Power Strip

Lots of old threads full of opinions about the Niagara

I recently added an Audioquest Niagara 5000 to my 282/250.

282/250 and Audioquest Niagara 5000

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Sorry my fault.
I meant the niagara 1200.
Thank you.

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Powerline Axis DC Blocker. Works wonders with my supply & system.

G

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I think that Hydras and Power Igels may be illegal here in the States. For your system the AV Options Wiremold or the ordinary Wiremold would be huge bang for the buck.

If you don’t have a proper TT stand, I’d do that first.

I think you need to be clear about what you want to achieve here, otherwise this is just another exercise in expensive retail therapy.
If you have poor mains supply which is prone to power surges, having a surge protector might be helpful. It will not give you protection against lightning strikes though.
If you have a problem with DC offset there are products that might help with this. If you don’t, you’ll be wasting your money buying one.
If you can measure and diagnose any specific problems on your mains, by all means buy a product designed to solve it. Otherwise, at the very least you should insist on a home demo if your dealer is trying to get you to buy a product when you have have no idea if you need it or not.

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I use a Niagara 1200 and a Niagara 3000 as recommended by my dealer. They make all kinds of promises, which I cannot confirm but at a minimum these units don’t seem to do any harm in terms of SQ. What AQ Niagara do promise, and I accept, is to deliver 100% surge protection, which is important - I’ve lost a printer to a surge issue and I sure don’t want to lose any NAIM gear. And they promise to do this without messing up the power signal. I don’t trust the standard cheap surge protectors because I don’t know what they do to the power signal characteristics when normal power draws (as with a power amp) occur.

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You can try to get a good deal on the Audience AV Forte PDC replacement -
forte power - (audience-av.com)

I like what it does.

Why does it need caps on the AC receptacle?

No idea. To keep dust out of the unused sockets?

G

I thought it stopped the electricity leaking out :grinning:

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Yup - electrons leak out of the sockets otherwise, and they’re a devil to scrub out of the carpet once they do.

Mark

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US members may recall, Chris Koster, formally with the US Naim distributor, worked in conjunction with Audience to develop the Adept Response PDC (power distribution center). The unit had no power filtration and was a good option for those Naim systems with power needs. From my understanding, the unit is no longer made, but they do crop up from time to time on those audio sites. Maybe Audience would fashion a new PDC to these specs if one asked. I’m wondering if anyone here has had any experience with it.

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or to get more money out of your wallet :thinking:

Good point. I want to achieve the best performance and appropriate mains solution.

To re-iterate: I have a decent panel, no real issues, extreme storms occasionally, and one major power outage in the last three years.

I don’t think a lightning strike is likely at my house, but a sense of security around my investments is always good.

What’s a good way to measure and diagnose or find if there are any issues?

I agree with the AVOptions Wiremold with Tibia+12 PC recommendations. It closely resembles the old CablePro NANA (Naim Audio North America) Noisetrapper that is sadly no longer made. I used it for years before discovering power regeneration. I feel, based on your OP, it is exactly what you are looking for without the power conditioning or wild expense. Much of this is going to depend on what your goal is.

I only have experience connecting my Naim amps to an APC 5 outlet surge protector and a Wireworld Matrix 2 strip. The surge protector made the sound worse. It was removed after about a week of listening. Percussion sounded smeared with skewed tonality and the overall sound was uninvolving, lacking drive and life. It just didn’t sound right.

Although the WW Matrix 2 is not really audiophile quality, it managed to alleviate most of the shortcomings of the APC surge protector. I would suggest replacing your current surge protector with some of the suggestions on this thread. The WW Matrix 2 strip is the minimum I would consider for Naim gear. It is not stellar but it’s surely better than a surge protector, in my system and to my ears.

I’ve been happy with my Ultra HBL Powerstrip from AV Options.

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I have one and I’m happy with it. I had a Wiremold for a long time, then swapped it out for a CablePro Noisetrapper about 15 years ago. I changed to the Audience about 7 years ago, and I don’t foresee changing it again.

If I was in the market now the AVOptions strip would be at the top of my list. They claim it’s better than the Audience, which they previously endorsed (and sold, iirc). I’m sceptical of that claim, but their current strip is certainly much better VFM.

Coincidentally, I posted about my Audience in the “last bit of gear” thread a few minutes ago:

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My experience is just about the same as Corry’s. I borrowed a CablePro from my dealer and asked if I could spend a week checking it out. He said, “No, you will hear the difference immediately.” He was absolutely right. I was hearing instruments which hadn’t been there with the Wiremold–all that from a power strip. The Audience brings more swing and general musicality than the CablePro. It cost a bundle, but it was good VFM in my 52/500 system. I don’t have any experience with the AVOptions Wiremold, but I would bet it’s the best VFM.

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