When I reviewed Ansuz's PowerSwitch D-TC Supreme, I focused solely on the switch but left out the voltage supply, which, however, is only available for proprietary Ethernet cables such as the Digitalz D-TC Supreme. So this report is about those cables, an Ansuz power cable and very special component feet - or, to put it biefly, PowerSwitch all inclusive.

As already mentioned in my article about the PowerSwitch, it's a combination of LAN switch and voltage supply for the cables of the D2, D-TC and D-TC Supreme lines, featuring ten sockets for four-pole 3.5 millimetre jack plugs. As reported, I could measure different alternating voltages of very low frequency at the contact areas of the plugs. These are generated by five so-called "Analog Dither" circuits and affect the dielectric of the LAN cables, as Ansuz-Acoustics lead developer Michael Børresen explained to me. More than 75 years ago it was already known that identical radar systems located on the ground could not "see" as far as those on vessels or in aeroplanes. The reason for this was a less stable power supply from the respective on-board power systems. Slight fluctuations here resulted in a wider reach or higher resolution. That's why the dielectric of the high-quality Ansuz cables is influenced in order to achieve a better signal transmission. But Michael Børresen did not reveal at all why Ansuz uses five "Analog Dither" circuits, why four-pole plugs are needed to connect to the signal cable, what exactly the structure of the Digitalz D-TC Supreme looks like and which of its components are connected to which voltages. Since travelling should be possible again in the near future, I hope to gain further insights from a visit to Aalborg.

Even if these - admittedly rudimentary - explanations about "Analog Dither" arouse my interest in listening to the Digitalz D-TC even more, I still have to be patient for a little while, as other test objects are having priority. For one of them, however, I need the Audioquest Tornado, which currently connects the PowerSwitch to the mains. So first I try the Ansuz Mainz D2 power cable, which Morten Thyrrested recommended for use with the PowerSwitch, but which I left out during the test. The D2 ranges in the upper half of the Ansuz hierarchy, right below D-TC and D-TC Supreme. Nevertheless it retails at 8,000 euros, which gives good reason for a clear enhancement in sound quality compared to the Audioquest Tornado, so one wishes to develop the right appreciation of the D2. Luckily, the Ansuz really treated the PowerSwitch to a little more of everything: an even deeper space, a more tangible, three-dimensional imaging, a little more thrust in the lows and apparently even more motivation for the musicians. With the Mainz connected to the PowerSwitch, music is simply even more fun.