Mains Conditioner & surge protection
- Thread starter andywscott
- Start date
Hi,
I bought the Tacima myself from Amazon (£26.24 free delivery) definately a worthwhile addition to any set up.
Leamick
System, Panasonic 42PX80B LCD, Panasonic BD35 Blu Ray, Onkyo 506 AV Receiver, Sky HD, Marantz CD5400, Kef 1005.2 Surround.
I bought the Tacima myself from Amazon (£26.24 free delivery) definately a worthwhile addition to any set up.
Leamick
System, Panasonic 42PX80B LCD, Panasonic BD35 Blu Ray, Onkyo 506 AV Receiver, Sky HD, Marantz CD5400, Kef 1005.2 Surround.
Has any of you noticed a difference in sound quality with this Tacima? I've had one for sveral months but can't say I do, although I'm happy to have the surge protection.
rob_981
Well-known member
Yes piobob. I noticed a definite improvement in sound quality. And a slight improvement in the tv picture too. It may be that your mains were already very good, so there wasn't much conditioning for the Tacima to do for you, hence a not very noticeable improvement in sound quality.
rob_981:Yes piobob. I noticed a definite improvement in sound quality. And a slight improvement in the tv picture too. It may be that your mains were already very good, so there wasn't much conditioning for the Tacima to do for you, hence a not very noticeable improvement in sound quality.
I see. I presume that means the newer the house/mains, the better it's likely to be?
I see. I presume that means the newer the house/mains, the better it's likely to be?
piobob:
rob_981:Yes piobob. I noticed a definite improvement in sound quality. And a slight improvement in the tv picture too. It may be that your mains were already very good, so there wasn't much conditioning for the Tacima to do for you, hence a not very noticeable improvement in sound quality.
I see. I presume that means the newer the house/mains, the better it's likely to be?
If that's true, then it puts upgrades onto a whole new level! However, it's more likely that the Tacimas have no impact at all.
rob_981:Yes piobob. I noticed a definite improvement in sound quality. And a slight improvement in the tv picture too. It may be that your mains were already very good, so there wasn't much conditioning for the Tacima to do for you, hence a not very noticeable improvement in sound quality.
I see. I presume that means the newer the house/mains, the better it's likely to be?
If that's true, then it puts upgrades onto a whole new level! However, it's more likely that the Tacimas have no impact at all.
rob_981
Well-known member
Tarquinh:piobob:
rob_981:Yes piobob. I noticed a definite improvement in sound quality. And a slight improvement in the tv picture too. It may be that your mains were already very good, so there wasn't much conditioning for the Tacima to do for you, hence a not very noticeable improvement in sound quality.
I see. I presume that means the newer the house/mains, the better it's likely to be?
If that's true, then it puts upgrades onto a whole new level! However, it's more likely that the Tacimas have no impact at all.
Ah, a cynic. Well, different people will hear different things. I didn't see how it could make a difference either, but for £25 or whatever it was, I thought it was worth a punt. My girlfriend didn't know I'd got it, and she came in, heard my system playing with the Tacima in place, and asked what I'd done to the sound. She'd noticed a definite improvement.
I'm no electrician, so I don't know exactly what causes it, but I believe the mains pick up interference, which the Tacima then helps to remove. If the mains in the house are fairly new, then I would think it stands to reason that they're more likely to be better quality. I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong. I live in an old flat, and the mains are definitely not new, so maybe that's why it had a big impact.
rob_981:Yes piobob. I noticed a definite improvement in sound quality. And a slight improvement in the tv picture too. It may be that your mains were already very good, so there wasn't much conditioning for the Tacima to do for you, hence a not very noticeable improvement in sound quality.
I see. I presume that means the newer the house/mains, the better it's likely to be?
If that's true, then it puts upgrades onto a whole new level! However, it's more likely that the Tacimas have no impact at all.
Ah, a cynic. Well, different people will hear different things. I didn't see how it could make a difference either, but for £25 or whatever it was, I thought it was worth a punt. My girlfriend didn't know I'd got it, and she came in, heard my system playing with the Tacima in place, and asked what I'd done to the sound. She'd noticed a definite improvement.
I'm no electrician, so I don't know exactly what causes it, but I believe the mains pick up interference, which the Tacima then helps to remove. If the mains in the house are fairly new, then I would think it stands to reason that they're more likely to be better quality. I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong. I live in an old flat, and the mains are definitely not new, so maybe that's why it had a big impact.
If the house wiring is not in good condition and has a oxidized 'True Earth' that will add to the problems, but the loadings and corruption in the local grid area has a substantial effect on your homes AV/music systems.
A Tacima is a cheap 1st step in improving things, they do work better on low current draw components rather then on Power amps etc I have found.
As What Hi Fi says in it's review "it's a no brainer".
A Tacima is a cheap 1st step in improving things, they do work better on low current draw components rather then on Power amps etc I have found.
As What Hi Fi says in it's review "it's a no brainer".
Tarquinh:Not a cynic, just studied the subject before wiring a couple of houses.
Not a cynic but a sceptic. There's nothing wrong with that.
Not a cynic but a sceptic. There's nothing wrong with that.
Now im not saying they work or dont work because i havent seen them in action to do comparisons. But Tarquinh if You had studied the sbject then you would know that electricity supplied from the grids is massively varied in fact the grid is allowed a 4% leeway on what they state. I have worked in power generation and the final side and although it is vary accurate there is spikes and corruptions to the supply. The pure nature of an alternating current is exactly that it is constantly changing within its limitations. Then there is many other possible variations or positive or negatives that do ocour and may even alter the quality of the sound/pic. But i cant say one way or the other just a neutral cant say one is right or wrong i would just let ur eyes and ears be the answer to this question. And like we say in the trade everything is so calculated and precise but it never is.
trevor79:If the house wiring is not in good condition and has a oxidized 'True Earth' that will add to the problems, but the loadings and corruption in the local grid area has a substantial effect on your homes AV/music systems.A Tacima is a cheap 1st step in improving things, they do work better on low current draw components rather then on Power amps etc I have found.As What Hi Fi says in it's review "it's a no brainer".
Wouldn't trust everything you read in reviews. However I can't be bothered getting into yet another meaningless debate. Just remember there's a whole lot of proof required before even accepting the premise that mains anything can make a difference. After all, the designers have to work within the constraints of many different electrical systems, and you don't see them building conditioners into their products.
Wouldn't trust everything you read in reviews. However I can't be bothered getting into yet another meaningless debate. Just remember there's a whole lot of proof required before even accepting the premise that mains anything can make a difference. After all, the designers have to work within the constraints of many different electrical systems, and you don't see them building conditioners into their products.
Leamick:
I bought the Tacima myself from Amazon (£26.24 free delivery) definately a worthwhile addition to any set up.
I have just ordered one from the same source. I confess to being very sceptical about passive mains conditioning but the proof of the pudding is in the eating so we'll see.
I bought the Tacima myself from Amazon (£26.24 free delivery) definately a worthwhile addition to any set up.
I have just ordered one from the same source. I confess to being very sceptical about passive mains conditioning but the proof of the pudding is in the eating so we'll see.
Halloway:Leamick:
I bought the Tacima myself from Amazon (£26.24 free delivery) definately a worthwhile addition to any set up.
I have just ordered one from the same source. I confess to being very sceptical about passive mains conditioning but the proof of the pudding is in the eating so we'll see.
Id suggest against plugging your amp straight into it
I bought the Tacima myself from Amazon (£26.24 free delivery) definately a worthwhile addition to any set up.
I have just ordered one from the same source. I confess to being very sceptical about passive mains conditioning but the proof of the pudding is in the eating so we'll see.
Id suggest against plugging your amp straight into it
idc
Well-known member
My experience (with a Russ Andrews The Silencer, not Tacima) is that there is no correlation as to how effective it is between old and new houses, or even where your house is, town or country. It is also my understanding and experience that time of day makes a difference, as mains becomes 'noisier' at dinner time and voltage drops as more load is put on it and 'quieter' at night and the voltage rises slightly due to lack of use.
That explains why some find conditioners of no use and others swear by them.
Some may even prefer the sound a 'noisy' unconditioned mains makes. Why not? There are reports of conditioners 'strangling' the sound, especially Tacimas on amps.
Then there is the insidious influence of Tarquinh 'The Unbeliever', whose crusade to destroy the very fabric of the science behind Russ Andrews and those who know that mains conditioning works, threatens to sour Anglo-French relations and turn this into a war mongering diplomatic incident between two great nations.
P.S - I made the last bit up for comedic reasons.
That explains why some find conditioners of no use and others swear by them.
Some may even prefer the sound a 'noisy' unconditioned mains makes. Why not? There are reports of conditioners 'strangling' the sound, especially Tacimas on amps.
Then there is the insidious influence of Tarquinh 'The Unbeliever', whose crusade to destroy the very fabric of the science behind Russ Andrews and those who know that mains conditioning works, threatens to sour Anglo-French relations and turn this into a war mongering diplomatic incident between two great nations.
P.S - I made the last bit up for comedic reasons.
aliEnRIK:Halloway:Leamick:
I bought the Tacima myself from Amazon (£26.24 free delivery) definately a worthwhile addition to any set up.
I have just ordered one from the same source. I confess to being very sceptical about passive mains conditioning but the proof of the pudding is in the eating so we'll see.
Id suggest against plugging your amp straight into it
Agreed, I tried a Tacima mains conditioner on my kit last night - seemed to suck all the life out of the music when both the amp (integrated) and CD player are plugged into it, but with just the CD player hooked in, it was a difference, not necessarily an improvement (seemed to smear the rough edges out including leading edges of notes, etc). I prefer the improvement that a Clearer Audio Copper Line Alpha mains cable made to my Rega Apollo CD player for about the same price as the Tacima (punchier, quicker, more open, rougher (more detail)) - this being plugged into a standard mains connector. In fact I'm going to sell the Tacima or use if for non-hifi equipment since I don't like the sound improvement at all on my hifi - it 'undoes' some of the improvement the mains cable has given imo.
I bought the Tacima myself from Amazon (£26.24 free delivery) definately a worthwhile addition to any set up.
I have just ordered one from the same source. I confess to being very sceptical about passive mains conditioning but the proof of the pudding is in the eating so we'll see.
Id suggest against plugging your amp straight into it
Agreed, I tried a Tacima mains conditioner on my kit last night - seemed to suck all the life out of the music when both the amp (integrated) and CD player are plugged into it, but with just the CD player hooked in, it was a difference, not necessarily an improvement (seemed to smear the rough edges out including leading edges of notes, etc). I prefer the improvement that a Clearer Audio Copper Line Alpha mains cable made to my Rega Apollo CD player for about the same price as the Tacima (punchier, quicker, more open, rougher (more detail)) - this being plugged into a standard mains connector. In fact I'm going to sell the Tacima or use if for non-hifi equipment since I don't like the sound improvement at all on my hifi - it 'undoes' some of the improvement the mains cable has given imo.
On my AV system it works wonders, i made both the sound and image much better, and here in Malta you wouldn't risk leaving 3000euros of gear without surge protection, with energy cuts and surges.
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