[sveetsnelda]

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?

*raises hand*

I'm well aware of how unclean AC power is and its effect on electronics, but I'm a bit skeptical on how much of an audible difference I'll hear with a power conditioner or AC regenerator.  I've got a pretty good set of ears and an attention to detail, so I'm interested to see how the Magik Buss does with my RS1000 theater and with my N3s.  I took Danny up on his trial offer and will definitely post my results. 

[Lundskov]

Hi
I have for some time considering to buy an UPS. It weights about 100 lbs. Anybody have experience with this. What will be different from the Majik Bus exept for the weight.

[dBe]

Hi
I have for some time considering to buy an UPS. It weights about 100 lbs. Anybody have experience with this. What will be different from the Majik Bus exept for the weight.

A UPS IS NOT a filtration unit.  It is exactly what it's acronym stands for and Uninterruptable Power Supply.  It houses a battery (DC power - usually 12 volts) that is used to provide AC power when an on board comparator senses a loss of incoming AC power.  The AC is created by an inverter.  It's output is incredibly dirty when it comes to noise.  It is an emergency device for power, not conditioning as we think of conditioning.  Great for computers, lousy for audio and video.

Wiki has a great description:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply

The Majik Buss weighs 7.5 pounds.  It does not contain any active devices or series components and provides AC power that is purged of noise from 250Hz upwards.  It also does Power Factor Correction that makes inductive devices like transformers see current and voltage that is phase aligned much closer than the differential that is common in line provided AC power.  This translates to greater efficiency of transformers in equipment.  My system is 0.6 dB more efficient at 1KHz with the Buss providing power.

Again, wiki is your friend:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor

Did that help 

Regards,

Dave
PI audio group
www.piaudiogroup.com

[Lundskov]

Yes it does. Thank you for your answer. I will go for the Majik.

[satfrat]

Well I've had my demo Majik Buss in my system, placed in front of my BPT BP2.5 balanced power conditioner for 4 full days now and have 100 hours of break-in finally accomplished. That's 1 of the 4 provided outlets to my system which has been on 24/7 since saturday afternoon with either audio or video. I filled up the other 3 outlets with 3 lamps, all having 150watt reading bulbs in them. I am using a VH Audio Flavor 4 power cord (especially made for higher power applications) with standard copper Wattgate terminations. I will be replacing the Wattgates with gold plated Furutechs. The Majik Buss shows it's balls when first plugged in, quite the sparks show from the AC plug.

I have yet to do any A/B comparisons but initial impressions last saturday were impressive, more than I ever would have expected considering all the added tweaks that already graces my system. Straight out of the box, I could hear a clearer soundstage,,,, tho bordering a brighter audio with added listeners fatigue at higher volumes. The bass got so boomy that I had to cramk it down 3db. Still, at lower volumes, I could definitely tell that the ground noise had been lowered and individual instruments & voices had more air around them, very impressive overall. Not only that, there was a noticable "pop" to my HD picture. Ballpark soil of a Red Sox game became more textured & defined. Deep blacks also "popped" on the screen. Considering all the tweaking I've done on my DirecTv HD DVR receiver, Sony XBR and Synergistic Research component cables (too many tweaks to mention), just seeing any type of reaction from the Majik Buss took me by surprise.

Anyways, after many PM's with Dave who's a real pleasure to converse with, I found that there was a needed 100 hours breakin for all that capacitance to settle down , that the Majik Buss has indeed been cryoed , the IEC terminal is nickel plated (which can be changed upon request ) and the 4 outlets are split up: A for standard gear filtering and B for extra filtering especially geared for digital gear/computers. I'm using B for my dedicated system power conditioning.

First 2-3 days of break-in, things didn't really change much. The best positive benefits were definitely the video and audio at lower volumes. Well day 4 saw a calming change in my system, enough so that my comfortable higher volume range (read loud!) saw a 2db increase with a now minimal listener fatigue. I also returned the bass from it's -3db setting, that boomy bass was replaced with a nicely textured bass.

I'm anxious to do some A/B comparisons with/without the Majik Buss but that will wait til next week as I'll be taking the Majik Buss with my to a NY RAVE this coming saturday for show & tell. aa Even w/o actually doing any comparisons, I can say that this power conditioner is the real deal and a keeper. Well maybe after Dave does some personal tweaks like a silver plated IEC. As much as this conditioner has settled down tho, gotta say I'm pretty happy with this conditioner as-is.

I'll do some further followup next week. My system is listed in my signature for those who may be interested.

Cheers,
Robin

[bradmorris1]

Danny,

The Majik Buss is amazing!  At first I tried it as a replacement for my BPT PC and I couldn't perceive much difference.  But when I connected my digital gear to the MB and then plugged the MB into the BPT I knew within 10 seconds that I was not going to be returning the MB.  There is much more power and punch to the system now and greater sense of sonic textures and soundstage as well.  Inner details are easier to retrieve and the bass is also much improved.  I can see why the ads say these things don't come back.  Mine isn't!

[dBe]

Danny,

The Majik Buss is amazing!  At first I tried it as a replacement for my BPT PC and I couldn't perceive much difference.  But when I connected my digital gear to the MB and then plugged the MB into the BPT I knew within 10 seconds that I was not going to be returning the MB.  There is much more power and punch to the system now and greater sense of sonic textures and soundstage as well.  Inner details are easier to retrieve and the bass is also much improved.  I can see why the ads say these things don't come back.  Mine isn't!

Robin & Brad, thanks for the reviews.  It is good to know that others are sharing my enthusiasm for these little black boxes.

When I set out to update and miniaturize the units that I had been building for the recording studio crowd I made a few changes that were "gut-feeling" changes that I had been considering for a long time, but just never got around to doing.  I have to admit that I am very pleased with the outcome.  This is especially true since the major change allowed me to reduce the price while raising the performance.  I wish my gut was always this right (and smaller, too).

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thank you again,

Dave

[whubbard]

Hi Danny,
Do you mind taking a photo of the insides? I don't need to see a schematic or anything, but I would love to know what this thing consists of on the inside.

-West

[dBe]

Hi Danny,
Do you mind taking a photo of the insides? I don't need to see a schematic or anything, but I would love to know what this thing consists of on the inside.

-West

West,

I bet you would.  The units are sealed.  Opening one not only voids the warranty and destroys the functionality of the unit, but there is really nothing to see besides a capacitor (maybe).  The EMI unit is proprietary, is not a coil and the whole unit is foam filled to reduce vibration and prevent prying eyes.  If you want to see what is inside, I suggest that you buy one and the take it to a shop and have them use an abrasive saw to saw it in half.

Kind of narrow minded of me, but when you come up with something that no one else is doing one tends to be that way.

Sorry.  Not trying to be a jerk, but I worked a long time on this product and spent a lot of money making it what it is.

Here is where I started my research:

http://www.cabot-corp.com/Niobium

Have fun  aa


Dave 

[sveetsnelda]

Dave,

     I had a couple things that might be worth noting in the documentation that comes with the product (at least I don't remember reading anything about this.  I'm at work, or I'd verify).  The first is that the Majik Buss wont work with a GFI outlet.  I have a few of them in my basement, and they trip every time I plug the unit in.  The second thing is that there doesn't seem to be anything limiting current flow back to the power source.  How do I know?  It shocked me (literally) .  I unplugged the Majik Buss from the wall and went to move it to another outlet.  When I picked up the power cord to plug it back into the wall, I received a healthy jolt.  I think it's something customers should be aware of.

-Mike

[satfrat]

I do believe I found a scientific clue from the link provided by mad scientist Dave:

Niobium and niobium oxides are also emerging as a dielectric material for electronic capacitors.

So much for me changing the IEC myself.

Brad, interesting that you are using the Majik Buss after your BPT. Do you have your whole system going through th BPT? If so, you might want to try plugging the BPT into the B outlet of the Majik Buss instead so all your componets are benefiting. Another option would be to plug your digtal components into the 2 B outlets and the BPT into the A outlet, this would isolate your digital but also give your other gear the benefit of both the Majik Buss and the BPT.
Myself, the 5 seperate outlets of my BPT are isolated from each other with DynamiCaps so I feel comfortable using the BPT's outlets for seperating digital/analog and having everything reap the benefits for the Majik Buss/balanced power conditioning combo by having the Majik Buss plugged into the dedicated circuit outlet and having the BPT plugged into the B outlet.

Cheers,
Robin

[dBe]

Dave,

     I had a couple things that might be worth noting in the documentation that comes with the product (at least I don't remember reading anything about this.  I'm at work, or I'd verify).  The first is that the Majik Buss wont work with a GFI outlet.  I have a few of them in my basement, and they trip every time I plug the unit in.  The second thing is that there doesn't seem to be anything limiting current flow back to the power source.  How do I know?  It shocked me (literally) .  I unplugged the Majik Buss from the wall and went to move it to another outlet.  When I picked up the power cord to plug it back into the wall, I received a healthy jolt.  I think it's something customers should be aware of.

-Mike

Mike,  I don't want to appear argumentative so read this all the way through before you say "B------t!", please.

The unit is double insulated.  It also has a bleed resistor to take some capacitors down to 0.00V in about one second when disconnected from the wall current.  They are all tested for leakage faults and cycled numerous times.  I find it curious that you said it shocked you.  These units have been in use in multiple forms for years without any such reports.  I can understand you being startled by the capacitors seeking current.  If you really did get shocked, I would throw the cord away that you pluged into the unit because it is leaky.  Take a good look at the box: there are no exposed metal parts, much less connections.  The box is hardwood and the coating is a dielectric.  It cannot, repeat: cannot shock you... it might surprise you when it charges, though.

The PFC section charges upon plugging into the wall.  This charging cycle is like plugging an isolation transformer into a circuit.  It will draw quite a bit of current energizing the windings.  The MajikBUSS cannot shock you unless you are touching the prongs of the plug.  I would heartily advise against doing that.  I stuck a bobby pin in a wall outlet when I was 3.  It is one of the few things that I remember from my early childhood    

I have not thought about GFI compatibility with its use since a GFI (and the internal MOVs or crowbar, whatever...) should never be used for a high quality audio system, but I will put an inclusion on the website.  It is not a ground fault, but a discharge of a 5.6 ufd cap from neutral to ground (or vice versa) of whatever the ground to neutral potential is at your outlet.  If it is more than 3-4 volts, you have a big problem in your house somewhere with a swapped neutral and hot wire.  This will play hell with all kinds of appliances and even light bulbs.  BTW, the comparator in a GFI will trip @ 5 milliamps when new and they continue to age over time and can trip at as little as a milliamp when 10-15 years old.

Thanks for the heads up.

Dave

[dBe]

Dave,

     I had a couple things that might be worth noting in the documentation that comes with the product (at least I don't remember reading anything about this.  I'm at work, or I'd verify).  The first is that the Majik Buss wont work with a GFI outlet.  I have a few of them in my basement, and they trip every time I plug the unit in.  The second thing is that there doesn't seem to be anything limiting current flow back to the power source.  How do I know?  It shocked me (literally) .  I unplugged the Majik Buss from the wall and went to move it to another outlet.  When I picked up the power cord to plug it back into the wall, I received a healthy jolt.  I think it's something customers should be aware of.

-Mike

   

Mike, I had another thought.  There is not a bleed resistor between the neutral and ground wire in the BUSS, because the neutral and ground is bonded at the service entrance (electrical box) and should, and I say should, be at less than a couple of volts potential so when the BUSS is unplugged there should be little or no charge on the 5.6ufd capacitor.  Read back in my other post about the possibility of a swapped hot and neutral or perhaps a fixture or appliance that is leaky to ground somwhere in the house.

Because of your experience, I will be installing bleed resistors on all upcoming production.  Thanks again for the heads up.  If you wish to keep the unit, you can return it to Danny or myself for an updated unit with bleed resistors intstalled.

Also, please do me a favor.  Plug the unit in and read the voltage from neutral to hot.  Unplug the unit and see how long it takes to bleed down to zero.  Then read the voltage from hot to ground and then neutral to ground with the unit plugged into the wall.  If there is voltage between the neutral or hot in excess of 2-3 volts, unplug everything in your house, one item at a time until you find the culprit.  Your wife, kids or significant other(s) will appreciate you for it someday.

Still pondering this in Albuquerque,

Dave

[HAL]

Dave,
A thought.

If someone were to use the Majik Buss on the output of a balanced power transformer, this would also give the situation where there is 60VAC-0VAC-60VAC on the line - ground - neutral.  This would also give a situation where the extra bleed resistor would be needed.  Not saying this is a good way to use the system, just that it could happen. 

Have not seen the manual yet to see if this was commented on.  Spotted the comment about not using the unit on the output side of the AC regenerator.

[Tyson]

I got it today, it's still breaking in.  Already there's stronger bass, and tighter (was having problems dialing in my new speakers' bass, the MB has already helped things there).  There's still a bit of a veil, which I expect will drop away as time goes by.  But, I can already tell that it's doing a very good job cleaning up the noise/hash riding on my AC.  I thought that with a BPT 2.5, several Felix filters, plus Bybee's would have had things fairly clean already, but evidently not because the insertion of the MB was not subtle.  I want to give it some time to settle in, but my initial thoughts are that it will not be going back to Danny.

[dBe]

Dave,
A thought.

If someone were to use the Majik Buss on the output of a balanced power transformer, this would also give the situation where there is 60VAC-0VAC-60VAC on the line - ground - neutral.  This would also give a situation where the extra bleed resistor would be needed.  Not saying this is a good way to use the system, just that it could happen. 

Have not seen the manual yet to see if this was commented on.  Spotted the comment about not using the unit on the output side of the AC regenerator.

Good point.  Like I said, I will make that change on subsequent units.  Also, anyone that has one and is going to keep it can send it back to me on my nickel (FedEx) and I will update the unit and turn it around in a day to keep the good sounds flowing and the warranty intact.

Thanks,   

Dave

[brj]

I assume this unit does not offer surge protection of any kind?

Does the use of a Brickwall in front of the unit (which would provide this) degrade the sound at all, compared to plugging it directly into the wall?

Thanks!


By the way, Dave, please take a look at the Industry Participants policy when you have a chance, as you'll want to update your signature to reflect your business.  (You've been including the requested content in most of your posts anyway, so it shouldn't be a big deal.)  Thanks!

[sveetsnelda]

Thanks for the reply    I don't think you're being argumentative, just informative.  Based on your response, I probably didn't explain myself well enough though.

If you really did get shocked, I would throw the cord away that you pluged into the unit because it is leaky.

I'm no stranger to getting shocked by electrical components, so I certainly know what it feels like.  The cord I was using is the Elektra that Danny shipped with the unit.  Here's what happened in greater detail:

The Majik Buss was plugged into the wall.  I was experimenting with a hum I was getting from my Emotiva MPS-1.  The hum is subtle and inaudible in my theater, except through the surrounds (since people sit so close to them).  I get the hum in one outlet, but not in the other.  I experimenting to see if the Majik Buss would clean this up, but I couldn't test it fully because of the GFCI outlets (I'll change them out with a regular outlet and see how it goes).  Anyways...  I unplug my amp from the Majik Buss, unplug the Majik Buss from the wall, and I sat there thinking for a good 10-15 seconds.  I decide to take the unit upstairs and try it with my RS850's in the living room.  I picked up the end of the Elektra power cord (which is plugged into the back of the Majik Buss) and was shocked.  Again, the unit was not plugged into the wall.  Obviously, I could have picked up the power cord "further down" instead of letting my hand get in contact with the neutral/hot/ground prongs, but I've never had to worry about that with any other appliance I've used before.  The only time I worry about residual current is when I disassemble electronics (CRT monitors, etc).  Even though a flyback in a CRT TV/monitor holds a charge for a substantial amount of time, I've never had the power creep back into the power cord.

I have not thought about GFI compatibility with its use since a GFI (and the internal MOVs or crowbar, whatever...) should never be used for a high quality audio system, but I will put an inclusion on the website.  It is not a ground fault, but a discharge of a 5.6 ufd cap from neutral to ground (or vice versa) of whatever the ground to neutral potential is at your outlet.  If it is more than 3-4 volts, you have a big problem in your house somewhere with a swapped neutral and hot wire.  This will play hell with all kinds of appliances and even light bulbs.  BTW, the comparator in a GFI will trip @ 5 milliamps when new and they continue to age over time and can trip at as little as a milliamp when 10-15 years old.

Good to know.  I have no idea why the original homeowner decided to toss a couple GFI outlets in the basement (Only a couple outlets are protected.  The rest are normal).  He must have had a couple lying around left over and just threw them in.   

[sveetsnelda]

Also, please do me a favor.  Plug the unit in and read the voltage from neutral to hot.  Unplug the unit and see how long it takes to bleed down to zero.  Then read the voltage from hot to ground and then neutral to ground with the unit plugged into the wall.  If there is voltage between the neutral or hot in excess of 2-3 volts, unplug everything in your house, one item at a time until you find the culprit.  Your wife, kids or significant other(s) will appreciate you for it someday.

I'll do this now and post the results.

[dBe]

I assume this unit does not offer surge protection of any kind?

Does the use of a Brickwall in front of the unit (which would provide this) degrade the sound at all, compared to plugging it directly into the wall?

Thanks!


By the way, Dave, please take a look at the Industry Participants policy when you have a chance, as you'll want to update your signature to reflect your business.  (You've been including the requested content in most of your posts anyway, so it shouldn't be a big deal.)  Thanks!

Thanks for the info on the signature.  I have updated it.

You are correct:  no surge protection in the unit.  I plan on offering a separate unit for this function.

Power flow should be: wall > BrickWall > Majik BUSS > gear > listening nirvana

BrickWall and Zero Surge are the leaders in this right now, at least as I see it.  I'm not particularly fond of BrickWall's use of electrolytics in their units, but that is just a personal prejudice.  I don't like capacitors much.  Unfortunately there are no substitues of them in most circuits so I tend to use the best ones that I can for each application.  That is why I use polypropylene (or better) in all of my products.

Dave

PI audio group
www.piaudiogroup.com