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Full Version: Audioquest Niagara Series - Power Conditioners
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http://www.audioquest.com/niagara-series

Anybody heard/owned/compared them with other brands ?

[Image: niagara-7000-front2.png]
(20-Feb-2017, 06:04)Emerald Wrote: [ -> ]http://www.audioquest.com/niagara-series

Anybody heard/owned/compared them with other brands ?

[Image: niagara-7000-front2.png]

Audioquest is one company that consistently makes some of the best sounding products. All my setup is wired with Audioquest cables from interconnects to power cables. Recently I purchased an Audioquest Yosemite interconnect, and what a difference it made. Apologies for getting off topic. The designer of the Niagara power conditioner is Garth Powell the same guy who was working as the cheif designer for furman. I saw a Youtube presentation by Mr Powell on the Niagara and it seemed like he truly is passionate about designing an audiophile product. If we go by how much research and development Audioquest puts into their cables, I am sure this product will truly be sensational. Just my 2 cents...
Looks like about 9k euros for the 7000 model. Well out of my league.

Get a bit of a look behind the scenes here. Definitely nicely built.
https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2016/12/3...ditioning/
(20-Feb-2017, 14:46)Hifi_swlon Wrote: [ -> ]Looks like about 9k euros for the 7000 model. Well out of my league.

Get a bit of a look behind the scenes here. Definitely nicely built.
https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2016/12/3...ditioning/

They do offer a product in the range at about 1k and I remember reading a review saying it gave about 85% of the benefits. ..
At a friend's place, we compared it to PS Audio P10 (default settings) and Isotek Serius Evo 3. The last one was clearly the best value for money but if money is no object Audioquest was definitely better than PS Audio. The only downside was that it emitted some buzz/hum which was audible from 3-4 metres when music was not playing. It's in the manual, saying that it's normal but still annoying. The place where we tested was in a huge apartment building where all sorts of AC noise must have been present, so the AQ did a good job but it might have caused it to hum. Perhaps a PS Audio Humbuster before the AQ could get rid of this but it should really be built in the AQ. Maybe in MkII in the future. It was not a Devialet based system, the amp was top of the range Plinius. The rest was a custom made computer based audio source with a custom made DAC.
(20-Feb-2017, 20:05)zdenes Wrote: [ -> ]At a friend's place, we compared it to PS Audio P10 (default settings) and Isotek Serius Evo 3. The last one was clearly the best value for money but if money is no object Audioquest was definitely better than PS Audio. The only downside was that it emitted some buzz/hum which was audible from 3-4 metres when music was not playing. It's in the manual, saying that it's normal but still annoying. The place where we tested was in a huge apartment building where all sorts of AC noise must have been present, so the AQ did a good job but it might have caused it to hum. Perhaps a PS Audio Humbuster before the AQ could get rid of this but it should really be built in the AQ. Maybe in MkII in the future. It was not a Devialet based system, the amp was top of the range Plinius. The rest was a custom made computer based audio source with a custom made DAC.

When a power conditioner hums/buzzes, it's usually because of DC on the power lines.  I've got a PI Audio UberBuss power conditioner that works amazingly well on my Devialet.   But, during during hot summer months when there is a big demand on the grid for air conditioning, it will occasionally hum a bit.  The PS Audio Humbusters may help (are they even still made?).   I've had very good luck with an Emotiva CMX-2.
Stereophile has reviewed the Shunyata, Audioquest, and PS Audio power conditioners. Michael Fremer directly compared the Audioquest and Shunyata at http://www.stereophile.com/content/audio...tem-page-2:
"The Shunyatas' sound is either exceptionally velvet-pure and free of artifacts, with jet-"black" backgrounds—or the price paid for those undeniably silent backgrounds are somewhat blunted transients, and high frequencies that are somewhat veiled and not fully extended. Or the Niagara 7000 sounded more transparent overall and more wide open on top, with fast, well-defined transients—or somewhat "zippy" on top, with over-sharp transients."

Personally the Devialet power supply buzz annoys me enough, I wouldn't want a power conditioner adding a hum. Also, the Audioquest has active circuitry that is advertised to use more power than my Devialet 400, which seems unnecessary.

I will say, from personal experience, that my Devialet greatly benefit from upgraded power cords and Shunyata power conditioners (but not from a Furman conditioner).
I've directly compared the Niagra 1000 with an Isotek Titan G2.
With just a Shunyata Venom HC direct to the wall the sound was warm, rich and a little loose in the bass with rolled-off highs.
With the Shunyata and the Niagra 1000 the soundstage opened up and little, while the overall profile stayed much the same.
The Isotek Titan blew it away comprehensively, massively opening the soundstage, the bass tightened and the highs jumped back into with all the air, detail and resolution the Devialet does so well.

Isotek have newer models that are way better again.