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Niagara 5000 Vs Torus RM20 or PS Audio Power Plant 12

After upgrading my power cords, speaker wire, and adding a USB Reclocker, my system has become more highly resolving and I’ve become extremely sensitive to fluctuations in the quality of power.  After midnight, my system becomes insanely revealing, holographic, and unconstrained.  During the day, not so much.  I am wanting my system to sound like it does after midnight, all the time!  

My dealer loaned me their Niagara 5000, along with an older NRG-1000 20A cord to power it.  Remember I’m using a Dragon high current to my amp.

Results - love what it does to bass and overall drive, but compared to that “after midnight” totally unconstrained free-flowing sound with my amp plugged into the wall, with the Niagara 5000 powered by the old NRG-1000 cord, I found the mids and upper frequencies to be constrained.  Not terrible, but not like that glorious sound I get late at night.

I’m thinking / hoping that if I were to power the Niagara 5000 with a Dragon High Current, then maybe the mids and uppers won’t be so constrained?  Any thoughts on this?  The NRG-1000 is a far lower end cord vs the Dragon.

Also wondering how a Torus RM 20 or a PS Audio Power Plant 20 would compare. Not sure if I would be able to demo either of these however…

 

nyev
Post removed 
rsf507
2,222 posts
 

@audiotroy let me guess, you sell the audio magic oracle but not the Niagara! 

nyev OP
1,019 posts
 

I’m fine with vendors saying what they want, we should be smart enough to filter out any good advice from the shilling!  Just wish it was as easy to filter out the noise on my AC line…

heh, that was terrible, sorry!

jpan
108 posts
 

I think you've answered your own question. The NRG-1000 is strangling your Niagara 5000. The NRG is way down at the bottom of the pile of AQ power cords. If you go with a Dragon or even less but still in the Storm range, I would bet it will restore your sound and/or more. You could "borrow" one from the Cable Co. and find out.

nyev OP
1,019 posts
 

@jpan, yes I think that’s accurate. While Audioquest themselves are very generous with demos in my experience, today I simply ordered the Dragon HC 20A version that would work with the Niagara 5000’s 20A input.

I based this decision on getting much, much more interested in either the Torus RM 20, or the Torus AVR Elite 20, based on everything I’ve read (everyone with experience with these specifically notes the added detail and openness which is exactly what I’m after). That said, with the new Dragon cord, after it arrives and is broken in, I can try both the Niagara and hopefully I can demo the Torus as well. If I’m blown away with the Niagara I’ll go with that, but if not, I have the Torus option as a backup.

By the way, Torus told me there is no need for the higher level AVR Elite model if I don’t need voltage correction. They said if my line voltage stays within 116-124V at various points of the day over several days, I can stick with their lower end RM 20, which is significantly cheaper than the Niagara 5000. To test my voltage, they directed me to a $50 easy-to-use device on Amazon, a Kill-A-Watt meter which can read out the line voltage with the amp plugged into it (and the meter plugged into the wall). I placed an order for one.

I have a hunch that the Niagara 5000 or the Torus will work for me. If neither work I can always look for any other conditioner options with 20A input power sockets, or look at splurging on the highest end PS-Audio regenerator. But that behemoth just looks like overkill for my shelf and my wallet!

I think it’s unlikely one of these options won’t work for me which is why I just went ahead with the purchase of the Dragon 20A. Worst case scenario I lose some cash and I sell the cord.

One last thing about Torus that I think speaks volumes - when I asked Nordost about conditioners, it turned out Nordost has VERY strong views on this subject.  In that, they recommend against them.  They seem to have a view that something gets lost when you use conditioners.  However, they specifically made an exception for Torus products!

 

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