Power cords and power line conditioners create a lot of hand wringing amongst audiophiles. While we don’t understand why power cords need to cost more than $100-200 for almost 95% of components available today, there is no question that some audiophiles see the value in spending the price of an entire entry-level system on one cord or power line conditioner.
It’s not the type of investment that we think will pay huge dividends for 95% of the global listening audience. Running a $20,000 power amplifier? Sure — spending a few hundred dollars on a power cord is not going to kill you bank account. But for the rest of us — YMMV when using high-end power cords and power line conditioners. iFi Audio have been offering power accessories for a few years and we’ve tried a number of them with mixed results. Digital sources have benefitted the most from eliminating noise along the signal path.
The new iFi SilentPower range are meant to offer a more cost-effective solution for people who have noise, hum, or ground loop issues in their system.
By combining the Nova’s sophisticated construction with Active Noise Cancellation II, iFi has delivered a do-it-all clean-power cable solution that delivers optimised power to individual audio/AV system components without the need for a separate mains conditioning device. Sonic improvements delivered by the SupaNova power cable include greater clarity and definition, plus enhanced dynamic and spatial qualities, avoiding the apparent softening of leading edges, timing and dynamics that can occur with lesser mains filtering products.
Price & Availability
All four devices in the iFi SIlentPower range launch this month – the DC Blocker and GND Defender are on sale now and the Nova and SupaNova are available from April. RRPs as follows:
- DC Blocker: £129, €149, US $129 at Amazon
- GND Defender: £99, €129, US $99 at Amazon
- Nova: £169, €199, US $169 at Amazon (1.8m cable)
- SupaNova: £349, €399, US $349 at Amazon (1.8m cable)
For more information: iFi SilentPower Range
