[Wig]

 Guys,

 I have ordered the Torus CS15 and have one more question. I have the ground lifted on my BDA-1 with a cheater plug, will I need a cheater when I install the Torus?

 Thanks,
 Wig

[budt]

Its because of your views on such matters I;m really looking forward to your findings most of all.
Also we have the same speakers,use Bryston Amps,and both used a Bryston preamp.
Curious,what gauge is the Bryston Speaker wire?

   I believe it is 9 guage

[Phil A]

 Guys,

 I have ordered the Torus CS15 and have one more question. I have the ground lifted on my BDA-1 with a cheater plug, will I need a cheater when I install the Torus?

 Thanks,
 Wig

I'd be a careful about defeating any grounds.  They are there for safety reasons.  Why was the ground lifted on the BDA-1?

[Wig]

 Phil A,

 Lifting the ground with a cheater plug provided the best overall sound quality. Highs were extended and detail but the difference was in the soundstage depth and width. I have always lifted the ground on at least one component for 15 years, it make big difference.

 Wig

[werd]

Had my BC 122 up and running for the last month while i contemplated selling my 4Bsq. the  BC122 is a nice little amp but doesnt have the grunt i am looking for. Got the 4B in the path once again and letting it warm up. Have it plugged into the wall atm and will leave it there for a couple weeks just to reintroduce the benefits of the Torus at a later date.

[budt]

  Just received my Torus RM15. To my surprise it was the much heavier 76 lb version which I was hoping for. So I plugged it in and will try it out tomorrow.

[95Dyna]

  Just received my Torus RM15. To my surprise it was the much heavier 76 lb version which I was hoping for. So I plugged it in and will try it out tomorrow.

Hi budt,

If you have a 76 lb Torus RM 15 it is the custom install 240V (2 x 120v) balanced version and can't be plugged into a standard 15 amp 120V outlet.  You will need a dedicated circuit installed by an electrician.  Your being surprised leads me to believe you didn't intend to buy this version.  The standard rack mount and consumer 120V versions of the 15 weigh 42 lbs (44 if you have the AVR version).

I wouldn't plug it in unless you have the dedicated 240V balanced circuit.  You can check this out on the website to confirm.

http://www.toruspower.com/rm_15_bal.htm


Bill 

[budt]

   Let's see where to start. I have been an audiophile for years now.I tried a few highend wires( even ones in the 4-5 grand range) and cords and even a few conditioners but always had to strain my ears and brain to hear a difference.In the end I didn't bother with any of it cause I thought it could very well be my imagination or perhaps my hearing simply wasn't good enough to detect any  change.So I figured my money was better spent elsewhere( atleast for me). I have heard drastic changes when changing loudspeakers or rooms,significant changes when changing from a cheap preamp to a bryston and also some digital sources. I have heard very small to moderate changes between amps( usually small). I read so many glowing comments on the Torus power conditioner that I decided to revisit this area in my system and so ordered a Torus RM15 which arrived yesterday.My 2 channel system consists of B&W 802D speakers,Bryston bp26 preamp,Sony newest 5400 sacd player  and Bryston 4b sst amp. All wires are bryston and bluejean.
 I plugged the Torus RM15 in and decided to let things settle for about 10 hours( as it was cold from transit).After this initial period I threw in the first cd and was astonished at the change as I really wasn't expecting much if anything. The soundstage is simply incredible with more definition,more balance,silky smooth highs seem to extend into nothingness,voice is more pinpoint and incredibly natural without any edge, bass is more taught etc. I could go on and on but frankly I want to get back to my system. I will say this.It is very very seldom that a change in my system makes me want to revisit all my cd collection but the Torus has done just that.At the price it is an absolute steal.Those of you who have one already know this but for those who don't I would highly recommend and audition.I would only offer one other piece of advice regarding the Torus, don't audition one until you can afford it cause you are not going to want to be without it.

[95Dyna]

   Let's see where to start. I have been an audiophile for years now.I tried a few highend wires( even ones in the 4-5 grand range) and cords and even a few conditioners but always had to strain my ears and brain to hear a difference.In the end I didn't bother with any of it cause I thought it could very well be my imagination or perhaps my hearing simply wasn't good enough to detect any  change.So I figured my money was better spent elsewhere( atleast for me). I have heard drastic changes when changing loudspeakers or rooms,significant changes when changing from a cheap preamp to a bryston and also some digital sources. I have heard very small to moderate changes between amps( usually small). I read so many glowing comments on the Torus power conditioner that I decided to revisit this area in my system and so ordered a Torus RM15 which arrived yesterday.My 2 channel system consists of B&W 802D speakers,Bryston bp26 preamp,Sony newest 5400 sacd player  and Bryston 4b sst amp. All wires are bryston and bluejean.
 I plugged the Torus RM15 in and decided to let things settle for about 10 hours( as it was cold from transit).After this initial period I threw in the first cd and was astonished at the change as I really wasn't expecting much if anything. The soundstage is simply incredible with more definition,more balance,silky smooth highs seem to extend into nothingness,voice is more pinpoint and incredibly natural without any edge, bass is more taught etc. I could go on and on but frankly I want to get back to my system. I will say this.It is very very seldom that a change in my system makes me want to revisit all my cd collection but the Torus has done just that.At the price it is an absolute steal.Those of you who have one already know this but for those who don't I would highly recommend and audition.I would only offer one other piece of advice regarding the Torus, don't audition one until you can afford it cause you are not going to want to be without it.

Hi again budt,

My post above came in just before yours.  Now I'm really confused about the 76 lb. RM 15.  Is what you have the balanced version?  My unbalanced CS 15 weight 42 lbs.

Bill

[budt]

  Mine is the RM15 non balanced version. I looked on the back and it is 120V input.I guess I got the last or one of the last ones of the 76 lb version.

[James Tanner]

My guess is budt got one of the older RM15's before the new transformer in the recently introduced CS and RM 15

james

[95Dyna]

  Mine is the RM15 non balanced version. I looked on the back and it is 120V input.I guess I got the last or one of the last ones of the 76 lb version.

Well, now that we have that cleared up, congratulations on your UNBALANCED RM15.  You are discovering today what I discovered at 2 AM Christmas Eve causing me to lose a night's sleep.  At age 59 the Torus is proving to be hazzardous to my health keeping me up nights and all.  And I thought my hearing was going bad.  I'm glad I sent my money to Torus instead of spending it prematurely on a hearing aid  .

Now back to the 2 ft. of snow that's on my driveway this morning .

[Laundrew]

Now back to the 2 ft. of snow that's on my driveway this morning .

Hi Bill,

2 feet of snow in the driveway Remember, it could be much, much worse - as in 2 feet of snow in my driveway

I hope that you have a snow thrower - if not, drop over and borrow mine

Be well...

[95Dyna]

Hi Bill,

2 feet of snow in the driveway Remember, it could be much, much worse - as in 2 feet of snow in my driveway

I hope that you have a snow thrower - if not, drop over and borrow mine

Be well...

Yes, we got clobbered overnight by the Noreaster that hit the Mid Atlantic states.  I'm in PA, right in the thick of it all.  I warned the smaller of my 2 Poodles last night that he should prepare to dip his little dingy in the snow in the morning .  Not to worry, however.  I have Snow King out in the garage (AKA the 7 HP Ariens).

[myview]

Let me first say that I am not an experienced audiophile and I am not technically inclined when it comes to electronics.  I am a music lover who just enjoys good sonics.

I am always sceptical about claims that tweaks can significantly improve the sound of systems.  Then I chanced upon discussions about Torus and other power conditioners/power regenerators and how they can improve and (some say) degrade sound.  To all you experienced audiophiles out here: is Torus really going to have a clearly audible improvement to one's system?

Also, has anyone here done an A-B of Torus with the products of PurePower (www.purepoweraps.com) which have also received some good feedback?  Finally, can someone explain to me in a simple and non-technical way the difference between what Torus does and what PurePower does.

Your response is much appreciated.

[VOLKS]

Hmmmm....based on Purepower's  Top 10 Power Gremlins that can affect a Audio System ....Does it offer more coverage/protection thena Torus?..........The Purepower Model 2000 sure looks decent.

[bmckenney]

Hmmmm....based on Purepower's  Top 10 Power Gremlins that can affect a Audio System ....Does it offer more coverage/protection thena Torus?..........The Purepower Model 2000 sure looks decent.

Looks decent I suppose.  As long as it's not broken, in the shop etc.

Bryan

[James Tanner]

^

Hi Myview,

No one else has piped in so I will offer some input.  The Torus is an 'ISOLATION' transformer and the 'Purepower' as best I can tell, is a power regenerator.  So we are coming at the typically poor power delivery problem from different directions but trying to accomplish the same end result.

Our research has shown that isolation is the best option given our particular goals. Most high quality 'linear' power supplies (as used in all Bryston products) can operate over a fairly significant range of voltages without issue (typically 95 volts to about 135V).  'Switching' power supplies could care less what voltage is coming in and can operate on 5 volts. The Torus offers an AVR (automatic voltage regulation) version if you are in fact experiencing large voltage swings and brownouts in your particular area.  We offer it as an option though because in most cases the extra cost is not warranted. Also we do the voltage regulation using separate taps off the transformer.  This is a 'passive' system so there are no moving parts to wear or disruptive noises when the Torus is adjusting to voltage drops or increases. I have to admit though I just got the new CS 15 AVR home and the blue lights on the black faceplate showing voltage in and out and current draw look really neat!

So given our goals of total isolation from the outside power grid, instantaneous current delivery, superb noise filtering, etc. we felt the isolation transformer was the correct option for us.

Hope this helps

james

[myview]

Thank you James for your reply.

[gtaphile]

This review is in the amp upgrade post but thought it also belonged in this one...

(I just recently upgraded my pair of 7Bsst2 with new PS etc. and that experience is as per the quote at the bottom) I also had on order a CS-15...for those that are interested my first impresson of the CS-15 post amp upgrade.)

Just received my CS-15 and let it warm up for 20 hours connected to the amps only at very low levels.

Here is my experince thus far - listerned to Fly Away by Corrine May on JVC XRCD2 at low level (between 8 and 9 on the pre).

Regular set-up - Pre and CD plugged into Monster power conditioner, CD player has Audioquest NRG-2 power cord, amps plugged into 2 separate 15 amp cuircuits.

Plugged upgraded amps only into CS-15 - image moved back and slightly wider but voices and piano became more diffuse. Not my preference.

Plugged all 4 components into CS-15 - image stayed back and remained wider but voices and piano more in  focus. Better to my ears.

Then left Pre and CD in CS-15 and moved amps back to wall - image stayed back and remained wider but voices and piano much more in focus and increased separation between voices and piano. This is closest to the sound pre CS-15 but with a better defined image present. Best to my ears.

I am not sure if 20 hours is enough for the Torus to fully settle in and will spend some time tomorrow listening to other music and chime back.

Quote from: gtaphile on 12 Feb 2010, 02:53 PM
After waiting about 24 hours for the system to warm up...

As expected for me the upgrade was in line with my other experiences with Bryston in my system. The music is simply that much closer to live in every respect....the background is much quieter. My listening these days is mostly vocals and I can tell you Alison Krauss never sounded so good on this system, not even close.

Will chime back in when the Torus arrives.