That pesky internet…Having nearly convinced myself that I would not be buying anything hi-fi related, the Quad Era-1’s came up at a decent price (bnib, not ex-dem, etc).
I’ve only used them once or twice so far: they are an improvement over my KEF headphones, and could probably benefit from a better headphone amp. than the little Lehmann Rhinelander.
However, they DEFINITELY need a slightly larger head than I possess. The headband is on its tightest setting, but is still a little loose. All the reviews mention this, iirc, and they are not wrong…
The sound (particularly the bass) seems to have a bit more substance, but it might be a bit too early to say for sure. Only problem is that’s no easy way to do a back to back comparison.
3 song further,…these feet under the SU and I just did not expected this to make this amount of difference. The violins on Max Richter’s Spring 1 sang like never before, far more air, faster, bigger and I am playing this louder then normal without hesitation.
Fink’s “Trouble’s what your in” live, clearly beefier bass, faster with ease, less of a “drag” voice far more focussed
Birds from Dominic Fils-Aimé, the air in between everything, attack and the quietness.
Up till now, quite amazing feet!
Just got a 3m Ansuz A3 power cable from wall socket to power conditioner. My most expensive cable yet. It is replacing audioquest Monsoon.
What surprised me is the completely absent shielding of this cable. You can see in the pics below how strong the electric field around the A3 is. In constrast there only a very weak field around the Monsoon. So the A3 be better far away from any interconnects.
Can anybody comment on this? Does not look like a good construction for an audiophile cable. Their website mentions “shielded” for the A3. But is clearly not.
Isn’t the AQ power cables using something active together with their power box just like Ansuz is doing? The issue might be mixing the power box with the power cable
“The Niagara employs AudioQuest’s patented Ground-Noise-Dissipation and Linear Noise-Dissipation Technology and fits seven high-performance outlets into its sleek cabinet-friendly chassis. We highly endorse the use of any AudioQuest 10-amp-rated @230V (or high-current) AC cord, as the patented Ground Noise-Dissipation relies on our directionally controlled conductors for best performance.”
More importantly, how does it sound? Have in mind Power line cables are completely without shield and sound great I don’t think those measures tell you anything about how the performance of a cable will be.
It is connecting to an Audioquest 3000. I was actually thinking about an Audioquest upgrade to a Tornado or Hurricane but my dealer persuaded me to try a new Ansuz A3.
Sound:
It made an immediate difference over the AQ Monsoon. More space, more “grunt”, more dynamics. The only thing that is sightly non-optimal is some mild “harshness” in voices. The latter is subtle and does not yet cloud the overall improvement.
Overall i like it. That said, i am not sure yet if it is the best SQ return of investment you can get for that amount of money.
Still, i think there should be some shielding. Interesting that the Powerline is also not shielded. I never had one.
How long should the A3 burn in? It has now been 100 hours
That’s what I heard to amongst some other things. I hear nothing related to harshness in my system. If yours is new then you need 1-200 hours on it before it’s settled. I also find that cables sound better when they mechanically has settled after a day or two in place without touching them.
I bought mine used so not sure how many hours it has but should have passed the burn in cycle at least.
Value for money in this hobby is very difficult. Obviously there are people paying 10 000 EUR for a cable thah think it is the best purchase they’ve made
Then there is this thing called synergy. It’s not as easy buying expensive products, mixing it and think the end result will be great. I have only Ansuz and Naim products and cables in my system now and to my ears the more Ansuz cables I’ve got the better overall balance has become.
Also agreed. It is possible that the Ansuz A3 power cable has now revealed a weak spot in my speaker cables… certainly my next mission. I saw a used pair of Ansuz C speaker cables for 2700 Euros. I am tempted. Alternative would be superluminas…
Send an email to Ansuz and see what they say. They have been very quick and helpful when I have asked them about their products After all noise is one of their main selling points together with low inductance.
I have A2 Speakz and find them very good. C2 should be amazing I also have C2 interconnect between my NDS and 552 and Ansuz D2 Power switch + D2 ethernet.
I’ve done exactly the same thing with Furutech 90 degree plugs and IEC male on my pair of subwoofers to allow the cable to come down from the socket cleanly and rise up cleanly to the back of the sub.
Though I just hacked an unused WellShin 2.0mm2 lead in half and then further trimmed to exact length rather than use anything fancy. But it’s made for a very nice symmetrical cable run to each sub with zero slack.
I don’t think those measures tell you anything about how the performance of a cable will be.
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certainly my next mission. I saw a used pair of Ansuz C speaker cables for 2700 Euros. I am tempted. Alternative would be superluminas…