So S.I.N. Audio is a company that specializes in the production of power strip and power cables. It was created by a group of high-fidelity lovers in neighboring Bulgaria who, in 2011, set up a small workshop in Sofia with the sole purpose of making their own products for transferring power from the sockets to our machines.
Do not identify the country of origin with its well-known factories, where labor intensity and cheap wages produce cheaper products, sometimes of lower quality. S.I.N. Audio looks up and does not discount! Neither in the quality of workmanship, nor in … prices. The PSD model (from Power Split Device) we are testing is the cheapest model, costing over 6,000 euros, while the top of the range PSD 10th Anniversary costs over 16,000 euros! So, we understand that we are dealing with implementations intended for the upper echelons of the High-End.
Simple with an obsession for quality…
The S.I.N Audio PSD is a six-position power strip. It carries no overvoltage protection circuitry, does not regenerate waveforms, nor does it have batteries that will provide restored power. Not even a filter for current parasites (EMI, RFI). No electronic circuitry whatsoever interferes either before or during power distribution. The manufacturers are absolute: The materials that make up the construction are those that protect the current from parasites and ensure the cleanest possible flow, and its robustness is what absorbs the vibrations transmitted by our area. Therefore, top quality materials and high-quality construction are the necessary ingredients for the development of the design that the manufacturers call SBM Technology (Silent Background Magnetic Technology).
The chassis of the structure is made of aluminum alloy that contributes to the shielding from interference from external electromagnetic fields. The sockets, IEC connector and internal wiring are owned by Furutech. The model under consideration specifically uses the Japanese company’s FP – SWS D sockets, with gold-plated copper conductors (Alpha Pure Copper) and an ABS body. Cable is the well-known to High-End manufacturers and DIYers, FP alpha 3, with copper conductors, of the OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) type. About the methodology they have followed, they do not announce much, except that the wiring is developed symmetrically and that the “channels” have a common starting point. They thus photograph the familiar “daisy”, however the most interesting thing at this point would be to learn a little more about how they have addressed the grounding. What they point out is that even the shape of the structure plays its part in performance. Externally, the PSD we had available to us included wood paneling, with a black lacquer finish, but there are a variety of finishes to choose from. The construction is handmade, carried out in Bulgaria and the company gives a lifetime warranty on the electrical parts. For transportation and safe storage, S.I.N. Audio accompanies the PSD with a hard case.
Impressions…
The installation of the PSD requires the relevant floor space (it rests on four small rubber feet) and placing it in a prominent place will not create an aesthetic issue as its appearance is undoubtedly beautiful.
For the test, it was connected to the power supply of the subpanel installed in the listening room, via the ZenSati Zorro cable (the Supra Lorad 2.5mkII comes out of the subpanel). Since the manufacturers don’t want any electronics interfering, I removed the power filter from the line. Two more ZenSati Zorro’s were already installed in the preamp and the final in the listening system. The first few hours of listening were not indicative of what the Bulgarian power strip offers. Yes, the difference with my own power strips was obvious, with a further reduction of the noise level and what this implies for the performance of the system, but in no way could this improvement justify the cost of the construction. A round-the-clock period had to be spent optimising its performance and it was then that I was able to understand both what the Danish manufacturer’s power cables were doing and – in this case – what the PSD’s contribution to the result was. The instruments and voices had visibly increased 3D imaging, with a big gain in height dimension, the scenes had gained in dimension, but most importantly they conveyed the reverbs much more accurately (and so did the reverbs of the studio mixes).
It goes without saying that additional small details about the bodies of the performers’ voices and timbres came to the surface, but the most important thing in my opinion had to do with the background of the recordings. The level of noise had now receded to such an extent that the appearance of each component of an instrumentation gave the impression of coming to light through the “black darkness”. And this enhanced the realistic feeling, since it reinforced the independence of the contributors, but it also eloquently developed the distances between them! With the large orchestras being the ones that gained the most in terms of stage development and display of individual microdynamic alternations.
Then I did the reverse: the ZenSati cables were taken out of the system and the “earthy” Furutech cables were reinstalled in pre and final. The overall result lost in many places, as expected. I left it another day, so the power strip had to be removed as well. And probably this removal was more important than that of the cables. The harmonic volume shrank, the noise level increased considerably, it generally impoverished the signal with all that this means for intelligibility, tones, tonality, descriptions. It was as if the musicians were bored of playing. Depression…
Constructions such as the one we are looking at aim for absolute performance. With all that this implies for the wider environment they will be called upon to operate in (machinery, space) and always bear in mind that the optimal performance of the power strip depends directly on the electrical installation that powers it. So, if you are in search of “High-End Paradise”, S.I.N. Audio invites you to the sonic …sin!
OVERVIEW
S.I.N. Audio PSD 6
Description.
Positions: 6
Socket type: Schuko
Dimensions: 284 x 73 x 178 mm (w x l x d)
INFO: Element Audio
TEL: 210-4918.790
Price: €6.300
https://www.sinaudioboutique.com/
The review is written by YANNIS KAMARINOS._YB
