[estreeter]

Any thoughts on Vinnie's Black Lightning for things like DACs/streamers ?  
 
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/redwine13/1.html
 
There is a little voice telling me that this would work with the Topping TP-60, but I guess there is only one way to find out. 

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Any thoughts on Vinnie's Black Lightning for things like DACs/streamers ?  
 
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/redwine13/1.html
 
There is a little voice telling me that this would work with the Topping TP-60, but I guess there is only one way to find out. 

 
It's A LOT more expensive than a linear PSU from Hynes, and I really wonder how much better it is, especially given the hassle of recharging, and the fact that the batteries will eventually wear out.

 

[estreeter]

Point taken, Dave. but when I see folks using 12V marine batteries in their living rooms, I dont think this is such a bad idea. Agree re cost, but for the nth degree folk out there ....

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Point taken, Dave. but when I see folks using 12V marine batteries in their living rooms, I dont think this is such a bad idea. Agree re cost, but for the nth degree folk out there ....

I should add that the impressions in the 6moons review mirror pretty much exactly impressions I saw of a comparison between a Hynes LPS and a battery supply made by B-P-T powering an Empirical Off-Ramp 3. The short, short version: the wallwart is a bit crap, the battery supply is a bit more lush and tubelike, the LPS has more detail, but the differences were fairly minor. 
 
How effective the LPS will be depends of course on the incoming AC. You can put a nice line conditioner in front of it, and some good power cords, but that erases any price advantage for the LPS, it would actually be much more expensive if you don't already own any of that stuff.
 
There is definitely appeal in going completely off the grid and it wouldn't be that hard to do. Partner some high efficiency speakers like Tektons with a RWA Signature 30 and a battery powered Bel Canto CD-2 and you're done.

 

[estreeter]

Dave, I seem to recall that you were lukewarm on the Evo, but M2Tech have a cheaper battery-powered PSU for those who feel a little more enthusiastic about their products:
 

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Dave, I seem to recall that you were lukewarm on the Evo, but M2Tech have a cheaper battery-powered PSU for those who feel a little more enthusiastic about their products:

 
I just don't think its worth $500, or even more with their battery supply. M2Tech's products all seem to under perform vs. their competitors at every level, whether we're talking Hiface, EVO, Young, etc.

 

[Gwarmi]

 Just a tangent thought on DaveBSC's comments concerning the M2Tech - cynical I may be but I fail to think of any
 product, audio or not - coming out of Italy at a very competitive price point (pasta aside

) that somehow
 can level or compete with other alternatives from the US, Asia and Europe.
 
 'Made In Italy' is expensive, more so it seems than rival German and French products. No idea why that
 seems to be.

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

 Just a tangent thought on DaveBSC's comments concerning the M2Tech - cynical I may be but I fail to think of any
 product, audio or not - coming out of Italy at a very competitive price point (pasta aside

) that somehow
 can level or compete with other alternatives from the US, Asia and Europe.
 
 'Made In Italy' is expensive, more so it seems than rival German and French products. No idea why that
 seems to be.

 
For what it's worth, I've heard very very good things about Rosso Fiorentino speakers, but I have no personal experience with them. Their flagship Siena is about $24K, which is pretty much inline with comparable speakers from other parts of the world based on similar twin cabinet designs (Von Schweikert, etc). Italian electronics though, they generally are not known to be on the same level as top brands from Switzerland, Japan, Germany, or the US.
 

 

[estreeter]

Cant say I have any particular love for the Unico range from Unison Research (funky styling choices that just dont strike a chord with me personally), but they seem to get favourable reviews. Just cant see how gear at this price range can compete with the avalanche of competition coming out of China atm.
 
http://en.unisonresearch.com/686-2/
 
They certainly seem to have a heritage - not sure how well that translates to the sonics, but its there nonetheless:
 
http://en.unisonresearch.com/chi-siamo/

 

[Gwarmi]

 A very interesting interview and read with Mr Shunyata - Caelin Gabriel
 
 http://www.theaudiobeat.com/visits/shunyata_visit_interview.htm
 
 Well worth a look.

 

[gavtorn]

did you get the cobra yet?
 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

did you get the cobra yet?
 

 
 Still weeks away mate - they build them to order, especially for the Aussie market as it makes little sense for a US company to hold
 stock of $1000+ power cables with AUS termination on hand - waiting by the telephone for someone to call from down under.
 
 Totally understandable - patience is key 

 

[Gwarmi]

Yes, it finally arrived 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
Speaking overall out of the box? Impressed. It renders exactly what it is meant to do - lower noise floor all round and a sizable sound-stage and separation
increase depending on the amplifier - my V200 no longer sounds like a boxed in cage. Worthy of recommendation to others? It remains difficult to speculate on
that front since interconnects will also play their part outside of the gear that this happens to be plugged into.
 
I'm a happy camper, coupled with the rest of the Nordost gear - auditioning between the hours of 11pm+ to 1am - my rig remains 'black as night' - exactly what
I desired in the first place.

 

[Gwarmi]

 Just a small update past the 80-90+ hour mark - this Cobra is really something. They say the small things are sometimes what count the most.
 
 This being true for this unit - in the last few weeks it has spent time being plugged into all sorts of gear ranging from the Luxman P1-u to
 the Ray Samuels Dark Star - each time, particularly in the case of the Dark Star it has had a fairly profound effect on the overall sound.
 
 Harshness and a tendency to sound cold and analytical on the DS just melted away. At the same time, I can report that not all gear
 appears to respond the same. The Ray Samuels Raptor and new Burson Soloist did benefit somewhat with the same symptoms but
 not as much as let's say my very own V200 or the Dark Star as mentioned above.
 
 All up I cannot discount the prospect of picking up a second unit somewhere down the track when my finances are looking a
 little healthier

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

 Just a small update past the 80-90+ hour mark - this Cobra is really something. They say the small things are sometimes what count the most.
 
 This being true for this unit - in the last few weeks it has spent time being plugged into all sorts of gear ranging from the Luxman P1-u to
 the Ray Samuels Dark Star - each time, particularly in the case of the Dark Star it has had a fairly profound effect on the overall sound.
 
 Harshness and a tendency to sound cold and analytical on the DS just melted away. At the same time, I can report that not all gear
 appears to respond the same. The Ray Samuels Raptor and new Burson Soloist did benefit somewhat with the same symptoms but
 not as much as let's say my very own V200 or the Dark Star as mentioned above.
 
 All up I cannot discount the prospect of picking up a second unit somewhere down the track when my finances are looking a
 little healthier

 
Nice. Some power supplies are better at rejecting AC noise than others, and some just respond better to different cord designs. Unfortunately trial and error is the only way to find out.