Audiolab DC Block Direct Current Blocker Mains Conditioner (Black)

Product Information

Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 29th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) Second, it reduces the potential problem of popping or thumping when you turn on the power amp. If nothing is coming out of your preamp or other upstream device, such pops won't be too bad, but if said upsteam device has a DC offset, big pop/thump.

Admittedly, it's quite a basic circuit to filter it and I've obviously never auditioned this audiolab unit but if your transformer is affected by DC, which it almost certainly will be if you have a fridge, washing machine and dish washer on your home mains, and if this circuit is correct (which I'm sure it would be), it's not snake oil to suggest that it would work. It's physics. Will it audibly affect your particular speakers? I am not saying, so at all. But it’s easy to test. Mains electricity has a fundamental influence on the audio signal as it passes through a system, from source to amp to speakers. The mains supply in a typical dwelling is subject to interference induced by a range of issues, causing the AC waveform to distort before it reaches each component and can create noise in the audio signal. This can degrade sound quality.

Many many years ago. I replaced my cheap bell wire with a QED79 cable. Connected it up to my Pioneer SA608 and Kef Celeste III speakers. Didn't hear a difference. While studying various designs I stumbled across a TEAC DAC, that I personally found interesting as it took a grip of the dirty USB cable shield. It lands the USB port at separate pcb, hard coupled to chassis by a screw and just millimeters from the port, minimizing the lead reactans, the entire PCB is grounded to chassis. This is an example of a good design. Others in that DAC could be questioned in my opinion. Could not see, e.g. any signs of a grounded lead out from an electrostatic shield in the transformers. Calling it a "power strip" would not do it justice. According to the manufacturer, Chord Company's Master M6 and Studio S6 power distribution units, called PowerHAUS, can do much more than ordinary or even high-quality power strips. The device is designed for use with a single audio or AV system component. Audiolab recommends that it should be used with the integrated amp or power amp component within your system to obtain the most significant benefit.

A quite cheap and not very sophisticated filter design, offering a substandard DC-filtration, unless the reqtifier bridge is not spec'd with higher forward voltage diodes. The decoupling is very rrudimentory as well and will do some good, but since no resistor loads are implemented it will not cancel possible resonances. DC doesn’t make your cone hum. It doesn’t hiss and it doesn’t whistle, so no matter how close you get, you won’t hear it.

The Audiolab DC Block 6 is designed to remove RFI/EMI whilst banishing ‘DC on the mains’, delivering rebalanced power for up to six separate components in an audio or AV system.

You often do not need super low noise regulators, you often do not need the lowest possible ESR caps. They are all design choices made by requirements, availability of parts and price.