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Old 11-07-2021, 03:57 PM
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Vintage Pete Vintage Pete is offline
Remembering Dan



 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Posts: 7,500
Default ADD-Powr Wizard in the house!

The Company

Coherence Systems, the parent company under which ADD-Powr products are manufactured, has apparently been around for a while, though I'd never heard of them before I learned of the ADD-Powr line.
It's my understanding that Bill Stierhout, the owner and designer of ADD-Powr line, began in the audio industry in 1999 with two products, the Quantum Symphony and Symphony Pro.

I've been intrigued with ADD-Powr products from the very first time I read Ivan's intro to the products here on the site, and, in phone conversations with Ivan I'd gotten the sense of unbridled enthusiasm over
what are decidedly some very unconventional products. Unconventional in the sense that these products do not operate in the usual way we are accustomed to when it comes to line conditioners, filters, and so on.
We expect to connect the product "inline" in some way, where the AC power goes in one end and comes out the other, "conditioned" or "regenerated, if you will. There are many excellent products that operate in
this way-I have a few of them myself. The ADD-Powr products simply plug into the wall at or near the system to be "treated", and that's it. They work their "magic" from there. The "ADD" in the ADD-Powr name
stands for "Algorithm Digital Defined Power". The company's founder, Bill Stierhout, the owner and designer of ADD-Powr line, began in the audio industry in 1999 with two products, the Quantum Symphony and
Symphony Pro. This I've gathered from other sources around the web.

The Products

Eau2

Last January, I decided to get my feet wet a bit, and try one of the ADD-Powr entry-level products in my primary system. I was tickled when the little box arrived with an Eau2 Harmonic resonator arrived. I plugged this
little fellow in right next to where my system is plugged in (actually where my PS Audio P12 is plugged in, with a FuruTech Flux-50NCF inline. I thought I was "done" with power conditioning at the time I purchased those
devices. But I found that the Eau2 improved thigs even further! It only took a day (or less) before I knew that I'd be keeping the Eau2. I posted a review at that time, which can be read here:

https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=49386

The Wizard

Since that time, I've been busy with other major system upgrades; but in the back of my mind I knew one day I'd want to give the more powerful Wizard a try. That day arrived two days ago, with the arrival of my new Wizard. I
t is very basic in appearance, with no knobs or switches on the front. As with other ADD-Powr products, it is completely passive and simply plugs into the wall. It can even be hidden, if rack or system real estate is at a premium,
as is often the case. If it is to be displayed, it is certainly attractive enough to do so:



The back of the unit is quite plain, with really only an IEC power cord connection, and one blue status LED. According to ADD-Powr, this LED remains lit as the algorithmic cycle is completed, which occurs approximately once a minute.
Once this cycle is completed, the light extinguishes, until the next cycle begins. For a more detailed explanation on how the Wizard actually works, see the file I've attached from a paper that was included with my unit.

I guess in my excitement to get started, I failed to take a photo of the rear of my unit. Here is an internet photo:



Placement

I was tempted to display my Wizard next to my McIntosh MP100 phono stage, under my turntable platform. But I wasn't quite ready to relinquish this space, and ultimately decided to stash mine next to my system, somewhat behind
the left loudspeaker system, near where other power devices reside. I situated it beneath my PS Audio Dectect, where it fits nicely. I plugged it in the same outlet where my eau2 had been plugged in (I plan to utilize my eau2 in one of
my other systems).







Listening impressions

Now that I had the unit situated to my liking, it was time to fire things up and listen. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical. But....Holy Cow! When I powered up, my first listen was just some music on the radio. I could tell IMMEDIATELY
that something was different-the bass seemed deeper, the imaging was deeper, wider, and more dimensional (holographic). This was all in the first few seconds. Some have said they have noticed the system seems "louder". I can see
how one could get that impression, but I attribute it more to a more dynamic presentation. Moreover, as I think I also read somewhere, instruments seem to emerge from a blacker background, with more clarity and delineation. I believe
this is exactly right. Coherence says on their sheet that the product "may add as much as 1 to 2 db or more electrical and acoustical energy to the system". While I've never really heard a product benefit described quite this way, once you
hear what the Wizard does, it makes sense. I'm not sure it is really quantifiable ("1 to 2db") but there is certainly more energy, a more lifelike presentation, and more realism. A LOT more. I spent quite a few hours listening yesterday and
last night, enjoying every minute. The increased delineation of instruments becomes really important with music that has a lot of energy to begin with, a lot of instruments going on, where things may tend to "smear" a little. I'm literally
hearing details I hadn't heard in recordings I've listened to many, many times. Since I'd added my new Turntable rig a few months ago, much of my listening had been with vinyl. I was almost neglecting my McIntosh MCD/MDA1000 combo.
Yesterday I did more CD listening than I probably have in the last 3 or 4 months, or however long it has been. Let's just say I KNOW my digital music sounded great before, but not THIS good! And certain vinyl selections sound simply flabbergasting.

Conclusion

I am thoroughly impressed with the ADD-Powr Wizard. If anyone has even an inkling of curiosity (and even if you don't :-) ) I say...try it! I seriously doubt you'll be disappointed. I can't wait to finish writing this, so I can get back to listening!

Other ADD-Powr products

There are a variety of ADD-Powr products, and I'm not up on them all. I do know that the next step up the food chain is the Sorcer, and even more powerful unit. I believe this is intended to be located near or at the whole house power source (panel).
Perhaps Bill or Ivan can chime in here with more details on this and more ADD-Powr products.

I would also encourage anyone interested to go back and read Ivan's earlier post describing the dramatic improvements than can be realized with these very unique products:

https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=47482

Note: I believe there is one misprint on the sheet included with my Wizard. The sheet states the dimensions of the unit as 12.0" x 8.0" x 2.0". My unit measures 17.0" x 10.0" x 2.0".

Thanks for reading folks!
Attached Files
File Type: pdf ADD-Powr Wizard Speciafications and summary.pdf (513.9 KB, 26 views)
__________________
Pete

No. 35


Main System: VPI Prime Signature TT in Rosewood, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Stillpoints LP1 V2, McIntosh: MP100, MR78, MCD1000 Transport on Stillpoint Ultra Minis, MDA1000 D/A Converter on Stillpoint Ultra Minis, MS750 Music Server, C40, MC501's (3), Soundcraftsmen: DC2215 Eq/AS1000 Real time analyzer, DBX 3BX II, Carver C9, Nakamichi Dragon, Crown SX724, Crown D-75A (as headphone amp), Sony XBR55X900E 4K TV, JBL L220A's, JBL B460, Sumo Delilah active crossover, WireWorld Silver Eclipse audio interconnects, WireWorld Starlight and Silver Starlight Coaxial Digital interconnects, Wireworld SuperNova 7 Toslink digital interconnect, WireWorld Aurora 7 and Silver Electra Power cords, Wireworld Silver Eclipse 8 speaker cables, Terk AF-1 Powered Antenna, Oppo UDP-205 4K Blu-Ray Player, Bryson BUC-1 USB Converter, Wireworld Gold Starlight XLR Digital interconnect, PS Audio Direct Stream Power Plant 12 on Stillpoint Ultra Minis, PS Audio Dectect, FuruTech Flux-50 NCF Inline Power Filter, Add-Powr Wizard EM Field AC Line conditioner; Stillpoint Ultra SS's under (3) McIntosh MC501 Amplifiers

Florida Room/Art Studio System: Harmon Kardon T60 TT/Ortofon 2M Black, McIntosh: MR77, C32, MC2205; Crown Power Line Four, Wyred for Sound DAC-2 Digital to Analog converter, Soundcraftsmen AE2000 Eq, JBL 4313B's, JBL 2241-based Sub, JBL BX63A Active Crossover, Oppo BDP-105D Blu-Ray Player, Samsung 5500 Series 32" Smart TV, Terk AF-1 Powered Antenna

Master Bedroom System: McIntosh: MX120 Theater processor, MC206 6-channel amplifier; MR74 AM/FM Tuner, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, JVC HM-DH40000U D-Theater Digital VHS, Phase Technology PC80 Towers (now used as stands), (2) JBL 4401's, (1) JBL Studio 6IW speaker, (2) JBL Studio 6IC speakers, Sony XBR-49X900E UHD TV, Panamax 1000 Line Conditioner, (2) JL Audio E110 Subwoofers, Wireworld Solstice speaker cables, Wireworld Aurora Power cords, Wireworld Equinox and Solstice speaker cables and various other flavors of Wireworld and Audioquest cabling

Office System: Marantz 150 Tuner, Crown DL 2, Crown EQ 2, Crown SA 2, Crown D-75A (as headphone amp), McIntosh MCD7009 (as transport), DBX 3BX Series II, Oppo BDP-103 Blu-ray player, JBL 4401's, JL Audio E112 Subwoofer, Samsung 5500 series 32" Smart TV, Wire World Oasis audio interconnects, Wire World Solstice speaker cables, Wyred for Sound DAC-2 DSDse Digital to Analog converter, Wireworld Starlight Coaxial Digital Interconnect, Sennheiser HD800 Headphones, Sennheiser HDVA600 Headphone amp, Wireworld Silver Eclipse Balanced Interconnects, Wireworld Platinum Starlight USB Cable, Add-Powr EAU-2 AC Harmonic resonator

High Resolution Source: HP Omen 17" Gaming Laptop

Last edited by Vintage Pete; 11-07-2021 at 04:00 PM.
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