Great Hi End Values

Furutech Flux-50. Under $1,000 each. Passive inline power filtering. This was like a major component upgrade. Eg. Loudspeakers.

And I thought my Shunyata Hydra Talos' & Cyclops' were doing a good enough job scrubbing the power. How wrong I was! In fact, the Furutech Flux-50 questions the degree of effectiveness of Shunyata's power distribution products.

Passive inline power filtering at the component level will augment your power system to another level. YMMV with products like Shunyata Zitron, Transparent, MIT power cables.

I use these on every component including amps for the better!
 
Steve - the Flux 50 have a big following, but would they add anything over my beloved APC S20's?
 
Alternative forms of power conditioning is a fringe area topic. On most audio boards it is met with skepticism and often derision. In my system I make extensive use of the Audio Magic power conditioning modules that are designed to deal with the ill effects of RFI and EMF. I also use their power conditioner that has sub-components designed to deal with the same issues, the modules are an extension of that idea. I have a couple of Pulse Gen modules, one in my DAC and one in the phono stage. The pre-amp gets a Blue Dot Ground Disruptor, and the speakers have the Speaker Clarifier modules. Now I know the names of these products are somewhat sketchy, but they do work as advertised in a well sorted out system. This is not the stuff you would use on a basic integrated, CDP, speaker rig...but for a system of decent resolution their effects are noticeable and improve the sound in ways that component upgrades or other accessories do not. They are essential pieces to me, and I appreciate the improvements they make. there is a world beyond typical power conditioning stuff that is worth exploring if you can set aside some of the preconceived notions of this hobby.....

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Steve said:
Furutech Flux-50. Under $1,000 each. Passive inline power filtering. This was like a major component upgrade. Eg. Loudspeakers.

And I thought my Shunyata Hydra Talos' & Cyclops' were doing a good enough job scrubbing the power. How wrong I was! In fact, the Furutech Flux-50 questions the degree of effectiveness of Shunyata's power distribution products.

Passive inline power filtering at the component level will augment your power system to another level. YMMV with products like Shunyata Zitron, Transparent, MIT power cables.

I use these on every component including amps for the better!
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I've been exploring power conditioning options and would like to learn more about these. Are you saying that they outperform the Talos and / or Cyclops on their own? Or are you using them in addition to the multi-component powerconditioners? Also, I have a Shunyata Alpha HC (amp) and Alpha Analog (pre) ordered and use venom3's on the sources....Do you think the the flux-50 are or aren't a worthwhile addition?

Sorry for all the questions....just trying to learn something :)
 
Jay said:
I've been exploring power conditioning options and would like to learn more about these. Are you saying that they outperform the Talos and / or Cyclops on their own? Or are you using them in addition to the multi-component powerconditioners? Also, I have a Shunyata Alpha HC (amp) and Alpha Analog (pre) ordered and use venom3's on the sources....Do you think the the flux-50 are or aren't a worthwhile addition?
Sorry for all the questions....just trying to learn something :)
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1. Yes & Yes. They outperform the Shunyata Hydras alone. I am using them in conjunction with the Hydras. They are plugged into each component & the power cable is plugged into the Flux-50 & the Hydra at the other end. I even use them on amplifiers. According to Furutech, they are not current limiting. Let me just add, if the Hydras were doing a better job, then the Flux-50s (and I have 8 of them) would make no difference. But they do, & the difference is night & day. Like with all things power, improvements are additive given the fundamental nature of AC.

"The Flux-50 is an inline power filtering unit that eliminates many common problems caused by contaminated electrical power lines. It protects against distortion caused by ground noise, voltage spikes and sags, high frequency power supply noise from other components in your own system, plus high frequency digital noise from processors and digital interconnects."

By filter at the IEC inlet of your component, the Flux-50 arrests the noise that is oscillating outwards from the component as well as filtering the higher incoming frequencies that the Hydra does not scrub.

The inbuilt EM/RF filter is medical grade+. Shunyata Hydras do not address all elements of power contamination, that is why they are releasing more Zitron cable products to deal with specific elements of power for categories of components.

2. Given that Shunyata Zitron power cables are shaping current using passive electronics built into the cable plug, their technical approach may not necessarily be compatible with the Flux-50. Combining Flux-50s with a network of Zitron power cables may produce unpredictable results & compromise the performance levels of either or both products.

Personally, I would only use the Flux-50 with conventional power cables rather than cables with an inbuilt networking element. I would categorise Zitrons, along with MIT & Transparent as unconventional products. Others may have had different experiences with the combinations & there is no harm in trying for yourself if you are willing & able! YMMV.

3. The Venom3 is a conventional cable & the Flux-50 would compliment your sources. You may be in a position to experiment with your system, if you are prepared to give the Flux-50 a go. That is half the fun!

I plan on buying another 3-4 Furutech Flux-50 units.
 
PMCH said:
Oppo universal players. Great bang for the buck. They even push software updates to you.
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I wholeheartedly agree. Their quality, features, and value puts most other DVD player manufacturers to shame.
 
I would add the PI Audio Group Uberbuss and the Core Audio Technolgies Katana AC cord. The cord made a serious improvement on my Oppo, which is another great value product. And Triode Wire Labs power cords also belong in this category.
 
Here is my own personal list of all-time great audio components for the money:

- New: Oppo 83/95, EAT Tube Dampers, HRS DPX Damping Plates, Sablon Audio Q GC Power Cable, Magnapan MMG
- 2nd Hand: Celestion SL6si/SL700 speakers, SF Extrema, Wilson X1/X2 (change X1 tweeter/add Ultra 5s), PAD Dominus PC, TA Ref ICs
- 2nd Hand (but even when new): ARC Ref 3/5 preamps, CJ MV60/MV60SE, Apogee Stages

At the expensive high end but still great relative to other equipment in that league:
- New: CJ GAT, Gryphon Colosseum
- 2nd Hand: Zanden 4-box digital...better use lots of isolation on all 4 boxes, use NOS tubes and tube dampers
 
The new Van Alstine FET-Valve 600R hybrid tube amp and its baby brother the 400R. 600wpc for $3K and 400wpc for about $2500. This amp is on par with my Pass Labs X250 in many respects and it has a better midrange and treble. It compares favorably with amps costing twice as much. It needs to be paired with a tube preamp to sound the best though.

In the sub $1000 range, the Class D Audio digital amps and the Grant Fidelity tube preamp/dac for $350. I have both of these in a secondary system driving a pair of old MMG's. The sound is warm, airy and detailed with great bass and a wide sound stage for a total cost of under $1,500 for the whole system.
 
This past summer I upgraded my preamp and amps from Cambridge-Audio 840E (pre) and 840W (amps) to Pass Labs XP-20 (pre) and X600.5 (amps). Using list price, this was going from a $6500 total for the Cambridge gear to a $30,000 total for the Pass gear.

The reason why I upgraded is I wanted a bit more power for Friday and Saturday nights. While the 800W/ch with the Cambridge was mostly fine, the 1200W/ch with the Pass has resolved clipping issues I was occasionally getting with the CA gear. However, at the end of the day, the CA gear can go head to head with the Pass gear 90% of the time.

Cambridge just released the new 851 series, and I would suspect it sounds even better. Without a doubt, the CA gear is a high-end bargin.
 
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BlueFox said:
This past summer I upgraded my preamp and amps from Cambridge-Audio 840E (pre) and 840W (amps) to Pass Labs XP-20 (pre) and X600.5 (amps). Using list price, this was going from a $6500 total for the Cambridge gear to a $30,000 total for the Pass gear.

The reason why I upgraded is I wanted a bit more power for Friday and Saturday nights. While the 800W/ch with the Cambridge was mostly fine, the 1200W/ch with the Pass has resolved clipping issues I was getting with the CA gear. However, at the end of the day, the CA gear can go head to head with the Pass gear 90% of the time.

Cambridge just released the new 851 series, and I would suspect it sounds even better. Without a doubt, the CA gear is a high-end bargin.
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+ 1. I like the Cambridge Audio a lot. They are sweet sound products. I was quite surprise. Also I like the NAD products as well.
 
My vote goes to....... *drum roll*.... no one specific item.

There are so many great, affordable components in the market nowadays that I'm finding it nearly impossible to come up with something that truly 'stands above its peers' at any given price point.
 
Zero said:
My vote goes to....... *drum roll*.... no one specific item.

There are so many great, affordable components in the market nowadays that I'm finding it nearly impossible to come up with something that truly 'stands above its peers' at any given price point.
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That is the truth. The sound of the system is really in the speakers and room acoustics.
 
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