Thanks, Charlie!

Great report!

So moving up the Nordost audio chain does make a difference... I do like what the Nordost Blue Heaven does for my receiver. My next step is to try an Audience Forte F3. Sounds like I ought to also move up the Nordost line...

Oh, and can you comment on the relative effects of Nordosts on sources vs. your amps?

And dang it, you brought up elevating cables... I have my speaker cables sitting on plastic cups. Oh, my, what about my Furman, receiver, Oppo, amps,....? This hobby is endlessly entertaining!


Good stuff!

Rick

rjohn79395 wrote:
Oh, and can you comment on the relative effects of Nordosts on sources vs. your amps?

And dang it, you brought up elevating cables... I have my speaker cables sitting on plastic cups. Oh, my, what about my Furman, receiver, Oppo, amps,....? This hobby is endlessly entertaining!

Rick, thanks for the kind words. On the source versus amp question, I believe that there was a bigger effect on my DAC/Pre source component; I didn't notice as big a change when I ran Nordost Red Dawn to my amps. This may also have to do with the quality of the PCs that were supplied with the amps. At $650 each, I'm not going to try the Heimdall upgrade on my amps! That is money better spent elsewhere, I think.

I think you should try uncoiling (if it is) and elevating your Furman PC. I was surprised at the difference, but that may have to do with my flooring (laminate, not carpet). At this point, all my critical PCs (except my Oppo 105) are only 1 meter long and don't touch the floor.

After all this playing around, I now have one extra 1 meter Red Dawn, and I plan to use that one to feed the Oppo. All I use the Oppo for is reading digital files from an external hard drive and sending the digital data to my DAC (and display to my TV). I expect NO CHANGE (really!) if I use a Red Dawn there. But I'll try it once the dust settles. At the least, I'll remove the longer Oppo PC and clean things up a bit more.

Charlie

I've been reading with much interest Rick and Charlies pc experiences. I have a Furman Elite 15PFi power conditioner. A while back, i replaced the stock pc on the Furman with a Shunyata Venom 3 pc. It was to short to run directly into the wall, so I ran it to a Emotiva CMX-2 and then another Shunyata Venom 3 directly into the wall receptacle. Better sound than the stock pc's, but on numerous cds i noticed a darkness in the music, especially the bass which lacked definition. A couple of days ago after reading your posts on Power Conditioner PC's, i replaced the Shunyata Venom with AntiCable Level 3 Reference PC's. Absolutely Amazing! Much better bass and better instrument separation, also. Seriously. After doing a little research, i found some who feel the the Power Cord that the Power Conditioner is plugged into is the most important pc in the chain. From what I'm experiencing, they may be right.

I've moved the Audience Forte pc to the Anthem avm 30 and AntiCable Level 3 powers the rest of the gear.

anthem,

Your experience is also very interesting. It makes sense that if cables downstream of the pc make a difference, then upstream should too.

The next logical link in the chain is.....wait for it.....the in-wall wiring to the breaker box. I think I understand why so many people run a dedicated line to their audio equipment. And, I just happened to notice an ad in the latest Stereophile; Audience makes in-wall wire now.
audience-av.com/cables/in_wall_cable/

Only -- gasp -- $22/foot!

So, I'm thinking.....

Charlie

OK, as promised, I had an extra Nordost Red Dawn power cord, and I swapped it in to drive my Oppo 105. I use the Oppo ONLY for digital data; I read music files off my USB external drive and send the data to the digital coax out, which goes to my DAC. I don't use any analog signals from the Oppo.

So, one would expect that, since this is digital only, there would be no change with the PC change. And guess what? There was NO detectable change whatsoever. Nada. Zip. (Almost had you going for a minute, right?)

It's nice to see that theory sometimes does line up with reality.

Charlie

So it has been a couple of more days listening to my system with the Furman Elite 15PFi power conditioner > AntiCable Level 3 Reference PC > Emotiva CMX-2 > AntiCable Level 3 Reference 3 PC > directly in wall outlet.

I'm absolutely amazed at what I'm hearing! What's better? Everything! A greater clarity. Better space between instruments. Better more well defined bass. I'm tickled pink. For the time being, I'm turning off the lights in my storage barn, and putting the Closed Sign up.

Happy listening