I do have a dedicated line, I have not done anything with grounding, it was actually what I was thinking about playing around with after I have my power sorted. My initial holdup was looking at the prices from companies such as Entreq, they make a $300 outlet seem like the bargain of the century. Though I have recently come across other companies that have similar products for significantly less cost.
What brands of differential mode filters do you recommend trying? I have tried a few different filters in the past but none of them improved performance/had an impact on sound anything close to what swapping some of my outlets for NCF, adding in cables with NCF/NCF boosters have had.
Cable pricing can be astounding. Setting cost considerations aside, I simply prefer the sound produced by monocrystal cables. I had compared Furutech’s flagship power cord, Project V1, with my monocrystal Albedo Gravity 3. Although the V1 is indeed a remarkable cable and excels in several aspects, my preference still leans towards the unique sound quality of the monocrystal cable.
Yes, there are extremely expensive power cable solutions for 30k - crazy world… On the other side of the spectrum, I bought an NCF Clearline second hand. On the one hand, this was motivated by this thread and the exciting discussion about Furutech products. On the other hand, I had watched the YouTube video “Does Power Matter for Sound Quality ? Furutech NCF Clear Line Review”. The audio samples were really impressive, even via Ipad and headphones. I had tried IFI IPurifier months ago. I quickly sold them again because no positive effect could be heard in my system. So I was also sceptical about NCF Clearline at first. But a clear improvement was immediately audible today. No night and day difference, but more details, longer decay of the notes and less harshness in the sound. The NCF Clearline is here to stay. And I think it’s a nice improvement in relation to the price.
I just checked on the Siltech Royal Double Crown mains power cable which comes in monocrystal silver conductors and it costs three times more than the costliest Acrolink 8N-PC8100 cord which I own (£2,400), and I’ve struggled real hard to own the Acrolink. The Siltech actually costs more than my amp. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to own one of these fine pieces in my lifetime but we’ll see if I manage to strike the lottery.
A short update. After spending more time with the DPS4.1/FI-25(R), no doubt it’s a good cable with great clarity and defined edges. It’s a high quality delivery with much reduced smearing and the bass now sounds even more taut and defined, possibly with the reduced bloom. It’s surely a high quality sound and I may be able to live with it if I have not experienced the TCS31/FI-28(R). As good as it sounds, the reduced bass punch and weight (which contributes to dynamics) and shrunk soundstage (which made music less expansive) have really affected the musical experience. I think I can’t wait until a week and will likely switch to the TCS31/FI-28(R) by tomorrow.
Grounding is a big topic as with unbalanced the Signal GND is often the chassis earth and linked to the earth pin of the plug. If you ignore safety for the moment then the GND is part of the signal path and for the purposes of most of the electronics the 0V reference. Reducing impedance between what should be 0V reduced the potential difference between what should both be 0V. GND loops are where this is no longer the case and present two paths or provide an arial to pick up noise and so on.
What I have done is predominantly make sure that the impedance is as little as possible between two GND points, recognising that joining can present a route for noise to travel from a noisy GND to a less noisy GND. So lowering the impedance can be a double edged sword. Alas from my experience experimentation is key with GND here is a cheap home made GND that links a spare RCA GND to a star GND point before linking to the DSP unit that controls the subs. The other link is the interconnect cable which is a much higher impedance. A pure experiment to see if it mad any difference, low cost and woth a punt, when it worked I tidied it up and built a proper lead
In this case I had a tiny residual hum, only heard with the 135’s off ! But dressing the final lead solved this issue and it provided an increase in bass weight and tactility, it just sounded a little better with transient speed and scale. Not life changing but much better in place, so a £50 experiment successful !
I have linked the majority of units back to the preamp using very low impedance cable and spare RCA’s with a benefit
Glade the Clear line is having a positive impact Wilfried. This unit seems to get some mixed reviews, thought about picking one up second hand as well, still may do so in the future. Not Furutech related but a plug in filter I am interested in trying is one made by Puron, that one seems to get mostly rave reviews & reasonably priced as well, will probably pick up a pair after all my power cords have settled in. Just recently read the company that makes it also has a DC blocker in the works, so interested to see this product as well.
I have never used TCS31 but from all my reading it is said to be a very warm/thick sounding cable, so when paired with the FI-28 that are commonly said to be on the thin/harsh side, you probably end up with a well balanced cable. Not sure how FI-28/25 compare but with either end on the DPS, which is very transparent, & not an artificially warm sounding cable, you’ll end up with a leaner/harsher sounding cable.
Hoping you’re still going to keep the DPS & wait to get the FI50 NCF R ends, I’m fairly confident this will change your view completely. I also think if you put the FI-50 NCF R ends on your TCS31, which would reveal the actual signature of that bulk cable, you probably wouldn’t like the cable.
Thanks Daren for your feedback. I did not know Puron before. However, I have seen positive reports about it right now on the web. I will be very interested if you have any experience with it in the future. I also don’t know if Puron even produces a Schuko version. I have only seen NEMA versions on the web. But it is an exciting thing.
I’m currently using the TCS31 with FI-1363 Rhodium UK plug and the FI-28 Rhodium IEC to power a tube amp. I’ve been happy with its performance so far.
I also have a FI-50 NCF / FI-1363 NCF R Uk plug combo with the Nanotec Power Strada 309 cable. This was originally for a power amp but it’s on the Vega G2.2 at the moment and no complaints there. Maybe tempted to try the DPS-4.1 with this plug pairing for the VEGA DAC!
Don’t think direct links are allowed but google Vera-Fi Audio, that’s who distributes them. Looks like they do offer a Schuko version, not sure about a UK version, the Vera-Fi site doesn’t show it listed but have seen feedback posted from UK users on other sites, so maybe they do offer one? Actually, I was reading on one site where they said they do offer a version with a Furutech plug vs the standard & to contact them to inquire, so maybe its Furutech related after all
So a couple who are fans of the TCS31 when paired with the lower down rhodium ends, which makes sense. This is probably a good option for those that would like to use Rhodium ends but don’t want to go top of the range NCF, so you get the resolution of the rhodium ends vs the gold, but the cable has enough warmth itself to balance out the thinner sounding ends.
Might be a tuff call on the DPS, looking at the 309 Cable, the description looks very similar to the Furutech S55N cable. As said, at this level of copper, the ends probably have more impact vs the cable (unfortunately for those in the UK looks like you miss out on the SS/Carbon male plug end for the top NCF plugs, so loose a bit of performance vs US/schuko). My guess would be there might be some improvements but the DPS is rather pricy, so guess you’d have to consider performance vs cost.
Thanks… I’ve been very happy with the 309 NCF R pairing so may leave alone then. I’ll save the $ for tubes. That said, I really should upgrade the power block (Matrix 2).
Just plugged in the TCS31/FI-28(R) and the sound instantly became too warm in the midrange and upper bass and lacking air. The difference was obvious, and I believe the ears will get used to the warmish sound after a while.
The DPS4.1/FI-25(R) may appear to have less bass and reduced soundstage but the sound isn’t too warm in the low bass and midbass, and the edges of notes are sharper and more defined possibly due to the toned down fat. The TCS31/FI-25 sounds more smeared with the warm and full sound concentrated in the bass and midrange. You are correct.
I will have to listen to both and perhaps swap the cables several time to determine which one will get a permanent spot in the system. I guess the FI-50 NCF (R) will need to come, soooner or later.
Rather interesting how hearing/brain can adapt, isn’t it? This is why I always like to keep a second reference when changes are made so I can always compare & verify my initial thoughts are still accurate.
Christmas is coming, if you’ve been good this year, maybe Santa will leave you some FI-50 NCF’s in your stocking
Gents, a short update. The TCS31/FI-28(R) gets to stay in the system. In my experience the (Furutech) mains power cable require at least a day before evaluation can be made as it has not settled down when immediately installed in the system. The TCS31 sounded overly warm and shut-in in the midrange and upper bass yesterday, and today it sounded great again.
In very brief words, the TCS31/FI-28(R) sounds 3-dimensional not only with the overall presentation but individual notes where guitar, string instruments and piano all sound airier and lit. There is a feeling of space and airiness across the spectrum of music.
With the DPS4.1 /FI-25(R), it’s 2-dimensional thus the flat sound.
In the US a 1.5M Siltech tripe crown powercord will set you back just under $20K
The Siltech actually costs more than my amp. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to own one of these fine pieces in my lifetime but we’ll see if I manage to strike the lottery.
