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Akiko Tuning Stick AC -- It IS Magic

None are more skeptical than I when it comes to tweaks. Most come and go; few survive for the long term. So it was with not a grain but a shaker of salt that I decided to try the $170 Akiko Tuning Stick AC (not the new Triple AC, which is $395), which one plugs into an open outlet on a power conditioner or into the wall outlet. I decided to try it based upon rave reviews in 6 Moons both for the version I tried, and more recently the Triple AC -- which I most assuredly WILL buy.

I plugged it into my Audience AR6 power conditioner and my skepticism dissolved as fast as the salt from the shaker would in water! This thing is magic, I tell you. It is transformative. My system is no slouch (PS Audio DSD DAC/VTL 7.5iii pre/Krell FPB 300cx amp/VSE 5HSE speakers, top cables and PC's) but this kicked it up about 20%-25% in sound quality. More depth, more realism, more liquidity, more naturalness, more life. I removed the device and reinstalled it several times just to check, and each time the sound became flat and one-dimensional.

I have only had the Akiko for about a week, but every time I turn on my stereo, and whether listening to music through the DAC or my Sansui TU-9900 tuner, my head snaps back and I say to myself: Zounds! Does that sound good!

So forgive me for gushing, but I have been at this audio mania for over 40 years and am not easily impressed., But this is an extremely impressive product. There is no guarantee the Triple AC, more than 2x the AC price, will be any better let alone twice as good as the AC, but I aim to find out. Of course, I cannot tell you what it will do in your system. Jaguar Audio sells these (nice, responsive folks) and I think they have a 14 day return policy. I doubt you will return it.

Neal
nglazer
nglazer OP
846 posts
 
Bacardi,

I would sooner stick steel toothpicks in my eyeballs than venture behind my rig and its jungle of cables to change outlets, unless there is some major scientific breakthrough on the order of, say, the Higgs boson.

Neal
bacardi's avatar
bacardi
663 posts
 
Wow, you have that many.
nglazer OP
846 posts
 
Bacardi,

IC's from tuner to pre; digicable from Bryston BDP-1 to PS Audio DSD DAC; IC's from DAC to pre; IC's from pre to power amp; SC's from amp heading to speakers; power cables in Bryston, DAC, pre and amp, and from wall to Audience power conditioner . . . .

It's a jungle back there, I tell you! :)

Neal
bacardi's avatar
bacardi
663 posts
 
Nglazer, I know cable jungle too. I used to have a full 5.1 home theatre set-up with Synergistic Research cables. Now that's a jungle. Mpc's, powercells, power cord mpc's, bullets, more mpc's, power strip, power cord, mpc-power cord, bullets & interconnects, mpc's, strings all over, mpc's and more bullets, speaker cables with bullets & mpc's with power strip with mpc's, mpc's for mpc's. (Catch my breathe!!!!!!). Whew!!!

Now that's all gone......there is a god.......
sbayne's avatar
sbayne
493 posts
 
I've had the Akiko Triple AC in my system for about a week now. I wasn't as shocked at the difference sound as I was when I first used the Tuning Stick. The effect is much the same between the two. The Triple AC refines the sound even more especially in the upper bass and lower midrange. As with the Tuning Stick, in my system, the Triple AC sounds better in the wall outlet than in my power conditioner.
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