Tweakers' Asylum: REVIEW: Alan Maher Designs Reference II Power Conditioner/Surge Protector by boodles

Model:	Reference II
Category:	Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Suggested Retail Price:	$100
Description:	passive power line filter/tuning device
Manufacturer URL:	Alan Maher Designs
Model Picture:	View

Review by boodles on April 11, 2009 at 18:32:30
IP Address: 64.169.0.240 Add Your Review
for the Reference II

Having played around with Alanâ€™s standard power enhancers and his PE V Pro Custom, I thought I was fairly familiar with what to expect when inserting one of his devices. Normally, one expects a period of time during which the sound is noticeably worse and one wonders whether they have made the right choice in inserting the filter or not. With the PE V Pro, this was a very long period of time, before the sound settled and changed for the better. I recently had the chance to try out Alanâ€™s newest offering, the Reference II. Being quite happy with the sound of my system now that the PE V Pro had settled, I hesitated plugging in the Ref II, fearing that period during which the sound degraded. Much to my delight, I found the Ref II to be a completely different beast altogether. The PE Pro took a lot of faith to keep it plugged in after hearing what the system sounded like for the first week or so after its installation. The Ref II, once I had picked the right circuit, happily settled in within a couple of days, never really causing that same period of bad sound to get the good sound afterwards. Rather, things started sounding better right from the get go. The changes with this filter were a bit more subtle than those with the PEV Pro, but are significant, nonetheless, since they occur in the important area of naturalness of the sound being reproduced. Instruments have more â€œbodyâ€ and the sound is, for lack of a better word, more â€œripeâ€ sounding. This is especially apparent with string instruments and low brass. More of the lower harmonics that give weight and body to the instruments seem to be present with the Ref II in place. In the case of the cello, the sound doesnâ€™t come from a flat plane anymore, but seems to come from a resonating 3-dimensional wooden instrument. These changes make listening infinitely more pleasurable and lifelike. Overall, I am thrilled with the improvements wrought by adding the Ref II filter to my system (system here meaning the electrical system of my house, since at Alanâ€™s advice, the Ref II is installed in a non-audio circuit). Even after being in the circuit for 2 weeks, things continue improving a bit each day, with the sound becoming more and more lifelike. Every CD sounds better and much more emotionally involving than before the Ref II. Even CDâ€™s I would cringe to listen to before are now quite enjoyable, with the Ref II having further reduced that upper frequency haze that can plague digital playback, especially when the CDs are poorly recorded. The Ref II is a clear winner, and at the price Alan is asking, itâ€™s nothing short of a steal!
Chris

Product Weakness:	None noted
Product Strengths:	Allows me to hear more of what I want in audio playback, i.e., better timbre, musical richness, and 3-dimensionality

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Michael Yee PA-1
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Michael Yee LA-1
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Marnatz SA15-s1
Speakers: Green Mountain Audio Eos HD
Cables/Interconnects: MAC Mystics IC, Zu Wax (speaker)
Music Used (Genre/Selections): classical, jazz, rock
Time Period/Length of Audition: 3 weeks
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Michael Yee PA-1
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Michael Yee LA-1
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Marnatz SA15-s1
Speakers:	Green Mountain Audio Eos HD
Cables/Interconnects:	MAC Mystics IC, Zu Wax (speaker)
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	classical, jazz, rock
Time Period/Length of Audition:	3 weeks
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner