ISOTEK EVO3 Aquarius Power Conditioner Review

[voodooless]

Imagine the benefits if you would have paid full price!

 

[Purité Audio]

Buy two and daisy chain them.
Keith

 

[Adi777]

Buy two and daisy chain them.
Keith

Why? Ok, doesn't matter, I ordered two.

 

[wago52]

If you watch his YouTube review, he has a machine which can actually produce a far more dirty AC power output than what is coming out of the walls.

He feeds this nasty signal into the components to see if the measurements will change and just compares to what comes out of the wall.

Nothing changes. The units themselves basically offer the same type PLC and probably cost the same as what it costs to implement it in a piece of equipment. Yet the industry charges 1000’s for this to be external.

Thanks for sharing such a nice information. I would like to know more about electrical connector types

 

[MacCali]

Thanks for sharing such a nice information. I would like to know more about electrical connector types

Yea not really sure if that makes too much of difference either. The “supposed” theory again is that different metals will change the response.

But you have to realize that internally components are wired with cheap +/-18g copper wire.

So if you got something that’s all pure silver, and even used high content silver solder and had pure silver connectors the inside would still be copper. And is not limited to headphones, speakers, dacs, amps or any components that feed into your system with interconnects

 

[egellings]

Looks like much ado about nothing to me.

 

[pseudoid]

These used to be 'feel-good' products; even if you couldn't prove they worked as described.

But in the day-n-age of the internet, they have become more than just warm-n-fuzzy placebos, since anyone can look up their creds:

• Tripp-Lite's Isobar ISOBLOK2 protection system utilizes large toroidal chokes, ferrite rod-core inductors, HF/VHF caps and multiple MOVs… In the hopes of protecting the inter-connected hardware that are also being fed by the same AC-MAINS.
• Their test results show that they can withstand AC powerline surges/spikes (1400 joules/48kA rating/<1nS response) and reduce EMI/RFI effects (40-80dB both CM/DM) between collocated hardware.

This $40.00 (2 outlets) industrial device comes w/a lifetime warranty, it is fully certified and even has a [probably useless] $10k damage insurance.

Does a single IsoTek Evo3 (@$400/outlet x5) provide more bang-for-the-buck over a few IsoBar IsoBlok2 (@$20/outlet)?
I can prove to you that I own a few older IsoBars (US-made) and a few new-ish versions (Mexico-made) but I can't tell you if they have ever worked.

 

[MacCali]

These used to be 'feel-good' products; even if you couldn't prove they worked as described.
View attachment 269131View attachment 269134
But in the day-n-age of the internet, they have become more than just warm-n-fuzzy placebos, since anyone can look up their creds:

• Tripp-Lite's Isobar ISOBLOK2 protection system utilizes large toroidal chokes, ferrite rod-core inductors, HF/VHF caps and multiple MOVs… In the hopes of protecting the inter-connected hardware that are also being fed by the same AC-MAINS.
• Their test results show that they can withstand AC powerline surges/spikes (1400 joules/48kA rating/<1nS response) and reduce EMI/RFI effects (40-80dB both CM/DM) between collocated hardware.

This $40.00 (2 outlets) industrial device comes w/a lifetime warranty, it is fully certified and even has a [probably useless] $10k damage insurance.

Does a single IsoTek Evo3 (@$400/outlet x5) provide more bang-for-the-buck over a few IsoBar IsoBlok2 (@$20/outlet)?
I can prove to you that I own a few older IsoBars (US-made) and a few new-ish versions (Mexico-made) but I can't tell you if they have ever worked.

It’s a tough battle, your post is extremely valid and the intelligent approach.

Overall what are people chasing? Superior Sound and that’s our goal too. It’s sad to get ripped off, but at least we are somewhat on the same page.

Unfortunately most people who firmly believe in these things, I was a sucker for it as a new audiophile but fortunately never wasted my money on this bs. But I would think most people who buy into these things are more on the subjective spectrum.

I consistently state whether you like Amir or objectivity as they are one in the same. The fundamental goal is to save your money not sure how someone can be upset or dislike this. I feel like it’s overlooked by on lookers

When there’s an opportunity to fix a speaker with EQ for example he even provides you that info since it’s a simple fix but electronics aren’t as easy to modify

 

[ReevaluateAdNauseam]

Now there's a good idea - just ensure it's resin encased so the magic cannot escape.

Pure gold ; )

Clarus seems to be the latest snake oil vendor in the likes of AudioQuest, Shunyata, Transparent Audio, PS Audio, Nordost and on and on and on. If we had any kind of regulatory intervention, where blatant marketing lies were punishable by fines or jail time, a lot of these charlatans would cease to pollute the airwaves, alas...

 

[JayGilb]

Pure gold ; )

Clarus seems to be the latest snake oil vendor in the likes of AudioQuest, Shunyata, Transparent Audio, PS Audio, Nordost and on and on and on. If we had any kind of regulatory intervention, where blatant marketing lies were punishable by fines or jail time, a lot of these charlatans would cease to pollute the airwaves, alas...

Industry lobbyists actually write legislation in the USA, so there is no way regulatory intervention will ever happen.
The supplement industry would fold in a day if required to show their products were effective. Anecdotal testimonials are the life blood of all snake oil industries.

 

[Philbo King]

Sure they will. The energy is 40 dB down reference 60 Hz. If any gear is relying on that to work, it needs to be redesigned.

A power supply with power factor correction would take care of that issue I would think. That is their intended purpose.

Power factor - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The idea is to synthetically mimic a resistive load on the AC mains.

They are 'standard issue' in modern power supplies used in avionics, both to reduce the amount of copper in AC lines and to reduce (hopefully to an inconsequential level) any harmonics fed back into the AC mains by devices with nonsinusoidal current draw.

I would expect any compentently designed UPS to include one. Of course, this unit is not a UPS, it is billed as a filter...

The 'old way' to filter AC mains power was to have a resonant LC tank circuit running on a separate dedicated high voltage winding, typically 600VAC, on the power transformer. The first computer (Z80 cpu, running CP/M) I built had one, but it wasn't very effective. However it did store enough energy to keep the system running for maybe 100 mS after a power dropout.

 

[BlackTalon]

If we had any kind of regulatory intervention, where blatant ... lies were punishable by fines or jail time...

Imagine if we had this in the US -- our government officials would all be in the yard pumpin' iron all day and gettin' tats with dirty needles and ink made from dirt. And they'd be so jacked when they were finally released we would really be in trouble

Had power issues twice that messed up equipment issues. Once in an apartment some sags/ brown-outs fried a TV, VCR, stereo amp and tuner. Only the TV and tuner were able to be fixed, although I think the hi-fi shop was less than honest about the amp (an Adcom) because they could easily resell it and they wanted me to buy a more expensive amp from them.

A few years later overloading the breaker/ circuit the stereo was on by running an electric kettle and then firing up the microwave caused an expensive reconditioning of a 4B ST and having to ditch an Audible Illusions 2B preamp. That was the wife and MIL making lunch in the temporary kitchen in the den while an addition was under construction.

 

[MacCali]

Imagine if we had this in the US -- our government officials would all be in the yard pumpin' iron all day and gettin' tats with dirty needles and ink made from dirt. And they'd be so jacked when they were finally released we would really be in trouble

Had power issues twice that messed up equipment issues. Once in an apartment some sags/ brown-outs fried a TV, VCR, stereo amp and tuner. Only the TV and tuner were able to be fixed, although I think the hi-fi shop was less than honest about the amp (an Adcom) because they could easily resell it and they wanted me to buy a more expensive amp from them.

A few years later overloading the breaker/ circuit the stereo was on by running an electric kettle and then firing up the microwave caused an expensive reconditioning of a 4B ST and having to ditch an Audible Illusions 2B preamp. That was the wife and MIL making lunch in the temporary kitchen in the den while an addition was under construction.

That’s the only thing I got from Gene at audioholics that made sense to me. Sags and over voltage. Thought it was useless since I lived in the big city and bought one anyway, an APC ht unit which had Automatic Voltage Regulation in +/- and I was pretty shocked that I did get a lot of sags on my line.

Not sure if it’s because my place was build in the 40’s or what it is.. I rent so I can’t do much.

Only cost me 200 and hopefully will take the blow for my system

 

[PenguinMusic]

Hi,

Even if I am no specialist, I'll try to throw my 2 cents explanation.
It has probably been given by amirm.
That is because every seriously conceived device has it's own power filter that does the same as the Isotek does.
Or that it does it at a level where the impact on sound is negligibl

Regards.

 

[fpitas]

Looks like much ado about nothing to me.

It doesn't do much, it's true. But if I had spent $1,999 I might think something important was missing.