Review: Ridge Street Audio Bloom Box AC Re-Clocking Device Power cord


Category: Cables

In the past couple months I lost the use of a wall Receptical which I have been using for my Thor TPA 30 watt Monoblocks.The big problem for me was that to reach another dedicated line,I would have to carry 6 more feet in length.Another concern I had was that I was very happy with my system's sound and was afraid of making a change for that reason.My options were 2 new longer cords or line conditioning with a six foot power cord. I had read many reviews and had considered line conditioners from companies such as Running Springs,Audio Magic and Shunyata.The only problem was the more I read reviews about these peices the more confused I got with varying results.

I decided that line conditioning was too much risk and figured I had had such good luck previous purchases from Ride Street Audio ( i/cs and sp. cables ) I should give Robert ( the owner ) a call and ask for his ideas.

Robert informed me that he had been working for some time on a Re-clocking device called the " Bloom Box " that he felt would not only work but would also flesh out more of my system's capablities with no sonic expense.

I must admit I was a little skeptical,but I trust his judgment so I ordered a 2 outlet unit which has 2 high quality Cryo treated Furutech recepticals and his "Z" circuit in a hand crafted Cedar box aprox 8"x 3"x3"with a hard wired 6' Poiema power cord with Furutech fittings at both wall and box end.A very nice looking unit I must say!

I placed the Bloom Box in and after aprox 5 hours burn in I decided to give it a listen and imediately I noticed more refinement and the midrange was much more tangible. I was amazed at how quiet and how much definition I gained through the midrange. I also noticed no negitive change in tone color and no negative change in bass definition or performance.I played my favorite music,Patricia Barber,Karen Allison,and Tierney Sutton. These are what my impressions were based on. The music on all these albums just floats in the air like never before.For many who, like me, are confused by line conditioning this could be and avenue they should consider. If you want more info ( and pictures ) you should contact Robert at Ridge Street Audio Designs....

Associated gear
Thor TPA 30 watt Monos-Thor T1000 linestage-Meridian 508/24 cd - Kharma 1.0 speakers.Vh Audio flavor4 p/cords ( monos )V/Dynamics David Series P/cord ( Digital ) Interconnects and sp.cable are Ridge Street Poiema series
thorman
Hello to Thorman and A'goNers whose eye this has caught.

Thanks for the kind words Thorman. We're appreciative and I'm pleased to hear that again, we've made a good positive difference with your music listening enjoyment.

A bit of info: The Bloom Box, and our Z-der BlocK which is a single source for load version, really is a special accessory. The idea is to passively re-clock the relationship between the voltage and current that comes out of your wall. A good degree of Power Factor Correction is another way to describe what this device does. In laymen's terms, in a typical home environment, current will typically lag the voltage. This isn't good and we believe is more of an issue than typical power conditioning. Correct the Power Factor of the AC that comes out of your wall and suddenly common solutions packaged in power conditioning gear becomes way less of an issue if even an issue remains at all. Some higher end audio products are incorporating straight ahead active PFC in their gear. We've chosen a passive approach because we feel it's a "cleaner" and "quieter" approach just as Thorman described the improved quietness resulting in better definition. There are no series components used and the device does not current limit. An image of the device can be viewed by copying and pasting this URL in your address bar:

http://home.comcast.net/~ridgestreetaudio/ZandBloom.jpg .

Pictured on top of the Bloom Box is the Z-der BlocK.

A few clarifications. The Bloom Box is not a power cord as Thorman's title suggests. It's an accessory and probably should have been posted in the Accessories Reviews forum. The unit can be ordered with a hard wired Poiema!! power cord (with which it will work the very best with) or with an AC inlet for use with any after market AC power cord. Inlets or our hard wired power cord can be either end or back mounted to suit your installation requirements the best.There are a myriad of options including additional outlets and a 20 amp inlet and / or outlet version.

Thanks again Thorman and again, we're glad you're enjoying it enough that you felt it meritted posting your impressions.

Best to all,
Robert
FYI,
I auditioned the "Z-der BlocK" in my home and at another audiophiles home about six weeks ago. We found it to be an improvement to all power cords we used it with (Electraglide Mini Khan Plus, Ultra Khan, Harmonix, Shunyata Black Mamba, Poiema, VH Audio Flavor 4 etc.)
Regards…
I too have auditioned the Z-der Blocks (2 in series seems to work best) on my HTPC and was impressed with the clarity and speed of the music. It was such of an improvement that I had to shut down my DMX Audio Enhancer, it just wasn't necessary anymore and the music sounded more natural w/o it. A faulty GFIC outlet on my BPT conditioner kept me from trying these power enhancers thru out my system but this will shortly be rectified and I will have 1 of Robert's Z-der Blocks on the front of my BPT, my 2 Butler 3150 amps, my Sunfire Theater Grand 4 processor, and my 2 sources, that being the HTPC and my modded Music Hall CD-25. Only then will I get the full impact of these Z-der Blocks. But from what I've already experienced, I'm excited! Regards, Robin
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Well, as woefully neglect as our website has become, pricing is now on the price list page.

http://home.comcast.net/~ridgestreetaudio/Pricing.html
Scroll down to Accessories.

Regarding our site, I apologize. Not enough days in the hour when you're a small company. It's being re-worked and a whole new fresh site will be availble soon. Templates are done and I must say the look, navigation and inclusion of all our products and services will make our site interesting and a joy to visit.

Kindly,
Robert
As an update to my prior comments, I haven't added my BPT w/Z-der Block as of yet but I have added 5 Z-der Blocks to my Butlers, Sunfire, HTPC and I'll tell you that I'm not even missing my BPT! With only the Z-der Blocks, the high end clarity and midrange gain along with a standout bass has returned, God have I missed it. These Z-der Blocks (when placed thruout my system) are quite remarkable really and makes me wonder if common mode rejection is really required once the voltage & current have been "reclocked" using the Z-der Block. As a side note, video running thru my Sunfire processor was made cleaner/sharper in noticable fashion also. In conclusion, it's my contention that these little cedar blocks need to come outta the closet and freshen up stereo and home theater systems. I'm ordering more myself. Regards, Robin