For me, the best way to assess a new component, is to leave it in my system for at least a week...and just use it without giving it a second thought. The moment of truth happens when the component is removed from the rig...will I miss it ?...will I go cold turkey ? or was I just infatuated with the change, any change, in performance...was I subjected to some kind of wishful thinking placebo effect ?

Well my first impressions were kind of unexpected.

"What can I say...the effect is not even subtle.

The last time a experienced this kind of instant emotional delivery was when I took the Rock n Roller Coaster ride at Disney Paris...you know...the one with the horizontal launch.

At last... hit hats, cymbals sound as they should...stage is wider...stereo is...euh...more holographic.

The bass is fundamentally different and took me completely off guard...its got more zzzing to it (I know, sounds silly)...its still very musical, I still hear all the notes, but it is somehow more balanced and integrated with the mids and highs."

Do I still feel the same after a week of living with the PurePower 2000i ?

Setting the stage.

I know my rig can sound fantastic...unfortunately not all of the time. Late at night it sounds golden, but during the day or early evening its performance is definitely sub par...its kind of frustrating.

Dimming lights during the evenings gave some clue that not all was up to snuff on the mains-power front.

So, we had a new breaker box installed and made arrangements to have 4 dedicated lines installed...that's when we hit a snag...a gass pipe to be more specific. Not knowing were the gass pipe ran kind of killed plan A. It didn't seem like a good idea to bring out the diamonddrill and do some trial and error drilling in uncharted concrete slabs.

So up to Plan B, Torus Power isolation transformers or its beautiful McIntosh incarnation the MPC1500...however they wouldn't solve the suspected voltage sag problem and frankly, were too expensive for what they did...that kind of bummed me out because I really had my sights set on the MPC1500.

When the opportunity presented itself to test the PurePower 2000i unit we just had to jump on that wagon.

Some facts and observations

The unit is built like a tank...no worries there.
The fan noise (more some kind of whisper), although I could hear it from 3,5 meters away (sweetspot) on a silent day, is indeed negligible and doesn't bother me...pfff, that is a relief.

The unit is powering the McIntosh C1000 PreAmp, MDA1000, MCD1000, 2xMC501 Mono Block Amps and a Sony BluRay + 55" LED TV.

That Sony 55" LED TV in itself counts for a 18% load as indicated on the 2000i's display.

Even at loud volumes (501 needle bouncing around the 50W mark), and with the TV on I could barely get the 2000i to cross the 40% load mark.

At the input side the 2000i measured voltage fluctuations from 114V to 220V and 223V to 230V, depending on the time of day. These sags occured all the time and every few seconds...the horror.

How well did the PurePower 2000i fare ?

When first using the unit, the input voltage, on average was 217V, and the effect was instant and profound.

The day I removed the unit, the input voltage, on average was 227V and the effect was less pronounced.

However when playing some "difficult" records like Smashing Pumpkins' MACHINA/The machines of God...it became very obvious that the 2000i allowed me to pump up the volume and to still hear a clear separation between all the heavily distorted guitars. My significant other, not knowing when the unit was in play or not, volunteered that the second audition (when the unit was back in) sounded much better.

With the unit in, I could, at last, clearly hear Danny Carey's drumming on TOOL's Stinkfist within the torrents of Adam Jones' surging guitar.

A weak point of my rig, recessed sounding metalic percussion, is no longer an issue with the 2000i powering the PreAmps and Mono Blocks. All metalic percussion is now clearly audible in the stereo field. In fact, separation between all instruments is much better and remains so at any volume level. Its a real joy to hear that subtle cymbal stroke amidst a wall of sound.

The overall stage has more depth and this with the improved stereo separation makes for a more holographic presentation.

Playing around with some Daniel Lanois records (great dynamics, low bass) confirmed that the bass goes lower and is better integrated with the mids and highs. Bass Players know first hand that an electric bass guitar has lots of high frequency content that gives it that zzzing for lack of a better word. With the 2000i in use, the whole spectrum of the bass guitar is in play. Even on these very uncompressed and very dynamic Lanois records I could hear deeper into the recording, hearing keyboard parts buried in the mix I didn't even know were there.

Overall dynamics improved...the needles of the MC501's bounced more, be it subtle, on heavily compressed records like Mastodon's Crack the Skye.

The verdict

It would seem that frequent short term low voltage aka sags is the main culprit, or to stay in PurePower parlando, Power Gremlin, that compromises my system's performance. Mains as low as 214V feeding powersupplies expecting a 220V or 230V feed is definitely not a good thing and would seem to have a profound impact on the performance of my rig.

What the PurePower 2000i does for me is make sure that my rig performs like during the golden hours, but then all of the time and then some.

In hindsight and to be expected, the bigger the Power Gremlins manifestation, the more profound the experience hence my first impressions.

OK...so I will have to change the battery pack in 8 years time...but that seems like a small price to pay.

The surge protection is icing on the cake...the assurance that my system will perform at its maximum level without introducing any regenerator sourced artifacts or limitations is what clinched the deal for me.

IMHO the PurePower 2000i offers exceptional value for money...just one word of caution though, try not to be too enthusiastic in front of your dealer before you have negotiated a deal.

Is there still room for improvement at my place...sure...but this involves bricking up a window and removing a radiator behind one of the speakers. Measures that are beyond the realms of what is sanctioned by the almighty WAF.

...Now...with a little imagination I can picture the 2000i with a McIntosh glass faceplate...wouldn't that be a nice licensing deal.

And last but not least, muchos gracias to Roger from HiFi Corner Antwerpen for driving through perilous winter conditions to deliver the unit at my home.

THX

Jacques

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"Knowledge is expensive because the cost of ignorance is huge"

Jacques.......Very enjoyable review. It sounds like you have solved the sagging voltage problem completely. The PurePower 2000i is a keeper. Congratulations, and happy listening.

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Dan


Living Room System: McIntosh C2300, MC601 (2), MCD1100, MS750, MR85, Sony DAT 60ES, Nakamichi BX-300, Micro Seiki DD-40, Ortofon 2M Black, Sonos ZP90, Oppo BDP-83SE Blu-ray, PMC EB1i, Fathom f113 w/ Sound Anchor stand, Power Plant Premier (2), PS Audio Soloist Premier SE (3), Rollerblock Jr.'s, Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's & PC's, Kimber 8TC with WBT Solid Silver Angled Locking Banana Connectors.
Studio System: McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MCD1100, MR88, Michell Gyro SE w/SME 309/Ortofon Cadenza Black, Sonos ZP90, PS Audio Power Plant Premier, PS Audio Soloist Premier SE, Sonus Faber Amati Anniversario, Rollerblock Jr.'s, Wireword Silver Eclipse IC's & PC's, Wireworld Silver Eclipse speaker cable.
Studio Home Theater System: McIntosh MX120, MC452, Oppo BDP-95 Blu-ray, PS Audio Soloist Premier SE, JBL LSR-6332 (2), JBL LSR-6328P (3), McIntosh XLS112 (2), Sony 52XBR9, Tributaries Silver IC's, Wireworld PC's.
Vintage: McIntosh MA5100, MR74 tuner, JVC XL-Z1050 K2 CD player, Wyred 4 Sound DAC2, Tandberg 3008A and 3026A, JBL4312A , McIntosh 4300V for deck speakers.

Jacques,

Excellent write up & glad you have found a solution to your "baggy & wilting" AC.

P.S. Detailed & concise reviews are becoming more & more well thought out & written here lately.

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Amps: MC2301 tube mono's/dedicated 20A breakers.
Preamp: C500C/C500T
Digital Source: MCD1100 CD/SACD
Analogue Sources: SME 20/2 w/SME V arm and Palo Santos Presentation Cartridge & Akai GX-400D Reel-to-Reel w/relapped heads by JRF Magnetic Sciences.
Vibration Control: Nordost "TC" Sort Kones under CD/SACD & C500 and "AC" under amps. Shakti stones on amps.
Speakers: Sonus Faber Stradivari
Power Isolation: Isoclean PT-3030G III 3KVA Isolation Transformer w/Isoclean Super Focus In/Out Cables.
Power Bar: Isoclean ICP 206 Non-Filtered Power Bar.
Power Cables: Wireworld Platinum Electra on amps, preamp, CD/SACD.
Power Outlets: Isoclean ICP-003 Power Wall Socket.
Speaker Cables: Wireworld Platinum Eclipse
Signal Cables: WireWorld Platinum Eclipse XLR's on MCD500 & C500T to MC2301's.
Headphones: Sennheiser HD-650's and Koss Pro IV AA.
Tube Test Gear: Mint late '60's/calibrated Heathkit TT-1A & current SOTA MaxiMatcher tube test sets.

Jacques,

Excellent review and write-up. I'm glad the PurePower has cured the nasty ac problems you have had and brought your system to a higher level of listening.

Congrats!!




Dave

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It's About The Music...McIntosh, Rega, Apple, LSA, Kimber Select, Sound Applicatons, Symposium Acoustics

Thanks for the review...

Sounds like a great product.

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Shindo/DeVore Super 8's

One good thing about music: When it hits you, you feel no pain.

Bob Marley