Garth Powell, a lifelong audio engineer from AudioQuest keeps attendees on the edge of their seats as he discusses AC Power. We always enjoy his wealth of experience and compelling demonstrations. This time, AudioQuest was announcing the availability of the UK & Euro versions of the Niagara 7000, Niagara 5000 and Niagara 1000 power conditioners.
The AudioQuest Niagara 7000 is a staff favorite at Part-Time-Audiophile, being awarded our Best of 2016! To learn about the technology behind it, how it is built, and why we love it, check out our detailed Niagara 7000 Product Review.
At the High End 2017, Garth Powell’s presentation included the standard “hear the difference for yourself” demo to a full house of attendees, illustrating the impact of MOC Conference Center wall power vs. AudioQuest Niagara 1000, 5000 and 7000 power conditioners.
The differences weren’t subtle, and we encourage you to check out for yourself at a future AudioQuest AC Power presentation or your local AudioQuest retailer.
Connecting the AudioQuest Niagara power products were some soon to be released AudioQuest power cords. A photo of them can be seen in the backdrop behind Garth Powell along with actual prototypes of the new power cords behind the components. We will bring you more information here on Part-Time Audiophile when they are available along with a detailed review.
Also in the room were a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 802 D3s in a color that I have ever seen in North America. They were matte white with a graphite grey horn, and they looked hot! Definitely a color combination that you should consider if you are in the market for a pair of B&Ws.
MQA is now available as a free firmware upgrade for the AudioQuest Dragonfly RED and Black. Instructions here to upgrade.
AudioQuest has released an updated Anti-Static Record Brush.
I have fond memories as a child using the original AudioQuest record brush to clean my father’s LPs before dubbing to tape 30+ years ago.
The reality is the original brush helped somewhat, but most times I found it was good at only moving dust from one place to another.
The new AudioQuest Anti-Static Brush is the finally the brush that we always wanted. In just a couple quick revolutions, you can easily clean your LP of dust and be ready to play.
AudioQuest Founder William E. Low explains:
We eventually learned that the AQ Record Brush (and every other brand of carbon Fiber brush), doesn’t have a good electrical path between the fibers and the handle, and that the print-protecting coating on the metal handle prevents a proper electrical connection to the user’s hand. The user is the “ground” for static electricity, so having a good electrical contact from fibers-to-hand is a big deal!
In creating AQ’s new Conductive Carbon Fiber Brush, AudioQuest created new tooling for every part of our new design. AQ’s reborn Brush has ideal conductivity from the Carbon Fibers, through the internal parts of the brush, to the conductive Gold Contacts placed right where your fingers need them.
We also reinvestigated what is possible with Carbon Fibers, finally choosing for our new Brush a far greater quantity of new smaller fibers in order to more effectively sweep away micro-dirt, not just the less relevant visible dust.
At the back of the AudioQuest room was a test station with a shiny new AudioQuest Anti-Static Record Brush. I thought I would put it through its paces….
Step 1: Find the most amount of dirt possible! I ran my hand across the dustiest ledge I could find in the MOC, scooped up all the dust and crud I could find and sprinkled it all over the test LP.
Step 2: Use the new and improved AudioQuest Anti-Static Record Brush to clean up my mess.
Result – It took two passes (clean, dust off brush, clean again), but the record was clean again. Here is the video from the first pass. Toss your old record brush, and add the new AudioQuest Record Brush to your toolbox. It’s the best $20 you’ll spend on those precious LPs.
–Mohammed Samji
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