Infinity CBF
I have recently purchased several infinity CBF’s from Alan Maher. Alan included a Signature Infinity CBF in my purchase as a Christmas bonus (thanks again Alan
). The Signature CBF feels a little heavier than the regular Infinity CBF, and the contents (crystals?) feel larger. Alan has mentioned the contents and formulation of the Signature CBF’s is slightly different than the regular CBF.
As mentioned in a previous post above, I placed them at the following locations:
1. At the main wire into the breaker panel (The Signature CBF was used)
2. On the breaker feeding my dedicated AV setup
3. On the receptacle just 6 feet downstream from the receptacle feeding my system
4. On AC male of receiver
5. Om IEC of receiver
System Background / Challenges
Now, I am more a HT guy than a true audiophile like many on this site. My configuration consists of the components listed below. Most power cables are after market or DIY.
KEF Q Series home theatre speakers in a 5.1 configuration
A Pioneer Elite SC-05 receiver
Panasonic DMP60 Blu Ray Player
Samsung 72” LED DLP TV
DVDO iScan VP50 PRO external video processor
3 non Alan Maher AC line cleaners/enhancers. Two on the dedicated AC line, 1 on spare receptacle of the PLC.
I have a huge electrical transformer from the electrical company on my lawn.
Results / Feedback
I was nervous about the effect the infinities would have on my video display. I bought the CBF’s because of the large transformer on my lawn and a marked difference in the sound of my system during the day vs at 10pm when watching movies. Samsung DLP’s are highly configurable allowing calibration of individual colors via the service menu of the TV. I had enlisted the help of a local ISF certified calibrator and he and I spent hours (and several hundred dollars) configuring the Samsung DLP TV in combination with the VP50 external video processor. I had read many a review of the CBF’s effect on audio, but very few posts offer feedback regarding their effect on video. People are often blown away by the 72” inch image on my screen being fed thru the VP50. I was skeptical that it could get any better, and feared the CBF’s would disturb the color decoding balance. I popped on the Infinites at all locations mentioned above and they sat for approx 36 hours before I turned equipment on.
Color decoding and color separation were immediately noticeably improved across the spectrum whilst viewing the VP50 test pattern on the TV. The biggest improvement was the saturation level of the color red. It was clean and saturated without washing out the adjacent colors in the test pattern. Combating red push is difficult as it affects skin tones and the whiteness/brightness of the color white; always noticeable when watching almost anything. I was encouraged by the test pattern results and real time viewing was impressive. Colors seemed to have more pop, they were more “plasma like” rather than “rear projection DLP” which tend to be more neutral. Despite more pop in color, whites were clean and bright and contrast level remained constant. The additional depth of color the CBF’s provide are very noticeable when you watch a “monochrome” film like Terminator Salvation which is very color neutral and flat.
Now the sound is another story. It has been a roller coaster ride as others have mentioned. As a reference I am using Master and Commander Blu Ray as the sound is of reference quality. I have watched/listened to the same 12 minute span of the film 7 times from Dec 31st to Jan 3rd and the sound has been slightly different at each interval. In the first day, delicate surround details were very evident, too evident. I fought the urge to turn down the DB level of the rear surrounds and the sound was coming direct from the speakers, no soundstage. Canon blasts lacked depth and punch. Jan 2nd the bass was muddy during canon fire, and the sound generally “heavy”. Even as I write this I am tentative and anxious because my system doesn’t sound good at the moment, and I want it back. The modestly priced CBF’s have been offset by the mounting cost of wine required to temper my nerve during these early days of “break in”. Yesterday (Jan 3rd), a more balanced sound was evident but with little depth, the soundstage is still not where it was. The “break in” is ongoing….
Based on what I have read about the CBF’s, I am not touching or adjusting anything until 20-25 days have passed. It was a joy to watch football on Sunday, the vibrant field and team colors were beautiful. I have wondered why there was an immediate benefit to the video over the audio without the ups and downs? I have surmised its because I have CBF’s over the AC and IEC of the receiver providing a more direct effect while I don’t on the TV’s power connection. Anyways, I will update this post in a week with where the audio is at.
Next Steps
Thanks Alan for being approachable and responding to my question about the CBF’s, and including a signature CBF with my order.
As for the 6th CBF I had in my order, my stepfather snapped it up and took it home to Montreal today as he was blown away by the audio swings and video improvement. I will be ordering more CBF’s for the both of us when you are back working January 10th.
