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High performance audio components have a variety of needs to reach their full potential, and one of the most critical requirements is being fed the cleanest AC current as possible. A typical audio system can sound quite respectable with a direct feed of AC current from the wall, however hobbyists that are striving to cross... Read More »

How to think about Power Conditioning Power conditioning is an incredibly touchy subject and seems to divide the audiophile community as a whole. There are some who say it is extremely important, subscribing to the classic garbage in, garbage out mentality. Then there are those that argue that if the equipment is designed properly and... Read More »

Go back some 50 years, and the American audio scene involved an assortment of acronyms from around New England: off the top of my head, AR, ADS, APT, CSW, DBX, EAW, EPI, KLH, and NEAR come to mind, with the BAS (Boston Audio Society) and MIT providing cross-pollination. Oh, and there was one nasty four... Read More »

"If the power supply of an amplifier is designed correctly, there is no need for a power conditioner." The quote above is a paraphrase, of a paraphrase, of something that has been said since the first power conditioning devices for audio equipment crawled out of the ocean and began to breathe air. While the quote... Read More »

As we who love music continue to respect and cherish tradition when it comes to things like tubes and vinyl LPs, I think that it is also import for us to embrace those who challenge the audiophile norm, and are true innovators in the industry. We need a balance of both to move forward and... Read More »

By far, the cheapest items in Nordost's line of QRT Audio Enhancers are the QVIBE2 AC Line Harmonizer (MSRP $349.99) and QKOIL1 AC Enhancer (MSRP $249.99). While the cost may be modest, the performance gains claimed in the product descriptions are not. If they even came close, this pair of tweaks would be a godsend... Read More »

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... Read More »

  Well, isn't that just what we need, another nice looking power strip boasting star grounding? Like, how many others are already on the market? A quick read of the QBASE Power Distributor description on the Nordost website left me unimpressed…but I kept coming back to it for two reasons. First, it was designed to... Read More »

It was Lord Acton (John Emerick Dalberg-Acton - 1834 - 1902) who famously wrote "Power Tends to Corrupt." While I am quite certain that Lord Acton was not considering high-end audio when making this assertion, it is nevertheless applicable, especially in these times. With more and more new-build houses competing for space on power grids,... Read More »

Core Power Deep=Core 1800 Sometimes the job of an audio reviewer is hard. This is especially true for things like cables, power conditioners, and other components outside of source devices, preamplifiers, amplifiers, and speakers. Not only is there a fundamental debate in the audio world over whether or not these non-audio producing / processing devices... Read More »

Just a mere month ago, Audio Tourism looked like the next new thing. Given the continuing demise of brick-and-mortar retail salons, regional, national, and international audio shows were popping up all over—how brilliant was having a show in Florida in February, not in Miami, not in Orlando, and not during school vacation week? But then,... Read More »

Removing the Wool A few months back, I received an out-of-the-blue text message from an old friend whom I've known for over 40 years. My friend messaged to express his dismay over what he saw as a serious lapse in judgement by his older brother, a life-long audiophile, accomplished amateur violinist, and highly successful business... Read More »

It was around 5 year ago that I learned a valuable lesson; never discount the validity of an audio tweak even, if it does not seem to have any apparent scientific basis, without trying it out first. The component that helped me learn this lesson was the Akiko Audio Tuning Sticks. It was claimed that... Read More »

Let's face it, AC line power is the bedrock of every audio system. Not only is this singularly common commodity a fundamentally important component, vital for powering all gear in a system, the quality of that AC power line happens to significantly influence the performance capability of every component in each HiFi rig. The bad... Read More »

Keces Audio (stylized KECES) is a high end audio audio manufacturer based out of Taiwan. They curate several different components, mostly focused around power (both creation and conditioning), so this review will be in two parts. One for the BP-2400 Balanced Isolation Power Conditioner, and the other for the P8 Linear DC Power Supply (Dual... Read More »

So, when it comes down to getting the best, make that the very best, that one's system can produce sound wise in your room, after all is said and done… let's make sure that the AC that is feeding our components is as good as it can get—like with any AC filtration device or a... Read More »

I've been detailing my experiences with my new home and new listening room over the last couple of years here at PF; a recent article in the last issue (HERE) chronicled my ongoing battles with a seemingly never-ending variety of sources of noise in the listening room. A room that, from the beginning, was designed... Read More »

If you're all in when playing the game of high stakes audio, the Tweek Geek Dark Matter Stealth AC Power Conditioner is for you. Will you hear a noticeable difference? Yep. Is it worth the cost? That depends on your stash of ready cash and your obsessiveness with elevating your system's impact. Face it, ours... Read More »

One of the many reasons why I love the audiophile hobby so much is that it always affords me so many avenues to learn something new and interesting. For example, take the need to "ground" all your audio components. On the surface, grounding may seem like a boring concept. However, if you dig beneath the... Read More »