MusicWorks ReFlex Ultra G3 Distribution Box

That mainly, but my point really is that there may be mains noise and if so, addressing that as well may be beneficial rather than just having more plugs or a distribution block. My dealer lent me a mains noise detector and that led me to getting the power block/filter as a cost effective solution.

I’ll be using a dedicated mains feed for the hifi, so that shouldn’t be a problem, whether using additional wall sockets on the dedicated supply or indeed a single socket for the G3 :grinning:

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Hopefully, as long as there is no pollution from the street etc,

Unfortunately you will never know! It’s not as if you can trial both options, and the results will vary in different locations, so other people’s experiences may be different to yours. If it was me, I think I’d go for a single 10mm circuit and a decent power block.

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Many years ago, when I was getting dedicated mains installed, I asked Naim for advice on whether to have multiple Spurs or a single spur and a block. They advised that the latter would give more coherent results, so that’s what I did. Once a choice is made it becomes a bit irrelevant which is best. I can say, however, that the G3 is really very good, even with my relatively modest setup the improvement from plugging directly into the wall was immediately apparent.

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There is a photo of the wiring which is basically a ring for live and another for neutral with the earth starred. Some here have the qualifications to build their own block. There was a thread recently on earth spikes. Earth stake fixture
I’d suggest that getting the lowest possible earth impedance will help. I have a bank of sockets wired by the electrician as a chain (couple of hours work maybe), and very low earth impedance and I’m very happy with my system. Always follow local regs though.

Phil

I wonder if anyone here that is using the G3 block and also has a dedicated mains would be prepared to test the results of the G3 block in a normal house socket and then in the dedicated socket. I for one would be very interested to hear what peoples thoughts are on the difference. I expect there to be a difference of course but the Peek G3 is so good I wonder how close the gap becomes. I have a brand new house with the entire ground floor laid in vinyl, all the same so doing anything under floor is out. The way the wiring runs to the living room means going from front to back of the house and the wiring runs through the joists currently. Its a big job to get a dedicated feed in. Outside is awkward also as the house is stone (uneven) and the side where it would run is Tarmac leading to a garage. Everything is possible and this is the very last piece of system tweaking left to do but right now ripping the walls and ceiling apart is not attractive!!

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Odd, I’ve never heard any Ethernet cable make any sound at all, and I’d be very concerned if any did!

I have found that different Ethernet cables can have a different effect on the noise tuning of my streamer, however, with just one exception the effect differs unpredictably between different cables.

The one exception is the only predictable factor: in my system screened cables always sound worse!

I’ve used PEEK in an engineering context, it actually has low vibration damping properties and is very rigid.

When compared to most other polymers, it’s primary properties are
High rigidity
Fairly high strength
Low creep
Low oxygen permeability

That fits with the Naim philosophy of transmitting the energy away rather than trying to damp it

Strange…it still works though, somehow🤪

Bear in mind that the sparkly base is made from some sort of clear plastic, with little bits of peek embedded - it’s far from solid peek.

Odd….as many on here have. If you want to describe it as the unpredictable noise tuning of the streamer, then fine.

I would be interested to know if you have heard the Vodka (as the last connection to the streamer) in your system, and if so, what your thoughts on it are, and then maybe get back on topic.

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Xanthe is being mischievous. What she means is that the cable doesn’t make an actual sound, not that it can never impact sound quality.

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I don’t believe anyone (on here anyway) knows why and how different ethernet/streaming cables ‘sound’ different, or how they might affect things up and downstream, to produce a different sound. So I would suggest that Xanthe’s theory is speculation at best.

Whether it is the ethernet cable itself or the effect the cable has on other components is to some extent irrelevant. It is the effect ethernet cables have on what comes out of our speakers that matters.

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It’s not just speculation; it’s based on good sound electronic engineering theory and on my personal experience of designing audio amplifiers!

(And HH read it exactly right!)

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Indeed a theory……We all have a long way to go to properly explain how and why, ethernet/streaming cables impart a different sound, same goes for switches.

I think we do. Simon has posted about it extensively. I can’t say I understand it but there are very sound (excuse the pun) reasons why different constructions can make a difference. It’s noting about how the bits get along the wire but about RF rejection, earthing, vibration and all sorts. I’m sure you could search it out. Read what I wrote about Xanthe’s post, then read her post again and you will see that we are all basically in agreement. This thread is, in any case, about mains blocks and not those pesky ethernet wires.

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It’s interesting to speculate what’s going on with this (or other ‘magical’) mains block. Star wired earthing is alway good practice, but a hydra type arrangement does that already. And with a hydra, the neutral and live wires are also star wired, in contrast to the daisy chain loop in this block - which creates a ‘pecking order’ between sockets, where the hydra leads are all equal. Then there’s the more obvious advantage of a hydra - soldered wiring instead of plugs and sockets.
Of course the hydra prohibits the use of any aftermarket mains lead, so I’m left wondering just how many people are using some expensive leads (plus an extra one for the block feed) in addition to the block itself - and possibly paying a lot in total to end up with something that is in some ways inferior to a hydra - even if it seems to work better than a basic hydra arrangement IYSWIM

Mr Tibbs

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I do see, and on the face of it, it makes no sense. How can adding all those extra connections make things sound better? I’m not sure anyone can say ‘it’s because of X’.