Xindak XF-1000 Power Conditioner/Filter

[Northern Oak 0]

I guess I'm more of a hi-fi guy than a musical one and I'm more interested in finding ways and means to tweak my system in order to push it to the optimal performance. (Thanks Mackie for bringing me into the Tweaking World).

 

Beginning of the year, I've just started with a very old portable CD player plugged to a DIY-Cmoy (under)driving a pair of AKG K501. On the quest for sonic nirvana, I guess I've found my own Valhalla.

 

Along the quest, I've got myself a decent enough CD player, tried the X-Can V2 + X-PSU but "ditching" the combo for the Cayin HA-1A eventually and bought both the Beyerdynamics DT880 and DT150 (I prefer the DT880 for vocals and the DT150 for classical).

 

However, I must admit that I've found more joy changing the ancillaries than the equipments/gears. I guess with the dough spent on the ancillaries, I would have been able to purchase at least a new RKV MkII.

 

As a strong believer of cables, I have tried several interconnects (from the entry-level to the mid-range ones) and likewise for power cords as well. (One thing I've realised is that never once did I like the standard power cord that come together with my equipment). When I purchased a 2nd-hand MAS Black power cord, I said to myself, "That's It. I think I've found my own Valhalla!" ...... but did I really find it?

 

From the early days, Mackie and Rameish had taught me GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) and I'd always tried my best to stick to this principle. The ideal way is to optimise the source followed by the amp and then the cans/speakers, although it's arguable that there should be amp/cans synergy when optimising, my way of thinking is that the an amp that can deliver more than ample supply of juice would more than likely driving the cans to its optimal performance.

 

Starting from the source and working my way up, I've meticulously tried pairing each equipment with the right power cord and interconnect and once I've found a match, I thought "That's enough. It's the best I can do!" but then again, GIGO principle meant starting with the source but what's actually the source? (For now, I would avoid taking into account the quailty of CD recordings).

 

Is it the CD player? No, maybe not.

Is it the power cord connected to the CD player? No, maybe not.

 

Then, I came upon the Xindak XF-1000 Power Conditioner/Filter at X-Audio. Yes, maybe this is the real source. Why? First and foremost, it's what provide the juice for all of your "powered" audio equipments. It's where your power cords get connected to. As far as I can go up the source ladder, save for getting a dedicated MCB, I think the Power Conditioner/Filter/Power Plant/Distribution Bar and the power cord used to connect it to the electrical socket should be the "ultimate" source.

 

Garbage In, Garbage Out => "Dirty" Power Supply In, "Dirty" Sound Out.

 

Here's my mini-review of the Xindak XF-1000 but please note that this is made in comparison to the DIY power bar that I've got from LHS some time back. The power bar was connected to the electrical socket via a 2m length Belden 19634 terminated with MK plug and Wattgate IEC Connector. The same power cord was used for connecting the XF-1000 for a fair comparison.

 

Setup

Electrical Socket -> Belden 19634 -> Xindak XF-1000 -> Various Power Cords

LAT AC-II Power Cord -> Marantz CD17 MkIII (supported with DH Cones and Squares)

MAS Black (With Braided Jackets) power Cord -> Cayin HA-1A (supported with Ceraballs)

 

Audio Chain

Marantz CD17 MkIII-> Kimber Silver Streak -> Cross-Feed -> Taralabs RSC Reference Gen II -> Cayin HA-1A -> DT150

 

(DT 150 is a pair of neutral cans good for monitoring use, especially when it comes to equipment change and evaluation)

 

Build

The XF-1000 is encased in a 3mm thick (some may say it's 3mm thin though) metal structure that's sturdy and strong enough to withstand some heavy knockings. It weight in at about 5kg, which I thought it's a tad heavy than usual. Four rubber feets were placed at the bottom of the four corners so perhaps some tweakers might want to replace the supports with isolation cones instead.

 

Features

It comes with an IEC socket which is slightly tight for all of my IEC connectors so do expect some rough handling to get the power cords connected. It comes with an in-built polarity tester and polarity switch to ensure the correct phase of the input power. Do remember to disconnect all the audio equipments' power cords as the fuse may trip during the polarity test. A red LED on the front plate would light up to indicate that the electrical power supply is on while a big red switch on the front is used to connect the power supply to the individual outlets. The receptacles used are universal, so it would be able to accept both UK and US plugs straight away and Australian plug adapters are also provided. It's able to handle both 220V and 110V though the stated power rating would be approximately halved. It comes with 8 outlets, 4 for digital sources which have gone through LC filters while the remaining 4 are unfiltered (suitable for amps which may suffer from loss of dynamics if it had gone through the LC filters), 2 for pre-amp, 2 for power amps. I'm beginning to suspect that there might be a 1:1 transformer inside the XF-1000.

 

Sound

Test Disc/Tracks Used

XLO/Reference Recordings Test & Burn-In CD - Weinberger : "Polka and Fugue"

Cai Qin "Jing Pian Zi" Disc 1 - "Zui Zai Ni Huai Li", "Wan Xia", "Wo You Yi Duan Qing"

TakeDake Asian Roots - Japanese Roots, Angklung Journey

Zuill Bailey - Variations in E-flat on "Bei Mannern" from Mozart's Die Zauberflote, for Cello and Piano, WoO 46.

Emi Fujita Camomile Blend - Father By Thy Hand, First of May

 

The Polka and Fugue track is an explosive/dynamic orchestra piece with plenty of interactions from the various instruments throughout the entire track and with the XF-1000, the background was darker, the transparency improved tremendously but the single improvement that impresses me (and still does) is the stereo imaging. I believed that it's this improvement in stereo imaging that brought about the acoustic layering, better instrument focus and separation which eventually brings out the sense of acoustic ambience. Another significant improvement I've heard was on the microdynamics and this is especially evident when testing with this test track. In fact,this track alone has brought out all the virtues of the Xindak XF-1000 and I guess the rest of the test tracks just confirmed my earlier findings.

 

Vocal-wise, Cai Qin's disc benefited from the XF-1000 as the vocal body is fuller and more focused, resulting in a more realistic tone than before. The improvement in layering and imaging also brought about a better sense of the instrument displacement from the singer's vocals.

 

The Asian Root CD is an extremely well-recorded CD, especially the Angklung Journey track which truly tests the stereo image, separation and acoustic body of any system. Same as before, the Xindak XF-1000 brought out the best of what my current system could offer by providing such a surreal image of the performing band. This is a must-have Test CD.

 

The remaining 2 tracks merely confirmed what I've heard so far so I guess I'll not dwell upon them.

 

Do remember that the comments above were made comparing the Xindak XF-1000 versus a DIY Power Bar and not against any other Power Conditioners available in the market. (I didn't have the opportunity and financial capabilities to make such comparisons).

 

Conclusions

I loved the Xindak XF-1000 and I would recommend to everyone, if possible. I'm not saying that I would recommend it more than any other brands of Power Conditioner/Filter, the point I want to bring out is that it's much better to use a Power Conditioner than not at all. However, with the Xindak XF-1000 costing less than half of its fellow competitors, I guess everyone here could do their own maths and figure what I'm hinting.

 

I guess I'll never find my Valhalla ...

 

 

Somehow, after reading through my own review, I thought it sounded more like an advertisement than a review so do remember that YMMV.

Edited December 25, 2003 by Northern Oak

[jasonhanjk 0]

Nice review. At 5kg weight, a transformer of 1:1 is most likely to exist. It provided very good isolation.

[Northern Oak 0]

I will find time to pry it open ... it's porn time!

 

I'm expecting to see some LC filters and perhaps a 1:1 transformer and the polarity check circuitry.

Edited December 25, 2003 by Northern Oak

[Blues 0]

Alot of times I saw this being advertised.

But pardon my silly question, how much did it cost you

 

Actually I find that since my room is sharing with alot of 'dirty' stuffs like pc, table light and so on it would actually affect the supply to my gears.

I wonder if this would clean that

[jasonhanjk 0]

Need help on the exorcism...

[Northern Oak 0]

Alot of times I saw this being advertised.

But pardon my silly question, how much did it cost you

Blues:

 

S$250 before discount so try bargaining with Swee, who's a really nice guy!

[headphonecrazy 0]

I got one from the maker of G&W T2A headamp maker of Beijing for myself for much "cheaper", with a meter display.

[Northern Oak 0]

I got one from the maker of G&W T2A headamp maker of Beijing for myself for much "cheaper", with a meter display.

hi headphonecrazy,

 

I had a chat with Swee @ XAudio who also brought in the G&W Power Conditioner for trial but apparently, it wasn't to his satisfaction (Not too sure why). It looked nicer with the meter and US plug duplex socket though.

 

Maybe I could ask Swee to loan it to me for a comparison.

[Mackie 0]

Superb post, Northern Oak! $250 is just under half the price of AudioPrism Foundation I and definitely good value for money.

 

I love the facility on polarity testing as many hobbists are not aware equipment plugged into power outlets at reverse polarity can result in adverse sound quality; especially those that have power cords with 2-prong plugs. More often than not, central focus, imaging and body tend to suffer as a result.

 

I have a query though. Assuming your source maintains connection to the Xindak, do U prefer the sound of your system with Cayin head amp connected to the power conditioner or direct to wall outlet?

Edited December 26, 2003 by Mackie

[headphonecrazy 0]

FYI, official retail price in China for the Xindak

 

XF-1000 - RMB630 / S$130

XF-500 - RMB390 / S$80

 

n ie. b4 discount.

 

Can get the Xindak SCD-2 SACD player for RMB3700 / S$800, while local retail price is almost doubled at S$1500-1600.

 

OT, I think most chinese products are of good quality but are way over-priced in Singapore, with some merchants making a 100-200% profit margin.

 

May be setup business soon to sell Chinese hifi n electronics - 100% profit margin

[Northern Oak 0]

May be setup business soon to sell Chinese hifi n electronics - 100% profit margin

You definitely should! You are the one who let me realise the good quality of the Chinese products!

[Northern Oak 0]

I have a query though.  Assuming your source maintains connection to the Xindak, do U prefer the sound of your system with Cayin head amp connected to the power conditioner or direct to wall outlet?

I didn't have any spare sockets to plug the Cayin into.

 

However, I did plug the Cayin to the dedicated power amp outlet on the XF-1000, which is supposed to bypass the filters/conditioners, and I haven't found anything amiss.

Edited December 26, 2003 by Northern Oak

[augustineRS 0]

where are the places you can find hi fi product in china?my dad is opping over to shanghai maybe i can ask him look around.

[lszomb 0]

FYI, official retail price in China for the Xindak

 

XF-1000 - RMB630 / S$130

XF-500 - RMB390 / S$80

 

n ie. b4 discount.

 

Can get the Xindak SCD-2 SACD player for RMB3700 / S$800, while local retail price is almost doubled at S$1500-1600.

 

OT, I think most chinese products are of good quality but are way over-priced in Singapore, with some merchants making a 100-200% profit margin.

 

May be setup business soon to sell Chinese hifi n electronics - 100% profit margin

You Got It!

So many Chinese products are sold definitely too expansive in Singapore.....

[jasonhanjk 0]

They must mark up in order for them to survive, don't forget Singapore rental is dam* expensive....

 

Since there is no shop required for Headphonecrazy, he may only markup 20% or so.... CHeaper anyway........