EquiTech 1.5RQ Balanced Power Review

[amirm]

I know a number of audiophiles who have bought their products including the in-wall permanent ones. Not one of them has done so because they had ground loop problems. They buy them precisely for the claims the company makes: lower noise, veil removed, more analog sound, etc., etc. As I quoted, the company caters to this market just as well as the next guy selling classic power filtering products. And that is the claim I tested. Indeed the owner had purchased this unit for these reasons.

As to them doing some good in professional market, there are plenty there that follow the crowd and buy such things. If there is grounding problem, I would go and find the sources of those and fix them than resorting to such boxes.

 

[amirm]

Somebody wanna call up LIGO and argue Snake Oil?

I could but I have better things to do. Who knows what they have done there. Here is a bit from that:

So the difference is not just because of the addition of this box. Further, any change to mains wiring by modification of AC path is going to impact ground currents especially if long cable runs are used.

 

[amirm]

Thank you for the comprehensive reply. Is that a 'yes' to surge protectors or power filters (I live rurally in a 50 year old house).

You do not need any surge filters. Much of the equipment you use already has such on its inputs. I would get a good home owners insurance that covers such damage (most do) and get a whole house unit if you really want to have one. That installs by your mains service entrance so has much lower impedance to safety ground.

 

[The Jniac]

Many recording studios using balance transformers manufactured by EquiTech and Torus power. What's the definition of your "so much"? People using Hi-End gears are willing to pay over $10K to get extra 2%(hard to quantify but definitely hearable) improvements.

I know in this forum many people are singing cheap good measurement Chinese DAC, but do they sound better than Hi-End DACs? In most cases, not really.

Unless you are listening at uncomfortable volumes in a soundproof room, you will almost certainly not be able to hear the differences between a DAC with 96dB SINAD and 110+dB SINAD once the levels are matched and placebo effects are controlled for. Especially since your speakers are unlikely to be able to get anywhere close to a 90dB SINAD.

 

[Cuniberti]

As to them doing some good in professional market, there are plenty there that follow the crowd and buy such things. If there is grounding problem, I would go and find the sources of those and fix them than resorting to such boxes.

I respectfully disagree. I have been involved in the design and construction of a dozen high-end recording/mastering studios over the last 30 years. Many were three or more room facilities that had 72 input Neve and SSL consoles, hundreds of pieces of outboard gear, miles of wiring, kitchens, and offices. Every studio tech had their own idea on how to integrate all this to avoid grounding issues including driving copper poles deep into the ground. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Sometimes it was great in the morning but at 5:30 pm the noise appeared. Also, we had outside engineers and rental companies bringing in their own racks of gear just to keep it interesting. It was a constant issue and in most cases never resolved until we started using dedicated wall-mounted balanced power units for every room. Problem solved! Maybe overkill for the home HiFi, but maybe not if nothing else works for you. FYI - most of these studio techs were well-educated and highly paid professionals.

 

[amirm]

Every studio tech had their own idea on how to integrate all this to avoid grounding issues including driving copper poles deep into the ground.

Such does nothing to avoid ground noise/loops. Purpose of such grounding is purely for safety, not performance. It stops the neutral wire from floating to dangerous levels should there be a lightning strike. It is a mistake to assume it plays any role whatsoever in performance of audio products.

Yes, a ton of money is spent on "grounding" solutions as well due to misconceptions around it. Worst of the bunch are the ones that create a secondary ground which is definitely against the code and dangerous to boot.

 

[Cuniberti]

Unless you are listening at uncomfortable volumes in a soundproof room, you will almost certainly not be able to hear the differences between a DAC with 96dB SINAD and 110+dB SINAD once the levels are matched and placebo effects are controlled for. Especially since your speakers are unlikely to be able to get anywhere close to a 90dB SINAD.

We are talking about a 60 cycle ground hum that can be heard with nothing playing and will be printed in the recording.

 

[The Jniac]

We are talking about a 60 cycle ground hum that can be heard with nothing playing and will be printed in the recording.

You might be, but the person to whom that reply was addressed was not.

 

[amirm]

FYI - most of these studio techs were well-educated and highly paid professionals.

With no training on this specific topic I am afraid. Ditto for countless engineers and other professionals. When the basics are not understood, then lots of mistakes are made down the path. They all need to take a mandatory course from Bill Whitlock to know the causes of ground loops, proper mains wiring, etc. Going by intuition and what they have read online will indeed cause wasted money and mistaken "solutions."

Yes, you can change the nature of mains feed and have ground loops go away. But at what cost?

 

[amirm]

We are talking about a 60 cycle ground hum that can be heard with nothing playing and will be printed in the recording.

I am confident vast majority of people using this solution have no such problem. They simply deploy them to get "better sound."

 

[roog]

Thank you for the comprehensive reply. Is that a 'yes' to surge protectors or power filters (I live rurally in a 50 year old house).

i am not planning on retrofitting surge suppression my self and I note that Amir says that you dont need it as it is built into most products, I am just reporting on current IET guidance and how future installations will judged.

 

[Cuniberti]

Such does nothing to avoid ground noise/loops. Purpose of such grounding is purely for safety, not performance. It stops the neutral wire from floating to dangerous levels should there be a lightning strike. It is a mistake to assume it plays any role whatsoever in performance of audio products.

Yes, a ton of money is spent on "grounding" solutions as well due to misconceptions around it. Worst of the bunch are the ones that create a secondary ground which is definitely against the code and dangerous to boot.

Dirty power is quite common in industrial areas of the city where many studios are found.

With no training on this specific topic I am afraid. Ditto for countless engineers and other professionals. When the basics are not understood, then lots of mistakes are made down the path. They all need to take a mandatory course from Bill Whitlock to know the causes of ground loops, proper mains wiring, etc. Going by intuition and what they have read online will indeed cause wasted money and mistaken "solutions."

Yes, you can change the nature of mains feed and have ground loops go away. But at what cost?

LOL, I can assure you none of the studios I mentioned have burned down or killed anyone due to their grounding scheme.

 

[Cuniberti]

Yes, a ton of money is spent on "grounding" solutions as well due to misconceptions around it. Worst of the bunch are the ones that create a secondary ground which is definitely against the code and dangerous to boot.

I'm talking about assisting the utility in clearing its own faults by basically becoming part of the utility's multi-point grounding system—all legal and to code.

 

[vkvedam]

I know in this forum many people are singing cheap good measurement Chinese DAC, but do they sound better than Hi-End DACs? In most cases, not really.

You hear it yourself, blindfolded and then comment on the Chinese DACs versus so called high-end ones. I did both blindfolded and open and sold my Chord Mojo-Poly combo, so first hand experience. I really wanted them to sound better than Topping D50 and NX4DSD, I swear I really because I adored them so much for good part of four years (4 for Mojo, 2 for Poly). I couldn't hence sold those and made some money.

Now back on topic, don't want to digress

 

[Peternz]

You hear it yourself, blindfolded and then comment on the Chinese DACs versus so called high-end ones. I did both blindfolded and open and sold my Chord Mojo-Poly combo, so first hand experience. I really wanted them to sound better than Topping D50 and NX4DSD, I swear I really because I adored them so much for good part of four years (4 for Mojo, 2 for Poly). I couldn't hence sold those and made some money.

Now back on topic, don't want to digress

Sorry for the OT, but if ever there was an over priced under performing product it is the Chord Mojo. Sorry you had to put up with one for 4 years.

 

[vkvedam]

Sorry for the OT, but if ever there was an over priced under performing product it is the Chord Mojo. Sorry you had to put up with one for 4 years.

Remember, you didn't have many in 2015, Mojo was/is aptly priced for something that's made in the UK. Hugo is overpriced, I agree.

 

[Helicopter]

I like how they list names of artists who recorded records in studios that have purchased products, and say the artists 'use' the product. This is dishonest implication of an endorsement by famous artists. This is like saying the President of the United States 'uses' a brand of carpet or bathroom fixture because he stayed at a hotel.

 

[amirm]

Dirty power is quite common in industrial areas of the city where many studios are found.

Audio equipment makes no assumptions about clean AC power. It converts it to DC and filters it as needed for its application. So it doesn't matter how dirty the AC power is.

Now, if you have an industrial machine shop on the same feed maybe you get interference from that. But office parks where studios are located are not such. And even if they were, such devices will be of no help, other than randomly changing something that "fixes" the problem.

 

[Labjr]

I like how they list names of artists who recorded records in studios that have purchased products, and say the artists 'use' the product. This is dishonest implication of an endorsement by famous artists. This is like saying the President of the United States 'uses' a brand of carpet or bathroom fixture because he stayed at a hotel.

I see that a lot in audio/entertainment. BTW doesn't surprise me that pop music recording studios are doing stuff that's unorthodox.

 

[Labjr]

Speaking of Bill Whitlock, he invented a balanced RCA connector before Khadas.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US8100715