When Lars Kristensen, one of the owners of Ansuz Acoustics, and Morten Thyrrestrup, Sales Manager Europe, stopped off at Dirk Sommer's listening room during their last year’s tour round Germany, they were armed with a host of new products, some of which were still in a pre-production stage. These also included the Sortz.

These novelties show up as plugs designed to terminate one or more unused inputs and outputs of a component to keep high-frequency interference and unwanted mechanical excitation away from the electronics. Usually we are completely unaware of our RF environment - caused by mobile phone signals, wireless LAN or computers, just to name a few sources. This is because we mostly do not even perceive their effects - the noise itself being far beyond our human hearing - and in direct comparison at best when we minimise them. If we could ground all devices and signals cleanly, then a lot would already have been gained. But there are devices - just think of my "special friends", the plug-in power supplies - that are not grounded at all. In the worst case, this can lead to interference signals circulating around uncontrollably. Cables as well as open inputs and outputs can become antennas that receive this RF noise and channel it not only into our audio systems but also into the ground connection of an audio component. Since all audio devices are in turn connected to each other via their earth connection, this RF noise is then also transmitted to all other audio components in play. Every time we manage to block or attenuate this noise, we get a better clarity, which can be heard very easily.

And this is exactly where the Sortz plugs enter the scene. However, technologically they are not in the least comparable to the simple metal or plastic caps or terminating plugs, which can also close unused sockets or short-circuit the input. With the Tesla coil technology and the anti-aerial resonance coil technology, Ansuz has integrated two highly interesting concepts into the Sortz. The Ansuz Tesla coils are designed as double inverted coils. According to Ansuz, when one of the two coils encounters a voltage peak, a counter-peak is to be induced in the counter-wound part of the other coil, which then neutralises the interfering voltage peak. As a result, common-mode interference between the ground and the signal connections should therefore be suppressed. The coils are wound around a rod made of zirconium. Zirconium contains about 5 % ferrite impurities, which show a weak magnetic behaviour. Ansuz also experimented with other metals, but zirconium is said to have sounded best.

The principle of anti-aerial technology is said to be based on a signal path with no terminated length so that it can no longer act like an antenna. This is to prevent airborne RF/EMI interferences - high frequency radiation/electromagnetic interference - from entering the circuits and then invading the audio system as disturbing "white noise". The Sortz are available in Basic, Supreme and Signature versions. While the internal construction is the same for all variants, the difference lies in the different coatings applied to the connector housing. The Sortz Basic model has a polished aluminum housing and the Sortz Supreme model features a housing with an acoustically optimised Supreme coating, whereas the Sortz Signature model has an additional layer of zirconium on top of the Supreme coating. The coatings are applied to the surface in a complex process using a particle accelerator (High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering Unit) to obtain a particularly fine and even layer.

All three versions again have in common that they are subjected to a cryogenic treatment to increase conductivity. During the cryogenic processing of the metal components, they are exposed to extreme cooling temperatures of around minus 196 degrees Celsius. This causes the crystal structure of the metal to contract more and more. Alloying elements are displaced from the grain structure of the metal, which thus becomes very similar to a monocrystal. According to the manufacturer, these structural changes of the metal have measurable effects on its audio properties and lead to an increase in conductivity of six to eight percent.

The Sortz will be available in the terminations RCA, BNC and XLR as well as USB and ethernet. In the following, I will deal with the RCA versions. Despite still having the excellent Raidho TD1.2 speakers available at the beginning of the listening test, I expect only marginal changes with and without Sortz and even smaller differences between the various Sortz models. Therefore, I will first concentrate on two tracks that are very familiar to me. The first is the wonderfully lively performance of Benjamin Britten's "Simple Symphony" in the excellent recording featuring the TrondheimSolistene. The recording was made in a church and I have it at hands in its original 352.8 kilohertz format (The Nordic Sound - 2L audiophile reference recordings). From the first note the recording captivates with its great spatial depth, and the minimal reverberation of the church contributes decisively to the full round timbres. The strings sound exceptionally velvety and airy at all times. Incidentally, to avoid any misunderstandings: Don't be fooled by the word "Simple" in the track’s title. The piece is not exactly "simple" as far as the demands on the players' individual techniques are concerned, not to mention the precision that the four different movements require in their interplay with each other. Regarding my second test track, "Temptation" from the album The Girl in the Other Room by Diana Krall, no more words need to be said.

I get started with the Sortz Basic with two of them plugged into an unused left and right line input of my Erno Borbely dual mono preamp. The absolute depth of the sonic image is not much different with the Sortz Basic now, but the width of the stage got extended. Without the Sortz Basic, each instrument is surrounded by a certain space, which in direct comparison seems rather unnatural to me. With the Sortz Basic, the individual instruments are much more clearly focused in terms of their size and placement in the ensemble. The fine details of the recordings, such as the filigree pizzicato of the individual string groups or the slight reverberation of the church, become better audible. The velvety sounding of the strings may no longer be quite as spectacular, but for my taste it’s much more natural, while the airiness is still preserved. Especially with human voices, this naturalness can be heard in a particular distinct way. With "Temptation", Diana Krall now is "standing" in the room much more clearly outlined and yet completely liberated from the speakers. This makes not only the singer, but also the accompanying instruments much more tangible. Every keystroke of the piano is now enriched with micro-information, while the finest details in the spatial placement of the individual instruments are better revealed. Regardless of the music genre or recording, the music becomes more natural and calm with the Sortz Basic, but the rendition also seems to me a tad less dynamic and direct, as well as a little less forceful and energetic. Let me paraphrase that with some kind of elegant restraint.

And that's exactly what comes to an end when you switch over to the Sortz Supreme - the sound becomes stronger, fuller and more dynamic. This can be heard particularly well in "Temptation". Diana Krall’s voice has now become more voluminous. But something else changes as well: the bass is more powerful now and thus the music more expressive. This is the field where I would have least expected an improvement with the Sortz Supreme. In the "Simple Symphony", the strings in the upper registers seem a little darker to me, but again with a richer volume overall. For many, the Sortz Signature would be the perfect symbiosis of Sortz Basic and Sortz Supreme. Some of the powerful sound of the Sortz Supreme is now combined with the balanced and distinguished character of the Sortz Basic. For me, there is no doubt: the Sortz Signature offers the most balanced sound overall. However, I personally can also get to grips with the Sortz Supreme, which, with its great expressiveness, add more emotionality to the music without entailing any loss of spatiality.

At this point, let me say a frank word with respect to the usage of the Sortz: Any home audio system in question should kick off from a certain quality level, starting already with the source. If this is the case, then the performance level can be raised significantly by using the Sortz plugs. The increase always is synonymous with more tranquility, naturalness and intensity. The effect is shaded differently depending on the Sortz version used. What is surprising is the fact that it doesn't require much effort to perceive this in my system. So even with my Audioplan Kontrapunkt IV I can effortlessly trace the described subtleties, even though the Kontrapunkt IV are of course not comparable to the Raidho TD1.2. What surprises me the most is that each Sortz version possesses such a stand-alone sound character, especially since they are all internally constructed in the same way and only differ in the structure of the plug housing. However, please do not ask for a conclusive technical explanation. I can't help you with that, and Ansuz also refers to the extensive practical tests undertaken. Be that as it may! Let us rather jump into further experiments. If you can draw from the full range, as I did for the test, then suddenly other possibilities pop up. For example, we could use several Sortz in parallel on one component or distribute them over several units; we could also come up with the idea of combining different models.

So, as a test, I not only plugged the Sortz Supreme into my preamplifier, but also the Sortz Signature into another unused input. In my system, this leads to a perfect combination. This way the incredibly balanced sound of the Sortz Signature is enriched by just the right amount of the powerful character of the Sortz Supreme. I particularly like this with classical music, which can be heard wonderfully in the excellent recording of the "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquín Rodrigo with Narciso Yepes as soloist and the orchestra Orquesta Sinfónica De La R.TV. Española conducted by Odón Alonso (Joaquín Rodrigo: De Aranjuez & Fantasía Para Un Gentilhombre - HDTT5307/352). The solo instrument in particular benefits from the powerful expression of the Sortz Supreme, while the final subtleties in the soloist's interplay with the orchestra are brought out with the enormous resolving power of the Sortz Signature. But, as is so often the case: With the two Sortz, the improvement is not twice as big as when using a single Sortz only. When plugged into a single component, the biggest enhancement is, in my opinion, already achieved with one Sortz only. This is especially true for stereo components that feature a common internal ground connection for the left and right channels, such as my Omtec Anturion preamplifier, which I used for comparison purposes.

Therefore it proved more effective to plug another Sortz into the unused S/PDIF input of my PS Audio DirectStream DAC. This makes the music sound even smoother and more natural. Interestingly, in this configuration the sonic difference between the Sortz variants is not so pronounced. All in all, I prefer the combination of one Sortz each in the DAC and the preamplifier to a cumulative use of several Sortz in the preamplifier alone. With this in mind, I am very curious about the Sortz variants for USB and ethernet. I'll stay tuned.

Seit meiner ersten Begegnung mit einem Melco vor sieben Jahren höre ich in den eigenen vier Wänden so gut wie nie mehr Musik-Files vom Computer. Zwischenzeitlich verwendete ich gar einen Melco N1ZH/2 und einen N1A/2 in verschiedenen Anlagen. Seit dem Frühjahr ist nun der N10/2-S38 eines der beiden Topmodelle der japanischen Digital-Spezialisten.

Schon der erste Melco war ein klanglich rundum überzeugender Datenlieferant: Er stellte die auf seinen Festplatten gespeicherten Musikdateien über einen speziellen, für Audioanwendungen gefilterten LAN-Anschluss im Netzwerk zur Verfügung und agierte so als netzgebundener Speicher oder NAS. Zudem konnte er auch Streamer-Funktionen übernehmen und dank eines integrierten Renderers Digitaldaten per USB direkt an einen D/A-Wandler schicken. Anfangs war die Kombination eines Melco mit einer Streaming-Bridge, die dann per USB einen DAC speiste, dessen direkter Ansteuerung in Sachen Wohlklang deutlich überlegen. Damals lief auf dem Melco ab Werk ausschließlich ein Twonky-Server. Alan Ainslie, der den Vertrieb von Melco in Europa aufbaute und jetzt noch in beratender Funktion begleitet, empfahl, den Minim-Server zu installierten und gab dazu auch praktische Tipps. Inzwischen gibt es die zweite, am Zusatz „/2“ erkennbare Version aller „Music Libraries“, wie Melco seine Geräte nennt. Schön, dass beim Vertrieb gegen eine geringe Gebühr auch auf ältere Geräte die neue Firmware-Generation aufgespielt werden kann. Die lässt einem dann unter anderem die Wahl zwischen dem Twonky- und – wie ich finde klanglich überlegenen – Minim-Server.

Zudem hat die neue Firmware ein deutliche Verbesserung in Sachen USB-Ausgang gebracht: Die Klangunterschiede zwischen der Daten-Ausgabe per LAN an eine Streaming-Bridge und von dort per USB zum Wandler und der direkt vom USB-Ausgang zum Wandler sind deutlich kleiner geworden. Darüber hinaus ist nun dank der neuen Firmware auch das Programm Song Kong auf dem Melco verfügbar, das die Organisation der Musik-Dateien besonders für Klassik-Freunde stark vereinfacht, wie Roland Dietl in seinem Artikel berichtete.

Anfangs gab es zwei Gerätelinien, N1A und N1Z, dazu kamen noch Festplatten verschiedener Größen und Bauart. Aber egal, ob Speicher und Elektronik im einfachen Gehäuse in Normbreite oder in einem solchen aus recht massiven Aluminiumplatten mit einer Breite von lediglich 350 Millimetern untergebracht sind, sie werden immer von ein oder zwei Schaltnetzteilen gespeist. Vor einer Weile kam dann die N10/N100-Serie heraus: In deren nur 215 Millimeter breitem Gehäusen ist kein Raum für ein integriertes Netzteil. Je nach Qualität des Models kommt ein externes Zwölf-Volt-Netzteil oder ein in einem zweiten 215-Millimeter-Gehäuse untergebrachtes Linearnetzteil für die unterschiedlichen Spannungen zum Einsatz. Auch für die N10/100-Musik-Bibliotheken gibt es wieder Festplatten verschiedener Größe und Bauart: Das Angebot wurde aufgrund der raschen Entwicklung bei den Speichern zwischenzeitlich ein wenig unübersichtlich.

In dieser Phase haben sich die Kollegen und ich mit zwei Produkten beschäftigt, die auf der Melco-Website unter dem Begriff „Accessories“ geführt werden, aber weitaus mehr zu bieten haben, als ich mit Zubehör assoziierte: Wolfgang Kemper war vom Laufwerk D100 zum Rippen und zur Wiedergeben von CDs so begeistert, dass wir ein Exemplar als sogenannten „Redaktion-Ripper“ erworben haben. Melcos LAN-Switch S100 bietet nicht nur getrennte RJ45-Schnittstellen für Datenraten von 100 respektive 1000 Mb, sondern auch noch zwei Schächte für SFP-Module zur Datenübertragung per Lichtwellenleiter. Aber vorrangig für sein hervorragendes Preis/Klang-Verhältnis wurde es mit dem STATEMENT in High Fidelity ausgezeichnet. Das neue größere Switch S10 mit zusätzlichem Linearnetzteil im zweiten Gehäuse werde ich Ihnen vorstellen, sobald es in ausreichender Stückzahl verfügbar ist.

Ich hörte bis vor kurzem rundum zufrieden mit dem Melco N1ZH/2 meine Files. Doch nachdem ich meinen Chord Electronics DAVE mit einem Dreifach-Linearnetzteil auf ein deutlich höheres Niveau gebracht hatte, musste auch der Melco dran glauben: Er bezieht nun ebenfalls drei Spannungen aus einem Linearnetzteil, das AudiaZ respektive Chiemsee Hifi für diese Anwendung gebaut hat. Da Melco inzwischen eine Music Library anbietet, die von einem recht großen Ringkerntransformator samt einer Reihe von Siebelkos in einem eigenen Gehäuse gespeist wird, habe ich den N10/2 zum Test bestellt – und wenn schon, denn schon gleich mit der 3,84 Terabyte großen SSD-Festplatte. Dass nicht wie bisher oft zwei Platten verbaut werden, sondern deren nur eine, mag zwar auch an den Platzverhältnissen im schmalen Gehäuse, in dem die Elektronik der Music Library untergebracht ist, liegen. Hauptgrund dafür ist aber, wie Alan Ainslie erläuterte, dass man in diesem Fall auf einen RAID-Controler verzichten kann und dass dieser Verzicht recht klare klangliche Vorteile habe. Das Argument, dass zwei Platten Vorteile in puncto Datensicherheit böten, lässt er nicht gelten. Auch diejenigen Melco-Nutzer, denen es in erster Linie um den Klang geht, hätten deshalb bisher RAID 0 gewählt und lieber regelmäßig Backups auf einer externen Festplatte gemacht. Weitere kostenlose Tuning-Tipps gab's übrigens schon im Artikel über den Melco N1ZH/2.

Wer schon mal einen Melco benutzt hat, dem gibt auch die Bedienung des N10/2 keine Rätsel auf: Er besitzt auch die beiden LAN-Anschlüsse, einen zur Verbindung mit einem Netzwerk, über das die Steuerbefehle kommen, und einen zweiten für einen Streamer oder Wandler mit entsprechender Schnittstelle. Auf der Front gibt es einen, auf der Rückseite zwei USB-Abschlüsse. Während es bei der N1A- und N1Z-Serie noch drei Buchsen waren, die durch eine feste Zuordnung zu Funktionen – Backup, Wandler oder Erweiterungsfestplatte – auch unerfahrenen Benutzern die Bedienung erleichterten, glaubt Melco ihnen heutzutage zumuten zu können, den Buchsen auf Vorder- und Rückseite beliebig zu nutzen. Nur einer der beiden hinteren Anschlüsse wird für die Verbindung zum Wandler empfohlen. Den nutze ich erst einmal nicht: Der N10/2 übernimmt die Funktion meines N1ZH/2, und deshalb verbinde ich ihn per Ethernet mit dem Ansuz-PowerSwitch, denn im Test des Melco Switch S100 hatte sich gezeigt, dass die Verwendung eines externen Switch' gegenüber der Nutzung der beiden LAN-Buchsen im N1ZH/2 klangliche Vorteile bringt: In digitalen Ketten ist der kürzeste Signalweg nicht der beste, sondern der, auf dem das Signal am effektivsten von HF- und sonstigen Störungen befreit wird.

Der N10/2 war funkelnagelneu als er bei mir eintraf. Deswegen habe ich ihn direkt nach seinem Eintreffen mit dem Netz verbunden und von einer Festplatte, auf der all meine Audio-Files gesichert sind, mit Musik bestückt. Die Auslastung seiner Festplatte lag dann ähnlich wie beim N1ZH/2 über 40 Prozent, so dass hier annähernd gleiche Bedingungen herrschen. Die recht langwierige Bestückung seiner Festplatte mitgerechnet, hatte der N10/2 eine knappe Woche Zeit, um Betriebsstunden zu sammeln. Er lieferte auch für die Auralics in Wohn- und Schlafzimmer sowie die Küche Daten. Da ich nur drei Ansuz Digitalz D-TC Supreme zur Verfügung habe, übernahm ein Göbel Lacorde Statement Ethernet die Verbindung von Switch und Medienkonverter, beide Melcos hingen an Ansuz Digitalz. Um die beiden Melcos in ihrer Funktion als reine Datenspeicher und -Lieferanten zu vergleichen, brauche ich in Auralics Lightning-DS-App lediglich per Fingertipp zwischen zwei Musikbibliotheken hin- und herzuschalten – ideale Testbedingungen, die schnelle Wechsel ermöglichen.

Deswegen fange ich auch mit einem Album an, das ich eher zufällig in meiner Musikbibliothek entdeckt habe: Yours And Mine von Akira Tana und Rufus Reid – moderner, melodiöser Jazz in Quintettbesetzung mit zwei Saxophonisten. Schon bei den ersten Takten fällt der sehr natürlich wirkende Raum auf, in dem das Schlagzeug erklingt. Besonders angetan hat es mir aber Eddie Harris' „Freedom Jazz Dance“, den Bassist und Schlagzeuger im Duo interpretieren. Trotz des auch hier schönen Raums würde ich das Stück nicht zu den audiophilen Schmankerln zählen, allein schon deshalb, weil bei der Aufnahme des Kontrabasses auch Tonabnehmer mit im Spiel waren. Reine Mikrofonaufnahmen halte ich für realistischer. Dafür entschädigen aber die satte Bass Drum und das bunt und variantenreich strahlende Blech der Becken. Überhaupt: Das Duo agiert so spannend und voller Spielfreude, dass es der reine Genuss ist, sich den „Freedom Jazz Dance“ jetzt vom N1ZH/2 ein paarmal zur Gänze anzuhören. Als ich dann wieder zum N10/2 zurückkehre, erlebe ich eine Überraschung: Melcos Topmodell sorgt für ein noch feiner durchgezeichnetes Klangbild – und das hat nicht das Geringste mit langweiliger Analyse zu tun. Im Gegenteil, der Titel spricht mich auch rhythmisch mehr an, wenn er von der einen Festplatte des N10/2 kommt. Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass das neue Melco-Duo das Hörvergnügen noch einmal so steigern kann.

Da muss ich unbedingt den ein oder anderen vertrauteren Track hören, wie zum Beispiel Ravi Shankars „West Eats Meat“: Das Tabla-Intro scheint beim N10/2 in einem größeren Raum aufgenommen worden zu sein. Man hört deutlich die Reflexionen an der Rückwand. Gerade in den schnellen Passagen macht sich die präzisere Abbildung des Zehners positiv bemerkbar. Im Vergleich wirkt die Wiedergabe vom N1ZH/2 nervöser und einen Hauch weniger strukturiert. Die Pauken im zweiten Teil kommen über beide Melcos ähnlich druckvoll rüber, aber in Sachen Klangfarben hat der N10/2 wieder ein bisschen mehr zu bieten. Ich probiere es noch mit Schostakowitschs Symphonie Nr. 15 aus der Living Concert Series. Aber auch dabei kann ich nicht den geringsten klanglichen Vorteil entdecken, wenn die Daten von meinem gepimpten N1ZH/2 kommen. Das Signal, das vom N10/2 kommt, und auf seinem Weg durch das Ansuz-Switch, das Waversa-Filter, die Auralic-Streaming-Bridge und den Chord-Electronics-M-Scaler ja noch vielfach behandelt wird, bevor es der DAVE mit dem Rest der Kette in Schall wandelt, muss einfach mehr Feininformationen enthalten. Wie wäre es sonst zu erklären, dass die Instrumente nun noch besser fokussiert und von mehr Luft umgeben scheinen? Hier gilt wohl wieder die Erkenntnis aus analogen Zeiten: Die Qualität der Quelle ist (mit)entscheidend. Informationen, die sie nicht liefert, kann auch die beste nachfolgende Kette nicht mehr hinzufügen.

Jetzt wäre es natürlich schön, auch mal eben die USB-Ausgänge der beiden Melcos miteinander zu vergleichen. Aber das geht nicht, da der USB-Ausgang für den DAC bei meinem Melco einer Buchse für das externe Analog-Netzteil weichen musste. Schließlich wollte ich ja keine irreversiblen mechanischen Veränderungen am Gerät vornehmen. Da bleibt nur, den N10/2 statt über Switch und Streaming Bridge direkt mit dem USB-Eingang des M-Scaler zu hören. Dazu installiere ich die kostenlose Melco-Music-HD-App auf meinem iPad. Sie ist eine Variante der mconnect-HD-App, daher ziemlich vertraut und auch leicht zu bedienen. Da ich nicht einschätzen kann, wie schnell der Wechsel von der Ethernet- zur USB-Datenausgabe dauert, verlasse ich mich wieder einmal auf Keith Jarretts wohlvertrautes „God Bless The Child“. Und das ist dank des N10/2 und seiner hohen Feinzeichnung und luftigen Wiedergabe ein Hochgenuss, wenn der Weg über den Auralic Aries geht. Beim direkteren Weg vom Melco per USB zum M-Scaler ändert sich daran erfreulicherweise nicht viel. Am auffälligsten ist, dass die Bass Drum und Gary Peacocks Viersaiter bei der direkten Verbindung noch einen Tick mehr Energie besitzen. Der Aries hingegen sorgt in diesem Frequenzbereich für mehr Kontur und Klarheit. Zumindest solange die Børresen 05 SSE noch zu Gast in meinem Hörraum ist, ziehe ich die Bass-Präzision der größeren Tieftonfülle vor. Aber hier bewegen wir uns schon lange im Bereich persönlicher Klangvorlieben.

Viel bemerkenswerter ist, wie weit sich die USB-Schnittstelle der vor Jahren noch deutlich überlegenen Datenausgabe per Ethernet angenähert hat. Momentan könnte es durchaus die bessere Wahl sein, in den N10/2 statt in ein kleineres Melco-Modell zu investieren und – wenn's wirklich um die letzten ein, zwei Prozent geht – später auf den Aries G2.1 zurückzukommen. Ich vergleiche die Schnittstellen noch einmal mit „Raijin“ von Arild Andersens Album Mira: Der Dialog zwischen Schlagzeuger Paolo Vinaccia und Tommy Smiths Shakuhachi-Flöte macht klar, dass der Auralic Aries neben mehr Präzision im Bass auch noch für einen minimal größeren imaginären Raum sorgt. Wenn man sie gehört hat, will man eben auf die vielleicht zwei Prozent mehr Wohlklang durch die Streaming Bridge nicht verzichten. Aber um zum Thema zurückzukommen: Die klanglichen Vorteile des N10/2 gegenüber meinem N1ZH/2 mit analogem Netzteil sind größer die zwischen den Schnittstellen von Melcos Topmodell.

In the first part I described how the power cables and power conditioners designed by Garth Powell can steer a system towards its maximum sound quality, even when the power supply topic had not been treated with neglect before. In this interview you can read what the developer has to say about his solutions and learn about my experiences with Niagara and Co. 

In the meantime, I've got used to the Thunder and Tornado cables as well as the Niagara 1000 and 7000: My system sounds more open, spoils me with larger – partly virtual – rooms, and above all it fascinates me with dynamic capabilities that are simply closer to the live experience. I am not alone with this almost enthusiastic verdict, by the way; I had invited Roland Dietl to listen to my newly acquired Chord Electronics M-Scaler. This colleague had already experienced the advantages of upsampling to 705.6 and 768 Kilohertz respectively during the BLU MkII test. Therefore, after one or two songs, it was clear to him that the quite significant improvement could not be attributed solely to the extrapolation of the data with the one-million-tap filter. He suspected that there must have been further changes in my system and discovered the Niagaras and the intertwined cables on closer inspection. It’s always reassuring when one’s own judgement is confirmed by a connoisseur of the sound system at hand.

However, my enthusiasm was not completely unclouded after I had enjoyed an LP in peace again: I was carried away by the gripping dynamics and increased the volume a little bit every now and then. When the disc was finished and I had raised the tonearm, a slight noise was audible – not the usual hum of the phono branch, but slightly higher in frequency. Until now, Einstein's balanced phono preamplifier had neither bothered me with such a thing nor with the slightest hint of hum. I then checked once again whether the power cables of the two were also plugged into a group of the Niagara together with that of the preamplifier. That was the case. Even the attempt to use a separate group for the bearing heating and tube power supply of the record player and the two mono preamps could not solve the problem. That’s why I left everything as it was, as firstly, the sound was only audible when the volume control was turned way up and secondly, Niagara developer Garth Powell had announced that he would visit me. I could then clarify the problem with the expert. One or two weeks later I also connected the Studer: As soon as I selected the appropriate input, a slight hum would be audible - even though the machine wasn't even switched on yet. The problem disappeared, however, as soon as the Studer took its power from the same group of sockets and filters as the preamplifier; another task for Garth Powell. Until his visit, I kept my hands off the tape and the vinyl, but that wasn't difficult considering that playing music files in previously unknown quality compensates for that.

Garth Powell came, saw, and agreed: Even if the individual groups for constant current consuming devices in his Niagara are so strictly separated that digital sources connected to one group do not have the slightest influence on the analog sources connected to the other group and on the preamplifier, it could make sense to feed them via the Niagara 1000, just because of the large number of digital devices in my system. With regard to the background noise, he noted that he knew the reason as well as the solution, but would like to try again if the phono stages could not be connected in such a way that they performed their task silently. When he heard the annoying noise, he immediately ruled out that it could be caused by a ground fault of the drive, tonearm or phono amplifier. It was clearly due to the power supply – including grounding, of course. Garth Powell managed to minimize the interference by cleverly distributing the power cables of the preamplifier, the phono preamplifiers, the bearing heater and the tube power supply of the turntable to the two groups of the Niagara 7000. But that didn't satisfy him, of course.

He then had the influence of the Studer A 80 on the power supply demonstrated to him. Afterwards he decided that the Niagara 5000 was the better choice for my system: In hifi and studio technology, different grounding concepts are used, which is only a problem if the power supply works with a "floating" ground, like the Niagara 7000 does with the balancing of the mains voltage. The 5000, on the other hand, offers all three groups a solid ground. In addition, only half the financial investment would be necessary. In terms of filter effect – and ultimately sound improvement – the two differed by just eight percent. Frankly, I don't have the slightest idea how to quantify something like that. But I tend to believe someone whose power correction improves the dynamic performance of power amplifiers as much as the Niagara 7000 does. Did I mention that the 5000's power correction is the same as the 7000's?

Even if the idea of being able to get almost the same sound advantages at half the price may seem tempting, I have to be patient first. Of course, even the developer doesn't carry a net conditioner in his hand luggage. So, Garth Powell and I will stop experimenting with the hardware and prepare the planned interview. But first I'd like to tell you how I got to know Garth Powell. In recent years it had almost become a tradition that Audioquest's brand ambassador Joe Harley met with my wife and me at an Indian restaurant on the last day of the High End show in Munich. The year before last, Joe Harley brought his colleague Garth with him. Nevertheless, it was not primarily about hifi. Joe Harley had not only made the recordings for Audioquest's own label, but had also recorded for ECM, Enja and GrooveNote. He was also significantly involved in the production of the Reissues of Blue Note classics on two Music Matters 45 discs. In the course of the conversation he then asked what "sommelier du son", my wife's and my record label, had recorded recently, and we reported about a previously unreleased six-channel recording of a concert by Günter Baby Sommer – which completely inspired Garth Powell: He had invited the drummer and co-founder of Free Jazz in the GDR to the USA, was well acquainted with him and even played together. With this Garth Powell not only revealed himself as an active percussionist, but also – which is even rarer in the USA – as a connoisseur of European jazz. And that's why my first question was about his musical career:

The fact that Audioquest's network technology is so extensively appreciated here is not primarily due to the very impressive sonic effect in my system, but rather to the fact that Garth Powell explains very convincingly why his mains conditioners should bring advantages in every system. Up to now, the transferability of experiences made during a test was quite low for both cables and measures to improve power quality, which is why only testing in one's own system could ultimately provide information about the improvements to be achieved. Garth Powell cites the strongly changing effectiveness of most line filters over a wide frequency range as the reason for the varying results in different systems. But listen for yourself:

What makes the Niagara 7000 – and the Niagara 5000 that it has been replaced with – seem almost indispensable to me at the moment is the Power Correction System, thanks to which Einstein's The Poweramp now plays as if it were on speed and knew no dynamic restrictions. And that with a nominal power of just 90 watts per channel! Garth Powell had already developed a circuit that can provide an enormous amount of additional power for the duration of transients for the Furman mains conditioners. For the Niagaras, he has refined it once again: Here he reveals why energy supply is so important to him:

Garth Powell has long been aware that some of the interference enters the equipment via grounding and has also tried to develop countermeasures. However, these were only effective temporarily or only in special device configurations, i.e. anything but consistent – if they complied with all safety regulations. Inspired by Audioquest CEO Bill Low, he then looked at the previously neglected direction of cable and found a solution:

The aim in developing the power cables was to achieve a very low characteristic impedance. The intensive collaboration with Bill Low also led Garth Powell to develop a special bi-wiring cable with extremely low characteristic impedance for the low frequency range. He had brought one of the first examples to Gröbenzell, where we could hear it the morning after the interview in comparison to the Goebel High End Lacorde Statement: The two cables played at the same, extremely high level, but each had minimal advantages and disadvantages in the different disciplines. To choose one of them, you just need more time. The waiting time for the standard models can be shortened by Garth Powell's comments on impedance and cables:

Meanwhile the Niagara 5000 has already spent a considerable time in one of my two Artesania audio racks. Unfortunately, I had to send back the 7000 before the "smaller" – which is only valid for the equipment, but not the dimensions – model arrived. So, I couldn't compare the two directly. But if memory doesn't deceive me, the differences between the two are extremely small – at least in comparison to the sound improvements that Audioquest's cables, the Niagara 1000 and 5000 bring in absolute terms. There are always recordings whose dynamics – and, not quite so often, their huge (imaginary) space – I practically rediscover. The PS Audio conditioner and a mix of high-quality power cables had also inspired the sound of my audio components before, but they don't come close to the holistic effects of Audioquest's power technology.

Peter Banholzer felt the same way, by the way, when he recently enjoyed one of my and also his test tracks in the listening room after a long hiatus. He hadn't heard Abdullah Ibrahim's "Calypso Minor" from the album “Sotho Blue” so well before in my room. The track lives from the sharp riffs of the wind instruments, the gnarly double bass and the fat kick drum. Or to put it another way: It’s full of transients. By the way the M-Scaler, who helps the DAVE in this discipline, was employed for the Chord cable test in the living room and not part of my system at the time.