Price Paid:  $100.00 from TLP Audio

Summary:
This is a follow-up to my previous review. Since my original purchase I ordered 3 more Noise Hounds and was fortunate enough to have tapped into the Mk III version which is claimed to have doubled the filtering of the Mk II at the same price! I now have two Mk IIIs in my audio system and one Mk III and two Mk IIs in my home theatre system which is also conditioned by a Power Wedge 114. My 50 inch wide screen Toshiba has never looked better. Black is really black now. Skin tones and sharpness have improved. In fact, adjustments were necessary to rebalance things. As importantly, the audio portion of movies and TV has improved dramatically. Whenever I rent a DVD movie I hope that it includes a DTS soundtrack. I find it far superior to Dolby Digital which is painfully "bright" by comparison. I can now attest that the Noise Hounds have "tamed" Dolby Digital's high frequencies and put DTS in a class with good 2 channel audio. The biggest improvement, however, was in the bass where my inexpensive PSB powered subwoofer was transformed from a boom box to actually producing notes. As Blue Circle say themselves, if we audiophiles could do only one thing to improve our systems it would be to address the power source before anything else. After years of component upgrades that have cost many thousands of dollars I must agree with their philosophy and encourage everyone to audition these cost-effective necessities.

Strengths:
Low cost vs performance

Similar Products Used:
PS Audio Ultimate Outlet

Price Paid:  $100.00 from TLP Audio

Summary:
Many years ago I was exposed to the benefits of power conditioning. In fact, I purchased one of the first Power Wedge products introduced to Canada - a model III. Prior to the arrival of the 86 MkIIs my power was provided by a dedicated line that I installed directly from the main breaker and conditioned by a PS Audio High Current Ultimate Outlet ($399 US) which feeds a PS Audio P300 Power Plant ($1250 US). I thought that I had the best power source that man could own, although my years of experimenting told me that there might always be room for improvement. This thinking led me to try your product with the notion that if there was no improvement in my PS Audio conditioned audio system, I would plug them into my Power Wedge 114 that feeds my home theatre system. Last night I added the 86 MkII pair to my system without removing any of the PS Audio products. It looks as though I will need to purchase another pair for the theatre room! Even though PS Audio claims to reduce up to 40 db of line noise with the Ultimate Outlet and the pair of 86 MkIIs supposedly remove only 6 db, I could hear a noticeable improvement in the level of musical detail, articulation and soundstage with the 86s in my system. One of digital's many challenges is to get the delineation of different drums correct. My BAT VK D5 cd player, with 24 bit dac, is quite good but is eclipsed by my VPI Jr analog rig for drum reproduction. I was now able to clearly hear the differences between the snare and tom-tom. The music also integrated better - the soundstage seemed more real, natural and relaxed. Cymbals and piano didn't jump forward in the stage. They remained where they were supposed to be. I suppose that this is due to the elimination of high frequency grunge. Most importantly for me is that the music is now inviting, coherent and engaging. Considering that the pair of 86s is one half the price of the Ultimate Outlet alone, I can't help but highly recommend them to anyone who loves music.

Strengths:
Cost effectiveness, ease of use and portability

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
PS Audio Ultimate Outlet

Price Paid:  $100.00 from Audiogon, TLP audio

Summary:
These things are pretty amazing! I purchased a pair from TLP Audio on Audiogon last week, liked them so much I purchased another pair today. My first impressions on plugging them in were "subtle", but changes none the less. After 20 or so hours of listening over the past week, I removed them......AAAHHHHHH!!! I couldn't put them back in fast enough! In my system they improved everything!!!! Soundstaging, tonal balance, pace, rhythm, higher highs, and lower lows. I live in an apartment, and realize how grungy the power supply is, so the improvements I witnessed in my system may not take place in electrically cleaner neighborhoods. It's hard to believe these won't make changes in every system they are used in. Mine are applied after a PS Audio ultimate outlet, which reduces grunge, but the BC-86mkII is in another league. It improves the sound as much as a component upgrade!! I can't say enough good things about Walt at TLP Audio. Ordered and recieved in about three days! My system is B&K AVR202, Arcam 7se as transport, MSB Gold Link DAC III, Magnepan 1.6QR, B.E.L. interconnects, and B.E.L. S24 speaker cable.

Strengths:
Biggest bang for the audio buck!!!!!!!!!!

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
PS Audio Ultimate Outlet

Price Paid:  $100.00 from Audiogon.com

Summary:
This is a hard product to review! Not because it does not make a favorable upgrade to your system. Not because it is hard to unplug, or plug into you wall! It has to do with the subtle differences it makes to your system. It does lower the noise in the system, but it has taken me weeks to like it! At first I hated the sound of two, and I just went with one. But, after trying every possible combination, I put two in my laundry room which shares a wall with my audio gear. I put it up against heavy bass notes like Primus, thinking I would lose something, but it sounded great! I tried classical and found I truly loved what it does for complex musical passages, and the quiet ones as well........ Jazz, well Wes Montgomery and Miles Davis never sounded so good in my family room. I think one review in this forum had it right, when he said it sounded smoother and lower and in the case of high frequencies, smoother and higher! In fact, I had to move my speakers around a bit, because music it jumping out of the speakers a bit more, realism is improved also.=========================My system is Paradigm Reference 100v2-Dhlabs interconnect-bi-wire q-10 speaker wire-tfm55 Carver amp380 watts 8 ohms-ct-23 carver pre-amp-Cal Audio Labs IconMK11 with Powerboss upgrade

Strengths:
inexpensive-I think it would be awesome if you had a receiver-

Weaknesses:
too short a cord

Similar Products Used:
none-my first tweak!

Price Paid:  $150.00 from executive stereo

Summary:
Skeptical that a little box worth $150 is actually gonna DO something? Well....you got talked into those 400 buck interconnects...then the flatwire...then the cones,a new rack that the wife hates...stands that cost as much as your first car...The list goes on and on.Ya..all that stuff helped,but U feel U can get more out of yer system.And you are probably thinking that the only way to Heaven is to sell the kids/car/wife/boat,and go fer the toober with drool running down the face of it cuz U been looking at that one for ages. Well.....try this little gizmo first. Read the reviews here...everything they say is true (tho I have yet to experience this transient bass thing).It will tighten up yer bottom,clear out a whole lotta high shhhhh crap(brushes on a snare actually sound like brushes on a snare...a cymbal actually has a tick to it,instead of just sloppy fuzzies)fixes up most of midrange grain.A little more stage,wider more than deeper(but i had decent depth to start with). And a bonus.....yer basic 27" JVC will come out a whole lot clearer too....that was a nice surprise.Instant gratification too,no burn in needed,so you hear results out of the box,no fiddling around. A MUST purchace,way before u try anything else. These things should be standard equipment. Your stereo shop is probably less willing to stock stuff like this cuz he'd be happier pushing you up the line,so you may have to hunt around for them.They are available online direct from bluecircle.com.....yes..shameless plug! My stuff,humble such as it is: Cambridge A500 integrated Rotel RCD 971 Axiom M22Ti's Angstrom4's Audioquest inter/speaker cables Aluminum cones everywhere Blue Circle 86 A simple system that cost in the $2500 range...and now will stand up to anything 5 times the cost.

Strengths:
everything... for any budget

Weaknesses:
nothing