In a detailed special report, the online magazine areadvd.de explains how power filters for hi-fi and home cinema systems work and what advantages they offer, supported by practical experience with the IsoTek V5 Aquarius and V5 Polaris models:
“Many users spend a lot of money on their system and perhaps also on the cabling between the individual components—speaker cables, RCA cables, digital cables, and perhaps even HDMI and network cables are often of excellent quality in more expensive setups. Sometimes the acoustics of the room are also optimized extensively. But when you then look at the power supply, you find perhaps a slightly higher-quality off-the-shelf power strip, and that’s it. Otherwise, the high-quality hi-fi or multichannel components are, in the truest sense of the word, left defenseless against the electricity coming from the public power grid.
Yet in practice it is so simple: people should take a closer look at effective filtering and cleaning of the mains power. And no, this is not “voodoo.” Anyone who spends a lot of money on their hobby should not let it fail because of clean power. A very common example of disruptive interference is differential-mode noise. The cause is switching power supplies, which are found in a wide variety of electrical and electronic devices, ranging from PCs to kitchen appliances. Common-mode noise can also cause audible acoustic interference. These generate interference virtually all the time. The culprits here include the WLAN networks already mentioned, as well as smartphones, tablets, and Bluetooth connections in general.
IsoTek’s underlying principle is therefore as follows: the sound quality of a hi-fi or home cinema system depends heavily on the quality of the power available on site—and instead of settling for 80 percent quality (which is what the public power grid represents), audio and video enthusiasts should prefer to be satisfied with nearly 100 percent power quality.
If you want to assess the sonic benefit, several things must be noted. First, you should take your time when evaluating it. Second, it is clear that the acoustic improvement can manifest itself particularly with high-quality source material. Third, it should be noted that the advantages can be heard especially in more complex pieces of music, such as classical or jazz. Overall, the sound appears calmer and more composed; interestingly, the level of detail increases not only in the treble range, where we would have expected it. Structures in the bass and midrange also emerge more clearly defined. Anyone who considers all this nonsense should visit their preferred specialist dealer. They will certainly allow a conditioner like the V5 Aquarius to be tried out at home.
Anyone who, as in our case, uses a system consisting of an AVM Evolution AS 3.3, a Thorens TD 403 DD turntable, and Wharfedale Elysian 3 speakers—including good mid-range cabling—with a total value of around €17,000 will definitely be able to hear the advantages we describe through careful listening. After all, there are no esoteric half-truths behind the IsoTek component, but rather technically and sonically clear, understandable reasons why the acoustics improve through the sophisticated design of this power conditioner.
Even this model ensures significantly reduced interference, which contributes to clearer sound. Here too, it is noticeable that details are reproduced with greater impact, and the V5 Polaris system is an excellent solution especially for somewhat more affordable systems. For example, we carried out test series here with the DALI SONIK 9 (pair price €2,398), the Marantz MODEL 30 (€3,500), and the Cambridge Audio CXN100 (€899), along with good mid-range cabling. At around €7,000, we are looking at a setup whose value is likely to be found in quite a few living rooms. Of course, you think twice about spending €799 on the IsoTek V5 Polaris power filter. But the positive effect is genuinely audible, which is hardly surprising—after all, the interference that was present before is gone, and especially in our editorial office, with two different networks running in parallel (via DSL and 5G), many integrated devices, and constantly active Bluetooth connections, it makes perfect sense to do something to reduce interference in the power supply to the hi-fi chain.
Anyone who scoffs at optimizations aimed at improving the quality of the required power has, in all probability, never seriously engaged with the subject. Because unlike some “voodoo approaches,” there are sober facts behind the possible acoustic improvements here. In the modern power grid and in the multitude of consumers of every kind in virtually every household, a wide variety of hazards lurk, such as common-mode and differential-mode interference. These can have an extremely negative effect on the sensitive signal path of a high-quality hi-fi or multichannel system. To prevent this, IsoTek offers high-quality solutions that are thoughtfully engineered and built for long-term stability. Naturally, the two products presented here are not inexpensive—but they are worth their price.”
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