[earlmarc]

I have read several reviews about these power conditioners; (stereotimes.com) and Bound for Sound magazine. According to the reviews and comments from the distributor, the power conditioners are perfect for digital devices, especially for digital amplifiers. I was told by the distributor that Tripath based or any switching amplifier benefits greatly from these conditioners. The digital graininess and high frequency hash caused by digital switching amps is not allowed to return and contaminate the other links in a stereo system. It sounds like a match made in audiphile bliss. I have both pieces coming to me for review. I will be using them on a Carver ZR-1600 amplifier. If someone has any input about these condtioners please post comments. Thank You.

[Psychicanimal]

I saw a classified on Audiogon and asked information and specs on these units.  This is the reply I got:

Sir

The devices are, as you have surmized, low pass filters, however, the
execution and configuration is unique in our experience.
The bandpass frequency and slope is not information we publish.

Kerry

Kerry Legeard B. A. Sc. P. Eng
Music First Distribution
US Distributors for Foundation Research Audio Electronics

As far as I'm concerned, the guy is trying to bluff me with all his BS (that's for bull shit) titles and engineering degree when all I asked for was specs.  In my book he's not authentic.  

[MGDeWulf]

The response you got surprises me, as when I wrote the review the designer had no qualms about publishing the specs on the units.

Here's what I have,"The LC2 is designed to be used with power amplifiers (220 wpc and under)....The smaller of the two components (LC1) is capable of delivering 6/8 amps RMS peak (660/880 watts peak 110 volts).  The larger LC2 is a 20/28 amp RMS peak device (2,200/3,080 watts 110 volts).  These are low pass filters, and the -3 dB point for both is 20,000 Hz, with the rate of attenuation being 4th order...."

In actuality, the LC1 is a little steeper than the LC2.

Marty

[eico1]

Psych,

It is standard practice to document your degrees and qualifications when presenting yourself on a technical basis in Canada and the UK. Speaking of BS, these boards would be a bit quieter if there was any such custom before presenting technical infomation as fact:)

steve

[Psychicanimal]

The response you got surprises me, as when I wrote the review the designer had no qualms about publishing the specs on the units.

Here's what I have,"The LC2 is designed to be used with power amplifiers (220 wpc and under)....The smaller of the two components (LC1) is capable of delivering 6/8 amps RMS peak (660/880 watts peak 110 volts).  The larger LC2 is a 20/28 amp RMS peak device (2,200/3,080 watts 110 volts).  These are low pass filters, and the -3 dB point for both is 20,000 Hz, with the rate of a ...

I can forward you the e-mail if interested.

OK, so that's (-27 dB @ 40,000 Hz), (-51 dB @ 80,000 Hz). (-75 dB @ 160,000 Hz), with no significant coverage in the audio band (6KHz and above).  The DeZorel and the Xentechs will smoke them (and the T4 too).  Seems to me nothing beats the good old 220V/110V isolation transformer.  My new audio room will use two: a 220V, 3 KW ONEAC CB2338 for the power amps and a 2.6 KW Xentech Extreme isolation transformer feeding two Clear Image T4 quad isolation transformer/filter arrays.  Total price...a secret.

[earlmarc]

I received the Foundation Research LC-1 & LC-2 power conditioners yesterday and spent an evening auditioning them. I will give a brief summary of my impressions. I have since sent them to Nathan at Eighth Nerve in Nashville for his impressions. First, I don't have alot experience with power conditioners. I have used a Dezoral, Brickwall, Panamax, and PS Audio. Out of all the conditioners above I liked the PS Audio Ultimate Outlet. I felt the other conditioners held back the dynamics and shaded music at the expense of a quieter background. The PS didn't restrict the sound as much.
The Foundation Research power conditioners are without question the best power conditioners I ever heard. It seems odd to me to describe  conditioners that allow your components to perform music the way good components should. You won't know how good your components are until you connect these conditioners. I will allow Nathan to further expound on the attributes of these conditioners. Put simply these condtioners hold no music back and are able to bring together sound coherently, naturally, with the blackest of black bacgrounds.

[musicfirst]

Gentlemen

Thank you all for your interest in the Foundation Research products.  We are very proud of them and believe they represent not only an exceptional value in noise reduction products, but compare favorably with the best available.

As the US distributor, I would like to offer a couple of comments and observations based on feedback from our customers and dealers.

If you audition the LCs, please take the time to experiment with floating the grounds.  Use cheater plugs (which disconnect the ground plug from the wall outlet) and lift the grounds on each component.  Then experiment with grounding one device at a time.  Often we have found that floating all components except the DAC or Preamp proves to be the best option.
 
Cheater plugs are available at any hardware store in the US.  (Sorry not in Canada)

Also, the LCs are not isolation transformer based devices and operate in a significantly different fashion than isolation transformers.  Many of our clients prefer not to have isolation transformers in their systems for various reasons; chief among them is the difficulty in finding isolation transformers or transformer based conditioning products that do not impart a significant sonic signature to the components thay are isolating, or limit transients dynamics or bass response in some way.

Having said this, there are some instances where well designed and well selected isolation transformers, when used on low power source components, can have significant sonic benefits while minimizing their negative sonic tendencies.

What I can say with a great amount of certainty, is that if you have a transformer based device in your system and you like what it is doing, try an LC in between your transformer and your component or between the wall and the transformer.  The combined effects can be astonishing.

It is my strongest belief that the most valuable thing you can spend on your system is time; it is something that many of us do not do as well as we might.

For those of you who may want more information you can check out the following link:
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?accspowr&1074732135


Kerry Legeard
Music First Distribution
US Importers for Foundatiion Research Audio Electronics