AV2DAY
24 Mar 2013
ABL T1
By Tan TE
ABL SURSUM MCB 50 T1 CRYO RM500
ABL SURSUM MCB 32 T1 CRYO RM350
ABL SURSUM ELCB 63A 30MA CRYO RM850
ABL SURSUM MCB 32 T1 CRYO RM350
ABL SURSUM ELCB 63A 30MA CRYO RM850
ABL SURSUM MCB 63 T1 CRYO RM500
DOEPKE MCB 6KA CRYO 32amp FOR A/V RM500
DOEPKE DFS 2 RCCB CRYO 40amp FOR A/V RM1100
DOEPKE DFS 2F RCCB 40amp FOR AUDIO RM6000
DOEPKE DFS 2F RCCB 40amp FOR AUDIO RM6000
After my experience with his Frank PB-15000W Power Bank
wonder (see
http://hifi-unlimited.blogspot.com/2013/02/frank-pb-15000ws-power-bank-storage.html),
Frankie Voon brought his German made ABL Sursum T1 50amp cryo’ed MCB (miniature
circuit breaker) to my place to up the quality of the mains for my hifi.
Ours is a fastidious hobby, every little thing counts. We
fuss over what a non-audiophile would consider small things, but for us we must
absolutely get it right, all in the name of squeezing the last ounce of
performance from our hifi rig.
Knowing that electricity is the lifeblood to our music
reproduction, no juice no music, we invest in mains conditioners, power cords,
exotic plugs and wall sockets. However these are not all, there are a few more
things that can be done. Frankie, being a combination of audiophile and a
qualified electrician, has been going around audiophiles’ homes to install
earthing, new fuses, dedicated power lines etc.. Amongst the products he
carries is this premium MCB (miniature circuit breaker) – ABL Sursum T1 50amp.
This MCB’s 50 amp current carrying rating is much higher that the 30 amp ones I
used for my dedicated lines. The construction of the ABL MCB is very robust;
and tipping its hat towards audiophile requirements, it is cryo treated, a
process touted to provide better sound quality.
On a Saturday afternoon, Frankie and his technician came and
replaced the MCB for my dedicated hifi power line to the ABL. The whole job took about an hour. During the
installation process, the whole house had to suffers total blackout, but of
course – safety was paramount.
The ABL MCB made its presence known during my first
listening session, immediately after installation.
I could not help but think of the analogy of a highway that
was just been widened from 2 lanes to 4.
Immediately, the traffic jam that we have gotten used to and have taken
for granted disappeared. We were surprised that the traffic flow could actually
be so smooth and the driving so much more relaxed and enjoyable.
With the new MCB, the sound became a tad richer and gained a
bit more body. The air in the recordings became more obvious, i.e., very minute
details became clearer, either due to lower noise level or that the better
quality electricity allowing the equipment to get more out of the digital
stream. The presentation became just
that little more rounded. Overall, the sound became more relaxed and smoother
to listen to, giving a less fatiguing listening experience.
While the magnitude
of these changes was not day and night, the improvements were very much
audible. For the cost of RM450 per piece for the MCB (excluding installation
cost, which will depend on the complexity of the job), I rate this ABL cryo MCB
as very high value for money.
Come on, let me just say it – for the price of a couple of
good family dinners, it is extremely difficult for me to think of another
upgrade in our little audiophile universe as worthy as this.
Doepke Cryo
DOEPKE DFS 2 RCCB CRYO 40amp FOR A/V RM1100
DOEPKE MCB 6KA CRYO 32amp FOR A/V RM500
Call Frankie Voon at +6012-2981011 to discuss or visit http://fveuroaudio.wix.com/audio
Tags: ABL,Doepke Hifi
review, MCB
http://www.av2day.com/2013/03/abl-sursum-t1-50amp-cryo-mcb/
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur
http://www.av2day.com/2013/03/abl-sursum-t1-50amp-cryo-mcb/
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur
