Reviewers: Marja & Henk
Financial Interests: click here
Sources: PS Audio PWT; Dr. Feickert Blackbird MKII/DFA 1o5/Zu DL-103;
DAC: Phasure NOS1 DAC; T+A DAC8 [loaner];
Streaming sources: XXHighEnd; iTunes; Devialet AIR; La Rosita Beta; Qobuz Desktop, Tidal Desktop; Sound Galleries SGM 2015 [loaner]
Preamp/integrated/power: Audio Note Meishu with WE 300B (or AVVT, JJ, KR Audio 300B output tubes); dual Devialet D-Premier; PTP Audio Blok 20; Hypex Ncore 1200 based monoblocks; Trafomatic Kaivalya; Trafomatic Reference One; Trafomatic Reference Phono One; Music First Passive Magnetic; Trafomatic Lara and Trafomatic Pandora [in for review]
Speakers: Avantgarde Acoustic Duo Omega; Arcadian Audio Pnoe; Podium Sound One; WLM Sub 12; Sounddeco Alpha F3; dual Zu Submisson MKI; Soltanus Virtuoso ESL; Ilumnia Magister & Vocalis [in for review]
Cables: complete loom of ASI LiveLine cables; full loom of Crystal Cable cables; full loom of Nanotec Golden Strada; Audiomica Pearl Consequence interconnect; Audiomica Pebble Consequence;
Power line conditioning: PS Audio Powerplant Premier; PS Audio Humbuster III; IsoTek Evo 3 Syncro; AudioMica Allbit Consequence;
Equipment racks: Solid Tech and ASI amplifier and TT shelf
Indispensable accessories: Furutech DeMag; ClearAudio Double Matrix; Franc Audio Ceramic Disc Classic; Shakti Stones; Kemp polarity checker; Akiko Audio Corelli and Phono Booster; Pink Faun LAN Isolator;
Online Music purveyors: qobuz.com, tidal.com, bandcamp.com, amazon.co.uk 
Room treatment: Acoustic System International resonators, sugar cubes, diffusers
Room size: ca. 14.50 x 7.50m with a ceiling height of 3.50m, brick walls, wooden flooring upstairs, ca 7 x 5m with a ceiling height of 3.50m, brick walls and concrete floor downstairs.
Price of review item:  €1’195


There is noise—and more often than not a lot of noise—which runs down on our power lines. To prevent that noise from entering the signal path of our audio systems, manufacturers are supposed to equip these apparatuses with superior noise-rejecting power supplies. Their power transformers galvanically isolate the noisy power grid from the equipment. However, top-shelf power supplies are expensive and add substantially to the cost of components. Too many manufacturers settle for run-of-the-mill supplies. They transform the incoming AC to the desired DC but shift the burden of filtering out AC noise to elsewhere.


In discussions with certain manufacturers, we've heard arguments like "that residual noise from the power line is filtered out by the loudspeakers". What they meant is that the low efficiency of most loudspeakers filters the noise mechanically by way of driver inertia which damps the signal. The higher the inertia and the smaller the signal, the fewer details make it through. Among the small signals filtered out is residual power line noise. Problem solved? Some might say so. If that's you, you might want to stop reading now.