I can only comment on the earlier Reflex Lite that I had but didn’t think it was as good as my radial wired spur with three un-switched MK wall sockets. Not sure if that’s because I was careful to star-earth them or not?
I think I was also told that the very early Musicworks trailing sockets used switched MK sockets because they thought they sounded better than the un-switched version? I found this interesting as I originally had an old switched MK sockets on my radial spur, which sounded fantastic and definitely better than a new style MK un-switched sockets. Trouble is I couldn’t find/buy any more of that old style/type.
One final comment on the Reflex internal wiring, which can just about be seen through the perspex. If you follow the circuit it looks like it creates a mini ring between all the sockets. Some of those on the forum with more electrical knowledge maybe able to explain if this is perhaps causing some performance improvement over the more usual spur/daisy chain approach of a normal trailing lead?
I am planning to put my dedicated radial on a separate CU with its earth back to the PME in the meter box. For some reason 30 years ago we also had an earth rod which connects to the Main Consumer Unit. We have very low impedance to earth according to the last test.
Would it be sensible to do this before trying the Musicworks?
What about the Musicworks Reflects Lite?
As I have 7 (3 PS, CDX2, nDAC, Innuos Zenith and Rega Aria) which should be left on the existing sockets?
Phil, as I plan to move house at some point, I have chosen not to invest in a dedicated mains here. Putting the MusicWorks ReFlex Ultra G3 on my standard mains/earthing arrangement, going through my secondary CU which feeds the upstairs circuits still gave me a significant uplift in SQ. Inexplicable, but true.
As HH says, the ReFlex Ultra G3, or any other quality distribution block, should not be seen as a replacement for a dedicated mains installation, but a further enhancement to it. As long as you still plan to have a dedicated mains installed, I don’t see why you should not try out the Ultra G3 beforehand, but see if you can borrow one for a home demo to satisfy yourself.
I have only heard the Ultra G3 but I read, and have been told by a dealer who knows the MusicWorks range, that the Ultra is an appreciable step up in SQ from the Lite.
One last point, reserve the G3 for your Naim Black Boxes only and stick all the noisy power supplies on a different mains circuit - e.g. routers, servers, switches etc.
I tried the Lite before plumping for the G3 and was distinctly underwhelmed. I’d say it’s a case of all or nothing. One thing that intrigues me is whether I should plug my Rega SMPS into the block. I know I need to try it but wonder if others have found a negative impact. The general advice is to keep SMPSs away from the Naim, but you’d hope Rega would use a decent supply with no negative implications.
My advice to Phil would be to do the mains first. Build on rock rather than sand.
Although a dedicated mains makes obvious sense and the uplift from it can be explained in scientific (electrical) terms, it clearly is not the whole solution in getting the ‘best’ clean power into your black boxes. There is the link between the wall and the black boxes where things can become sub-optimal. The MusicWorks ReFlex Ultra must be doing something to address issues in this link in the chain, as are PowerLines of course. Improvements brought by the ReFlex Ultra are more difficult to explain, but that does not make it any less worthy than a dedicated mains IMHO.
A dealer who knows the MusicWorks range of distribution boxes well recons the Reflex Ultra is more about mechanical isolation rather than noise reduction, but who really knows? I am not even sure MusicWorks know entirely what is going on.
HH, can you elaborate a bit about the uplift in SQ you heard when you put in your dedicated mains and the subsequent uplift when you put in the ReFlex Ultra?
HH, The mains work is about doing the whole job rather than half. I wasn’t on the forum and was a newby 3 1/2 years ago when it was done! I have an upstairs dedicated radial which I should also add to the third new CU for the HiFi. Don’t use the bedroom low fi much, but have been thinking about something for the TV via hdmi and a bit of streamed music inc records.
I don’t like having the RP10 TT PSU on the HiFi radial or anywhere near my Naim boxes as it seems to have quite a big impact.
FR, I haven’t tried it in the last 6 months since the upgrade to preloved 552/500. There seems no point having it on the HiFi mains as it only controls the TT rotation.
Gosh, it’s about 15 years since the dedicated mains was installed. The main reason at the time was to stop clicks over the speakers every time a light was switched on. I vaguely remember the sound becoming freer and more dynamic, and the clicks certainly went.
At the time the Earth was a thin wire piggy backed off the main consumer unit. Three years ago I had that changed to a thick wire going directly to the meter, which gave a much quieter background. In hindsight the earthing had been holding things back.
The G3 gave a more coherent sound, with the music flowing better and the music becoming even more ‘in the room’. At the moment the block is on the carpet and I must get round to getting a piece of granite to go underneath and let the isolating feet do their thing.
I would be interested to know whether those who tried and kept this mains block found that their system conveyed much more of the emotion in the music. Naturally the music being played has to have an emotional affect and it’s probably best if before there was a low emotional connection.
I choosing this way of putting asking rather than talking about things such as leading edge of a note and transients.
I have looked back on this thread and although I describe an improvement with the ReFlex Ultra G3, I omit to delve into in what way it improves SQ.
Unfortunately the subsequent introduction of the ND555 had overwhelmed the SQ improvement which definitely does include a greater emotional connection to the music, a quality very important to me. The G3 will of course help facilitate the improvement brought by the ND555.
I have just listened to the hi-res version of Cat Steven’s Tea For The Tillerman, a tricky blighter to get right in your front room and I have always been a bit disappointed with the reproduction from this album and felt it should sound great. But I have never heard it sound so good as today.
Now Melody My One And Only Thrill, and yes, emotion in spades.
Honestly Phil I can’t be ar**d to mess with Distribution Blocks as it is so well sorted now.
I do remember being taken aback by the uplift the G3 brought when it replaced my Matrix block, prior to the ND555’s introduction. Quite staggering for the £1k cost, to these ears anyway