Equitech 1.5Q or Shunyata Hydra 8?


Has anyone compared these two power conditioners? Both seem highly recommended. Is the balanced power approach of the Equitech audibly superior to the noise reduction approach of the Hydra?
nighthawk
Just a little FWIW: you may want to think about the Audio Magic line. I have the Eclipse, but went by way of the Stealth, Digital Mini Stealth and the Matrix. You'll want to keep your analog and digital apart. The Eclipse is the only one box unit I know of that can do this better than any other due to the requirment of two power cords- I also plug into two dedicated outlets. I'm a bit of a nut job with my electric, but it's one serious component of your system. Jerry's (the Audio Magic man, himself) new Stealth and Eclipse casings are heavy duty and much richer looking and feeling than his previous stuff. I love mine, Just something else to think about. The only experience I have is with the Hydra. You know what I chose. peace, warren
Audiotomb, can you describe the sonic impact of the Equi=tech? I've been very curious about their products. (Also curious about a comparison of Equi=tech with BPT's and API's balanced power offerings, if anyone has experience with them.)
Drubin

Equitech - it really opened up the music to me, the notes have a resonance and hold to them, it's like a veil has been lifted. It didn't work with a Richard Gray - too much filtering, so I sold the Gray and am very happy with the Equitech. Plus their customer support over the phone is fabulous, even on a unit I bought second hand.

The sustain, the detail, the weight - especially to bass lines, and the seperation of instruments were all stellar.
I spent the first week listening to lots of music like I had never heard it before. It seems subtle now, but remove it and the magic fades.

These things weigh like a tank, and have many inputs with great isolation

I have seen the BPT stuff, but why not buy from the company who designed and patented it all in the first place, I can't wait to upgrade to a larger unit like a 2Q and put my power amp in the chain as well.

Tom
After quite a bit of analysis last year, I'd go with balanced power over most any other option. The only other option I would consider is the somewhat similar Richard Gray Subtstation, which is a big step-down transformer that uses a 240 volt line.

Now, as for Equitech versus BPT, I chose BPT for several reasons. The easiest reason was price. When the BPT 3.5 first came out, it was only about $1400, which was a steal considering the huge transformer alone from Plitron probably cost them a good chunk of that $1400. They finally wised up and bumped up the price (now $2500) by adding a few items/tweaks and calling it a Signature model. Frankly, it's still a bargain considering its performance and the cost of internal parts compared to some of the passive devices and filters on the market.

Quality-wise, I never was able to do a direct comparison bewteen the BPT and Equitech. However, I did unearth somewhat of a soap opera story between Equitech, Plitron, and BPT. There's no reason to go into details because I believe both companies make great balanced power products (along with Furman) that kill other power conditioners. However, in my opinion, BPT is now utilizing the best transformer made by Plitron and represents the greatest overall value.

(BTW, check out sixmoons.com. They've reviewed the BPT and a bunch of other power conditioners too.)
What do you guys think about the 2Q (2KVA) vs. the 1.5Q (1.5KVA)? I only have about a 900W max load, including my power amp, but I don't want the power conditioner to limit dynamics. Do you think the 2KVA unit is worth the extra $500 for this reason alone?
Labtec, Hope this isn't off subject but you mentioned furman. Have you compaired the IT Signature to the BPT 3.5?
I'm interested in both. Enjoy the music gave the furman product of the year award.
I have an Equitech 2Q. It's the best I have owned. As a point of reference I previously own the Audio Power Wedge 116, PS Audio P300, Sound Application XE-12S, and Richard Gray Power Company.
To all, this weekend I insatlled 2 Equi=tech 2 Q units (one for front end and one for front channels in a stereo/HT setup. The front end was fed by an Exactpower 15A. To finish it off both feed a Tice Power block IIIA Signature. Yes folks it works as advertized !!! Especially the bottom end w/ 2 Vandy 2Q's and 2 Velodyne FRS 18's. Solid, deep more defined ect... Didn't think it could get better but it was easily apparant. No leap of faith on this one. Studio 100 V2's opened up, clear articulate, more layering, harmonics ect... . May be a tad drier. Strongly suggest at least feeding your font end with one. It does work. PS I have a 5R on the way to feed the rest of the system. Stan
If you don't have a 20 Amp dedicated power line then the 2Q is not doing anything a 1.5Q would not do. Also, most complete stereo systems don't come close to drawing 15 Amps from the wall. My front end draws 2.0 Amps and my amps (Pass X600) draw 10 amps. I have a 2Q on the amps and have monster on the front end. Want to upgrade to Q650 for my front end. Everyone is correct. You don't have to strain to hear a difference when you plug everything into a 2Q. It is obvious (even my wife immediately said WOW!).