Results with Audioquest Niagara 5000 / Dragon HC

I loaned my PSaudio PP10 to a friend with who has modded and tuned his system amost to perfection.  It is a low power tube system and the amp has an awesome power supply.  He has had the PP10 a week and isn't sure he likes it.  Very similar to what you report.  

Our theory is that he has tuned his system to perform best with the power supplied to the outlet and would have to retune it to the clean power.  This is just a theory.

I'll be getting it back and putting it back into my system critically. When I first installed it I made a lot of mods at once.  It will be interesting to put it back in and listening critcially.  I must say that I am not finding my system at all deficient without it.  I believe it does indeed make the clean power that it claims and provides plenty of power to the amp.  There is no loss of dynamics of bass.  I'll try to better understnd the differences. 

The PP10 is an 80 lb rectifier/inverter system with tremendous power capabilities.  I beieve the Niagara is similar.  I am always skeptical of the passive cleaner devices like the one recommended above.

The PP10 also has an oscilloscope built in and analyses the power coming in. Contrary to popular opinion, power does not get cleaner at night.  (my theory is that systems sound beter at night because there is less ambient noise and the listener is more relaxed). 

Jerry

Well, I own the AudioQuest Niagara 7000, 1200, and 1000. But no 5000 or 3000. The 7000 is powered via a Dragon high current. I do not have any AudioQuest power cables on my mono blocks due to the length needed and the cost, but they are plugged into the 7000 high current outlets.

I have found that adding Dragons (source) to my Lumin X1 to be a great revelation in sound purity.

Perhaps that is what is missing in your system. Have you tried a Dragon source on your front-end equipment?

BTW, I know it is expensive, but I have made many mistakes buying something because it was cheaper only to later on end up buying what I originally wanted. Thus, costing more upgrading. And, I have owned or tried many power conditioners. To me, the Niagara 7000 is the best!

ozzy

@ozzy , I totally believe Dragon Sources would help but I’d need THREE for my digital chain (streamer, reclocker, network isolation switch)…..

Plus, my system is everything I want it to be after 11:30pm each night, with NO conditioner. All I really want is to hopefully enable this performance in the day - nothing more. The reason I’m interested in Torus (RM 20) is that everyone who has tried it seems to say it improves the sound EXACTLY in the ways my sound improves late at night - more open, more unrestrained, more detailed, with a soundstage that opens up to be “holographic”. It is super frustrating that I get this sound at night but not during the day.

While I really do like what my Niagara 5000 demo is doing, no doubt, it is NOT making my system sound like it does at night.

So yeah, upgrading my Hurricane Source cables to Dragons would be awesome, but I know it shouldn’t be necessary to get that sound I’m looking for because I already do get that sound late at night! As I’d actually need four including a turntable I’d eventually get, I think an upgrade to Firebird Sources might be slightly less crazy money at almost half the cost of Dragons. But still crazy money….

After listening to the Niagara 5000 late last night and not getting those qualities I get at that time with NO conditioner, I am starting to lean towards a Torus RM20.  
 

The Torus is a different approach to the rest, as it’s not a “conditioner”.  It’s simply a  massive isolation transformer, and nothing more.

@nyev 

Great discussion, thank you. Very valuable.

I just realized I’m making the same mistake I always do - judging things before burn-in. The Niagara 5000 demo is well burned-in by my local shop, but my Dragon HC cord powering it is brand new. The shop claims that Garth Powell of Audioquest says burnin is no longer needed, but that was not my experience with my Dragon HC I recently bought to power my Diablo 300. After around 5 days the sound had more depth and detail to it; it became more open. The tonal balance didn’t change other than the added clarity in the high frequencies.

Not sure how much difference burn-in will make in my Dragon that powers the Niagara 5000 demo however. I will find out. Been playing music constantly.

That said, I may just spring for the Torus RM20 anyways, as it’s cheaper and purported to do what I want it to do.  If I feel that it is inferior to the Niagara 5000 (I will have to imagine how the 7000 sounds..) then I should be able to sell it easily.  Since it’s worth less than half the cost of an AQ 7000, I shouldn’t lose too much if I were to lose the Torus.  But we’ll see.  The Niagara could win me over by next week if my Dragon breakin makes a big difference.