AudioQuest PowerQuest 3 Review (AC Filter/Surge Protector)
Vložit
- čas přidán 1. 03. 2021
- This is a technical review of the AudioQuest PowerQuest 3 AC Mains Surge Protector and filter intended for audio and video applications. Detailed measurements are provided as well as description of the device and alternatives.
Text Review:
www.audiosciencereview.com/fo... - Věda a technologie
Businesses are banking on consumers ignorance, Amir proves it by testing them, much appreciated.
We appreciate this because it helps reviewers NOT TRY ANYTHING
Can’t wait for you to review your old ps audio power plant ! Thanks for the informative video !
“What do you do about that? Homeowner’s insurance!...” Lol!! Yep. So true...live in Florida myself, so glad you clarified that these dinky things will not protect against lightning. Such great advice about protection at the meter 👍🏼🙏🏼
Seriously. Any "audiophile" needs to know about this channel. YOU WILL SAVE BENJAMIN$ !!!!!
Thank you. :)
They will just ignore, they "know" better. And also, they can't admit they are wrong after spending a fortune on useless gimmicks.
They dont want to listen to the truth and rather believe in stupid fantasies and solutions to issues that dont need fixing or cant be fixed.
You've got that right. Amir is a real blessing
@@Adrian-jp2kt It's easier to fool someone (someone = audiophile) , then to convince him that he has been fooled.
I would be curious about the battery backup side of an UPS, like an APC for home computer use. I run my computers through consumer level UPS units and plug my dac/amp into the battery side too. I don't get noise either way, but I wonder if this makes any difference. Some of the nicer ones say they filter noise (for computer hardware). Thanks!
I have a few sitting around so sure, I can test them.
I had a brief power flicker in my house during a snowstorm and lost two Panamax MAX4100 and one Adcom ACE-515. I have a whole house surge protector, which still appears to be working, and lost no other electrical devices. Was this an internal power surge within my house? Why only these devices and all at once?
Very good review and very clear. The PS Audio Regenerators do filter the fundamental harmonics by generating a clean source - does this actually translate to better DAC performance where it matters?
No.
Well ok, to be more accurate, it doesn’t matter in any competently engineered DAC. Which are dime a dozen nowadays and can be obtained for not much money at all.
Thank you Amir. Seeing that these electrical power bars (strips) are indeed components that many of us use,
I have to ask - Is there a good basic unit we can use that at the very least, will not have a negative effect on the
current nor promise non-existent angelic frequency improvement at the cost of thinning one's wallet?
I'm curious what are your thoughts on PS Audio's power regeneration tech (ie Power Plant 3)? It's much more advanced than mere power conditioning, but I'm not clear what real effect absolutely clean regenerated AC would have on audio equipment performance
I have an older one of theirs that I plan to test soon.
Is there any legitimacy of linear power supplies vs just the power brick that comes with the dac or amp where audio is concerned? I could see how just a small device would have little to no effect, but something like a linear power supply feels more substantial somehow.
Not in my testing. I will do a video on them in the future. :)
Great review as usual! I would love to see a review of a "main-stream" product like the bose qc35. I think that would have massive reach and introduce a lot of new faces to ASR.
There are ESD wrist bands that connect to the ground with a megaohm resistor in between. If a surge event happens, can the megaohm resistor protect you from a shock? There's also earthed blankets (magic wellness type of product) sold on amazon that connect to ground similar to ESD wrist bands. Seems to me using those will put you at big risk.
The ESD wrist bands I know are not meant to protect the user against electric shock but rather to discharge the user from any gained electrostatic charge before they touch sensitive chips which can be destroyed by ESD.
Thanks for all your hard work. I'm curious about the "Chang Lightspeed Powerline filter", their local seller often show the results before and after installment from an expensive main noise analyzer taken from their clients environment. I can see the noise reading is much lower after using the filtering device but I don't know do it really matter in any meaningful way. Hope you have a chance to test any of it.
I suspect they are showing you high frequency noise as none of these can filter noise down to mains frequencies. In that regard, they make no difference at all for audio gear.
Love these videos Amir. Really appreciate you doing all this work. Funny note today’s video on CZcams the close captions are auto generating as Italian.
Thanks. Will have to look into the CC language. Very strange.
Looking forward to the PS audio regenerator/powerplant review. Installed whole house surge protector, but still run a few UPS on computers for brownouts and smaller spikes. Funny that whole house and one power strip cost about the same! Hmmm, which way is more sensible?
Hi Amir, please test Ferrite cores and how they (or not) affect sound.
You are really doing this community a service. Even saved me hundreds.
I'd really like to see a review of the Black Lion Audio Revolution 2x2 and the Antelope Zen Go Synergy Core. Both are rather pricey USB powered audio interfaces that come from brands with supposedly good reputation. Yet both of them are suspiciously tight lipped about the actual specs of the devices (Antelope more so than BLA).
I second that would love to see a rewiev of Black Lions PG 1 or PG 2 , by audio device standard they are on the cheap side priced around 500 bucks, but on specs the seem useful and the build of the box seems rock solid. But of course it is the content inside the box that matters. Would like to see if your take is "different" from this one czcams.com/video/rqJ5p7ASlVo/video.html ;)
Thanks for the video and please keep them coming.
Will do!
what audio cables would you recommend to pair this device with? Cheers Amir, you are the best.
Hi Amir, excellent channel.
Mains and mains cables has been a contentious issue and will be for a while in music reproduction.
Your approach on your website and now on CZcams is very well done and quite compelling.
Have you ever heard any difference between any mains cables or in your experience does a free included cable sound the same as a £1000 one?
I know what your opinion is of the Audioquest product is and of the PS product.
Is this your opinion of all mains products though?
Cheers
Great info. Would you consider doing a kind of best practices video with where to spend your money or setup a system for best effect?
Hello Amir, just a quick question about power strips / power blocks / mains extensions.
Is it true that regular, cheap designs that use daisy chained sockets can starve one another for optimal power? For example, you have a 6 way power strip, in the first socket you plug in a high current device like a power amplifier, in the second socket you plug in a large active subwoofer, will the rest of the sockets be starved of power?
I only ask, as many companies that produced HiFi power blocks etc claim that “star-wiring” eliminates / solves this problem associated with regular power strip design, essentially creating a “home run” for each individual socket? Is this accurate? Or is regular power strips just as good as one which employs star wiring?
Would be very grateful to have this answered!
Thanks.
A typical lightning flash is about 300 million Volts and about 30,000 Amps, sound generated can be 160-200 dB if you are close enough.
I can verify that lighting strikes rip straight through any normal surge protectors if the strike is close to you, and most of your electrical equipment will be destroyed. In lighting storms the only thing that protects your equipment is to make sure it's all unplugged from the mains when the storm hits, and also any other conducting cables like TV aerials, satellite dishes, etc. If you forget to disconnect those you can end up with a lot of fried equipment even though the power is unplugged.
Living on the "highveld" in South Africa where lighting storms come every day in the summer time, you only make those mistakes once. If there is a strike miles away then the surge protectors can help, but a close strike contains millions of volts. Surge protectors at the panel just explode if the strike is close enough - they seem to have ceramic components and they can cause quite a bit of shrapnel. It's all very noisy. (But not necessarily noisy enough to wake a sleeping infant even though it's the loudest thing I've ever heard!)
Yes but much of the typical damage from lightning strikes is not from a direct strike so you wouldn't have the full force of the strike anyway.
Liked. Nice review Amir, how about EMI and RFI reduce? I’m waiting for your review AQ Niagara 1200 or higher equipment
The greatest consumer advocate in CE of my lifetime. Thanks!
Amir, can you generate some noise in your home electrical system to see if these filters help? Maybe AC motors, solenoids, and crappy SMPS?
I have a ton of stuff plugged into the AC mains that was used to do these tests. That included my workstation, my audio precision analyzer, etc.
@@AudioScienceReview that is way not enough or specific
Great Video, amir. Would be interested into seeing some of your measurements on a ifi power product maybe even the ultra low noise Power supply. Keep it up
I would have liked to seen what was inside. Most little surge protector strips will have safety protection (fuse/breaker) to meet UL approval. Only use safety approved devices in you home. If you have space for a 220V breaker in your mains panel you can install an Eaton surge protector from HomeDepot for about $70 + the cost of a 15A dual pole breaker. Also get your neighbors to do the same as it has an accumulative effect. Can't wait to hear about the re-generator.
Would love to see the Power Plant test.
Maybe i skipped it but did you also talked about Video Improvements of this kind of devices? Since its in the digital domain, is there a way reduction in noise can have actual benefits with filtering?
He talked about it...
@@rusedgin and?
@@fan2hd277 impossible.
I saw a company advertising that they take Panasonic 4K HDR Blu-ray players and can “upgrade” it to where it’s sharper and skin tones look more natural. Utter BS, all these codecs have decoders, and these guys aren’t computer programmers that can hack this code. They probably swap out some power components, a nicer capacitor ain’t gonna effect the digital file flowing they HDMI.
@@fan2hd277 No interference at all. For video, in my experience, cable specs actually matter because with every evolution they deliver additional information, faster data transfer and additional features. But, that's it. Quality has more to do with the source, the codec used, the decoder and the TV than anything else. Over long distances I have no experience.
What about my VCRs ;)
I'm confused on the graph. Is there *no* control provided or is the control behind the graph of an equal unchanged waveform?
Your videos are great, could you explain if a double online ups would be a good idea for renters.
Thanks. You really don't need them for audio performance.
I've been witness to getting direct strikes. Oddly sometimes the thing that breaks down first seems to be what commits suicide, sparring other equipment. The most devastating one I've seen was my grandparents house. It shorted the transformer and sent line voltage directly into the house. But the only electronics there was a vacuum tube tv which survived, despite being haunted thereafter. However all the sockets and lightbulbs flashed over.
I have a small UPS at my desk. Why? Lightning and shorts happened around the house, damaging my equipment.
These UPS's are mandatory if you own any hardware of consequence.
@@BroNapartay Yes, I should have gotten one way earlier.
Measure 1,2 ,$3000 cables by BRISE audio in Japan. It "tightens" bass it fixes treble roll-off Transients...improved. Dynamics? Improved. Mmmm....no
Curious if you did a blind EAR test before the graph analysis
Your reviews are just awesome. Science and fact all the way! It’s so nice to see somebody relying on facts versus all of the other speculation and hype out there. Thanks for doing what you do!
Glad you like them! Thanks for watching.
If only you opened the powerquest, I wanted to see what garbage is inside!
Can you do a white noise/microphone test?
Great video! Thanks for the effort:-) Did you also measure with equipment connected to it? They say for example that switch mode power supplies introduce a lot of noise back into the power strip. I don't know if it would make an audible difference in other connected equipment though. Anyway, liked and subscribed. Looking forward to your next videos. This is a breath of fresh air in our audiophile community.
@Douglas Blake why don’t you try it out yourself? I did and it is quite audible.
@Douglas Blake last sentence: i hope not. but the messy SMPS could be from your rooter or switch, or a TV set top box. or telly. i found in many cases where i have replaced some SMPS connected to the same circuit as my sound system, SQ to have improved especially treble authenticity & sweatness, not always PRaT or bass energy.
YMMV. also your system’s susceptibility: some highly integrated one box streamer-integrated-amp, powered by internal SMPS will not be susceptible to other SMPS noise (i believe), a more complex system with several boxes will possibly be. whether you’d already have several SMPS in the circuit might also influence your judgment: if the one you try judging is the best filtered one, you will likely not notice any impact if it is removed from the circuit.
generally i have an issue with statements of the type ‘X has no influence on SQ’ - if it is true for Peter in his flat and for his system in Peterborough, why should it be so in any other place, system and for any other person? nevertheless i appreciate your message and feedback, perhaps my system is sensitive, i will definitely not put ifi’s 50€ SMPS anywhere near my system’s power circuit, while their much better 100€ version i do.
@Douglas Blake 2 things: i do not know what this aq thing does or not, and technically sound solutions on a wallwart perfectly fine serving power to a router might still allow for a somehow audible influence on a very transparent hifi system listened to by some good pair of ears. But i accept, we agree to disagree.
Can you short Audioquest...@NYSE ?
bravo another awesome video!!!!!! thank you!!!
Belkin offer a $250,000 coverage if your equipment is damaged, is that null and void?
many thanks for these straight talking factual videos.keep them coming. can you do some expensive regenerators / conditioners ? im thinking to purchase one up to 6 grand. cheers. would be great if you could test some audio quest speaker cables etc .show them up for what they are..
My pleasure. Yes, a regenerator test and video will be coming soon.
Was wondering if you would ever consider a measurements study on CD Transports. They commonly range from $500 - $20,000 each with very specific language in their sound descriptions. However if all it is doing is sending the data to a DAC wouldn't the DAC have the only significant impact on the sound (prior to the analog conversion). I own the Cambridge CXC cd transport connected to a Chord Qutest and am very happy with it but have always wondered how differently can you possibly be sending that data for an extra $19,400. Love your insight ^_^
I am casually interested in that. Tried to be a Sony CDP-1 but the ebay owner wanted too much money for it. I own a Linn high-end CD player which I can test. It is 20+ years old though. For now, there is no reason at all to think that they provide better sound.
I live in a densely populated hood downtown of a major city, in a condo with 1,000 units. My system’s MSRP is $7K. I use a cheap power bar. Should I be using some form of power treatment? If so is there an inexpensive model that is recommended that actually improved audio? A PS Audio $8K USD solution is out of the question for me.
Or are power conditioners more snake oil than anything?
I would get audioquest niagara 1200. Great build quality that will last a lifetime, good surge protection and if that gonna improve sound its even better.
Snake oil.
Save your money.
How about the Older Monster Cable Power conditioners? Still waste?
You should change the name of channel from ASR to SEA (Snakeoil Enforcement Administration).
Unmatched content Amir. Thank you
:) Thank you for kind words.
why is there no class actions?
So glad the channel is building viewers and subscribers. We all benefit from your efforts and expertise. Thank you.
The growth has indeed been heartwarming as have been the kind remarks such as yours. I am happy to keep sharing what I know. :)
Can’t wait for the PS Audio review!
how does the sound signature of a product show up in measurements like many people say this amp has some warmth and that amp is clear and analytical. How can I get that idea from measurements?
It almost never does because people make up such characteristics about these products. Per response from Douglas, if they do have such characteristics, it would show up in frequency response and maybe distortion plots.
@@AudioScienceReview Good thing you said Almost.. I would say almost always does, from experience... Listening throug ears and not mike's.
Look I love Jbl and Harman.. but it's not only one way to Rome. People have different opinions about sounds..
I would say that all electronics in audio sounds very different.. amps, Dacs, sources and speakers.. I'm shocked that today's measurements don't get this...
@@Dankzzz Are you shocked that most all human testing shows that these differences aren’t audible? For those differences in let’s say DACs or amps you heard, where you comparing 2Vrms output to 2Vrms output and X wattage to X wattage? If one DAC or amp had more output, then there is no way to compare them unless you matched the levels.
@@homeboi808 What you say considered Dacs may be true. To be honest I've only tested one standalone Dac. All the others was inhouse Dacs in my Gear, They sounded different, that's my findings. Also sources are totally different. So is amps and most speakers.
Synergy isn't audiofooling, it's reality... Of course unless you demand that everyone believes in the Harman to be the universal truth.
This reminds of a movie where someone convinced a kid a balloon is better than a bicycle and exchanged a balloon for a kids bicycle. And the kid was so happy. It’s what snake oil companies do all day. A fool and his money are soon parted.
Mr. Amir! Sir! If you ever get a chance to review one of the PS Audio (P series) Regenerators, that would be awesome. I don't want to be a jerk and say Paul and his team aren't selling a well made and thought out product, so I hope people in the comments don't get it twisted, however I would love to see the performance stats for it because you do such a great job with testing. Thanks Amir! I will forever support this channel. You are a pure value add!
Shouldn't you be asking Paul to provide performance stats for his Regenerators? After all he is the one making them and claiming they work, why doesn't he have the stats on the website where he sells them?
@@ianhaylock7409 No, Ian. I shouldn't. I want a 3rd party to review things, intentionally, so that there isn't a conflict of interest.
@@ianhaylock7409 Also, I like Paul and I like PS Audio. Just clarifying that.
Hi Bob. I actually own a PS Audio P300 power regenerator. Plan to do tests with it and will publish a review on that. Look for it in a couple of weeks or so.
@@AudioScienceReview Will do. Thank you kindly, Amir. If you ever decide to sell shirts or some kind of merch, I would buy a product from you :)
Little bit confused. You don’t recommend this. But why is Pink Panther not knocked down ?
Amir, what about ferrite cores. Where should these be used? (If at all). Thanks!
@Douglas Blake So I've never had an issue with RF, and therefore never even considered what those ferrite chokes do. How does that normally manifest such that it causes a real problem?
@Douglas Blake Ok, but why so much emphasis on having them on USB cables, even cheap ones, as though you're trying to protect yourself from your computer? I mean, how many people are right next door to a radio tower?
@@redstang5150 some motherboard USB have massive RF issue. My Asus mobo have nasty noise when plugged in to some USB powered DACs. Bought a bunch of ferrite cores for 10 dollars solve the issue.
@@UltimateAlgorithm So is the motherboard generating the RF or is it picking it up from somewhere?
@@redstang5150 I have move several times and the problem sticks. Also it changes depends on the load of the system. So my uneducated guess would likely related to the CPU power delivery, most likely VRM MOSFETs. My MSI motherboard doesn't have this problem though, only my Asus one.
@ASR ... great review ... you just have to do a review on "audiophile" mains fuses !!!
So all on Stereophile who seemingly love the niagara 1200 are full of it? I own the 1200 and tend to agree with Stereophile. I find that my system has less noise and a blacker background. Also I do not notice any lack in detail or dynamics. Plus it does provide some protection from surges, and I can confirm it works as it did shut off once during a power surge, protecting my equipment. I also own audioquest type 4 speaker cables that are great, and multiple power chords, including their thunder. All are great and most certainly better than the spaghetti chord you get in the box. I'm keeping it all....
A fool and his money are soon parted.
@@BwanaJesuasifiwe blah blah blah I hear what I hear, keeping my niagara 1200 as it made a difference.. ...
@@tonydeniro284 you should buy even more and more. Don’t buy just one. You can buy 10 power filters and hook them in series and get the best of the best placebo effect ever. Enjoy!
... in fact, why stop at 10. Sell your whole house and buy as many as you can. Hook them in series and have the best audio experience ever.
@@BwanaJesuasifiwe your a funny guy. I'm all set, my system sounds fabulous.
Good evening a question, I now have an old socket Monster HDP 450 PowerCenter and I want to change for the Audioquest PowerQuest 3 is that wise? Yes or no
Hi Amir, just wanna say thanks for doing what you are doing. These videos remind me of what Tyle from innerferdeilty used to do before he retired. I hope you can expand your site to do everything as a video review as they are far more enjoyable in this format. I look forward to watching this channel grow as I see so much potential!
Thanks. Funny thing is, I enjoy doing videos more than writing text! The positive reaction from you all is responsible for a lot of that. So much appreciated.
@@AudioScienceReview I can hear more of your personality in the videos than in the text, but don't ask me to measure it.
I saw the results of lightning hitting a tree that was very close to the house. It's unbelievable, the guy's TV litteraly blew up among other things.
amazing vdeo, was about to spend eu300 thinking this was going to improve my audio :)
I dunno if I was getting surges or some sort of uneven power, but when I moved into this condo I was going through wi fi routers every few months (all plugged into wall). Some IT guy suggested a power conditioner, so I got one of those furman's. Have had my router for over a year. Sound? I dunno. Is there any merit to these sort of things, or did I just luck out on my latest router.
Thanks, you just saved me a few bucks!
I bought the powerquest 3 from an online dealer with a good return policy. I was fully ready to return it, if I did not hear an audible improvement. my audio did improve. I have no regrets about my purchase
Your audio didn't improve, these things have no effect on performance. You had the placebo effect.
I don’t have a degree in audio engineering. I do however have a good ear. I have developed my listening skills over a span of a decade’s worth of playing and listening to music. It was not the placebo effect I was experiencing. My system did improve. I recommend trying something before passing judgment.
@@will2181 I'm afraid it was. But don't feel bad, the entire homeopathy "remedy" industry is based on it, as well as the hifi cable after market.
@@MrsZambezi Cables absolutely make a difference.
@@will2181 Explain how. Not power cables. They aren't in the signal path.
This power cord is obviously garbage, but could you review something that is used for the server equipment? Could you check APC SMTL1000RM2UC ?
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but voltage fluctuations can cause harm to amps to my understanding or snake oil which is posted. You should see how a drop in volts effects audio and amps. That’s why they say you Automatic voltage regulation(AVR) is crucial for amp longevity
Can't be that big of an issue amps aren't dying right and left. Piles of vintage amps out there still working too. If its a typical problem the manufacturer would likely design there products to deal with slight power fluctuations.
Loving these videos Amir. Looking forward to the PS Audio comparison. I sit and shake my head at the claims of these audiophile companies. Laughable.
Audioquest Niagara power conditioners seems to have some hype, would love to hear your measurements and views on that
Haven't you learned that audio quest is bs.
@@emuclone154 True, but these confirmations are fun to see anyway.
I heard that having a lightning attractor installed can vastly improve the dynamics of your system
Thanks Amir!!!!
great idea putting a surge protector in your electrical switchboard. however, ive heard recently these surge protectors can affect your audio system. note this is not from me.
Pls review audioquest Niagara and ps audio generators!
I have a PS Audio one and will do!
It would be nice if you could review the Ps audio powerplant 3 and/or powerplant 12 as these are the famous ones here. Thanks.
Amir truly lives by this great quote from physicist Richard Feynman. “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool.” I wish more audiophiles thought this way
Thanks!
excellent review, a bottle load of detol poured into a tray and then let the bare live ac run through it will do just a good job of cleaning the ac.
No household thing can block a direct lightning strike, but when a lightning is grounded it creates a lot of inductive voltage. These protections are meant to absorb such surges.
I came across a website years ago that touched on this and basically stated there's no surge protector that will protect anything guaranteed. There's a reason these things aren't used commercially. Was not audio related. I was looking for a good surge protector for my new $2500 computer at the time.
If I was really worried about surge protection from lightning I'd get one from brickwall.com. Those are real surge protectors and don't use cheap MOVs that degrade over time, as well as being reasonably priced (unlike "audiophile" equipment). They don't bother making outrageous guarantees, and make commercial stuff too. I just use a Cyberpower UPS for my computer though because I like having the battery backup. If my house gets hit by lightning my home owners insurance will have to do.
I am left to wonder if you have speakers... or do your measurements bring enough entertainment?
Appreciate a no-nonsense test review.
IIRC, 3% is well within the 5% THD that's considered normal for utility power. I buy Brick Wall brand surge protectors that are rated to absorb the energy of a 7.2 kV primary wire dropping on a split-phase 240/120V secondary. They're proud of not being a "box o' MOVs" and dissipating unwanted energy into heat absorbed by large inductors. It's overkill. A Tripp Lite Isobar costs less than $100, has MOVs, but also has several banks of inductors to protect groups of outlets from each other when your loads feed noise back into the line. That's plenty for most folks.
For sure we do!
a couple years ago I bough a PSU/surge protection device, from a reputable non-audio brand, mainly in order to protect my hard drives if a breaker fell (enough time to turn off my computer normally), the thing costed me around 70 € and unexpectedly it actually solved a ground hum issue I had with a particular device. so as an audio improvement I guess there is that (not that the manufacturer claimed it would, or advertise it). otherwise, I don't think you could hope for any other audio improvement as Amir kindly proved, even as a ground loop fix you could be better off just buying an audio device with a better designed circuitry. I still recommend getting a PSU for your PC though
Thanks for the video. The Internet is full of nonsense and such videos dispel doubts.
It would be great if you make a video about parameters of DACs or amplifiers, how do they affect the sound, what's the most important, etc.
Don't want to imagine a surge happening at my house I have ungrounded knob and tube wiring :/
I bought a way cheaper conditioner/surge protector from Supra. I can't say I hear any difference ( which would have been surprising 😄) but what it does give me, which I am happy about, is surge protection (for whatever its worth if anything), a quality power strip and hopefully less EMF radiation (for whatever it's worth).
I just use a bunch of chained fuses linked like x-mas lights so if a lightning storm comes the fuses should save my equipment.
Can we see a tear down?
Sorry, I don't have it anymore. Would have been good to do though!
Given the aggressive promotion and product pushing into shops, i have a hard time trusting aq......
This clip confirmed my distrust once again, thanks man
A good idea to get your common house ground checked.
Why?
Interesting channel. Overarching problem I am having is simple: As you in essence implied in this video, instrument measurements are ultimately neither here nor there and single-user, non-controlled, subjective listening experiences are subject to all manner of biases. The true gold standard ought to be blind and appropriately controlled subjective listening tests using a large sample of experienced audiophiles in which, at the very least, the supposedly "better" component can be consistently identified over a run-of-the-mill control. There is nowhere I have found on this channel where such tests are done (though I have not watched all the videos yet), hence there is not much more on offer here in my view that is meaningfully different than what is found among those who I imagine you are intending to critique.
Doesn’t surge protector protect your equipment plugging in to it from lightning strike by literally sacrificing itself to disconnect the power line to your mains?
It would just be like your equipment was not plugging into the walls when there is a power surged.
Am I misunderstanding something or I am correctly understanding that you are massively misunderstanding something here?
Depends on the type, typically MOV surge protection devices are wired in parallel, and can still have surge let through. More advanced capacitor units are wired in Series, and are capable of surviving a minimum of 1000 worst case surges with little to no let through.
@@Dirty_Bear22 Thanks. It seems this one should in theory, will protect the equipment in the worst case scenario then as it seems quite well built on the inside and my understanding that it is one of the more advanced capacitor type.
Unless AQ likes to sell the basic type product at a very advanced price… oh wait.
Anyways, what Amir said in this video that he doesn’t think it can protect from lighting strike is just 100% his own personal bias then.
I have a problem with people who claim to use science to objectively evaluate things but actually just using “some science” to confirmed their own personal bias instead.
And I have a problem with most of Amir’s reviews.
@@tonamg53 I assume the audio quest is using some capacitor system (since they advertise non sacrificial), but in typical audio quest fashion they are very vague on the exact specifications… SurgeX for example offers units with very through data sheets, zero let through at worse case surge energy, and reasonable prices in the 300-600 range for a typical standalone protector. They also have some white paper’s detailing the modes of action.
Yeah, many audiophile “scientists” still have huge personal bias. It is what it is.
@@Dirty_Bear22 Agreed. I think people need to finally just give up altogether on trying to "clean up" their power in an effort to try and improve their audio performance. That's just a lost cause all the way around, as now proven time and time again. What's not a lost cause though is getting set up with good surge protection that can actually protect your equipment. I own a SurgeX SX-1115-RT. I didn't buy it to clean up my audio and I didn't buy it for its line conditioning ability. I bought it because it is one of the very best, non-sacrificial, series-mode, inductance-based surge protection devices out there today that you can buy. It's not based on MOV's and it doesn't use a shunt-mode methodology to send spikes and surges over onto the ground once the MOV's have been saturated. So, you won't get any ground contamination with it during a surge event that could damage networked devices in your home. Three of the best companies out there for these types of far more sophisticated and advanced surge protection products are SurgeX, ZeroSurge and Brickwall. Get a good surge protector for your equipment from one of these three reputable companies - and just forget about trying to improve your audio performance by taking noise off of your AC line.
Please try
Venom by shunyata research
Ifi ipurify
Please !!
Hi Amirm, with all the Bluetooth codecs out and the findings on XQ SBC, is there a way you can compare the output differences between the high quality codecs? XQ SBC, Aptx HD, LDAC. From reading, it seems XQ SBC can produce better SQ vs Aptx HD and has large support on the RX end, it's just the TX end that needs some patch work. Did you read the post by ValdikSS? Maybe you already have the equipment to run these test, a low cost laptop you can install Ubuntu on and the Qudelix 5K. Bringing some clarity to wireless audio given how much penetration it has and will have going forward would make for a great video. The LC3 codec is also coming up with Bluetooth 5.2. Only thing I miss from the great 5K is Aptx LL for gaming, maybe you could test latency as well.
forum.xda-developers.com/t/improve-bluetooth-audio-quality-on-headphones-without-aptx-or-ldac.3832615/
Hi Carlos. Yes, love to do that comparison. I am stuck though because I don't have a BT source that lets me easily produce all those streams. My Android phone supports a few but not all codecs. Do you know a BT transmitter with such capability?
@@AudioScienceReview I've not been very happy with it, but the Fiio BTA30 is what I use on PC. I've messaged Fiio about XQ SBC support, which was passed on to the development team. For now, outside of making changes to Android or Linux, LineageOS is the only thing with built in XQ SBC support that I've read about.
lineageos.org/engineering/Bluetooth-SBC-XQ/
Yes, you should always put a SPD at the point of service (provided by the electrical company) and you should have another one put in your breaker box as well (installed by your electrician), but that's not the end of the story. We have to also ask what is the let-through voltage that those devices AREN'T stopping? At what voltage will THEY clamp? The problem with relying on them alone is that they typically have a MUCH higher clamping voltage (commonly around 600v) than the SPD that you put on your individual electronic components, typically around 330v. Well, that's a good 270v higher than what UL considers to be "safe" for devices with sensitive electronics within the home - and more than enough to do damage. Fortunately, that's almost exactly where these small, individual SPD's for your electronics start to clamp and drain-off excess voltage. This is why you always want to take a layered/tiered approach to surge protection in your home. Ideally, it is best to have THREE different levels of surge protection at THREE different points in your home: Point of Service (outside), Service Panel (inside the breaker box) and at the individual device. You are then relying on each of those devices to knock down the voltage (to the best of its ability) at its respective point in the chain. Note here that inductance-based, series-mode non-sacrificial SPD's from companies like BrickWall, ZeroSurge and SurgeX that focus more towards commercial applications tend to be more sophisticated and capable than products focused towards retail consumers. Yes, if you have a direct or nearby lightning strike, nothing is going to prevent your equipment from being destroyed, no question about it. But, in addition to your homeowner's insurance which you should always have, you can also purchase products (like the AudioQuest device shown above) that offer up to $1,000,000 of equipment protection along with the purchase of the device. Now, you absolutely do have to read the fine print on those and know the T's and C's on all of it (most of them likely won't apply until after you have filed claims with your homeowner's insurance) but they do have the potential to be of at least some help with equipment damage that was not covered by your homeowner's insurance. It's always a good idea to read the fine print on any of those coverage plans BEFORE you rely on them in any way, of course, as you can rest assured that their lawyers likely wrote them to give the companies providing them MULTIPLE outs (if you didn't play exactly by their "rules" when a surge or spike occurred) so they don't have to end up paying out on an expensive claim.
Amir look at John Wards channel talks about earthing requirements for UK and European house wiring also worth looking at is the 18th edition UK wiring regs although you use 110/220 and we use 230/240 in the Uk devices for consumer unit protection
Man I wish I knew about you years ago. Thousands of pounds later ha ha.
He was not around years ago sadly
fake post
@@kdomster9141 what
@@kdomster9141 eh?, Its true. I have spent literally thousands over the years.
@@thegroove2000 he pays no attention to sound, just tskes out of context measurments than are often meaningless
@6:10 "if you think this thing does anything for your video...I don't know what to tell you..."
lol I think Amir's soul briefly left him just thinking about the people out there who believe this device can provide improvements to video signal 😂
GR-Research has a new infomercial video showing their new High-end power cable with filtering. Time for a debunking video Amir.
How do you debunk someone sitting in a chair and just asking you to believe? He debunks himself. :) But yes, we will do that.
He saw Ted’s (Synergestic Research) Ferrari and said I want one.
@@AudioScienceReview i believ at one point onw should just ignore GR, sems to me now they are just making these videos to generate extra traffic.
His speaker câbles are sold on alieexpress for 5 times less the Price... His Power câbles seem to come from alieexpress too and cost him probably 20-30$ each
@@khoi83 Interesting. That would explain why he's not selling the power cable as a kit (they are already assembled in China)😂.
Maybe on this device his opinion might be true but I have used multiple power conditioning in my 35+ years and everyone of them made a sonic difference in my playback until I settled on Audioquest Niagara and it has brought me satisfying sound quality from just using my naked outlets alone,so as I have said no to people have the same ears 👂 and people who just use measurements for there narcissistic opinions and not a good revealing system I choose not to listen to them,I am a trained audio engineer and all sound quality is not always measured by a metered devise
FINALLY! I knew if I filtered through enough of these comments from people that have their noses buried up this guy's ass I would find one that speaks the truth.
You're comment speaks VOLUMES, the ear is the most telling over ANY measurement, no if's, ands or buts about it.. The other people commenting here like sheep, takes his word, that his graphs/measurements are true. Mind you, Not one piece of footage showing him conducting any type of test. Only colored graphs that may or may not be manipulate to support his view, whoopee!
You may wonder why you should save money? So you can buy audio equipment that actually matters and adds quality to your sound. =) Greetings Amir Sir great Review!!!
Greetings back to you! Anyone who has no use for the money they save, should send me some! :)