Details
Matter
An
Introduction to Acoustic Revive
by Joseph Cohen
Those
who know me know that I believe that system setup is everything
- that the divine is in the details. Thus, everything
in a system matters no matter how small. While not shying
away from the costly and complicated, I am especially
drawn to items whose power to transform a system is belied
by their size and their cost.
In
the early nineties I was introduced to Be Yamamura and
became the US distributor for his line of cables and accessories
which included the first ball bearing based support system
for Hi-Fi components, multi-layered insulated cables and
passive devices that could absorb and immobilize ambient
and intrinsic noise that would otherwise interfere with
the proper delivery of signal and energy. Through him
I came to have a glimpse of the power and drive of the
Japanese audiophile community. The techniques that were
being explored in Japan were advanced at the time, and
the state of the Japanese art has simply continued to
blossom. If anything, their approach has become even more
thorough, rigorous and uncompromising. By now, every audiophile
worth his salt has heard or heard of the powerful effect
that Oyaide connectors and receptacles
have on systems. They have come to understand that the
very interface of blade to receptacle is critical on the
microscopic level. Through the WPC-Z housing with its
carbon fiber face plate and heavy duty aluminum housing
they have come to understand that the environment which
cradles the blade to receptacle interface also has its
influence and cannot be ignored. Audiophiles have also
come to appreciate advanced Japanese metallurgy as evidenced
by Acrolink's line of 6 and
7 nines pure stress-free copper cabling and Oyaide's PCOCC-A
copper cables. When something new arrives on the scene,
something whose strength of performance cannot be denied
but that is unfamiliar, it takes us a while to develop
an understanding of what is going on. At first, we may
not even have the terms with which to describe it. We
all know it when it happens, and in many ways that's what
we live for as audiophiles. It took me a while to absorb
and understand what these two lines of products were doing
for my system. I knew that it was territory I had never
visited before. I also knew that what I discovered there
would have to remain as a foundation for any future explorations.
Although
this article focuses on the Japanese, I cannot fail to
mention that the Hong Kong company, Sound
Mechanics, also a member of the Lotus Group family
of products, is on equal footing with their Japanese brethren
in their ability to produce products that shatter preconceptions
and deliver us to new territory. Keep in mind that the
changes in sound I am describing are occurring in the
context of the use of the Sound Mechanics Performance
Platform under the Pre-amp, MC-88
wooden cones under the CD player and the C200
cones under the Cain & Cain Abbys (Rest in Peace, Terry!)
and the C100
Gold Cones and C101
Bases under the preamplifier and amplifiers. These are
all part of the foundation.
Most
consider these types of products as peripherals. Of course
the heart and lungs of a system are the major components.
But heart and lungs are nothing without a circulatory
system. One does not take precedence over the other, so
too in a true high end system, everything that connects
the system, everything it comes into contact with, everything
left to vibrate and draw in noise has its effect. Even
the quality of the space that surrounds components has
its influence. We are learning that the influences on
the behavior of a system are more far reaching, more microscopic
and more unexpected than we could have dreamed.
Today,
I was exposed, for the first time, to products from Acoustic
Revive, another Japanese company dedicated to researching
the far limits of sound (and picture) quality via some
rather unique pathways and also through super high refinement
of devices we might be familiar with, but whose level
of performance will be new to people outside of Japan.
We are all familiar with their RD-2 CD demagnetizer which
was formerly sold under the Furutech label. Its latest
incarnation, the RD-3, will be known by its original lineage
- Acoustic Revive. What's new for us is a whole lineup
of products that may be unanticipated, but that take us
where we want to go.
I began by hooking up their Power Reference, single core
power cable, in my shop system. The oval PCOCC-A core
is covered with silk and is housed in a Teflon coated
OFC flexible tube. The level of energy and definition
was an instant delight, everything was shimmering and
vivid and alive. In its price class and beyond, this cable
will turn heads. Next up was the single core RCA cable
- more of same. I know I'm going to have fun with these
and can't wait to see how they will unfold as time goes
on. Rarely has a brand new cable performed on this level.
We're all in for a treat!
Next I brought a full compliment of Acoustic Revive accessories
home to my main system. First in were the SIP-8
RCA shorting pins, made of nonmagnetic gold plated brass
and 2017 Duraluminum, filling all unoccupied holes in
the back of the deHavilland Mercury II preamplifier. It's
interesting to note that when you properly damp, what
you hear are more not less vibrations. Each note is allowed
its fullest expression, and that means it is free to vibrate
fully, no other vibration is impinging on its territory.
This feels good! Next in was the CS-2
outlet stabilizer plugged into one of the unoccupied outlets
on the back of the Acrolink
6N-NCT 30A Isolation Transformer. My only regret is
that for the time being I only have one of these. This
is a no-brainer, every unoccupied outlet should have one
of these - end of story. The construction is of such high
level that there simply isn't another product that can
come close. The brass blades are Rhodium plated and are
each set in in their own individual internal base of 2017
Duraluminum, and are surrounded by two different hardness
of Polyolefin. The result? Just more of what the SIP-8
started.
After
getting a handle on this level of improvement I inserted
the RCG-24
Ground Conditioner into one of the RCA jacks. This unusual
device looks like an oversized Stethoscope. It is described
thusly: Even though the component has been grounded, it
is difficult to obtain a good result because of low ground
resistance. This could lead to a countercurrent of noise
and RFI working its way back into the signal. Also, if
the component is improperly grounded, there is a chance
of a ground loop developing with its concomitant hum.
The RGC-24 corrects chassis electrical current potential
and electric field outbreak by means of a virtual ground
environment. This leads to stability in the circuit, which
in turn improves the sound. Inside the RGC-24 is a blend
of natural ores with a negative potential. Current potential
and stray fields from the equipment travel through the
attached cable to inside of the RGC-24 unit and are rendered
harmless to the signal. And how did the music sound? More
vivid and shimmering, more alive... At this stage, things
were getting interesting.
Admittedly
the RCG-24 may seem a bit strange at first, but wait 'til
you try it. Stranger still is the RR-77
Ultra-Low Frequency Generator. The RR-77 doesn't plug
into your system, rather it is a stand alone device that
needs to be elevated somewhere in the room above 1.5 meters.
Its sole function is to generate what is called the Schumann
Resonance - 7.83 HZ. This frequency is said to be naturally
occurring between the Earth and Ionosphere and is beneficial
for living things. This resonance neutralizes waves generated
by audio equipment and those in the atmosphere causing
a reduction in distortion and an increase in signal to
noise ratio. Notice that each of these devices works differently,
and each one has its effect. So what did I notice? For
the first time I could feel the vibrations of the music
in my feet. Everything felt, well, more resonant. Again,
more vivid, more alive.
Next
up, the Pure Smoky Quartz Insulator RIQ-5010
and the Pure Quartz Insulator RIQ-5010W…
These are discs of pure natural Smoky Quartz and clear
Quartz that can be placed between equipment and their
platforms or on top of components for tuning. I opted
to put the 4 Smoky Quartz devices on the transformers
of my Serious Stereo 2A3 amplifiers and in an attempt
to guild-the-lily I placed the Clear Quartz pucks under
the Sound Mechanics C101 bases that are under the C100
Gold feet. I have to admit I had no idea what to expect
from these. In fact, if I'd been asked to guess beforehand
which product would have the least effect, I would have
chosen these. Wrong!
Now
just to backtrack a moment: Remember in the beginning
I said that everything matters. Well everything is also
cumulative, and sometimes when you pile tweaks upon tweaks
you end up no further than where you started, but here
we have a different situation. Every one of these devices
works, and works exceedingly well, and they don't interfere
with each other, rather, they augment each other. This
being the case, we have reached a critical mass. With
this last move, the system blew out of its confines and
was simply breathtaking! Listening to the 3 dollar CD
of Zen and Lounge Music (I kid you not!) that my wife
bought at Ross Dress-For-Less was an entirely new experience.
We were literally transported to that garden. You could
almost see the sunlight glinting on the stream, and the
gongs were simply real.
Now
was the time to bring out the RD-3.
What can I say? When your system sounds this good you
feel like giggling. The RD-3 strips away the electronic
glare of CDs. Need I say more? Treating the CD with the
RIO-5
II Tourmaline based natural negative Ion Generator
makes everything totally relaxed and organic.
I'm
always amazed by people who are constantly changing their
amplifiers and speakers in pursuit of the ultimate system.
My advice is to find out what you already have really
sounds like. Then when you make a bigger change, you will
really know what you are getting into. The only way to
do that is to focus on removing noise, properly treating
vibration, and creating a better environment for your
components. Let them breathe. A modest system properly
tweaked can sound way better than a really expensive one
that is not set up well, and truly great sound can be
had from higher end systems.
I
hope you find this helpful. I know I'm excited. I'm looking
forward to hearing what all of you discover from these
products.
Thanks,
Joseph
Cohen
The Lotus Group
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