A must have for every system...

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Read 57698 times.

dBe

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 2181
    • PI audio group, LLC
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #20 on: 19 May 2009, 04:50 pm »
I am already regenerating AC power for the system at this point.

HAL,

Dave here.  I, too, am regenerating power.  I have a much modified (I can't seem to leave anything stock) PS Audio P300 MultiWave that is used to power my Cary 306 player and Cary preamp.  You might be as surprised as I was with the addition of the Majik BUSS. 

Here is where I am obligated to tell you that I am the designer and manufacturer and you can either: (A) regard all of this as the blithering of an over anxious marketing dude, or; (B) take a leap of faith and choose to believe me.  :angel:

A flow chart of the power from my electrical service is as follows:  dedicated 20 amp circuit with 10 ga wire > Cryoed Pass & Seymour 5362A outlets shunted with .1ufd 630V PP caps > TOPAZ 2.5KVA Ultra Isolation transformer with cryoed Pass & Seymour 5362A outlets w/ .01 630V PP shunts.

My old setup was to plug my monoblocks into this setup along with the PowerPlant (obviously I use my power cables for this  :) ).  My new one has a Majik BUSS inserted after the iso TX and everything plugged into it.  The monoblocks are plugged into the 'A' circuit and the PowerPlant is plugged into the 'B' circuit.  Circuit 'B' has additional filtering that isolates it from 'A' and is meant for low level and/or digital sources.

Even with the PowerPlant, the improvement is remarkable.  I always thought the modified PowerPlant was unbeatable as power for the front end.  That is until I put this all together.  Who knew?  Certainly not I!

MAJOR CAVEAT - DO NOT PLUG THE MAJIK BUSS INTO POWER REGENERATION DEVICES!!!  The capacitive nature of the MB will shut them down. Inductance is not a problem as it is only .001mH which is from the in situ wiring,  The MB does not contain any inductors.

I developed the MB as a reasonably priced alternative to the iso TX / PowerPlant chain that I had been using.  I have been building devices like this for years that are used in recording studios as point of power filters.  This is especially critical for digital gear that is highly susceptible to power pollution induced jitter.  As I continue down the road of high resolution audio, I am amazed just how crappy the incoming power is here in Albuquerque.  I am sure it is pretty much the same in most locales.

All of this is just to say this:  don't be lulled into audio complacency by power regeneration.  There is a huge amount of AC garbage running around in the neutral/ground bonding that gets introduced into the ground plane of our gear.  Eliminating this noise is just another veil lifted from the system.  Power regeneration alone is not the total solution.

Then there is the whole topic of Power Factor Correction...

One last note:  I am currently (pun?) running a prototype UberBUSS before the TOPAZ and a Majik Buss after the TOPAZ.  Again, I am amazed in the difference in the macro and micro dynamics from this combination.  I have no idea where this all ends, but (God willing I live long enough) I intend to find out.

Give the BUSS a try.  I'm confident that you will be pleasantly surprised.

Regards,

Dave

Dan_ed

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 345
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #21 on: 19 May 2009, 06:12 pm »
Hi Dave,

I'm going to get a Majik Buss and power cords for demo from Danny. Can you share a bit on your approach with the cables? Wire, dielectric, etc.

Thanks,
Dan

dBe

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 2181
    • PI audio group, LLC
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #22 on: 19 May 2009, 09:35 pm »
I'm going to get a Majik Buss and power cords for demo from Danny. Can you share a bit on your approach with the cables? Wire, dielectric, etc.
Thanks,
Dan

Dan, I'd love to, but I'm not Elektra Cables.  I know a lot about them, but I'll let Danny tell you because he is the distributor of those.  I can tell you that in a recent cable shoot out here in Albuquerque the top of the line Elektra power cord was put up against cables from Purist Audio.  These included a Proteus, Dominus Ferox, standard Dominus power cables as well as a shielded 14 ga standard cable and a couple of DIY concoctions.  The overall winner of the shootout was the Dominus Ferox @ $1990.00.  A very close second and preferred by 5 out of 6 reviewers over third place (standard Dominus) was the Elektra @ $329.00.  None of the reviewers knew the price of the Elektra and the test was a blind test carried out over a 4 hour period.

Bottom line is the Elektra was a tremendous value cable on the test setup.

HTH

HAL

  • Industry Contributor
  • Posts: 5211
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #23 on: 19 May 2009, 11:31 pm »
I am already regenerating AC power for the system at this point.

HAL,

Dave here.  I, too, am regenerating power.  I have a much modified (I can't seem to leave anything stock) PS Audio P300 MultiWave that is used to power my Cary 306 player and Cary preamp.  You might be as surprised as I was with the addition of the Majik BUSS. 

Here is where I am obligated to tell you that I am the designer and manufacturer and you can either: (A) regard all of this as the blithering of an over anxious marketing dude, or; (B) take a leap of faith and choose to believe me.  :angel:

A flow chart of the power from my electrical service is as follows:  dedicated 20 amp circuit with 10 ga wire > Cryoed Pass & Seymour 5362A outlets shunted with .1ufd 630V PP caps > TOPAZ 2.5KVA Ultra Isolation transformer with cryoed Pass & Seymour 5362A outlets w/ .01 630V PP shunts.

My old setup was to plug my monoblocks into this setup along with the PowerPlant (obviously I use my power cables for this  :) ).  My new one has a Majik BUSS inserted after the iso TX and everything plugged into it.  The monoblocks are plugged into the 'A' circuit and the PowerPlant is plugged into the 'B' circuit.  Circuit 'B' has additional filtering that isolates it from 'A' and is meant for low level and/or digital sources.

Even with the PowerPlant, the improvement is remarkable.  I always thought the modified PowerPlant was unbeatable as power for the front end.  That is until I put this all together.  Who knew?  Certainly not I!

MAJOR CAVEAT - DO NOT PLUG THE MAJIK BUSS INTO POWER REGENERATION DEVICES!!!  The capacitive nature of the MB will shut them down. Inductance is not a problem as it is only .001mH which is from the in situ wiring,  The MB does not contain any inductors.

I developed the MB as a reasonably priced alternative to the iso TX / PowerPlant chain that I had been using.  I have been building devices like this for years that are used in recording studios as point of power filters.  This is especially critical for digital gear that is highly susceptible to power pollution induced jitter.  As I continue down the road of high resolution audio, I am amazed just how crappy the incoming power is here in Albuquerque.  I am sure it is pretty much the same in most locales.

All of this is just to say this:  don't be lulled into audio complacency by power regeneration.  There is a huge amount of AC garbage running around in the neutral/ground bonding that gets introduced into the ground plane of our gear.  Eliminating this noise is just another veil lifted from the system.  Power regeneration alone is not the total solution.

Then there is the whole topic of Power Factor Correction...

One last note:  I am currently (pun?) running a prototype UberBUSS before the TOPAZ and a Majik Buss after the TOPAZ.  Again, I am amazed in the difference in the macro and micro dynamics from this combination.  I have no idea where this all ends, but (God willing I live long enough) I intend to find out.

Give the BUSS a try.  I'm confident that you will be pleasantly surprised.

Regards,

Dave

Dave,
I have a PS Audio P300 with MWII on the front end and a Power Plant Premier on the PA's.  Those have made a very big difference on sound quality improvement and lowering the noise floor of the system. 

The write-up sounds interesting. 

Will talk to Danny about a Majik Buss once some other audio projects are complete. 

dBe

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 2181
    • PI audio group, LLC
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #24 on: 19 May 2009, 11:53 pm »
Will talk to Danny about a Majik Buss once some other audio projects are complete.

Cool.

So many projects, so little time.  Work is the scourge of the listening class, to paraphrase an old one.

Dave

Dan_ed

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 345
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #25 on: 20 May 2009, 01:01 pm »
Dan, I'd love to, but I'm not Elektra Cables.  I know a lot about them, but I'll let Danny tell you because he is the distributor of those.  I can tell you that in a recent cable shoot out here in Albuquerque the top of the line Elektra power cord was put up against cables from Purist Audio.  These included a Proteus, Dominus Ferox, standard Dominus power cables as well as a shielded 14 ga standard cable and a couple of DIY concoctions.  The overall winner of the shootout was the Dominus Ferox @ $1990.00.  A very close second and preferred by 5 out of 6 reviewers over third place (standard Dominus) was the Elektra @ $329.00.  None of the reviewers knew the price of the Elektra and the test was a blind test carried out over a 4 hour period.

Bottom line is the Elektra was a tremendous value cable on the test setup.

HTH

Well, don't I feel stupid.  :lol:  Thanks for your input nonetheless. This will be interesting then as I plan to compare them to my Nordost pc's, which in my system, were substantially better than Purist Audio.

I have yet to find a power conditioner that I can live with in my stereo, but I keep looking. I suppose my only other option is regeneration as you have done. However, I can put a good conditioner to use on my plasma tv. It is amazing how well these sets respond to good power. I'm looking forward to getting a Majik Buss for testing.

Are you familiar with the Brickwall surge protectors? I have an older model that has 8 outlets but is all in one box which is used on the HT gear. No filtering I suspect. Would it be best to have the Majik Buss plug into that unit or directly into the wall?

dBe

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 2181
    • PI audio group, LLC
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #26 on: 20 May 2009, 03:12 pm »
Well, don't I feel stupid.  :lol:

Oh, Dan, we all have our "duh" moments.  My wife, Gayle, says that mine are becoming more frequent now that I'm almost eligible for Social Security  :D

Don't be afraid to use the BUSS with your audio system.  My major complaint with most conditioners is their effect on dynamics.  The BUSS does not current limit.  The conductors are good for over 40 amps in chassis wiring applications and the most consistent comment that I get is the INCREASE in dynamics of the system from the power factor correction the BUSS does.  I have guys using them on Krell and Pass amps which are notorious current hounds.

My tired old eyes can see a bit of improvement on my plasma.  I think I need glasses to fully appreciate it though.  I'm moving from "readers" to needing some "over yonders".  It does help out the surround sound.

The Brickwall filters are pretty good.  I've spec'd them for recording studios upstream of UPS units to prevent data loss and cratering systems from lightning strikes.  Plug the BUSS into the Brickwall, not the other way around, for best results.

Enjoy the demo and stay in touch.

Dave
PI audio group
www.piaudiogroup.com

Tyson

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 11112
  • Audio - It's all a big fake.
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #27 on: 20 May 2009, 06:11 pm »
I have a BPT 2.5, which is a 20 amp device, and a 20 amp dedicated line for my audio/HT room.  Of course, I plug everything into the BPT :)

Question - if all my devices never get above 7 or 8 amps of draw, can I plug the BPT in to the magic buss and get the benefit of it for all of my equipment?

dBe

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 2181
    • PI audio group, LLC
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #28 on: 20 May 2009, 09:30 pm »
Question - if all my devices never get above 7 or 8 amps of draw, can I plug the BPT in to the magic buss and get the benefit of it for all of my equipment?

The short answer is yes.  The long answer is a bit more complex.  I am not sure what type of surge protection is used in the BPT.  If they are MOV devices, your system might be better served to plug the BUSS into the BPT and use a high quality triple tap or two to get the number of outlets needed to distribute power to all of your gear.  If they are avalanch diodes or other Transorbs ANY WAY YOU WANT IS ok.  Just keep us all posted.

Dave
PI audio group, LLC

Dan_ed

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 345
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #29 on: 20 May 2009, 10:31 pm »
Dave,

I made the mistake of showing my wife what a better pc could do on the plasma. I had to wrestle it back from her because it came from my 2 channel system. You can see where this is going.

Thanks for the hookup tip.

dBe

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 2181
    • PI audio group, LLC
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #30 on: 21 May 2009, 04:49 am »
Dave,

I made the mistake of showing my wife what a better pc could do on the plasma. I had to wrestle it back from her because it came from my 2 channel system. You can see where this is going.

Thanks for the hookup tip.

You are welcome.

My wife is the best critic that I have.  She also has a great pair of ears, too.  (funny, I just had this thought when I wrote: "great pair"  aa) Anyway, I'm very happy that she enjoys the fruit of my labor almost as much as I do.  Shes still asks "that" question occasionally.  You know, the one that begins - "Honey, do the speakers REALLY have to be.........?"

Dave
PI audio group
www.piaudiogroup.com

Danny Richie

  • Industry Contributor
  • Posts: 14342
    • http://www.gr-research.com
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #31 on: 21 May 2009, 08:54 pm »
Funny thing is that all the people out there giving this a try are well aware of the differences in cleaning up the power.

Where are all the skeptics?

dBe

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 2181
    • PI audio group, LLC
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #32 on: 21 May 2009, 10:11 pm »
Very good question.  Want me to invite Daryl and ajinfla to drop by  :lol:

Dave
PI audio group, LLC
www.piaudiogroup.com

Dan_ed

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 345
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #33 on: 21 May 2009, 11:30 pm »
Well, there are some components and systems that just won't let anyone hear the differences through them. Denying that clean power and good PCs really do make for better sound is easier than replacing components or their entire systems.





Maybe that will stir the hornets.  :icon_twisted:

dBe

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 2181
    • PI audio group, LLC
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #34 on: 22 May 2009, 02:56 am »
OT, but applicable.

When I was in high school, there was a huge flap in drag racing and the "Scientists", the ones that were data hounds and relied upon others work for all of their postulations, had proven mathematically that no one would EVER run a quarter mile in less than 8 seconds because the coefficient of traction would not allow acceleration in excess of 1 G.  The fly in the ointment were the guys at the Vogue Tire Company that came up with a new rubber formulation that got stickier as it got hotter.  This was a passenger car tire.  Didn't take Goodyear long to start building drag slicks from that rubber... then came wider tires, better clutches, wrinkle walls, solid blocks...............and here we are in the 21st century watching guys and gals pop sub 4's all of the time.

Anyone that thinks that everything is reducible to simple L-C-R is a moron.  There:  I said it.  Does that make me a bad person?  :scratch:

Dave
PI audio group
www.piaudiogroup.com

satfrat

  • Restricted
  • Posts: 10855
  • Boston Red Sox!! 2004 / 2007 / 2013
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #35 on: 22 May 2009, 03:15 am »
Question - if all my devices never get above 7 or 8 amps of draw, can I plug the BPT in to the magic buss and get the benefit of it for all of my equipment?

The short answer is yes.  The long answer is a bit more complex.  I am not sure what type of surge protection is used in the BPT.  If they are MOV devices, your system might be better served to plug the BUSS into the BPT and use a high quality triple tap or two to get the number of outlets needed to distribute power to all of your gear.  If they are avalanch diodes or other Transorbs ANY WAY YOU WANT IS ok.  Just keep us all posted.

Dave
PI audio group, LLC

Hi Dave, there is no surge protection in my BPT BP2.5 so I would recommend placing your unit in front of the BPT just like Danny did with his Dodd balanced power conditioner. Anyways, that's what I'll be trying with my demo Majic Buss. :thumb:

Cheers,
Robin

dBe

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 2181
    • PI audio group, LLC
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #36 on: 22 May 2009, 04:29 am »
Hi Dave, there is no surge protection in my BPT BP2.5 so I would recommend placing your unit in front of the BPT just like Danny did with his Dodd balanced power conditioner. Anyways, that's what I'll be trying with my demo Majic Buss. :thumb:

Cheers,
Robin

Cool, Robin.  I have not tried the BUSS with any of the BPT gear so I, like the others, will be very interested to see what you think (interesting concept, eh?  Not like Siler, though...   :icon_twisted:) about the performance differences.

Regards,

Dave

 

satfrat

  • Restricted
  • Posts: 10855
  • Boston Red Sox!! 2004 / 2007 / 2013
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #37 on: 22 May 2009, 06:47 am »
Hi Dave, there is no surge protection in my BPT BP2.5 so I would recommend placing your unit in front of the BPT just like Danny did with his Dodd balanced power conditioner. Anyways, that's what I'll be trying with my demo Majic Buss. :thumb:

Cheers,
Robin

Cool, Robin.  I have not tried the BUSS with any of the BPT gear so I, like the others, will be very interested to see what you think (interesting concept, eh?  Not like Siler, though...   :icon_twisted:) about the performance differences.

Regards,

Dave

No problem Dave, I'll definitely be reporting back. But actually I probably wouldn't have even considered this product myself if it hadn't been for Danny commenting on his results of trying the Majik Buss in front of the Todd balance power conditioner. Then after reading up on the conditioner and it's capabilities, I felt the need :duh: to try this out for myself. If you knew all the power conditioning emi/rfi fighting gear I already have in my system, I need this like another hole in my head (if there's any room for 1 more hole). :lol:

Guess I'll just wait and see what I hear,,,  aa

Cheers,
Robin

S Clark

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 7361
  • a riot is the language of the unheard- Dr. King
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #38 on: 22 May 2009, 06:52 am »
I, for one am eager to read your impressions. 

dBe

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 2181
    • PI audio group, LLC
Re: A must have for every system...
« Reply #39 on: 22 May 2009, 10:47 pm »
no problem Dave, I'll definitely be reporting back. But actually I probably wouldn't have even considered this product myself if it hadn't been for Danny commenting on his results of trying the Majik Buss in front of the Todd balance power conditioner. Then after reading up on the conditioner and it's capabilities, I felt the need :duh: to try this out for myself. If you knew all the power conditioning emi/rfi fighting gear I already have in my system, I need this like another hole in my head (if there's any room for 1 more hole). :lol:

Guess I'll just wait and see what I hear,,,  aa

Cheers,
Robin

Yep, Danny is a good guy with great ears.  I'm not sucking up, just stating facts.

I remember a few (more than a few I guess) when Keith Kidder and I went to the first DIY speaker soiree in Wichita Falls and we met Danny at his shop.  This was our first meeting.  We had been corresponding on the MadBored and Keith and I went there to meet the other geeks.  Keith took his TransLam speakers and I took a couple of my power cords.  I handed one of them to Danny and he said: "What's this?".  I told him to plug it into his CD player (a Rega Planet if i remember correctly).  I will never forget the look on his face when he turned to me and said: "That's just not possible!".  I saw his brain catch fire right then and there   :D

That is one of the aspects of audio that I truly enjoy.  It is like seeing a child's face on Christmas morning - full of joy and wonder.  When I meet someone that has the same love of music and the desire to make things that are the best that he (she) can do for the $$$, those are keepers for friends.  That pretty well sums up both Danny and Gary Dodd, good 'uns that I am blessed to know.  When I decided to enter semi-retirement I figured it was time to go public with the goods that I have been building around this neck of the woods for years, mostly for recording studios and friends.  When I decided to take this on, the only person that I considered asking if they were interested in carrying this as a product for sale was Danny.  Other than direct sales on the web, he is the only outlet that I have and I plan to keep it that way.

I guess you and I have the same opinion of him.  As they say in the magazines: Highly Recommended.

 :thumb:

Dave