Any joy with fixing the hum noise mate having the same problem with my intergrated amplifier going to try this out myself along with a little preamp hopefully it will do the job
Okay. My system comprises an audiolab 6000A (used as a preamplifier) feeding an XTZ class D power amplifier, to which are attached a pair of Quad S2 speakers using Tellurium Q blue II speaker cables (I also have the blue II jumper cables, since the Quads are biwirable). All my music comes from a laptop (as mainly FLACs ripped from CD, with some MP3 320K files). The optical feed into the 6000A is via a Douk audio XMOS XU208 DSD USB to Optical Coaxial Converter. For track management, I use AIMP on the laptop. There is no discernible hum in either the pre or power amp. Everything is dead silent: I didn't get the DC blocker to cure hum. I got it as I've been frustrated because sometimes my system sounded really engaging, and sometimes very so-so. One day I'd listen and be blown away, and the next, not too impressed. It really puzzled me: why the difference? Was it something to do with the weather, or environmental temperature? My mood? Whatever, there seemed to be no correlation with the time of day I listened. Anyway, I read the OP and decided that at £99 I'd give the DC block a try, as nothing else had solved my issue. I first tried it with the preamp. That seemed to perk things up a bit, but not a huge amount -- could have been psychological. So I tried it with the power amp and straight away I noticed a marked improvement (it was during a period when my setup had been sounding so-so). And so far, this improvement has been consistent for days, whenever I have a listening session, be it day or night. So what's happening? I have a hypothesis. The reason could possibly be that the power supplies to my house are of variable quality -- possessing variable amounts of DC current (and there are other factors that the DC blocker supposedly addresses, such as RF interference, also its action as a general power conditioner). Sometimes, regardless of the time of day, the household supply may be "cleaner" than others -- could depend on how much hammering it's getting from others in my neighbourhood, for example. I also have a female kettle plug to single 3-pin socket adaptor. Instead of plugging the DC blocker's input into my 8-gang power strip, and its output into my power amp, I tried plugging the DC blocker's input directly into the mains. Then, I plugged its output into to the adaptor, and the power strip into the adaptor. In this way, the whole power strip would be fed by the DC blocker. I found that it worked, but no better than previously, and so I have reverted to the initial set-up as there's no point risking overload for no appreciable gain. To the guy who seems to be sceptical, I will say this. Maybe his house has a consistently good power supply, and something like the DC block won't make a difference for him. But for me, it makes a great deal of difference. It means that whenever I choose to have a listening session, I can rely on an enjoyable experience. To me, that's well worth the £99 I spent on the DC block.
I got one for my power amp ,I listened to three CDs then ordered another for my CD pre amp.I was astounded considering the price and I was also delighted that hum generated when listening to U Tube was also greatly reduced.👍💛😙
I agree, the least expensive, audio upgrade that I have ever experienced. I hooked it up to my Hegel 390 and wow! My problem has been the late-night scenario where more times than not, the system usually sounds better. The degrees of change have been quite significant at times. I purchased a new pair of Magnepan .7s a few months ago. I've been dealing with the positioning of the speakers which has been quite the challenge. I owned the LRS previously and I had no problem getting the magic out those, even being a 1st time Maggie owner. Anyway, one night after moving things around, I experienced the most incredible sounds in my life. I've owned lots of stuff, but the holographic dimension was something I have never experienced, to that level, ever. No matter what source or music I put on, it sounded like totally different recordings. So rich and gooey and spacious! I finally shut things down at 4 in the morning, only because I didn't want to upset the better half waking up at 7 and hearing my music still playing. I had reached the pinnacle of my personal audio experience! I left everything in place and looked forward all day to climb back into the new world of sound only to be disappointed greatly that it was gone completely, relatively speaking. I just didn't understand how something could change that radically. I started looking on different forums and ran across a YT video by Steve Huff talking about a piece he had just purchased. It was many, many times more that the Audiolab piece. One of the things it corrected was the "nighttime phenomena". He now had a new system to listen to! That video reminded me of this video which I had seen before a few months. I watched it again then ordered one last week. Daytime listening now sounds like its nighttime for the most part. Much smoother sound and better imaging. I still haven't been able to replicate what I heard that night, but the Audiolab DC blocker is something I wish I had ordered before. I'm ordering another for my CD player. Highly recommended to say the least. I love your channel and thanks for bringing up this piece.
@Tobi Gibbons that’s not quite right Tobi.. The dc block can handle 2x150 watts per channel or 1x300 watts. I run 2 mono blocks @ 120 watts each & the dc block runs both with no problems using a Y iec cable.
Yes nighttime audio benefits from a quieter power due to most houses shutdown. This shows how much the quality of the power supply can affect a hifi system.
I'm glad to read this. Had the same experience ; a few times actually. A holographic effect; that was WAY more than simply a 'relaxed brain' or lack of audio pollution from outside. At first I thought it was because of having my speakers placed precisely in a certain way. But it would never 'stick' . One time I had it for 3 days straight, and on day 4 the magic was gone. Weird thing was: NOTHING was changed! I always thought that it had to be a very strong placebo effect then; but every time it was there I thought: no, no way is this placebo! (I had this efffect btw with various set-ups (different amps, speakers, cables) ).
You purchased a Mains Conditioner that Steve Huff recommended & you are liking its performance. Are you talking about The Puritan Studio Master 156 unit with the Puritan Ultimate Power Cord? Is that what you purchased?
Interesting box, it'll probably be 4 diodes laid out as a full bridge rectifier and some big caps. Try it at home as well as work, it'll probably make a bigger impact at the unit where neighbors will potentially have heavy equipment creating transient offsets.
Okay.. so the second blocker i ordered arrived yesterday and i have it hooked up to my Rega Saturn R cd player.. yup the OP was right.. the difference is a lot less subtle than attaching one to the amp was.. a great buy! I have posted about this on a couple of FB pages and have been met with a fair bit of understandable scepticism but my reply is would a genuine bona fide manufacturer of quality kit like Audiolab risk a hard won reputation on a low profit returning product like this unless they had real faith in it?
I work in IT and we use lots of conditioners for some of our network kit. Every box we open gets the same “wahey” when we find the “double ended” cable. I’m buying one of these for my old Audiolab 8000p power amp and 8000q pre amp
Audiolab = giantkiller....1 year ago i change all my set up .now is Audiolab cdt 6000 ,amp 6000a with kef r3,now i'm looking the monoblock 8300 .i love this brand
I've got the audiolab too. Dud you buy the cdt at the same time? I'm curious if you used a normal cd player as a transport via digital interconnect and noticed a real difference with the cdt6000. Cheers
I've got a tacsima connector and an Ifi and still had a load of buzz from my Audiolab 8000P Power amp. Plugged this thing in and barely any buzz at all unless you've got your ear up to the amp. I do have audiolabs in chain. I also think it has opened up the soundstage more, even though it was good already. A snap for £70. Thinking about binning the Ifi.
I have owned a AVi Lab Series integrated amplifier, since many years. From day one the large 750VA transformer in the amplifier had always buzzed. I bought the Audiolab DC blocker just to see if it would stop the transformer buzz. It did fix it, I cannot hear any more mechanical buzzing. Sonically it also made a step change in the sound: more separation in the sound, also the sound is more engaging at low levels now. Previously the system only came to life when you cranked the volume. Yeah seems to be a good product.
Mainly due to this positive video (and also many raving reviews) I decided to try the Audiolab DC block earlier this week. Now, I must say I had some dissapointing experience with DC blockers in the past. I had a Naim Nait 5si around 2014/2015. While I loved the sound of this amp, the humming transformer drove me nuts. I tried 2 DC blockers (a Supra mainsblock with built in DC blocker and the other was a Dutch brand, but I don't recall the name) Both immediately killed the humming, but... unfortunately also killed the sound. It made the music sound kinda lifeless, dull, veiled and lacking in dynamics. (quite the opposite of what I read about the Audiolab) At this moment I'm using a Rega IO amp (with Dali Oberon 1 on Solidsteel SS-6 stands) . The Rega doesn't hum at all, but I do notice that the sound is better late in the evening/at night. I think that might also be due to DC on the mains. So, I decided to give the Audiolab the benefit of the doubt. The benefit of using the Audiolab is: bass seems to have a little more punch/drive to it and the sound became cleaner also, but...perhaps a bit too clean and polished for me. As expected the sound became a bit dull and lifeless. 😞 Not as much as with the 2 DC blockers I tried before, but nevertheless... the music lost its mojo. Reading all the raving results of other users it seems that I'm in the minority having this experience. After 2 days of extensive listening to some favorite tracks I just plugged the amp back into the 'filthy' mains and... yep, the Audiolab is going back! (I'm glad it does good things for so many people though!) 🙂
@@Studioincar Thank you. Yes, I'm glad I gave the Audiolab a try and I can imagine other people experience the difference the Audiolab DC block makes more as an improvement than I did. In pure HiFi terms it certainly brought some improvements (bass was punchier and easier to follow, and soundstage depth also improved a bit) After comparing the pros and cons though, I prefer the sound without the Audiolab. (more direct and lively)
I think it is a Naim thing. Naim themselves recommend you plug their amps directly into the mains, without use of any type of mains conditioner. Perhaps just try one of Naim's own power cables, or power blocks, I am sure Naim dealers will let you have a home demo.
ATL audio sell them with optional outputs including uk 3pin and in different sizes so you can connect multiple pieces of equipment via power block. It made a vast difference to my system.
Damn it works with my Cambridge AXR100 amp and i like what it does. Sounds cleaner and bigger sounstage better imaging. Was using Audioquest NRG Y cables with a Supra power block before and the Audiolab still sounded cleaner. Also tried it with my Beyerdynamic A20 headphone amp and it made that sound cleaner OMG now i need to buy another one haha
I don’t understand why they put the output of the dc block in a IEC female… tHat is stupid because we have to use a cheap mains cable extension instead of being use with a very good mains cable.
@@MrsZambezi So funny... Of course having a very low cost power cables there is a problem. Why spending money on good AC cables, mains power strips, ... plus an DC blocking device and then having a 3€/$5 cable with no shielding, plugs made in china who can catch RFI/EMI and generate some trouble for the device behind it ! Of course this is stupid to have a very low cost cable there and that is the main reason I will never buy this device even it seems to be a good thing to try. Engineering stupidity at it's best.
@@MrToonfish If you have a buzzing transformer it might fix it, otherwise it doesn't do anything. Power cables don't need shielding. You shield your signal cables.
Agreed. Whether you buy into it or not, I have high end power cables. The thought of that cheap cable to the amp/ device seems foolish. I use the Emotiva CMX-2 units which allow me to keep my high end power cables in the mix.
I agree. I am thinking about buying one after a buddy brought one over and we heard the improvement it made in my system, BUT for crying out loud I cannot find a quality C14 male IEC connector to put on the end of my high end but DIY power cord and I am therefore forced to use a cheapo burn in NEMA female to C14 male adapter! I told them on amazon I don't agree with their choice here. There is a Schurkey C14 connector available and people could cut the wall socket NEMA plugs off of their audiophile grade power cords and that would be better than using an adapter, but it isn't audiophile quality conductors.
So one of the two i ordered yesterday arrived today. Have hooked it up to my Rega Elicit R and had it running for a couple of hours now. Is there a difference? There is certainly more separation between instruments and strings are sharper with more attack to them. The KEF LS50 metas were already nice speakers but they now really shine.. have I finally lost my marbles? Possibly, I have no sensible explanation for this and I cannot comment if its science based or mumbo jumbo.. but the damned system sounds MORE.. I have a similar level of bafflement as the guy reviewing.. but is good.. and fun, a whole heap of uhm.. FUN.. roll on tomorrow and the one for the CD player arriving
Have one connected to my roksan kandy k2 power amp ....I listen to a lot of rock music but also have a large collection of classical as well played vaughn williams lark ascending...and WOW....the separation and general clarity was really improved beyond what I thought possible!....a no brainer upgrade from my point of view anyway!?
Hi does plugging it into a power strip possible? I have a 80w x2 (rotel a14) and plan to plug a cd transport and a dac. Would that make sense or its not recommended? Thanks. Great video
Isn't the load peak of the audiolab of 600VA might be bad on a H590? I have doudt because I would like to use it on my power amplifier Atoll am200 which has 2 torique transformer of 330va so a total of 670va. What do you think? Thanks!
I’m actually interested in buying a dc filter because I’ve suffered some transformer noise. But there is no physical or scientific way this can make any difference to the sound of any component.
@@MrsZambezi I do know, you're the absolutely clueless one, there is countless blind tests that proves you have no idea what you're talking about! A huge part of the cost of Hi-Fi equipment is power delivery, especially in amplifiers, you're absolutely clueless, if you think engineers spend this much of the budget on this part, if it doesn't matter for the end result! PS: I don't need to prove jackshit about my credentials to some random ignorant on the internet.
Just seen your video, I have an old arcam A90 amp, Pro-ject A1 turntable, recently bought the Ifi Zen phono stage, omg, soo much better than built in phono. But I now have a "hum" since using the phono stage, do you think this DC block in front of the amp will poss cure this? I have tried the Ifi power upgrade for the Zen again, wow, sounds even better but still have hum when not playing or in between tracks. Your thoughts would be appreciated, many thanks, Andy
Hi Andy. I don't think this will cure your issues. Phono stages and record players have multiple ways of picking up noise. I think you're best off eliminating all of those before looking at power conditioning of any sort.
Hi , does any one use this Audiolab DC Block with an Amp of more than 150W per channel? - The Spec sheet states a max of 150 w per channel or 300 W mono...
Hi I do - and no issues I can detect I`m not sure why they(audiolab)have spec`ed this as the fella in the video uses high powered amps too. If you want to know how these boxes sound,I`ve updated my post from a week or so ago. When I purchased my 3rd one it was the last one in the shop & it was their demo unit too,so they are currently selling quickly.
A very intriguing review, I have a Sugden A21SE Class A amplifier and I’m interested in this DC Block, do you know if it’s ok with a class A amplifier as they draw full power all the time? I also have a Audiolab 6000n streamer, and fancy a 6000CDT after hearing such great things.
This has just gone on my Christmas wish list. Have you tried it on a CD player or DAC yet to see if the effect is cumulative? Either way. Thank you so much for doing this video. It's the only one of its kind on the DC Block on line.
Would this work on a “solid state guitar amplifier?” I have hum/buzz noise occasionally caused by the old shoddy electric in my house, could be the fridge, freezer or my boiler even, I’m not sure. Only does it to one of my amplifiers that has a class A/B power amp. Dirty electric could be the issue I feel. The hum/buzz sometimes goes away when I turn down my tone controls, like it’s frequency dependent. All I know it’s to do with my electrics.
My speakers now sing better without this unit. I only get a faint hum only detectable if you're ears up to the amp but still thought I'd give it a go. I'm afraid the dynamics and tight bass that was sold to me by this video was nothing but a more compressed sound restricting my speakers from opening up. It is like an mp3 effect which some like but to me it strangled the rawness of the recordings. I think people have been duped into a more polished sound but sacrificed the feeling of what the music is meant to bring to the table. This might ruffle some feathers but I hope whoever buys this "only a hundred quid!" Unit, try it out by all means, but as soon as you notice the above don't hesitate in sending it back and getting a refund before its warranty expires..
Have one. Used it on my Unison Research Unico 150 amp and on the Marantz NA-6006 wi-fi player. As much as I wanted to hear a clearly discernible improvement, I failed. The DC Block did not give a darker background, more air in top-end and clearer mids unfortunately. There seems to be a bit of improvement, music seems to be clearer just a bit though, but it’s not night and day, I wouldn’t be able to pass a blind test that’s for sure. I do not negate the effects of the DC Block, but your miles may vary.
If they were any good Why don't all hi end audio manufacturers build into there products... please don't tell me it's the cost ...for 95 Quid I'm wondering
Perhaps some do. Others know they have to make enough profit to survive and decide to draw the line in certain areas. Not all design engineers are created equal as well.
Many power conditioners - including models far more expensive than these - are infamous for sucking the dynamic life out of amps even while making it cleaner. Did you notice any of that?
PhotoMusicMan, I just read the same specs - but Carl above used it on the H590 ( double the recommended output) - might have to contact Audiolab directly
This thing works good! After connecting to my amplifier to no avail, I used it to power my computer..With all components plugged into my conditioner...EVERYTHING is now silent, computer, sub amp, crossover and receiver..95% of noise is gone, including static!!!!!
are the Ifi ones as effective? I just tried a Ifi one and it did not solve my buzz/humm issue, wondering if its worth getting this since I won't be able to return it.
Can’t say as I’ve not done a direct comparison. But both seemed to help. Audiolab seems better value as you get a separate box. Downside of Audiolab is having to use cheap power lead between unit and component unless you get one made up.
Hegel H390 , loud buzzy buzz from the toroidal transformer from day 1. Suspect my home AC is trash with DC leakage. Have tried the Isotek isoplug to no avail 💔. Defo will check this out though
Hello all fairly new subscriber here & I `ve just ordered one of these - so I`ll update this post after I`ve received mine & tried it in our system,good video cheers.
Update comment: Hi I have now made purchase of not ONE but "THREE" Audiolab DC Blocks(main conditioners),these were all purchased separately over a 1-2 week period. DC Block No.1 was initially connected to my rega cdp,I was pleasantly surprised to actually hear not only sound quality difference - but it was indeed better,wow. Then it was moved to a rega aria mm/mc phono stage,i received a bigger improvement again(now I`m convinced this thing is a something REALLY special!). My pre amp is a mid 90`s audiolab 8000q & the power amp a meridian g57 dual mono(200w x2),because I know I the pwr amp can easily take a better spec`ed pre amp I have been on the look out for something "reasonable" for a year or two or,I was going to send it off to have the caps & the mains filtering upgraded by a specialist audio online dealer. So on went No.1 DC Block(er) to the audiolab pre amp - WOAH there you go now BOTH cdp & phono stage INSTANTLY improved from what they were originally in the system. Then the DC Block was connected to the meridian - game - set AND match - it was over this tiny little box showed what my amp was capable of in on INSTANT. So the system was set now with the 1st DC Block(er) connected to the amp,then I purchased a 2nd one for the audiolab pre & things got better AGAIN,the noise floor dropped once more HUGH smile on my face but I was thinking,the phono stage needs one too so I purchased the 3rd one yesterday(Aug 28) plus,I can easily connect it to our cd player if I want to to improve playback even further when using it! In our system what I did notice was that sound quality improvement gets better the longer the boxes are powered up(I DON`T switch things off even the turntable platter is CONSTANTLY - spinning). As for the quoted amp spec for the DC Block I don`t know how this may or may not affect our pwr amp(200w x2) we`ll have to wait & see but EVERYTHING is Great right now. PS. I did use ferrite clamps on the mains cable from the DC Block to the pre & phono stage,but found that this made the sound stage shrink some-what so I removed them for better sound quality they obviously weren`t needed,but it was nice to try to hear if things were in fact being changed or if it was my imagination. PPS. If anyone is wondering how s/q was after fitting the 3rd one to the phono stage,there was a more solid lowend & better definition of bass that made it easier to follow.
@@Studioincar Oh I'm definitely going to try one at some point. I need to buy a lot of other things though too. Like a new car soon, and I gave my girl my speaker stands. And I want to get some real nice ones to replace them (I'm listening to my Wharfedale Diamond 11.4 towers in the meantime). And there's more then that I need too. These are $150 here. Which isn't a lot, at all, but I'm just being very careful with my money right now until I get my new car. I'm hoping to put half down on a US$25,000 car. And while I'm close already. I'm not going to get all the way there, and have money for registration and taxes. If I'm buying every toy I see. But I really do appreciate the video, and I am definitely going to get one, probably before the year is out. And if it works for me. I'll probably buy more of them too. It's such a simple idea, and makes a lot of sense. I'm surprised I haven't seen one already. But maybe it's not that easy to remove the DC? I dunno? Either way. Thank you very much, and have a great day (night? I think it's night there right now, it's 2:15 pm here in EST/Newport RI). ✌️
@@Studioincar Yea right now I just have really nice Pangea power cords (the top line ones), and once of those W-Audio W-3900 power strip/noise filter that Zero Fidelity reviewed a few years ago under a different name (it's Chinese). But they make a big difference IMHO. Especially the big thick power cord on my Exposure 3010S2D Integrated amp. As for cars. I was looking at getting another Toyota Camry. Probably a hybrid this time. I have a V6 right now. It's fast, and fun for a 4 door. But the gas mileage is not very good. But I recently found out that they're donating money to the traitorous Republican Party here in the US. So now I'm trying to find something else. I'm not buying until September, or October though. So I've got time. ✌️
@@Studioincar Oh, and about the technology being in the gear. Audio Gd in China is already doing that, and I have a DAC/preamp/headphone amp of theirs (N28.38) that sounds very good considering it's a couple of years old now. There's a significant jump in price to get the models that have it. But I'm sure it's worth it. Take a look at their product page on their website. Their gear is actually very fairly priced. And they seem to have a nice warm sound signature. Without being very rolled off, or any of that. And the stuff is seriously over built. ✌️
@@Studioincar Oh one more thing. Just to be specific. Audio Gd makes gear with built in power regeneration. Not with just noise filtering, or DC filtering. It's like having a small one of those PS Audio Power Plants in your DAC, or preamp. I don't think they make amps like this. Though I could be wrong. ✌️
