Cables & Accessories

Sort By: Post DateTitle Publish Date
Ed Selley  |  Aug 27, 2010  |  0 comments
Current affairs Mains filtration removes high-frequency noise, but as Richard Black discovers Isol-8’s Powerline Axis goes the other way, removing direct current ains treatment specialist Isol-8 has been around for quite a while, but has not been over-keen to offer product for review. Evidently, the reason for this decision was due to the fact that advanced sales had outstripped supply, apparently! Now that this problem has been addressed, we’ve finally been able to get our hands on a sample and a fascinating product it is, too. In its basic form, the PowerLine is ‘just’ a mains distribution board – though it’s actually about as deluxe as such a thing can get, with silver-plated wiring, high-quality sockets, a solid metal chassis and so on. But the Axis variant adds something very unusual in mains filtering called DC blocking.
Ed Selley  |  Apr 28, 2011  |  0 comments
Getting the cleaners in A noisy mains supply can ruin the sound of your hi-fi says Jimmy Hughes, as he discovers the latest technology from Isol-8's SubStations Sooner or later, even the most sensible hi-fi enthusiast starts to wonder what sort of difference having a mains conditioner might make to the sound of their equipment. Mains electricity is the ‘fuel’ that powers your system. So it stands to reason; the cleaner the fuel, the better things should sound. But then doesn’t the power supply in each individual hi-fi component deal with whatever impurities that might be present in the electricity supply? Well, to a degree – yes.
Ed Selley  |  Nov 29, 2011  |  0 comments
Electric Tech Want clean mains to power your hi-fi ? IsoTek’s range of passive mains conditioners promises you all that and more, says Jimmy Hughes The quality of the mains supply directly influences the sound produced by your hi-fi . If your mains is contaminated with noise (and it is!), the sound will lack transparency and clarity, making the music seem congested and lacking in dynamics. The solution? Invest in a good mains conditioner. IsoTek offers a wide range of products, from the mighty £6k Super Titan, to smaller more affordable solutions like the new EVO3 Solus at £595.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 30, 2017  |  0 comments
If you are looking to introduce mains conditioning to your hi-fi system, something that can prove immediately off putting is that many devices simply can’t accommodate all the different components in a well-specified setup. If you have a turntable, external phono stage and then music streaming networking hardware plus amplification needs to manage, four or even six-way socket distribution systems just aren’t going to be sufficient. IsoTek has taken this on board and its Evo3 Corvus has nine sockets and the power handling capacity to accommodate some fairly substantial setups. As part of its entry-level range, the Evo3 Corvus is designed to counter Common Mode and Differential Mode mains noise as well as RFI.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Feb 01, 2019  |  0 comments
A mains filter that is fitted with a standard 10A IEC C14 input socket, the EVO3 Gemini has two output sockets also rated at 10A. The unit features star earthing internally and a delta filter topology to ensure filtration of both common mode and differential mode mains noise. Common mode noise is interference that appears on the live and neutral mains connections simultaneously and is often caused by external sources, such as RFI, which affects both mains conductors.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jan 29, 2020  |  0 comments
Clean up the voltage of your system with this mains treatment upgrade
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Dec 21, 2018  |  0 comments
A pre-filter device, the EVO3 Syncro Uni can be used with any power cable, conditioner or mains distribution block. It plugs into the mains wall socket and its 13A output socket takes the mains supply and realigns its waveform prior to any subsequent filtration or conditioning. According to the manufacturer, it synchronises the mains supply to provide a perfectly symmetrical sine wave, designed to deliver significant sonic improvements to hi-fi separates.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jun 17, 2019  |  0 comments
Isotek goes Super Nova to limit noise contamination
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Feb 03, 2019  |  0 comments
Known for its specialist tonearms, Jelco – distributed in the UK by Divine Audio, but supplied here by ISOkinetik – has made its SG-1 digital stylus pressure gauge available as a separate item priced at £79. Previously supplied with its flagship TK-950 tonearm (HFC 438), the SG-1 is a well-made gauge with a non-magnetic stainless-steel bracket fitted to the sensor plate. Pressing the on button illuminates the green backlit LCD display and zeros the balance.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 11, 2019  |  0 comments
The legendary twisted speaker cable with a reputation for screening out RFI gets put to the test
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Dec 20, 2018  |  0 comments
By applying the QSeries architectures developed for its analogue cables, KLEI aims to bring similar benefits to its digital cables. The cable’s architecture is designed to maintain a zero voltage and low-noise earth state, claimed to enhance the electron flow in the signal conductor.
Ed Selley  |  Jul 07, 2011  |  0 comments
Black cube is no square Richard Black rattles his skull with the help of this analogue/digital input headphone amp; but are both inputs created equal? Lehmann is a company that specialises in phono and headphone amplifiers. This is an unusual proposition in that it manages to be a headphone amplifier, a preamplifier and a DAC all at once. Admittedly, viewed as a preamp, it’s a bit basic, because it features only one analogue input, and the DAC has only one input which is USB (when this is active, that is when it detects it is connected to a valid source, the analogue input is bypassed). So really this is an analogue/digital input headphone amp with a volume-controlled line output! Heady power Lehmann’s idea of what constitutes a headphone amp is generous, with a full push-pull power amplifier output configuration.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 05, 2019  |  0 comments
The solution that lifts your tonearm at the end of a record to avoid wear and tear is taken for a spin
Ed Selley  |  Apr 28, 2011  |  0 comments
The right balance With Magic Racks your hi-fi literally floats on rubber bands and as Richard Black discovers, it provides a unique way to isolate your system. There have been plenty of new designs for equipment supports over the years, the majority of them taking rigidity seriously along with such anti-vibration measures as spikes. A few, though, seek to decouple equipment more thoroughly using sprung or otherwise ‘floppy’ support systems, with or without damping. Newcomer Magic Racks has come up with an ingenious way of implementing the floppy approach, using what are basically rubber bands – long strips of neoprene rubber, placed between supports in such a way that they keep equipment clear of the floor or the level underneath, while allowing it to bounce freely.

Pages

X