2. cables
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Sell your $$$ cables and conditioners... affordable LITHIUM is here!

I wanted to give you a frame of reference as to where I'm coming from and most importantly a first impression after 24hrs!
I've been an addict since my first system of KEF Concord speakers, Crimson Electric amps and an Ariston turntable back in college in '81. Since then I've been down the entire Linn system with Active Kabers, Full Meridian active system with DSP5200's as well as some burly NZ Perraux mono blocks with Sonus Faber when I lived in NZ. Since moving to the US in 2001 I've been through years of altercations between solid state camps from Bel Canto, Levinson stereo 336 to mono 436's, 532H and Mac 452 to speakers from B&W 802N and D2 to Wilson Sophia 2's, Sonus Faber Amati Homage and Revel Studio 2's. I've tried conditioners from Transparent, AQ Niagra, Isotek and others and every time come back to a decent cable straight from the wall.
Three years ago I took the plunge and went down the Devialet rabbit hole, streaming direct from a MacBook Air with ROON my Devialet D200 (soon to become a D400) drives my Focal Utopia Diablos via Analysis Plus Solo Crystal 8 speaker cables (and that's another whole can of worms with enormous cable differences), a JL Audio Fathom F110 (also about to be doubled up) rounds it out. My livening room is about 22x25 with 10ft ceilings and partially treated as best I can accommodate. 
Suffice to say, I've been around the block with hifi, listened to way more than my fair share at dealers and friends with diverse systems and currently run one of the most reveling systems I've ever heard. Sure, there's not that thick syrupy warmth the tube guys will clammer for, but then I'm hearing so much further into not just tonality but intent within the playing. 

If you read the review in Enjoy the Music from Tom Lyle, you'd see he equates the GZ Yeti to the $30k Stromtank. His review was the $400 Yeti 400. The Yeti 1000 was $1099, the 3kW Yeti 3000 is $2999 and will power almost anything. So, like Tom I took the plunge and bought a Yeti 1000 figuring it'd have plenty of 'headroom' for my meagre 600w consumption. (Though I have since plugged my JL Audio Fathom in too)

After playing the "FedEx f'ed up" again game, I finally went to their depot and picked up my new toy myself. After a handful of songs to establish a baseline for the evening, I simply plugged the Yeti 1000 in, reconnected the Devialet and sat back... My girlfriend was first to break the silence and then immediately regretted it as I couldn't help myself interrupting her for the next half hour of gushing over what a profound difference it was making.
H-U-G-E. Truly component level and an absolute game changer. 

I was immediately texting my good friend with his PS Audio Directstream, Gryphon Diablo, Audio Physic Avantera III all powered by the latest Synergistic Research Powercell 12SE and Gallileo power cord with AQ Hurricane to each component - SELL- SELL- SELL it all, get a Goal Zero! 

We stayed up until 2am listening, flipped it back for a handful of now unlistenable tracks and then back again to Yeti 1000 happiness. In over six hours of powering my Devialet and Fathom at 90+db levels it'd dropped to a laughable 98%. I'm guessing that means it'd run off the grid for 300hrs or more? That's probably a several months of listening for most people. Who even cares, it simply sounds spectacular and the single biggest improvement I've ever heard from anything less than a major amp or speaker upgrade. 

I know my system is fairly frugal and green running, my buddy Matts, Gryphon would probably need the 3000W Yeti as his amp pulls 1900W at full song and his full stack of components albeit front end certainly add a few hundred more.   He's headed down to me in a couple of week with a stack of exotic power cables and conditioners  to try and I can't wait to share my results - I'm guessing he'll want to steal it away for his own demo right after. I would imagine he'd even get away with the Yeti 1000, so long as he doesn't run it too hard?
leeagc
drack1
22 posts
 

This thread has been the best piece of information I've found regarding user experiences and portable power supplies in a stereo setup. 

I'm going to try a Yeti 1500 for my front end, which is a Luxman EQ-500 phone pre (47W), Pass Labs XP-22 linestage (40W), Border Patrol DAC, and Bluesound Node. Unknown power consumption on the DAC and Node but they can't be much so let's overshoot and say that combined, they're drawing 50W. That's 137W if all devices are running at the same time, which they won't because I won't have the phono pre on simultaneously with the DAC/Node. So an 87W draw while listening to vinyl (90W digital) on a 1500Wh battery means I could theoretically get a bit more than 15 hours on a single Yeti charge. I'm trying to avoid having the fans come on at all during longer listening sessions so hopefully the extra "headroom" in the Yeti 1500 allows it to run cooler. 

I plan to plug the XP-22 directly into the unit and have the other devices use a 3 in 1 splitter. After speaking with Goal Zero customer service, they said there's no detriment to the Yeti battery if the unit is on 24/7 and having components draw on it for multiple hours a day. He also said the fan noise is only 45db (ish) when it does run, we'll see. 

With any luck I'll have the Yeti today/tomorrow so I'll report back. Honestly, I'm more curious about the new Yeti 4000 which in theory should be able to handle my Pass Labs X250.8 amp, which draws 500W while playing. I just don't know if the amp and other components running at the same time would initiate the Yeti fans immediately or not? First things first, the Yeti 1500 on the frontend!

drack1
22 posts
 

Four hours listening tonight with the Yeti 1500, part of it while plugged into the wall and part of it totally free and disconnected. I’ll need to listen more to get a firmer handle on everything but the early report is that this is doing good things Pretty sure it sounds a smidge clearer/more open with the power cord disconnected from the unit as opposed to it charging and playing at the same time. Will need more time to confirm, just something I noticed.

Everything seems to have more space around it, making it a bit easier to follow things, but there’s more to it than just that. Decay on piano notes is really something, notes just kind of hang for that extra little bit making it easier to get lost in the song. This is the most distinct instruments have sounded from one another that I’ve heard in my system.

At no point have the fans in the Yeti turned on, at least to my knowledge.

Very excited to keep listening to see what else reveals itself!

 

uberk
82 posts
 

This whole thread just BLOWS ME AWAY. @drack1  and I have been discussing it.

 

My system: MX123, Hifi Rose 150B, Panasonic 9000 BR, MC451s biamped to SF Amati G5s. About to acquire C12000. The rest: MC462, MC257, SF Nova II, Nova I, CII center, Gravis VI.

I have been having weird issues. Gravis VI going “mad” occasionally (Sonus Faber replaced it and it would still happen). When I installed the G5s and the monoblocks, this “hum” in the mid (Which is powered by the tube component of these amps).

So I installed a Niagara 5000 with their high-end Tornado cable. Still a hum. (I went with Niagara due to the 90AMP power ‘well’ which should deal with the Gravis VI freaking out issue).

Tried 15amp outlet .. 20amp outlet. Naked. Still a hum.

I started trying all kinds of power cables … Audience, iFi … hum. Upgraded cables (Blue Heavens … Audience FrontRow .. and even Valhalla 2) .. hum.

Then I start to read about PS Audio .. and then Stromtank and the prices keep going up and up .. and this whole thread blows the whole thing up:
 

Goal Zero Yeti 400 Lithium Portable Power Station Battery power comparo with Goal Zero Yeti 400, PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 20 (P20) and Stromtank S2500. Review By Tom Lyle


Which basically blows all the conditioners, the insanely priced Stromtank and all the other “clean my power” solutions out of the water. Use a power back up from REI/MEC! How insane is this?

Another user a few days ago: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/portable-power-station-for-stereo-use-wow.1188922/

After much reading … clear that the leaders are Goal One and Ecoflow. So … Black Friday ordered in a Ecoflow Delta Pro to try (Thanks Amazon for allowing returns).

What is interesting is how few reviews there are comparing Niagara, PS Audio, Stromtank and this very commonly available solar-generator-battery-portable option (As it would kill sales I wager). I will post the results .. just curious how much others have been looking into this?

It would seem this should come before cable upgrades .. or conditioners …

I will post too ….

 

 

tweak1
3,537 posts
 

Everyone interested in Lithium batteries should do a search for how this rare earth metal is mined, in what countries, and using who is USED to mine it, PLUS, the environmental devastation it leaves. There are other battery choices to power such devices

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