I received two of these Vinshine collaboration power filter units yesterday. Let me preface this by saying that everyone's power situation is going to be different. Sometimes slightly different, sometimes extremely different.
I am living in a very affordable apartment, which allows me available funds for luxuries like a very good quality audiophile grade system. I would categorize it as a mid level high end quality, though many in the Ultra High End would probably consider it entry level. I don't have the money to play in that sand box, so I have no quarrel with that evaluation.
LAiV Harmony stack of DAC and Preamp
LAiV uDDC re-clocker
Mutec 10mhz external clock driving the uDDC (made a big difference to my ears)
GaN FET mono-blocks (with LINEAR power supplies) from Orchard Audio
ARENDAL 1528 SLIM monitors
Grimm interconnects, Bi-wired Kimber speaker cable.
The apartment is in an old building, one of six in the building. I have known for years that the building power had issues. I have experimented with a number of different, more affordable power filtration solutions, and even designed and iterated a number of my own home brew power filters.
So, my default setup was running power from my trusty Monster Power lightning and surge protecting box with multiple filtered outputs, feeding a couple of my home brew filters which feed a couple of affordable yet beneficial Chinese filters and a couple of DC blockers. This setup made obvious improvements in my problematic location. Obvious in the sense of not straining to determine if it is more beneficial to have the filtration or not, in this particular location.
When the new filters arrived, I immediately removed my filtration and put these two new ones in place, driving everything. The upgrade in refinement, resolution, tonality and black background was immediate and irrefutable (again, in this power hostile situation). I was quite surprised, since I had tested my filtration with a group of Golden Ear audiophile friends while I developed them, years ago.
Thinking this over, and considering the excellent and robust design of the new Vinshine collaboration filters, I realized that my filters were designed for a different target. Mine are very minimalist, super high current, super low impedance, high frequency noise filtration. That's it. nothing else. So, I then put my filters in front of the Vinshine filters, and yes, to my ears, there was another level of refinement added, without sacrificing any dynamics at all.
Conclusion:
Are these Vinshine collaboration filters worth it? In my situation, absolutely. How can I prove this to you, the reader? I just ordered two more filters. I will also be building two more of my own filters, because they give me an extra ten percent improvement, in my opinion and in my situation. That being said, if you have a rough power situation, and you aspire to maximize the sound quality of already fine sounding equipment, I would rate these filters as a Must Have item, IF you have problematic power, or if you find yourself asking; "Why does my system sound so good late at night, but not during the day?".
Keep in mind that the price listed is in Singapore dollars, so convert to your own currency to see the actual price. For US dollars, multiply by 0.7 to estimate, aside from currency fluctuations etc. Worth every penny to me.
Looking forward to receiving the next two filters next week!
