The first input into any audio or AV system is electricity, it is the ‘raw material’ from which the electronics you own need to function. The quality of this first input will affect performance either positively or negatively.
The mains supply is distorted by numerous factors, which erodes the performance of high-quality audio and AV systems. As the electronic devices we use proliferate and the demand for electrical power intensifies, the quality of the electricity we feed our systems continues to slide
The escalation of mains-borne ‘noise’ means that the need for IsoTek’s clean-power technology has never been greater. ‘Differential mode noise’ is especially exacerbated by the switch-mode power supplies that are common in many modern devices, from computers to kitchen appliances. ‘Common mode noise’ is ever-increasing thanks to wireless networking in the home, with mobile phones, wi-fi and Bluetooth bathing us in a sea of airborne interference.
The quality of electricity we use to feed our audio or AV systems has a profound effect on performance.
IsoTek is an English company making award-winning power optimisation products for hi-fi and home cinema systems.
Our highly specialised mains conditioners actively clean the power obtained from your wall sockets before it reaches your hi-fi or audio visual system, and our range of power cables further enhance this improvement. Our solutions cover a wide range of systems, delivering significant upgrades in performance at competitive prices.
IsoTek products are enjoyed by more than 100,000 customers in over 55 countries, and have earned numerous accolades from specialist audio and AV publications worldwide.
We are recognised as the leader in clean-power technology, a fact reinforced by the highly respected consumer electronics brands that are using IsoTek in the development and/or demonstration of their products, including Arcam, Denon, Genesis Advanced Technologies, Innuos, Kerr Acoustic, Marantz, Monitor Audio, Nordost, Onkyo, Piega, Pioneer, PMC, Primare, Roksan and TEAC Esoteric. All IsoTek products are designed for purpose, manufactured in Europe and built to last.
IsoTek’s unique technologies enhance sound and picture quality by filtering mains electricity and regulating its distribution, delivering pure and stable power to audio and AV equipment.
Our products also deliver unrivalled protection from damage caused by lightning strikes and power surges, and extend the lifespan of valuable electronic components.
From the entry-level Discovery range to the groundbreaking Ultimate series, IsoTek creates award-winning products to suit every system and every pocket, all uniquely effective in removing both differential mode and common mode noise.
The improvements that IsoTek components bring to sound quality are immediate and profound. The noise floor drops and the sound gains greater focus, with reduced grain and improved clarity. Bass is tighter and better defined, treble gains more space and ‘air’, and the overall musical performance appears more solid and dynamic, and hence more ‘real’. In AV systems, picture quality is similarly enhanced, with richer colours, improved depth and greater definition. Discover IsoTek and unleash your system’s full potential.
So called ‘DC on the mains’ is an increasing problem and becoming more and more common on the mains power line. It is caused by many electronic products around your home, that are connected to the power grid. These items generally run a diode electrically in series, for example, dimmer switches, hair dryers and coffee machines. But it doesn’t end there, solar panels on the roof, elevators, and fast charging stations for electric cars cause even more DC issues. These could be in your house or your neighborhood, or even further down the road. Strictly speaking the problem with DC on the mains as it is referred to, is the imbalance of the mains sine wave on the zero volts line, technically speaking it is not really a mains noise, but nevertheless bad power. It can cause considerable mechanical vibration within products (not only in amplifiers but all electronics) which will dramatically affect performance.
It is the strangest of problems on the AC line, which is a quirk of magnetic circuit design. A simple hairdryer can also cause massive noise in big amplifier transformers. IsoTek has developed a series of devices called “Syncro” that incorporate unique DC-cancelling electronics that rebalance the mains sine wave on the zero volts line, to dramatically reduce/silence transformer hum; the circuit synchronizes the mains supply to provide a perfectly symmetrical sine wave, which also delivers significant improvement when used with any audio-, AV- or network electronics.
Differential Mode mains noise is created by all electrical appliances – everything with a power supply, in fact. This includes your microwave oven, your television and your computer, as well as every hi-fi component you own.
Common Mode mains noise is often referred to as RFI – transmitted frequencies that surround us but we cannot see. For example, imagine how much data is transmitted by smartphones and tablets; cheap power cables act as aerials for these unwanted frequencies.
The product technical icons below help you to understand more about IsoTek’s unique award winning technologies and electrical engineering.
Differential Mode mains noise is created by all electrical appliances – everything with a power supply, in fact. This includes your microwave oven, your television and your computer, as well as every hi-fi component you own.
Common Mode mains noise is often referred to as RFI – transmitted frequencies that surround us but we cannot see. For example, imagine how much data is transmitted by smartphones and tablets; cheap power cables act as aerials (antennas) for these unwanted frequencies.
From a high quality audio point of view, mains electricity needs two factors; a nice 50 or 60Hz sine wave supplied from a very low impedance source, without radio frequency noise. The low impedance makes for a near constant voltage regardless of how much power is used in the surrounding area. In reality we can typically expect around 5% fluctuation. The very low impedance of the mains, which is way below 1 ohm at 50 or 60Hz is not maintained when approaching radio frequencies (> 50 ohms > 100 kHz) and acts as an aerial (antenna) inviting RF noise.
IsoTek’s power cleaning circuits are designed to reduce impedance whilst remaining safe as well as correcting well into the audio frequency bands. This is not only a judgment from sound electrical engineering, but it also follows the codes of electrical safety, which are independently assessed.
Unlike existing mains regenerators, IsoTek’s sine wave generation technology builds a completely new sine wave with extremely low distortion. A synchronous sine wave generator creates a fully optimized signal which is amplified by a generation engine running in either Class A/B or D (Genesis One), which is then fed to a high-quality output transformer with copper foil between the primary and secondary outputs, thus preventing distortion and noise passing through the unit. The result is up to 600W of continuous, newly generated power.
A critical part of the process is IsoTek’s unique synchronous sine wave system which replicates the frequency with zero variation so as not to create destructive harmonic distortions (beat frequencies) between the incoming mains supply and the generated electricity. In addition to eliminating distortion and producing an ultra-stable sine wave, the Genesis also controls mains voltage, ensuring the output voltage is maintained at 230V +/- 1%. By way of comparison, the European standard is 230V +/- 10%.
The end result is an extremely precise and consistent 230V/50Hz mains sine wave with vanishingly low levels of distortion, independent of the input quality of the power line. Whatever the level of distortion of the incoming mains supply, Genesis delivers exceptionally low THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) of between 0.05% and 0.17% with typical loads, remaining well below 0.3% with even the most complex loads.
Link to Sine Wave Generators: https://isoteksystems.com/categories/sine-wave-generators/
Many IsoTek products are not just a single power cleaning system but are multiple power cleaners in one convenient chassis. The advantage being that each component in your audio system has own dedicated clean power delivery system. Furthermore, Differential Mode noise, created as electrical devices draw power, is kept to a minimum and the possibility of electrical noise cross contamination between outlet sockets is eliminated.
Many power cleaning systems simply place a standard filter design in a box with all outlet sockets joined together in series one after the other, thus connected equipment cross contaminates and the purpose of the product is lost.
IsoTek products feature outlet sockets that are totally independent from each other; no two outlet sockets being directly connected. This is a critical point for limiting or eliminating the cross contamination of Differential Mode mains noise.
Each socket connects directly back to the PCB and is serviced by IsoTek’s unique power cleaning technologies.
Every IsoTek product uses the finest grade electrical components, many custom made, using the highest quality metals and materials which are specifically designed for purpose. Quality doesn’t stop at parts but also extends into the PCB designs, which maintain high levels of amperage and extraordinarily low levels of resistance, using up to eight times the general standard of copper prior to pure silver plating.
Internal wiring also uses high purity coppers combined with silver plating, with either Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) dielectric or IsoTek’s Virtual Dielectric of Air (VDA), where a FEP tube is wound around the conductor before an extruded FEP dielectric protects this construction giving unrivalled performance and the ultimate low resistance, high performance internal power delivery system.
Power surges or spikes on the mains supply are generally very bad for any electrical device especially a high quality audio replay system. Power surges occur when there is a boost to the electrical charge at some point in the power lines. This causes an increase in the electrical potential energy, which can increase the current flowing to your wall outlet. This in turn can damage your sensitive audio system.
The IsoTek protection system uses an array of VDRs which offer a cascading level of protection, in some cases over 100’000A. These step in fast and sequentially dependent upon the severity of the encountered power surge or spike. The architecture of the protection circuit extends dramatically and almost instantly when required.
The protection circuit has two primary functions, one to preserve itself and the second to step in gradually as any problem increases, with the ability to act very fast should an extreme condition occur. The protection circuits also protect the filters and the filters assist the protection in the initial stage. Unlike many protection devices these assist sound quality as well as providing protection. Studies suggest this problem is not subtle and is frequent. The disturbing challenge is the 1’000 to 6’000V range. It is likely most protection systems do very little good and probably cause sound degradation.
IsoTek’s unique Adaptive Gating system determines the appropriate level of differential filtration for any connected load. The maximum level of overall power filtration is achieved whilst respecting current requirements.
This system also eliminates Differential Mode noise cross contamination between outlet sockets, as all connected devices will corrupt the supplied clean power upon consumption throwing back Differential Mode noise. It is vital that this noise isn’t allowed to affect another component’s performance.
Technical papers state that Kirchhoff’s circuit laws are two equalities that deal with the current and potential difference (commonly known as voltage) in the lumped element model of electrical circuits. They were first described in 1845 by German physicist Gustav Kirchhoff. This generalized the work of Georg Ohm and preceded the work of James Clerk Maxwell. Widely used in electrical engineering, they are also called Kirchhoff’s rules or simply Kirchhoff’s laws. These laws can be applied in time and frequency domains and form the basis for network analysis.
The guiding principles for IsoTek circuits are driven by Kirchhoff’s two current laws, a simple analogy would be that for every litre of water placed into a water distribution system we would expect to get the same out.
To put it another way, Kirchhoff and Gauss described how seemingly impossible problems could be resolved by the concept of a town. If traffic flows on a circular orbital road around the town there is no effect on the town. However, if traffic enters the town, then there will be an effect on the town, and however many cars that enter eventually have to leave. The structure of that town will have either a positive or negative effect on that migration. In electronics this is also true. We must totally respect the signal path as, whether one wishes it or not, ultimately everything will be in the signal path to a greater or lesser degree.
As one would expect, the internal wiring of any IsoTek product is of the highest standard, pure 6n OFC (Oxygen Free Copper – 99.9999%) conductor strands with silver-plating offer low resistance and high amperage. An FEP dielectric is used to protect the conductors as well as giving the ultimate internal power delivery system.
IsoTek’s internal wiring synergizes with the range of IsoTek power cables. One critical but overlooked area is maintaining commonality of design and material properties though an audio wiring loom, be it signal carrying cables or your power cable network.
As one would expect the internal wiring of any IsoTek product is of the highest standard, ultra pure Ohno Continuous Cast copper solid core conductor strands with silver-plating offers low resistance and high amperage. A Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) helix is wound around the conductor before an extruded FEP dielectric protects the conductor and creates a Virtual Dielectric of Air (VDA). This construction gives unrivalled performance and gives the ultimate low resistance, high performance internal power delivery system.
IsoTek’s internal wiring synergizes with the range of IsoTek power cables. One critical but overlooked area is maintaining commonality of design and material properties though an audio wiring loom, be it signal carrying cables or your power cable network.
IsoTek delivers absolute power, unrestricted current delivery within what the power company can supply, and regulations allow. Generally, for power amplifiers or high wattage electronics IsoTek provides output which offers extremely low impedance and low DCR, this completely eliminates (within the concepts of power filtering) any possibility of current restriction and enhances dynamic range, the impedance of the chain back to the power station being far larger. When power is contaminated, dynamic range is reduced.
It is impossible to get more than 100% out of the mains supply. The very principle of AC power is that it doesn’t store energy in the transmission system. It is therefore impossible to store energy in an AC system by the very principles by which it works. There can be no so-called power reserve, thus a power reserve within an AC circuit in the truest sense of the word does not and cannot exist.
Power reserve would require the voltage to increase as ohms law insists it must, saying a circuit doesn’t sag isn’t a reserve of power. The AC waveform goes between maximum and minimum points at 50 Hz in 10 mS, it then swings to the maximum negative value. At 20 mS a full cycle is achieved. Therefore, in fact the average values of an AC waveform is zero. Only as a power wave can it be positive, this is due to the law of squared negatives. It looks like a ballooned sine wave where the value of 45 degrees is 0.5 not 0.7071 from a trigonometric table. Were this only a voltage wave it would have a long-term value of zero! As far as energy storage is concerned zero is the value of stored energy.
Direct Current resistance (DCR) will cause sag. To put it in other words, a system has to be developed which does not limit the power reserve of the power station, meaning a circuit needs to have extremely low resistance whilst maintaining sufficiently high inductance. When done correctly and in perfect balance the inductance is virtually zero at 50/60 Hz and the Direct Current resistance (DCR) is also very close to zero. Therefore, an ideal filter circuit must maintain zero Ohms resistance DC (or very close) and considerable AC resistance to noise above 50/60 Hz. Despite statements to the contrary, this is precisely where correctly specified materials matter most. Whilst some might consider these ‘exotic’ they represent a critical and important part of the function and appropriate to use. Remarkably IsoTek filter designs can maintain very low resistance at 50/60Hz but have very high amounts of noise cancellation above that frequency.
Most AC circuits are reactive – produce a reaction either from the power drawn or the circuit itself, put simply they are not pure resistors and behave like a capacitance and resistance or an inductance and resistance. In an ideal world the only allowable impediment is resistance and ideally this needs to be extremely low. A dilemma, do you want high transient power, or do you want heavy filtration – amazingly you can have both, but one must have components of the very highest quality, which are designed specifically for purpose with totally correct architecture. This is extremely complex and has resulted in the design of specialist parts; these do not exist outside the world of specialist power engineering and are unique to IsoTek designs.
Some IsoTek products (all V5) contain a System Link outlet, which is designed to connect multiple units together, maintaining a stared earth reference, and preserving the need for multiple wall outlet sockets.
This is particularly useful for joining multiple units together using our System Link cable available in EVO3 Initium, EVO3 Premier, EVO3 Sequel and EVO3 Optimum quality.
As part of our on-going commitment to the highest standards of customer service, IsoTek offers you the opportunity to extend the standard 2 years product warranty to 3 years, free of charge.
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Recording artists and producers use IsoTek for better sound.
If you’ve experienced IsoTek products, you’ll know that the company’s power conditioners can make huge improvements to the sound of audio, and AV systems in the home. But did you know that discerning recording studios also use IsoTek components to improve the quality of the recordings they make? The audiophile arm of major record label Universal Music Group (UMG) uses IsoTek equipment while making many of its recordings.
The latest albums by George Lam, Prudence Liew and RubberBand were all recorded with the following IsoTek power conditioning components in the recording chain: Titan (for microphone power supply), Nova (for mic preamp and compressor), Sirius and Syncro (for microphone power supply) and Sigmas (for computer and AD/DA converter).
“We chose IsoTek power conditioners because of the sonic improvements we knew they’d bring to the recording sessions,” said Ernest Lau, Head of UMG’s Audiophile Recordings Division.
The first input into any audio or AV system is electricity. It flows through the system, utilized by each component in turn to create the signal that eventually moves the speakers’ drive units or delivers the pixels on-screen. What we see and hear is ultimately fashioned from, and by, mains electricity – it is the ‘raw material’ from which your audio electronics are powered.
The mains supply is distorted by numerous factors as it travels from power stations to be distributed throughout our homes, eroding the performance of high-quality audio and AV systems. As the electronic devices we use proliferate and the demand for electrical power intensifies, the quality of the electricity we feed our systems continues to slide.
The escalation of mains-born ‘noise’ means that the need for IsoTek’s clean-power technology has never been greater. ‘Differential mode noise’ is created by all of the electrical devices connected to all sockets around your home. This is especially exacerbated by the switch-mode power supplies that are common in many modern devices, from computers to kitchen appliances. ‘Common mode noise’ and radio frequency interference is ever-increasing thanks to wireless networking in the home, with mobile phones, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, bathing us in a sea of airborne interference.
The quality of electricity has a profound effect on performance. Without a correctly designed for audio power cleaning system you could only be accessing around 80 per cent of your system’s full potential.
Differential Mode mains noise is created by all electrical appliances; everything with a power supply that is connected into the wall sockets around your home. This includes your microwave oven, your television and your computer, as well as every hi-fi component you own.
Common Mode mains noise is often referred to as RFI – transmitted frequencies that surround us but we cannot see. For example, imagine how much data is transmitted by smartphones and tablets; cheap power cables act as aerials for these unwanted frequencies. These rob your audio system of its ultimate performance.
Industry standard and certification standards dictate that the bottom right output pin of a C13 IEC connector is live. Use an electrician’s screwdriver (featuring a light) to check this. Carefully insert screwdriver end into the lower right IEC connector hole making sure that the central earth hole is at the top, when looking directly at the end of the C13 IEC. If the screwdriver eliminates live, phase is correct, if it does not, rotate the Schuko plug at the wall socket end and re-test.
The problem in question is sometimes referred to as ‘DC on the mains’. In terms of audio equipment, it is often signified by a buzzing sound emitted by a transformer in a power amplifier. Of course, this buzz is extremely distracting to the listener, and hardly in keeping with the concept of high-resolution audio. In addition, the mechanical vibration within the power transformer, created by core saturation, results in microphony in the internal components, leading to further degradation of sound quality.
Most of the DC-related issues suffered by audio systems are brought into being by the electrical devices we own, directly ‘rectifying’ the mains from AC to DC (where a diode is used in series to allow either the positive or negative cycle of the mains sine wave to pass). The use of switch-mode power supplies exacerbates the problem, introducing measurable mains distortion. These devices create a lack of symmetry in the mains sine wave where it is displaced from the zero voltage line, leading to the aforementioned hum that’s often noticeable from power amplifiers, as the DC voltage saturates the core of the transformers with DC current.
The Syncro technology is solely concerned with creating zero-volt symmetry, rebalancing the mains sine wave on the zero volts line and thus reducing or fully eliminating transformer hum.
DC on the mains, in terms of audio equipment, is often signified by a buzzing sound emitted by a transformer in a power amplifier. IsoTek’s range of Syncro named products resolves this problem by rebalancing the mains sine wave on the zero volts line. These products are:
EVO3 Syncro (power cable),
EVO3 Syncro Uni (10A & 16A),
EVO3 Nova (12 outlets) featuring Syncro technology.
For lower scale power amplifiers the IsoTek 10A rated power bars would be suitable in most cases. These feature a central network designed to clean power to all connected components. The V5 Sirius or V5 Elektra are also an option.
For larger power amplifiers we’d recommend a 16A rated solution, the V5 Sirius or the high current outlets of Aquarius, Sigmas or Nova would be suitable.
However, for the ultimate high current power cleaning solution, consider IsoTek’s range of ‘Titan’ named products, these feature a unique Direct Coupled circuit which electrically couples amplifiers to the incoming supply, whilst offering very low impedance and unrestricted current delivery within what the power company can supply and regulations allow.
A Starred Earth system in its purest form will connect each piece of electronic equipment to the reference earth (here the wall socket) as if uniquely connected. Alternative arrangements like bus bars with connection points (outlets) in series, create fractional differences in the Earth voltage. Whilst that is acceptable for safety it is less good for signal earthing. Signal earth is like a foundation. It should be rigid and dependable.
The EVO3 Genesis One is one of our sine wave generation series, this being the perfect upgrade for your source components. If you do not have a spare wall outlet socket and wish to connect via either an IsoTek V5 Aquarius, V5/EVO3 Sigmas or EVO3 Nova you should always use the high-current outlet marked in red.
The short answer is: these mean (kind of) all the same. In fact the term “Power Conditioner“ is not 100% correct as the mains power will not be conditioned, it will be cleaned. For this reason, we chose the term “cleaner” instead, since the sine wave is cleaned of differential mode and common mode mains interference.
The EVO3 Nova One, EVO3 Titan One and EVO3 Genesis One products feature a System Link outlet socket on the rear panel, this socket is designed to link units together without dynamic restrictions. It is possible to place six One Series products side by side on an equipment rack, each unit measuring just 75mm in width. You would need an IsoTek System Link cable to join the units together, the first unit being connected directly to your wall socket.
The single re-generated outlet of the EVO3 Genesis One allows for 100W of totally clean power. If you know that the combined power consumption of your preamplifier and CD player are less then 100W you can use an IsoTek EVO3 Gemini power bar connected into the Genesis out to split the output power. The Gemini would then provide a clean perfect sine wave from the EVO3 Genesis One thus avoiding any differential mode noise cross-contamination between the connected components. Please refer to the individual manuals of the two connected components to ensure that the total power consumption does not exceed 100W.
The single outlet of the EVO3 Titan One allows for 3680W of clean power. It is designed to drive mono, stereo and multichannel power amplifiers, active loudspeakers or active subwoofers. You can use an IsoTek EVO3 Gemini power bar connected into the EVO3 Genesis One outlet to split the output power. The EVO3 Gemini would then provide the clean power from the EVO3 Titan One as well avoiding any differential mode noise cross-contamination between the connected components. Please refer to the individual manuals of the two connected components to ensure that the total power consumption does not exceed 3680W.
Full mains sine wave generators or power regenerators, as they are best known, have limited power output. They use power transistors in the output stage. These have a small resistance not unlike cable resistance. Beyond a certain point adding transistors adds design problems. As source devices like CD players may only need 50 watts this seems to be the best target area for regenerators use. The sound advantages when used in this way are great if not phenomenal.
A regenerator that could equal the low direct current resistance (DCR) of the mains might be 20’000 watts (VA). DCR is the DC resistance of the mains measured as if DC, 50 or 60 Hz are a low enough frequency to make the DC resistance an acceptable substitute for AC impedance. Regenerators also allow filtering of 100 Hz without overheating. Passive filters cannot easily do this without introducing new problems onto the mains supply.
Technically, a re-generated signal should only be used for an electronic component that has a (more or less) constant draw of power. IsoTek’s range of Titan named products are more suitable for power amplifier requirements.
The high current output makes it a priority to have the lowest possible direct current resistance (DCR). This makes the electrical engineering and mathematical calculations quite challenging. However, luckily, the 50 or 60Hz frequency of the mains supply is separated by the physical makeup of the house or building wiring inductance and DCR to separate the radio frequency interference (RFI) and the high power house current. Taking into consideration all factors RFI could be said to be 10 kHz as this is where modern electronics need a little help. The IsoTek power cleaning circuit increases from this point as the need is greater.
The high current outlets are designed for high current devices, for example power amplifiers, active loudspeakers, active subwoofers or nowadays TVs. In general, for every electronic device with a changing demand of mains power.
Medium current DCR is much more like a regenerator. By deliberately introducing a small amount of DCR it is possible to have a greater power cleaning circuit. This also assists in the separation (Differential Mode Mains noise) of connected loads, audio or audio-visual electronics. It might be surprising to know that audio or audio-visual electronics can also be a source of mains noise. It is therefore highly desirable to keep separation so that each connected device seemingly has its own power station.
The medium current outlets are designed for source components, pre-amplifiers or any streaming related product including network products with a (more or less) constant power draw.
We would recommend a cable with high amperage and low impedance. The best cables suited for this purpose would be the IsoTek Optimum or Ascension cables. If you also wish to mange DC related sine wave problems, you could also consider the Syncro power cable. Please refer to our power cable brochure for advice on all of the IsoTek power cables.
Yes, of course! The CD includes a variety of tracks featuring specially developed algorithms, which create a unique set of signals to reduce burn-in time and ‘run-in’ equipment. The disc can also de-magnetize audio and audio-visual components.
Yes, several IsoTek products have a Neutrik powerCON output for connecting product with a System Link cable.
We produce System Link Cables in EVO3 Initium, EVO3 Premier, EVO3 Sequel and EVO3 Optimum quality.
Managing Director Keith Martin and Product Manager Bjoern Kort present IsoTek products @ Munich High End Show 2019.