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QSA Stones

I have had 6 QSA Stones on top of my power conditioner (2 each of red blue and clear) for about three months, and have really enjoyed what they bring to my system. This week, I got another set of 6.


One thing I have learned over many years in this hobby is the importance of power supplies, and the impact they have on the sound of individual components and systems. A number of audiophiles with DIY skills upgrade the power supplies on components with bigger and/or better capacitors, and in various other ways. Unfortunately, I lack the skills to do this.


I ended up placing the new stones on top of the power supplies of my CD transport and amp (1 red, blue and clear on each). To me the very positive results sound similar to upgrading the power supplies, without all the hassle of soldering etc. Particularly with my amp, there was an increased sense of ease and musical flow, along with more solidity and authority.


I don’t claim to have any real explanation as to how the QSA stones work, but it seems to have something to do with their interaction with electromagnetic fields, such as those around power transformers. Fortunately, I don’t need an explanation to enjoy the results🙂


If you think this is all bunk, or can’t see how these type of things can have any impact on the sound, that’s fine, but I’ll politely ask you to refrain from making repeated posts to that effect. The QSA Stones are obviously not for you, nor is this thread directed towards you.
tommylion
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Mine are on the Blackhawk transformers. I first tried them one at a time. The colors are apt in that red is warmer, clear really is more clear, etc. That is the main thing to keep in mind, they are sort of refined system tuning devices. Not tone controls, the effect is much more sophisticated than that. I could see someone fairly happy with their system but just wishing it was very slightly less aggressive or edgy and not wanting to risk something like cables that might change it a lot the red stones might be just the ticket.

Or if you already had plenty of body and wanted a little more lively dynamic detail then blue or maybe clear would get you there. Or if all three are used together they combine to come back to being an overall neutral across the board improvement. Pretty cool. Only thing I don't like they look like little brown cow pies. With a really, really cheap looking QSA decal. Proving once again you can never have it all.


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tommylion OP
874 posts
 
I did try the colors individually on my power conditioner, with the first batch. I decided that I like all 3 together best. This effectively means I have to buy 6 at a time, as the individual colors are sold in packs of 2. Not complaining, though, the improvements are well worth the price to me. I’m thinking I may get a batch for my DAC and pre next. Then there are the output transformers on my amp… Don’t know if there’s a point where they become too much of a good thing, but, if they work similarly to the PPT stuff, maybe not.

I was also considering upgrading one of my blue fuses to yellow, but, for not much more, I got improvements in two components, instead of just one.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Yes the Stones are quite good. If you want more I would try the QSA Light Blue fuse which is very similar results (if not more) but costs less than Stones.
tommylion OP
874 posts
 
I currently have QSA blue fuses in all of my components. How much of a jump is there going from blue to yellow?
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