Hi,
Just to share what has progressed and especially for those who might be on the same path as me looking for a power conditioner. Thanks jay23 for reminding me to update this thread that I started.
Please read my below post with reference to my post dated "02-16-2018 5:38pm".
Guess what I have bought?
I changed my mind and bought an AQ Niagara 7000, and I am absolutely delighted with it. Initially, what made me struck off the AQ was the issue of the (many) transformers inside it humming. This issue has been highlighted on various sites and also mentioned in its user-manual. Then I noticed a pattern that tube amplification seems to aggravate this issue more than solid state stuff.
I decided to buy it because...
1) My system is all solid state. Bought a brand new sealed in box unit. Crossed my fingers, plugged in all my solid state equipment, and voila! No humming what so ever, except for a very faint buzzing sound (like a CPU fan whizzing) when your ears are less than 60cm from it. The soft buzzing was acceptable to me.
2) Call it Garth’s marketing pitch or his effort put into his lively (animated) presentation of his products, I understood his points. I trusted his concept and he being an experienced veteran in this field of "power conditioning", and also the AudioQuest brand backing it as a product. Of course I personally heard the improvements every change he made at the demo he did, from no-conditioning, to Niagara 1000, to 5000 and to 7000 at Munich Show 2017. Then, I also had numerous viewings and catching "hints’ in his few videos on YouTube.
3) Michael Fremer made a video comparing the Denali 6000 and Niagara 7000 on Analog Planet. Went through it a few times and I could tell the 7000 was more my taste. The key selling point to me between the 6000 and 7000 was harmonics in the music. The 6000 chops off sounds, while the 7000 lets sounds decay. I think the lack of "harmonics" made me commented in my earlier above post- [[ (The Denali has) very positive and strong "hifi technical attributes", but somehow I was not drawn into the music. I like equipment that makes me want to listen to music.]]
If you have the Niagara 7000, be prepared...
1) That it needs a long time to break-in. I have stopped counting the hours, but it sounds better and better over the past 2 months. I have had it since late March.
2) I do not "switch off" (a breaker switch actually) the Niagara. It is on 24 by 7. There is constant current draw, my electrical consumption has gone up by about 50kWh within a month.
3) That plugging in cables will be a painful exercise, because the sockets are all so tight. Took me 15 to 30 minutes to plug in one socket depending on the thickness of the plating. I lost a few milligrams of Rhodium, Silver, Gold, Palladium on the prongs of my plugs. Some are actually stripped off plating at the tip. Considering the plugging difficulty, the weight and the size of the unit, remember to remove all footer/spikes underneath it.
And a twist to the episode...
What do you try after getting the Niagara 7000?
I tried the new series of AQ STORM cables, a Hurricane to be exact. I did not like the cable, but some will like it I am sure. I think there are other cables more to my liking. That’s a story for another day.
After 2 months, I love my AQ Niagara 7000 despite it being a very expensive unit. I hope it will last for at least ten years, as what AudioQuest also said in its user-manual.
Thanks everyone for your advice and opinions.
Just to share what has progressed and especially for those who might be on the same path as me looking for a power conditioner. Thanks jay23 for reminding me to update this thread that I started.
Please read my below post with reference to my post dated "02-16-2018 5:38pm".
Guess what I have bought?
I changed my mind and bought an AQ Niagara 7000, and I am absolutely delighted with it. Initially, what made me struck off the AQ was the issue of the (many) transformers inside it humming. This issue has been highlighted on various sites and also mentioned in its user-manual. Then I noticed a pattern that tube amplification seems to aggravate this issue more than solid state stuff.
I decided to buy it because...
1) My system is all solid state. Bought a brand new sealed in box unit. Crossed my fingers, plugged in all my solid state equipment, and voila! No humming what so ever, except for a very faint buzzing sound (like a CPU fan whizzing) when your ears are less than 60cm from it. The soft buzzing was acceptable to me.
2) Call it Garth’s marketing pitch or his effort put into his lively (animated) presentation of his products, I understood his points. I trusted his concept and he being an experienced veteran in this field of "power conditioning", and also the AudioQuest brand backing it as a product. Of course I personally heard the improvements every change he made at the demo he did, from no-conditioning, to Niagara 1000, to 5000 and to 7000 at Munich Show 2017. Then, I also had numerous viewings and catching "hints’ in his few videos on YouTube.
3) Michael Fremer made a video comparing the Denali 6000 and Niagara 7000 on Analog Planet. Went through it a few times and I could tell the 7000 was more my taste. The key selling point to me between the 6000 and 7000 was harmonics in the music. The 6000 chops off sounds, while the 7000 lets sounds decay. I think the lack of "harmonics" made me commented in my earlier above post- [[ (The Denali has) very positive and strong "hifi technical attributes", but somehow I was not drawn into the music. I like equipment that makes me want to listen to music.]]
If you have the Niagara 7000, be prepared...
1) That it needs a long time to break-in. I have stopped counting the hours, but it sounds better and better over the past 2 months. I have had it since late March.
2) I do not "switch off" (a breaker switch actually) the Niagara. It is on 24 by 7. There is constant current draw, my electrical consumption has gone up by about 50kWh within a month.
3) That plugging in cables will be a painful exercise, because the sockets are all so tight. Took me 15 to 30 minutes to plug in one socket depending on the thickness of the plating. I lost a few milligrams of Rhodium, Silver, Gold, Palladium on the prongs of my plugs. Some are actually stripped off plating at the tip. Considering the plugging difficulty, the weight and the size of the unit, remember to remove all footer/spikes underneath it.
And a twist to the episode...
What do you try after getting the Niagara 7000?
I tried the new series of AQ STORM cables, a Hurricane to be exact. I did not like the cable, but some will like it I am sure. I think there are other cables more to my liking. That’s a story for another day.
After 2 months, I love my AQ Niagara 7000 despite it being a very expensive unit. I hope it will last for at least ten years, as what AudioQuest also said in its user-manual.
Thanks everyone for your advice and opinions.
