When developing the Fog Lifters, Audioquest paid particular attention to interference from high-frequency noise. Since high-frequency interference due to, for example, mobile phones, radio, or Wi-Fi, is deflected by solid materials such as carpets, wood, or stone, it affects bodies with lower energy status (i. e., less mass) such as the cables lying directly on them, more. Even the best jacket and hull do not offer perfect protection. This high-frequency noise causes a capacitive load in the cables, and this also has audible consequences, especially with sensitive audio signal lines.

First, I test the effect of the Fog Lifter on my Mudra power cables. Three supports go under the three-meter-long supply cable from the wall socket to the MAX power strip. The other five lift the 1.5-meter-long power cables of the D/A-converter/preamp, CD drive, and the AirTight mono power amps. First, I use the lifters to listen to the Egmont Overture by Ludwig van Beethoven, a Chesky CD with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Rene Leibowitz. The recording is powerful with imposing low strings on the one hand and delicate textures in the quieter passages on the other hand. After removing the Fog Lifters, I could hear the difference: Not that this accomplished recording wasn't still worth listening to, but some things fell by the wayside: primarily that was the power and presence with which the loud passages had appealed before, especially in the double basses. Without the Audioquest Fog Lifters, the Basses simply came across less powerful. The soundstage was also less open and seemed a bit stocky. So, I quickly put the power cables back on the lifters and got the confirmation: Now the music sounded more powerful and grand again.

If you like, you can take the name Fog Lifters quite literally because they dissolve a kind of fog. This should be audible during the test on my speaker cables even more clearly than I had expected because compared to the power line, relatively weak currents flow here. I placed the three-meter Real cables on four of the Audioquest Lifters each. This time I chose the live album by Nnenna Freelon, namely the interestingly orchestrated piece "Body & Soul." In this track, the powerful electric bass and the Hammond B3 organ are grooving together and build up a formidable foundation for the vocals and the filigree percussion. It sounds quite okay without the Fog Lifters, but I wouldn't have imagined the small Audioquest stands having such a significant impact. Above all, the superior transparency in a more generous space was audible, especially around the subtle instruments and vocals, giving the overall soundstage a more three-dimensional appearance. The delicate transients of the percussion, now more precisely resolved in detail, were also more apparent and more three-dimensional, as well as more stable in the deep of the stage. The music sounded more gripping and immediate, which increased listening pleasure.