mikk

Still for sale?

Offer sent re:Chord Mojo

I'm keen if you're happy to post. Pm sent.

Sold.

Final price drop- $200, no offers please.

Bump- price drop to $270.

Item: Surround set of AR's Holographic series speakers. 2 x M4.5, 2 x M.5, 1 x MC1. Payment Method: Pickup - Cash Reason for selling: Too many speakers already! Item Condition: Very Good Price:$300 Location: Marrickville, Sydney Item: Surround set of AR's Holographic series speakers. 2 x M4.5, 2 x M.5, 1 x MC1. Pictures: Note- the picture shown is not my actual speakers, but shows the same models as mine. Plus, mine includes the MC1 centre speaker Extra Info: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/acoustic_research/holographic_series_1990/holographic_series_brochure/ http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/acoustic-research/holographic-imaging-m-4-5/prd_401431_1594crx.aspx The M4.5's sound is very impressive, especially when bi-amped with quality amplification. Not just good for it's age, but good full-stop. The M4.5's are quite rare compared to the M4's. They look the same, but have a 8" driver compared to the M4's 6". The M.5's sit below the M1 in AR's product range. Took me ages to find their matching speakers to make up the full surround set! I'll be sad to see these go.

As promised, here's an update on the power cable situation! After using the new power cables for 3 months to allow for any 'running in' improvements, i have to say i think i still prefer the stock cheapo cables. I say 'think' because the differences between the different cables is much less than it was originally. The new cables have improved the bass tightness & definition, but at the same time manage to take away a little brightness in the system. This combines to make the music sound more 'refined', but the effect, to me, is a little lifeless. Using the new cable for just the amp provides a middle ground that's quite listenable, but to be honest i was kinda hoping for across-the-range improvements with the new cable upgrade. Either way, to my ear the power cables have made noticeable changes in the audio quality in my system. Maybe if i had purchased & used some brand-name/pricier cables the changes would have been bigger/better/lesser/worse, but for now i'll be using the cheapo cable for the CD player & either/or for the amp, and am not too inclined to spend yet more money on the power side of my equipment. for now, anyway...

I've been using an Upsonic power conditioner for a while now, and am happy with it's effect on my systems audio quality. I posted a review in the reviews section, if you feel like a (lengthy) read! I still stand by the conclusion that what might work extremely well for one person might do nothing for another. One thing conditioners shouldn't EVER do, however, is make things worse. All i can say is, try before you buy...

Oops- duplicate posting.

Hi Tephra, have you done any proper listening tests with/without your UPS? I'm somewhat wary of using products meant for computers with hifi, as undistorted/pure sine waves are usually fairly far down on their list of important features. I think some intensive before/after tests would be good, at least so you know that your hifi audio quality hasn't been degraded..?

Still no-one?!

review complete! In the review section....

This is a review of my Upsonic 5KVA power conditioner/ voltage regulator/ surge protector, & a review in general of a mains wiring upgrade. Introduction- Firstly, let me say that the aim of the upgrade was firstly to provide protection to my 'investment' of thousands of dollars worth of hifi gear, & secondarily to see if it was possible to improve the sound of my hifi system by improving the mains supply. I live in an industrial area of sydney, am surrounded by warehouses/factories, & in the past 7 years i've been there, there has been 4 VERY nearby property fires (including next door) resulting in serious power issues, & also a substation fire (200m away), & also a power pole across the road catching fire. Crazy stuff. My system is fed by a dedicated feed on the meter board, a 10A circuit breaker, 20A rated (2.5mm CSA) cable directly into the Upsonic unit. I have never experienced any noise, crackles, pops caused by other appliances turning on/off, or any interference on the telly caused by power tools/hairdryers etc. Features- Voltage regulation- it will output a stable 230V sine wave output when fed with any voltage between 200-280V. Voltage protection- protects from under/over voltage. Any supply out of the 200-280V range will cause the Upsonic to shut the output off. Power 'conditioning'- inline choke coils provide differential mode noise rejection, & a shunt capacitor forms a low-pass system. Meets Mil-STD-220. The output distortion figure quoted of <1% seems exceptionally low, lower even than most true-online UPS's or power regenerators. Obviously, i have no way of verifying this figure is actuallly true. Surge protection- 45kA per phase IEC 1000-4-5. Efficiency- The efficiency of the unit (>98%) is also far superior to older ferroresonant voltage regulators that i think only operate at about 85%. Construction- The Upsonic is an ugly beige box that looks like a small computer, & weighs about 20kg. Most of this weight is the transformers inside, & there's also a few very large inductors for filtering, & a large-ish circuit board & heatsinks as well. The case itself is a bit flimsy, but the main chassis & internals are all very well laid out & well constructed, with quality components used throughout. It should be noted that this is the 5KVA unit, capable of up to 21 amps of constant current, & has hardwired input/output connections. This 5KVA figure is roughly double what the normal Aus power point is rated at. Installation- The wiring panel is recessed into the rear of the unit, & is quite awkward to wire up. Lucky it'll only need to be done once! After initial connection, i noticed 2 things- a low level transformer-type hum, & the output voltage reading about 237V. The output voltage is meant to be microprocessor controlled to 230V, which is the 'official' Australian voltage. After removing the case, the hum stopped, & a 'meter adjust' pot was found. After checking that the output voltage was, in fact, 230V (with a multimeter), the pot was adjusted & the meter was reading perfectly. It was VERY sensitive, so probably got out of whack thanks to Aus Post's handling... I also spotted a 'voltage adjust' pot, & some associated jumpers suggesting that the output voltage is variable, but i didn't touch this so this is just speculation at this point... The hum proved quite annoying, & took quite a while to rectify. In the end, i fitted some rubber washers under the transformer mounts, and i glued some 6mm rubber sheet to the inside of the case, which worked perfectly. It stopped the case from resonating, and the unit now runs silently, & is completely inaudible from my listening spot 2m away. Total extra cost- $30. Even though i have it installed in my listening room, it may be preferable for others to mount it either at the meter box or in the roof cavity, & just run some shielded mains cable to a power distributor in the listening room. I'll end up tucking it behind a noise treatment panel, so it won't be visible. The output of the Upsonic is currently being fed into a crappy $5 unswitched/non-surge protected power board, & standard power cables are being used from here to my equipment (Rega Saturn/Krell KAV400xi). I have an Eichmann power board (thanks to another SNA member) , but am waiting on some Belden 83803 shielded cable to arrive before hooking it up. Also arriving with the cable will be some decent aftermarket power leads, also using Belden 83803 cable (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310173085923&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT) . No point doing a half-arsed upgrade- i'll report further in about a week when the new cables are fitted. All listening comparisons were between the setup previously mentioned, and a nearby dedicated 10A powerpoint, using a 10A 5m extension lead & cheap non-surge non-switched power board. In use- I've used surge protectors/power 'conditioners' before, for peace of mind, & the only audible result i found was that when power hungry amps were plugged in, there was a noticeable flattening of dynamics, & that the music was far less engaging. The Krell owners manual for my amp states that power conditioners may be used with it, as long as they're rated at least 1800W. The Upsonic is nearly triple this, so no probs there. All the wiring for the main power path inside the box is 10 gauge, which is kinda overkill for it's current usage. Initial listening tests show that the sound has definately not gotten worse. I think the Upsonics power handling ability stops it from limiting any current requirements of a very power hungry amp. After back & forth listening using the Upsonic then not, it appeared that with the Upsonic in use a very small improvement in audio quality was evident. Each different instrument or sound was better defined within the audio mix in relation to the other sounds, if that makes any sense. BUT, the improvement was only very slight, & took about 5 swaps to notice either way. I also tried plugging my CD player into a different powerpoint to see if it affected the sound, as apparently CD players themselves can be a source of noise, only to find no change in audio quality. I also tried plugging my 2 X 200W output sub amp in to the Upsonic output, with the Krell, with the CD player, also with no difference in sound quality. I think it's pretty safe to say the the Upsonic doesn't adversely affect the audio quality at any power usage requirements up to & including the 2400W limit of the normal Aus power outlet. That's pretty rare in a product like this, i think? After several evening listening tests, i was ready to conclude that power conditioning was a bit of a waste of time. Luckily, i held off submitting this review for a while though, as i then did some listening tests mid-morning, during the week. This time, the difference between the conditioned/unconditioned power supply was immediately noticeable, & extremely obvious. Improvements right across the frequency range, including tighter, more well-controlled bass, crisper hi hats & vocals, & excellent 3D imaging. I'm still stunned at the massive difference it made! It should be noted though, that i don't think the sound quality had improved in comparison to the evening listening tests, it had simply been restored to what i would consider to be the same level of audio quality. I can only assume that since i live amongst warehouses/factories, there is some level of noise or interference caused during working hours that the upsonic is doing a brilliant job of cleaning up? As i said, this is just an assumption though. Conclusion- Would i recommend the Upsonic 5KVA conditioner? Yes, but not at it's RRP of over $2000. I think that prettier & easier to install audio-specific products would be available at that price point, but again, most of these products would be unsuitable for use with high power amplifiers. Not much point in getting decent power protection for only half your hifi setup though, is there?! As a second-hand/ebay purchase, yes- definately. It far surpasses the protection abilties of any power-board based product i've seen. It doesn't adversely affect the sound of high current devices i plugged into it, which is better than most of the other stand-alone conditioners available. It provides a stable output voltage no matter what is fed into it (within reason). This feature alone would be of prime importance for a lot of people- especially those with valve gear, (especially if that valve gear was designed for 220-230V in the first place). You could also use the Upsonic to it's full 21 Amp ability, with suitable household/meterbox mods, to power a complete multi-amp setup, if desired. It consumes FAR less power than power generators like PS Audio's, or ferroresonant voltage regultors. The intermittant gain in audio quality is a considerable bonus, but unless you're being fed with crappy power in the first place, wouldn't be reason in itself to perform this upgrade. (Maybe this'll change with the fitment of my improved cables/power board?) The only drawbacks i've found were the initial hum, the slightly awkward installation, the fact it's hardwired only (though plugs could be attached, i suppose), it's ugliness, & the need to find/attach a suitable power board & cable to the outlet. The user manual is also hilariously crap- written by somebody with extremely poor english & no understanding of the product. All in all, if you don't mind putting some effort into the Upsonic, you'll be rewarded with a product that i think would compare extremely well with other Audio-specific power products available on the market. UPDATE!!! After fitting the Eichman power board, using Belden 83803 cable, i didn't notice any further gains in audio quality. After installing the new power cables, believe it or not, the sound quality had been reduced to below that of not using the conditioner/new cables at all! Obviously, i've ended up using the cheapo supplied cables, & am still happy to use the Eichmann board due to it's ability to accept any power plug you can throw at it! So, if someone told me that power conditioning & power cable upgrades made absolutely no difference to their hifi set-up, i would believe them. AND, if someone else told me that power conditioning made a massive, immediately noticeable difference to their hifi set-up, i would also believe them. I think it really comes down to your specific situation as to whether it can improve your listening experience. As for me, i'm absolutely sold on the Upsonic. I've also seen that power cables can make a noticeable difference, but sadly in my case it was a negative difference. I'm still playing around with my power set-up, so will no doubt add some further notes to this review in future.

Hi Robin, thanks for the info. There were some M6's on ebay just a week or 2 ago that sold for $300ish. Cheap for big speakers, but they are getting quite old i suppose. I have previously heard some M4.5's, & they sounded great when fed with some serious amplification. I'm just after some bookshelf speakers this time though, as there's no room here for something as large as the M6's! Thanks again for your help, Michael.

I'm looking for some AR M1 or M2 speakers from the 90's, if anyone has a pair lying around they'd like to give a new home to?! I'm in Sydney, & will pay reasonable cost + postage (if req'd). Thanks, Michael.

The power conditioner is all quietened down now- just needed a little squishy foam between the case & chassis. It's sitting next to the wall outlet 2m from my listening position & is inaudible. will post a review soon, if anyones interested...

Sorted. Thanks for the speedy replies guys!

Eichmann power strip wanted to buy (in Sydney). Pref Euro style plug outlets, if possible. Thanks, Michael.

Hi, i bought a 2m Chord Chameleon silver interconnect, chopped it in half, put the original Chord rca connectors on one length & (flimsy blue) Eichmann bullits on the other length. I put a Y adaptor on the output of my CD player and had the 2 interconnects attached to different inputs of my amp so i could switch back & forth easily. There was a small but easily noticeable difference between the 2, with the Eichmann terminated interconnect being the best. It was about 2 years ago that i did this, so can't remember the exact improvements, but seem to recall that the improvement gained would have been similar to moving up a range in Chord products (ie-very similar sound, just an increase in separation between instruments & better individual clarity of instruments, if that makes any sense?!).

bugger. guess i'll keep looking...

Still available? I'm looking for complete cables but haven't had much luck finding any at a price i find reasonable, so may need to make my own! Thanks, Michael. mikk@aapt.net.au

Hi, is your gear sold yet? Thanks, Michael.

Hi JiriAU, i just hooked up the Upsonic today & can report that it does have a very small amount of transformer hum. Will get some sound deadening for the inside of the case as soon as practical- i reckon this will solve the problem. It's currently tucked behind a room treatment panel, & is only just audible. It's not noticeable until it's turned off, if you get what i mean? So to answer your question, it would probably be best to position it away from your listening area (near the meter box?) & use screened mains cable to your outlet. This isn't possible at my place, so will have to pursue the sound deadening angle. Sound wise, i'm still doing some comparisons but the early prognosis is that the audio quality is only marginally improved. I AM still using a flimsily wired $5 power board & standard cables from the power board though. Will report further when i've had a proper listen & upgraded the power board/cables....

A 220V 'anything' probably isn't a good idea to be used here really, unless it's a specific 220-240V item...