After reviewing the RSX Beyond AC Power Cables and Phono Cables which are designed and priced for the audiophile purist, I was stunned by Roger Skoff's latest offering of an AC Power Box featuring elegant maximal design and minimal cost. With eight power outlets featuring Furutech transparent connectors, all spring-loaded for a powerful grip, and made of purest red copper, completely uncoated, the Power Box is 100% extruded heavy gauge aluminum. Plus, all sockets are wired in parallel to the input IEC connector for maximum quiet and minimum distortion. Available in silver or black, it can be ordered in 15- or 20-amps versions.
From RSX Technologies
"If you are an audio purist, the Power8™ multi-outlet power box is the one for you. There are no on/off switches, pilot lights, internal inductors, fuses, or electronics such as surge protection, filtration, or 'power conditioning' built into this power box. Instead, quality components and heavy-duty construction have been used throughout."
I ran both the silver and black colored power boxes for 50 hours before reviewing, although no break-in is required by the manufacturer. Plugging in power cords requires a good push to seat the plugs. Once plugged in, they do not move until you firmly unplug them. I love these sockets. The hyper-expensive gold sockets on my spendy reference power conditioners do not grab at all, and have to be occasionally re-seated when dusted. The RSX boxes will not become unplugged, even if you sweep them with a vacuum cleaner.
After much listening and comparing, I can assure you the silver and black versions sound identical. Pick the one that goes with your color scheme, and do not worry about any sonic differences. (I did not listen to the 20-amp version, since I use 15 amps here.)
After extended listening, I would say that in my experience, there are no AC power extension boxes on the market with a flatter response. I did not detect any lumps or bumps in frequency response, ever. The Power Box is the equal of my two power conditioners, costing $3500 and $7000, in this regard. In its price range, there are no competitors flatter and more neutral than the RSX offering.
Not that the Power Box is fully equivalent to my reference AC power conditioners. From a high definition and purely organic perspective, the RSX Power Box is about 80% as organized musically as my reference conditioners. Images are a bit smaller and less detailed. I did not detect any collateral damage to the beauty of the music, and one may forgive the results as purely subtractive. This is quite an achievement in this price category, or even at triple the price! Roger Skoff, founder of XLO Cables and now RSX Technologies, has been working with wire and its ancillaries for well over 50 years, and that immense experience has paid off for the audiophile. His do-no-harm attitude is obvious in the RSX Power Box.
I plugged both my mono-block amps into the RSX Power Box with excellent results. There was zero compression. The Power Box sounds like the power cord used on the input. It just does not have a sonic signature I could detect. That is precisely the way Roger Skoff told me he designed this device...to sound like nothing at all.
When the Audioquest Dragonfly was introduced, we all gasped and marveled at the high performance and low cost. Well, get ready to gasp again folks! The very beautiful and substantial all-metal, designed-in-America, 8-outlet RSX Power Box sells for $399.
What a deal! I am not sure it has an equal under $1000, and maybe even at somewhat higher prices.
Quibbles
None.
Summary
At only $399, the RSX Power8™ AC Power Box is outstanding sonically, and a bargain, too. Though not a detailed as my 10-times-more-expensive references, it equals them in linear response top to bottom, as well as in neutrality. If you do not have diamond tweeters and fancy ceramic drivers like my speakers, you may not even pick up on the small reduction of definition, not having extremely expensive power conditioners with which to compare. This is the AC Power Box you will want if you are shopping anywhere near this price range, or even double it.
Roger Skoff has done it again. What a genius! I recommend the RSX Power8™ AC Power Box unconditionally. Acquire one or two before the price goes up.
RSX Power8™ AC Power Box
Retail: $399 for 15-amp version. $449 for 20-amp version. Silver or black available. 30-day Home Audition
RSX Technologies
10184 6th Street
Suite A
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909.870.9292
All images by Bob Levi
