BlueFox
New member
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- #1
Monday I had a second dedicated 20 amp line installed for my amps. Prior, I had a Shunyata Triton, for the source gear, plugged into a bottom outlet, and a Shunyata Cyclops, for the amps, plugged into the top outlet of a dedicated line. At this point, I was very happy with my two channel system. It was sounding great, and while I know everything can be upgraded, and/or tweaked, ad infinitum, I have been content for a few months now.
Not any more.
This second line has given a performance increase way beyond what I was expecting. After the electrician finished, and I turned it on, I could immediately tell it was better. Much better. Even cold, it was sounding great. The electrician even commented it sounded like the players were in the room, although he might have been just applying a little salesmanship.
One thing I was a bit nervous about was ground loop, hum, etc. The first thing I did after the amps had a few seconds to charge was turn up the volume and get next to each speaker. Zero noise, dead silence. Good. So from here on out it was let the music play, let the new circuit get acclimated to the house, and listen to the music, and it just got better and better as the night wore on. As the gear meshed, the soundstage became more integrated with a much more horizontal layered effect. It is uncanny. All in all, the music seems more relaxed, as if it requires less effort for the amps. In fact, at my usual settings, it does seem a bit louder, but that might just be because it is clearer, with a quieter background.
One thing is certain. I was literally just laughing over and over last night at how good it sounded. A song would play, I would smile, and then just break out laughing. To me, that was impressive. I just love how things done with this hobby can have such positive effects on my mood. At some point this upgrade will become the new norm, but I hope this does not wear off too soon. However, when it does I will be ready and add a Shunyata Typhon to the Triton used for my source gear. One thing though, in so far as return on investment, this has to be one of the better upgrades. For a few hundred dollars, it is allowing everything to work quite well together. Electronics, cables, speakers, and power are acting as one, and creating a beautiful sound.
To be honest, I think I get more pleasure from power and cable upgrades than from gear upgrades. I expect better gear to create better sound, but, even now, I am still amazed at the improvements from power and cabling. I have said this more than once either here or on other forums, but I now consider power and cabling to be the foundation of a system. A solid foundation allows modest gear to perform at its best, and allows better gear to perform at its potential right from the start. Without a solid foundation, it is impossible for any gear to perform anywhere near its potential.
Not any more.
This second line has given a performance increase way beyond what I was expecting. After the electrician finished, and I turned it on, I could immediately tell it was better. Much better. Even cold, it was sounding great. The electrician even commented it sounded like the players were in the room, although he might have been just applying a little salesmanship.
One thing I was a bit nervous about was ground loop, hum, etc. The first thing I did after the amps had a few seconds to charge was turn up the volume and get next to each speaker. Zero noise, dead silence. Good. So from here on out it was let the music play, let the new circuit get acclimated to the house, and listen to the music, and it just got better and better as the night wore on. As the gear meshed, the soundstage became more integrated with a much more horizontal layered effect. It is uncanny. All in all, the music seems more relaxed, as if it requires less effort for the amps. In fact, at my usual settings, it does seem a bit louder, but that might just be because it is clearer, with a quieter background.
One thing is certain. I was literally just laughing over and over last night at how good it sounded. A song would play, I would smile, and then just break out laughing. To me, that was impressive. I just love how things done with this hobby can have such positive effects on my mood. At some point this upgrade will become the new norm, but I hope this does not wear off too soon. However, when it does I will be ready and add a Shunyata Typhon to the Triton used for my source gear. One thing though, in so far as return on investment, this has to be one of the better upgrades. For a few hundred dollars, it is allowing everything to work quite well together. Electronics, cables, speakers, and power are acting as one, and creating a beautiful sound.
To be honest, I think I get more pleasure from power and cable upgrades than from gear upgrades. I expect better gear to create better sound, but, even now, I am still amazed at the improvements from power and cabling. I have said this more than once either here or on other forums, but I now consider power and cabling to be the foundation of a system. A solid foundation allows modest gear to perform at its best, and allows better gear to perform at its potential right from the start. Without a solid foundation, it is impossible for any gear to perform anywhere near its potential.
