[stwombly]

Not sure the OP is actually wanting to upgrade his power situation but I will add to what has already been mentioned with the Uberbuss and Triode Wire power cords. I tried them at the same time (Thanks Greg, Pete and Dave!). And was blown away by the difference. And i have no idea how it can make such a difference. But when I took the Uberbuss out just to A/B the changes I only lasted for two songs before it went back in.  I thought a cat was dying in my system without the power upgrades in. Good power gives an organic sound that gets rid of the harsh edges.

[Thunder240]

After several days of listening, there is no question that what was bothering me was attributable to the Panamax power conditioner feeding the Stratos. No more!

Early, stwombly, thanks for telling me about the PI UberBUSS. While I don’t feel like I have an immediate need to upgrade my power distribution, I’m concerned about what the Panamax might be doing to my other gear. And while conditioning and surge protection aren’t inherently necessary, I don’t have enough outlets to go without any sort of distributor.

So, I’ll make it a point to check out the options from PI.

My local dealer carries Shunyata and Transparent. Have you guys or anyone compared power conditioners from either of them (low end) to Those from PI? They will let me demo, which seems like an easy way just to see if the Panamax is affecting more than just my amp.

As for the PCs, I recently put in Shunyata Venoms after comparing among a few in the price range. The difference wasn’t huge, but I was able to hear tighter and more natural sounding drums (esp cymbals). They seem to be doing their job well.

[Dishman442]

Glad to hear direct AC power made such a difference. I’m sitting here examining my fingernails trying to look humble...

[Thunder240]

Glad to hear direct AC power made such a difference. I’m sitting here examining my fingernails trying to look humble...

Thank you, sir!

[geerock]

I have to agree with the folks above who mentioned room treatments.  It's one of the most overlooked areas in my opinion.  Also, as regards power supply.... when I went to Anticable PC and took my power conditioner out of the mix, i had very noticeable and positive improvements.  As for preamp with my "all in" kismet monos, I tried a few and found Don Sachs tubed pre really did it for me.  Those, combined with modded Maggie 3.7 and that's it for me.  I may never change this rig.

[Thunder240]

Don Sachs looks intriguing. If and when I ever get around to auditioning preamps, I’ll look for opportunities to try his out.

@EarlyB, I’m happy to say that after some email exchange and phone call, Dave at PI is sending me a used (trade-in) UberBUSS to demo. I can’t wait to swap it in for my Panamax and see whether it improves things, and how it compares to running my Stratos direct from the wall. Dave’s price for the trade-in unit is very reasonable!

Preamp and amp upgrades are still on my long term hit list, and at some point I know I need to begin researching room treatments, but right now I believe the Panamax power conditioner is cthe bottleneck in my system, based on the difference I heard moving the Stratos off of it and over to the wall. Unfortunately I have a single receptacle in my living room and 7 components (counting my Netgear Orbi satellite), so some kind of power distribution is an absolute must have.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Glad to hear that you fixed the problem.  If you are looking for a surge suppressor, take a look at the brick wall, zero surge and surgex.  They are not current limiting and do not condition the power.

https://www.brickwall.com/collections/surge-protectors-home-theater-hdtv

https://zerosurge.com/

By the way, your preamp is definitely the weakest link in your system.  You will be amazed what a $2K or more preamp can do for a system.  Consider the used route. 

[limits]

Hi Thunder:

I know you mentioned it before, but I would strongly suggest you replace your Digi+ Pro hat with the Allo DigiOne. It looks like you already have the iFi SMPS which, if you don't want to go linear is a good choice. Stay tuned on the power supply front, though, as Allo is about to release their new 5 VDC supply (called 'nirvana', I think).  I replaced my HiFi Berry Digi + (not the pro) with the Allo DigiOne and it was clearly better! I am running out from it through BNC/coax to RCA coax into my DAC via a very reasonably price blue jeans cable.

Good luck! Interesting thread, as it shows how many different people have different solutions--none of which seems like bad ones 

...oh...and room treatments 

limits

[fredgarvin]

Glad to hear that you fixed the problem.  If you are looking for a surge suppressor, take a look at the brick wall, zero surge and surgex.  They are not current limiting and do not condition the power.

https://www.brickwall.com/collections/surge-protectors-home-theater-hdtv

https://zerosurge.com/

By the way, your preamp is definitely the weakest link in your system.  You will be amazed what a $2K or more preamp can do for a system.  Consider the used route.

Surge suppression is an absolute necessity.

[geerock]

I changed out my preamp to a Don Sachs tubed pre and was delighted the the changes.  And you don't have to spend a ton of money.  Under 2k gets you a serious preamp.  But dont dismiss room treatments.  They are one of the most ignored mods you can do that can make big difference in your listening experience.

[Thunder240]

Hey guys, it’s been over a month since I posted, and I thought it only right that I share my recent developments.

First of all, I broached the room treatment topic with my wife. She’s not thrilled, but she didn’t shoot it down. Anything I get will have to be covered in art, of course, and she’ll pretty much have veto power over everything, which may mean that they are placed in acoustically suboptimal locations! But hey, it’s a start

Also, I tried a few alternative surge/conditioner units in place of my Panamax. All seemed to choke the Stratos when it was plugged in, giving me back that brittle sound that I managed to resolve by plugging it into the wall. However, surge protection is important to me, since I’ve lost components before, and I know that after a power outage, when PG&E flips back on the switch, it’s bad news. So I gave Dave at PI Audio a call, and he sent me a recently refurbished Uber to try, to which he added a 44kV surge unit in parallel. Needless to say, this was this first conditioner I tried that does NOT choke the Stratos! As for the sound, the differences are subtle, but I do notice some improved instrument separation over what I get with everything but the Stratos plugged into my Panamax. So, I bought the refurbed Uber at a nice discount (thank you, Dave!) and I’m now a happy camper.

I do still plan to upgrade my preamp, since I know I can do better than my Nuforce Icon HDP, and I don’t yet have the holographic sound I know is possible through my Phils. But, the problem that was driving me nuts has been solved. Now I can audition preamps at a liesurely pace. Also, I plan to ping Klaus at some point to find out what options he can offer me to take the Stratos to the next level. But preamp first.

[marvda1]

you have to add the deHavilland ultraverve 3 preamp to your list.

[bummrush]

No kidding,simplify This is just me only me. I think you're addicted to black boxes.No insults or anything intended whatsoever.

[OSIB16]

Get yourself one of these to turn your Mac or PC into a preamp which allows you control the volume level. Then you won’t need to use a preamplifier.

[rollo]

After several days of listening, there is no question that what was bothering me was attributable to the Panamax power conditioner feeding the Stratos. No more!

Early, stwombly, thanks for telling me about the PI UberBUSS. While I don’t feel like I have an immediate need to upgrade my power distribution, I’m concerned about what the Panamax might be doing to my other gear. And while conditioning and surge protection aren’t inherently necessary, I don’t have enough outlets to go without any sort of distributor.

So, I’ll make it a point to check out the options from PI.

My local dealer carries Shunyata and Transparent. Have you guys or anyone compared power conditioners from either of them (low end) to Those from PI? They will let me demo, which seems like an easy way just to see if the Panamax is affecting more than just my amp.

As for the PCs, I recently put in Shunyata Venoms after comparing among a few in the price range. The difference wasn’t huge, but I was able to hear tighter and more natural sounding drums (esp cymbals). They seem to be doing their job well.

  Ask Dave to Demo a Digibuss. Plug it into Uber and digital gear into Digibuss, done. The other conditioners are good however not the bang for buck with PIAudio. Use the Panamax for your TV.


charles

[artur9]

I thought PiAudio didn't do any surge protection?

Also, have you tried a SurgeX?