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AudioQuest’s Niagara 1000 power strip
#21
Just a note...the AQ 1000 has been superseded by a newer unit...slimmer 

https://www.audioquest.com/ac-power/ac-p...agara-1200
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#22
Thanks a lot guys for your thorough comments on the matter!

@Damon Good to hear, you recall a similar experience of "less punch".. Can't really say I can hear an "easier sound" but I have thought about the possiblity that what I hear when using the N1000 "could" be a more correct presentation. My gut tells me otherwise though, as I can't accept that it could be a good thing if a power conditioner reduces what comes out my amp. On Darko. I like his Instagram, Youtube Channel and writing style, but mostly for style and because I enjoy looking at the tech. I like to keep in mind that many of these reviewers receive money and/ or free products from the manufacturers they review, use and continuously show. Not saying they receive payments directly connected to any given review but definitely sponsored or long-loaner products and/ or Ad-revenue and in Darko's case, he has Ads by Audioquest, Kii Audio, Chord, Auralic, Kef, Hegel, Ayre, Meze Audio --> all products that make up the audio at beautiful "DAR Haus". If I was a manufacturer I would certainly have no interest in paying anybody or paying an Ad or banner on anybody's page who gave my product anything but a good "review". If these guys mention a word against a product or even a cheaper lower-tier product it usually seems vague and carefully phrased. Guys like Darko should imho be seen as influencers, rather than reviewers, plain and simple.

Also thanks for your detailed comments about the Shunyata. If I get the chance to test one in my system, I'll be sure to take it!

@David A Yeah, A/B testing turns out to be hard standing up, re-plugging everything, sit down, boot system, start listening, shut down, get up, re-plug.. So I have started to do exactly what you mentioned and will listen for a few days with the unit and then switch back to cord-to-the-wall.

I do see that power condition can be better or worse depending on area, house-wiring and so on and maybe my house doesn't have particularly problematic circuits. But for me the bigger question is, am I willing to continue to ignore what is the most fundamental critique on power conditioners which is "once it enters the amp and is converted to DC/ passed on to the capacitors from which the amp is then actually powered, all those things become irrelevant"? Devialet about the Expert power supply: "Power supply is unaffected by the mains and runs silently with remarkably low electromagnetic disturbance. .. Driven by a microprocessor, power supply is automatically protected from anomalies including surges, clips and overloads." I knew about this before I got my hands on the N1000 but I really wanted to see for myself. Same goes for power cables so I am very curious to find out how I like the NRG-Z3 that received such praise here in the forum.

I don't quite get your comment on the N1000's size. What I meant is that I would expect such a product to be larger (and heavier) than regular power strips due to the added tech but judging from the weight and the sound it makes when you put it down there doesn't seem to be too much stuff inside at all. Would love to see a tairdown and a look inside done by people who know more on the topic than I do.. Other power conditioners are heavy units loaded with stuff at least, whereas imo the 1000 feels like a piece of plastic garbage when you pick it up. Maybe a little exaggerated, but then it costs 1200€ RRP, so nope, not really exaggerated.. It looks damn sexy though Big Grin.

@Wdw Yep, I knew that, and asked the AQ Regional Sales Manager at the booth about it. His reaction was really weird to be honest. Here's how the conversation went:

Me - Ah nice, you have a promotion on the N1000.. You introduced the successor recently, right?
Thijs H - No..
Me - Really? ..unpleasant silence... I'm pretty sure I read about an N1200?
Thijs H - Ah, you seem to be pre-informed... upleasant silence...
Me - Hm I thought it was official but maybe I am wrong.. So it has not been introduced by you guys officially? (at this point I was 100% positive I saw it on the actual AQ website but wanted to know how he would react).
Thijs H - No, not official yet, it will come in September.
Me - OK byeeee, but gimme that N1000 anyway Big Grin
D200. B&W CM10S2. ROON over AIR for Tidal. Chromecast Audio thru SPDIF for Spotify Connect. Technics SL-1200, Ortofon 2M Bronze. 2x Reactor 600 as desktop monitors. Head/earphones: Denon AH-D5000, Campfire Andromeda S.
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#23
AQ's web site is a curiosity...no opening page telling of new product introductions or other mechanism to alert the customer to new product.
I found the new Niagara 1200 on their site quite unintentionally while looking at the Niagara page for some tech on the 5000.
I see they now show the new Mythical Creatures speaker cables but haven't yet posted the same series in their power cord page. These new power cords are listed at a number of on-line retail sites as per the link below:

https://www.musicdirect.com/cables/Audio...ower-Cable
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#24
@WesCrackin
Glad my ramblings were of some help to you. All product reviews are interesting as research, but it is essential to be confident in one's own experience in listening. Darko's ramblings included.

I know so little about any of the power conditioners or power cable physics or chemistry (or alchemy) that I won't claim to have any solid advice. But again thinking about your, 'what to look out for' question, I would just say this: that getting the power conditioner thing, and the power cables installed did make a difference in my system. I said to myself, 'this is how the amp is supposed to sound'. Just some... relief, I suppose I'd say. I think I said things about tone and clarity in another thread, and that is all true. But I also think that when I found the bits that improved the sound, it was the sense of 'relief' and 'release' that I noticed. Like letting the amp actually be itself. So that is what I'd listen for myself if I were doing the shopping again.
Damon
Powernode, NAD M32, Cambridge CD transport, Analysis Plus, Nordost, iFi Nova, CSS Criton 1TDX, KEF C62
Vancouver, Canada
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#25
(05-Feb-2019, 14:38)WesCrackin Wrote: …But for me the bigger question is, am I willing to continue to ignore what is the most fundamental critique on power conditioners which is "once it enters the amp and is converted to DC/ passed on to the capacitors from which the amp is then actually powered, all those things become irrelevant"? Devialet about the Expert power supply: "Power supply is unaffected by the mains and runs silently with remarkably low electromagnetic disturbance. .. Driven by a microprocessor, power supply is automatically protected from anomalies including surges, clips and overloads." …

All I can say is that I found the Isotek Aquarius I was running when I got my Devialet did make an improvement and that replacing it with my PS Audio P12 made another improvement but not in the bass. I couldn't use the Shunyata power cord I was running to the Aquarius with the P12 (wrong IEC plug) so I started by using the stock cord that came with it but replacing that cord with a Shunyata Alpha really made a difference to the bass compared to the stock cord.

As for Devialet's comment which you quoted: low electromagnetic disturbance is good  but that sounds like they're referring to the Devialet not producing electromagnetic disturbance, not to it being insensitive to electromagnetic disturbance from elsewhere. Being protected from surges, clips and overloads sounds like voltage regulation. Neither sounds like they are referring to reduction of noise on the power line which is one of the main reasons for using a power conditioner. I'm not suggesting that they're wrong in what they're saying, both of those statements point to the power supply in the Devialet being of good quality, but they don't point to a claim that it will not benefit from a good power conditioner. In my experience it does benefit from one but my experience is with the power in my area and with the other components in my system. As I said, these things vary from user to user.

Yes, there are people who say that power conditioners can't make a difference because the power supply in your components should fix all problems with incoming power. In my view anyone who believes that power conditioners shouldn't make a difference because each component's power supply should be doing that job properly should also believe that each component does the job it's intended to do properly in which case there should be no differences in sound quality between products of the same type. We all know that isn't the case and that there are differences in sound quality amongst products of the same type. I see no reason to assume that all of the things which make a difference to the sound quality of different products of the same type are located after the power supply and that there are no differences in the quality of component power supplies which affect sound quality.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.

Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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#26
Love the willingness to share, guys!

Will definitely report back once I made my final decision whether to keep the N1000 or not and why.
D200. B&W CM10S2. ROON over AIR for Tidal. Chromecast Audio thru SPDIF for Spotify Connect. Technics SL-1200, Ortofon 2M Bronze. 2x Reactor 600 as desktop monitors. Head/earphones: Denon AH-D5000, Campfire Andromeda S.
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#27
Ladies and mostly Gentlemen, I present to you what might be the only look into the guts of the Niagara 1000 on the internet.. didn't want to take it apart, so it's really just a glimpse.

       
D200. B&W CM10S2. ROON over AIR for Tidal. Chromecast Audio thru SPDIF for Spotify Connect. Technics SL-1200, Ortofon 2M Bronze. 2x Reactor 600 as desktop monitors. Head/earphones: Denon AH-D5000, Campfire Andromeda S.
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#28
Thanks for posting that! I searched a while back and didn’t find anything.

What I did notice from pics of the bigger siblings, is they had very neat wiring. Reminded me of Naim amp pics. Good to see the same applies here. Would love to see what’s on the board but I guess that’s a strip down.

>>> 1st Place Award: Devialet, last decades most disappointing technology purchase.  <<<

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#29
To give a short update on the above.. I returned the N1000 as I honestly think it didn't do anything for my system.
D200. B&W CM10S2. ROON over AIR for Tidal. Chromecast Audio thru SPDIF for Spotify Connect. Technics SL-1200, Ortofon 2M Bronze. 2x Reactor 600 as desktop monitors. Head/earphones: Denon AH-D5000, Campfire Andromeda S.
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