Power conditioning is one of those topics that is considered a little divisive within the audiophile community. There are some who say power conditioning is not needed, there are some that say it makes sense, but it ultimately provides little value, and then there are some who say that it is incredibly important.
Where I fall in this debate is a simple, kind of vague "it depends." What I will say is that if you live an area where you get high quality AC power, your home is wired correctly, and you or your neighbors have no major DC leaks, then power conditioning will likely be less important for you. However, it is rare that someone actually can check off all of the requirements I listed above. Especially if you live in a city like I do, and if you live in a condo building like I do, power conditioning is incredibly helpful, and the right type of conditioning can yield incredible benefits.
Now the question becomes, how do you get those benefits in a package that looks good, is affordable, and will scale to meet the needs of your system both today and tomorrow? I believe for many, the answer is Core Power's EQUI=CORE 1800MK3, let me tell you why.
Introducing the EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3
This is not my first run in with the Core Power units. I was a DEEP CORE owner for many years, and owned the Core Power EQUI=CORE 1800 MK2 for several years as well. However, when Underwood HiFi and Core Power introduced the MK3 version of their power conditioner, I called up Walter, the owner of Underwood HiFi and asked him to send me a review sample.
The thing I like about the EQUI=CORE line is it is a no nonsense line of products. The product itself is a balanced power conditioner. How does a balanced power conditioner work? It uses a transformer to separate out the incoming 120 volt 60Hz sine wave into two legs. The first is +60 Volts, and the second is -60 Volts, and in doing this it rebuilds the ground at 0 volts. This means the hot AC line has +60 volts, the neutral now has -60 volts, and the ground is properly set at 0 volts. Like balanced interconnects, these two legs are out of phase with one another.
When a power supply in a component sees balanced power, it appropriately sums to the equivalent 120 volt 60hz AC power that the power supply is expecting. If that power supply is a transformer based power supply (like most audiophile equipment), the summing of the two legs produces noise cancellation. Now this noise cancellation is in addition to the noise cancellation that already happens within the balanced transformer.
The balanced transformer in the EQUI=CORE, like any balanced transformer, is a massive low pass filter. Most balanced transformers naturally cancel noise above 20Hz. What is particularly impressive about the EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3 is that its new Wide Band Balanced Transformer properly cancels noise all the way down to 10kHz. This is a massive improvement, and one that produces audible benefits. Core Power calls the new technology behind this transformer "Wide Band" because it cancels out a wider band of noise then the previous transformers.
The 1800 in the EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3 name is the number of watts the unit supports, 1800 watts means that the unit can handle a full 15 amp system. Compare this to my typical go to PS Audio P12, which is a 10 amp unit, this is a big deal, and unless you have a 20 amp circuit, the EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3 will provide all the power you will ever need. While I did not review it, Core Power also has the EQUI=CORE 1000. The EQUI=CORE 1000 is a 8.5 amp (1000 watt) version of the 1800 MK3. It uses the same transformer technology as the 1800 MK3 and should be perfect for smaller systems.
Besides the upgraded transformer, Core Power now includes six of their gold plated copper duplexes (which used to be an upgrade in the MK II version of the unit). The team also improved transformer shielding and internal wiring to further reduce noise.
Setup
As I said above, I currently live in a condo, in a city. As a result my power is less then friendly, and I have noticed major improvements in my system when using high quality power conditioning. I have even had dedicated 20 amp circuits installed for my audio system. I bring this up because even when you do everything you can to your home, good power conditioning can still be incredibly helpful.
Setting the EQUI=CORE into my system was a challenge due to its weight. At 52 pounds, it is incredibly heavy due to the massive transformer. Once placed on the rack, wiring it up was fairly quick. My system only uses 3 components (a DAC and two Mono-Block Amps). Throwing the power switch, I could hear the transformer hum for a moment and then the noise died down. Operation of the EQUI=CORE is simple: turn it on and that's it.
Review System
- Speakers: Zu Soul 6, Zu Submission MK3
- Amplifiers: ampsandsound Zion Mono blocks, Mogwai SE
- DAC/Source: DCS Rossini, Roon Server
- Cabling: Wireworld/Wywires Interconnects and Power Cords
- Power Conditioning: Core Power EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3, PS Audio P12
All components were burned in for a minimum of 200 hours before this review was written.
Listening
There are two things that really good power conditioning does to the way your system sounds. The first thing it does is remove the artificial bite of your treble. High frequency noise is a thing that you won't realize is there until you hear a system without it. Once you hear a system that lacks that grainy high frequency noise, you won't be able to ignore it again. This has been my experience, and the experience of several others I have spoken to. I have even shown people what my system sounds like with and without good power conditioning, and they all agree that once they heard it without that high frequency noise, that they could easily pick up on that noise in the future. Sometime ignorance is truly bliss, but once you see it (or hear it), you can't go back.
The other thing good power conditioning does is it fleshes out the bass. It does not tend to make the bass more impactful or more bombastic, it instead makes the bass far more nuanced. You get detail in a way that you simply do not without the power conditioning. Things like hearing the string of a cello vibrate, or additional texture in the composition of the bass track of a good dance song.
When these two things come together it makes your system sound much more realistic. It also can at times make your system sound a little less fun. Give it 24 hours and I guarantee your perceived lack of fun will go away. What I really like about the EQUI=CORE is it delivers both of the benefits I described above for a list price of $2599. In the past, the only non Core Power power conditioner that did this for me cost nearly 2.5x the cost. I called the previous Equi=CORE 1800 MK2 a giant killer, and I believe the 1800 MK3 is just as much of one, if not more.
For some real world examples, one of my favorite recordings is "Use Me" by Vanessa Fernandez. I have the DSD 64 version, which depending on the system can be a little top heavy, some may even call it biting. With the EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3, I found the top end was open and clear, but never grainy. Details came through without an issue and there was almost a calmness or a sense of space between noises that was not present without the 1800 MK3 in the circuit. Similarly, I noticed that the drum seemed to present as more life like. Imaging improved, but some of the sharper borders of the image were no longer present. At first I perceived this as a loss, but over time I came to view the presentation as more natural.
Listening to Stormzy, the song "Audacity," one of my favorite test tracks on Heavy is the Head, unleashed a tirade of energy into my room. The bass was really impressive, it was less boomy, far more controlled, and far more nuanced coming out of the ZU Submission MK3. Now the Submission is an excellent subwoofer, but the Equi=CORE 1800 MK3 really showed me what this sub was capable of, and sounded quite impressive. In all honesty there is not a single thing the the Equi=CORE 1800 MK3 did that was not an improvement to the way my system sounded, especially when compared to no power conditioning at all.
Understanding Different Power Issues
Power issues can be caused by many different factors, and as a result can have many different solutions. For example, high frequency noise can be dealt with using a balanced transformer. You can also have other issues, such as DC current on your AC line. This can be caused by a compressor or a mis-wired component in your home. This makes things more challenging because the DC on your line will most likely cause transformers to hum. This can also make your EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3 hum. DC on my AC lines has been a consistent problem for me living in Chicago, and sadly is a matter of life in the big city.
The good news though is that Core Power has a solution for you, they make a product called the DEEP=CORE. I did not have a DEEP=CORE for this review, but I have had one in the past. If you buy an EQUI=CORE unit and it hums, the DEEP=CORE will likely solve this issue. What the DEEP=CORE does is snuff out DC current on your AC lines. It is very effective, and for homes that suffer from this problem the combination of the two units does a great job at solving your power issues. What I like about Core Power is that they offer both units as separates so you can buy what you need and no more.
Now, there is one other power issue that I have faced, and this is the power issue that the Core Power units unfortunately cannot solve. That problem is voltage fluctuation. Your home is supposed to receive a constant AC voltage of somewhere between 120 volts and 115 volts. Sometimes this number varies, but it should be fairly constant. However, if you live in a city, or an area where there are high voltage tooling nearby, you may notice that your AC voltage is constantly fluctuating. If you happen to have audio components with in-regulated power supplies (like classic tube amps), these voltage fluctuations can make it incredibly hard to set and maintain a bias in a manually adjusted fixed bias amplifier. This is not something that most homes will suffer from, and only truly matters if you have components with unregulated power supplies (which in all honesty is pretty rare). In this case sadly, the only real option is power regeneration, which is a shame because in my experience transformer based power conditioners like the EQUI=CORE tend to actually sound better then regenerative power conditioning system. They are also much cheaper.
So why did we just talk about this? It is important to understand what problems power conditioners are trying to solve. Like anything, if you use the right tool for the job, the results will be wonderful, if you use the wrong tool, it may do nothing, or it may even make it worse. For most people the Core Power EQUI=CORE units will provide a significant improvement in the way your system sounds. Even in cases with voltage fluctuation your system will sound better. However, if you have components with unregulated power supplies and your AC lines suffer from voltage fluctuations, this may not solve all of your problems, and you may need to look at another solutions in addition to the Core Power units.
As an aside, I did try hooking up my system with the PS Audio P12 being fed by the Core Power EQU=CORE 1800 MK3, the results were fantastic and showed that even regenerative power conditioners can benefit from the noise reduction offered by a high quality balanced power conditioner.
Concluding Thoughts
The Core Power EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3 is a solid improvement over the previous MK2. The inclusion of the six gold plated copper duplexes by default and their new Wide Band Balanced Power Transformer made the unit perform better then I remembered the MK2 performing. In my testing, I was able to clearly hear a positive difference with the EQUI=CORE in my system, versus out of my system. I even loved it when it was combined with my PS Audio P12.
Power Conditioning and Conditioners can be incredibly expensive. I highly suggest that before you go out and spend a small fortune on a power conditioner, that you at least start with the Core Power EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3. It is candidly better then most products out there at its retail price, and keeps up with products 2—3x its retail price. Thank you as always Core Power and Underwood HiFi. It was a real pleasure reviewing your power conditioner.
EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3
Retail: $1799 (2023 Introductory Price with Upgraded Gold Power Cable)
Core Power Technologies A/V
