long test between MWave1 vs MWave4 of the P300 Power Plant.


Final test, MWave4 vs MWave1 of P300

MWave1 of P300 made it brighter, edgier and colder, there was more surface clarity but the low-level details were cut off, I couldn't hear them anymore. The impressions were the same as in the past year of A/B-ing.
When I switched back to MWave4 the surface clarity was toned down which made the low-level details more apparent. I heard new low-level details everywhere and it sounded more like real life. It is similar to QuickSilver Contact Enhancer where you tone down the brightness to make details more apparent.

Was MWave4 just a band-aid for bright sound? It would explain why it's a great match with Valhalla cables. With muddy cables you need MWave1 to boost up the surface clarity, because with muddy cables you won't be able to hear the low-level details anyway.

MWave4 of P300 is still way better than MWave1 of P300. But the problem was muddiness on the surface layer, it was unbearable. After my system had been turned on 2 days it got very muddy and I had to unplug it, the P300 Power Plant was the problem.
Using MWave1 of P300 made it sound too bright and harsh, and using MWave4 made it sound too dark and muddy but with more low-level details!

MWave4 was masking the harshness of P300.


Moving DAC to Premier (50cm Valhalla power cord = 4 times shorter)

So I moved the DAC1 from P300 into Premier and it solved the problem, no muddiness on the surface anymore! The harshness is also gone, P300 was adding harshness to the sound, removing it from between DAC1 and Premier made it super smooth. The surface layer is clear, open and smooth, it gives the illusion of more airy sound.
The low-level detail isn't emphasized anymore, but it's still as good as with MWave4 of P300! The surface layer is emphasized now, and there is more surface detail than ever before.

But bass isn't crazy anymore, it sounds more neutral now, it's a little boring but at least there isn't any unbearable muddiness anymore. It seems like this is how K1000 are supposed to sound like, the P300 + MWave4 was just boosting up the bass to compensate, but it was sacrificing surface clarity to do that.



Conclusion

Overall the Premier + MWave1 is better than Premier + MWave1 + P300 + MWave4. Adding a 2nd power conditioner into the path makes it worse, even when it has thousands of dollars worth of tweaks!

 

[Patrick82]

This is the setup I use now. Since I don't need the P300 anymore I can use shorter Valhalla cables and get even better sound. I use 55 cm for the wall, 50 cm for the DAC1, 1m for the amp. 2m for computer. I will try the rest for my LCD monitor and projector.

 

[parallax7d]

Great reviews and analysis, let us know how your tweaks continue to go!