Price Wheeler Brick Wall 8R15AUD Others

Price Wheeler Brick Wall 8R15AUD Others 

DESCRIPTION

Power Conditioner

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 10  
[Dec 20, 2003]
GreenHornet
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Best surge protection there is. Does wonders to improve sound quality. Also helps with video quality. Low cost makes Brick Wall surge suppressors one of the best bargains out there.

Weakness:

None

I bought the Brick Wall Models 8R15AUD and PW2RAUD for protecting my home theater several years ago. Not only are my electronics fully protected but I also got better sound in the bargain. I didn't know how much better until I recently did a direct comparison against the Monster Power HTPS7000 ($1295). My Onkyo TX-DS989 ver.2 receiver (910 watts) is plugged into the PW2AUD, which is plugged into a dedicated 20-amp AC line. All low current sources go into the 8R15AUD .. which separates the high current from the low current electronics. After replacing this setup with the MP 7000 and running through a half day's worth of reference DVD's, I came to the conclusion that what I gained in video enhancement, I lost in sound quality. Big surprise! The picture on my 60" Pioneer Elite RPTV was definitely better, but at the cost of a significant drop in sound quality .. dynamics and spaciousness in particular. The soundfield was still there, but more distant and softer than before. That elusive "jump factor" I enjoyed so much before .. was now suddenly gone! This was no contest! The Brick Wall surge suppressor/power conditioners outperformed the highly rated Monster Power HTPS7000 on sound quality. But it couldn't match the improved picture quality I got with the MP7000. I saw some improvement with the Brick Walls, but not on the order of the MP7000. After removing the MP7000 for return to the manufacturer .. and saving myself $1295 in the process .. I was happy to see that I got my "jump factor" back when the Brick Walls were put back in the system. And I was still happy with the picture on my RPRV. There is nothing like having both pieces of equipment on hand to test against each other in an A-B test. It takes a lot of time, but the results are worth it! It will quickly help to separate "fact" from "fiction". Sort of like the difference between opinions based on fact and those based simply on marketing hype designed to sell as much product as possible. When you prove it to yourself, there is little room for doubt. In this case, none whatsoever.

Similar Products Used:

Monster Power HTPS7000

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 01, 2003]
pataburd
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Economical and effective. The best surge protection available as well as easily recognizable audible improvement from its filtering/line conditioning stages.

Weakness:

I wish it had an IEC socket for a power cord upgrade.

I just purchased the Brick Wall, non-Audio, 2R15. Since I only run a dedicated headphone system (consisting of DVD/SACD/CD source, headphone amp and associated cables) with minimal power draw, the representative I spoke with at Price Wheeler said the "AUD" version was not necessary. (The surge suppression and filtering specs for the AUD and non-AUD versions of the 2R are identical.) Ordering went very smoothly, and shipping went very, very quickly. Aside from the instantaneous peace of mind (from damaging powerline surges) that I gained from installing the 2R15, I was delighted to hear a cleaner, more detailed, dynamic and spacious character imparted to the playback. In short, I am absolutely delighted with my purchase. At this price, you simply cannot go wrong! SYSTEM: SONY ns755v DVD/SACD/CD player zcore Silver Axis interconnect Corda HA-2 headphone amplifier Virtual Mode PC-2 power cord (for HA-2) Brick Wall 2R15 surge suppressor/filter

Similar Products Used:

Cheap, mass-market power strips, Virtual Mode Clear Power 1 and Clear Power 2

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 25, 2003]
rgravlin
AudioPhile

Strength:

Build quality, performance, lack of esoteric hyperbole.

Weakness:

Non changeable power cord.

In my search for the "Holy Power Grail", I have auditioned a number of units and ownb this one plus an ETA Systems PD10VRS. The Brickwall does a remarkable job and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their system for not a lot of $$. Don't waste your money on a PS Audio overpriced product. Their products are good, but very overpriced. The sound? More dynamics and much better bass from my home theater system and the picture is sharper as well. Definetly worth it. That said, if you are looking for voltage regulation along with line cleanup, check out ETA Sytems products. I use the PD10VRS in my Stax Omega2 based system and the sound is unreal.

Similar Products Used:

PS Audio, Panamax, Tripp Lite, ETA

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 05, 2001]
Jack
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Great power protection, great build quality, no sound problems

Weakness:

No coax filtering

For the money, there is no better way to protect your system. I live in the lighting capital, Tampa, FL. This is mandatory for anyone here. It doesn't use MOV's for protection (like Monster or Panamax or APC). Those products basically do nothing in a bad lightning storm.

Has really cleaned up the power. My TV picture is better, the audio has a nice clean sound.

Highly recommended!!

Similar Products Used:

Adcom ACE-615, Monster HTS1000, Panamax

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 27, 2001]
Randy Nicolosi
Audiophile

Strength:

Fantastic performance, elegant design, built to last...

Weakness:

None

This is the best power conditioner I have ever used, even in audio applications. It made mincemeat of the highly touted PS Audio Power Plant. My system is fairly resolving, and the presence of the BW filter is totally convincing. The sound is much cleaner, tighter, and involving. If you value the subtlety that high end audio offers then you must hear the Brick Wall filter in your system. In 25 years of being an audiophile I cannot offer a higher recommendation for a power filter. This really works, and it is based on real science.

I have tried other filters, (including the PS Power Plant), and none have come close. Try it!

Similar Products Used:

Monster Cable, PS Audio, Virtual Mode, Tripplite, etc.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 03, 1999]
Dan
an Audiophile

Just recently purchased the Brick Wall line filter. It improved every aspect of my home theater, including cleaner picture, quieter audio background, smoother highs, and tighter bass. I would rate the improvement on the same level as a class upgrade in amplifier. Highly recommended

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Nov 01, 1999]
Julien
Audiophile

Strength:

Robust protection

Weakness:

see review

I have one for my computer, one 15 amp for my AV and one 20 amp for the stereo.
The Brick Walls are mainly for power surge protection.
I didn't find any negative sonic effect in my system, but the 20 amp version is a must or the dynamics of the
system will suffer (a lot)... That's what I think happened with Marc. I tried the 15 amp version before getting the
20 amp and had the same experience.
Background noise was reduced a little with the Brick Wall in place, which is a good thing but not to the same
extent as the PowerPack. Noise from the power lines seems to be very specific from place to place, so one may
get different results, but I don't think that the Brick Walls could do any harm as opposed to other power
conditioners.
I use the 20 amp Brick Wall in front of an API PowerPack II.
I personally, highly recommend it. I get peace of mind knowing that the system is well protected.

Similar Products Used:

API PowerPack II

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 12, 1999]
Marc
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Very well made. No doubt this unit is able to absorb a lot bigger power surges than its competition, due to its
snubber/inductor construction.

Weakness:

Don't think this technology has much business in a high end system-see review below.

Tried this one in my system for the 30 day trial offered from the manufacturer.
Very robustly constructed, with 8 isolated outlets-2 always on. Thanks...but no thanks. This is the only power conditioner I've ever heard that consistently caused the soundstage to collapse to almost mono. The effect
was most marked, and repeatable. Who knows what's going on here? It's not like I'm using super current-hungry components. It might work great in your system, but I think its inductor/snubber
based technology (read:"current limiting") works great for what it was designed for (computers), but probably not for dynamic home audio components.

Similar Products Used:

Tice Microblock, Powerblock, Monster HTS2000.

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
3
[Jul 17, 2000]
Marc Bratton
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Absolutely unstoppable surge protection!

Weakness:

Captive power cord, while very robust, is not exactly audiophile territory. Still, hard to see how this unit could be bettered, at this price.

In my review of the 8R15AUD below, I sort of dissed it because I felt it to be too current limiting. At the time, I was using an integrated amp, and that was my experience. This review is of their PW2AUD, which is a 2 outlet unit which is designed with 20 amp components, only with a regular 15 amp power cord, which is captive. It was designed specifically with the audiophile and home theater user in mind. I am using this unit upstream of my Monster HTS 2000, which has all the front end components plugged into it. Am now using a Conrad Johnson MV50 power amp, which is plugged into the 2nd outlet of the PW2AUD. With this configuration, I am happy to report that there is NO limitation of dynamics, or collapsing of the soundstage apparent...and believe me, I tried, by really pushing the system. It is also a good line conditioner...I got a slightly blacker, quieter background. As a consequence, I could hear the trailing edges of notes longer...the acoustic venue was more apparent. Instruments seemed slightly fuller, rounder, more present. I'd classify this effect as "slight, but definitely noticable".
The most important thing is...NO power conditioner at ANY price will protect your expensive front end gear better than this unit will. These are very well thought-out, well made products that deserve more wide spread recognition than they've gotten. And...if you're reading this on your home computer, it's a MUST to have their 2 outlet unit designed for file servers upstream of your computer. Read their well written rant about the dangers of regular MOV based surge "protection" for sensitive computers, and take it to heart. They know of what they speak. I had a hard drive crash on me recently, and it "told" the service tech that a surge had biffed it...and I already had it on a "good surge protector" (MOV based). Since putting their unit upstream of it, never a hiccup, and we've been having severe thunderstorms daily as I write this. In addition, this is a truly nice company to deal with. Go to www.brickwall. com and check 'em out. I'm rating it a 5 for value (how much are your files worth), and a 5 overall, as there are better line conditioners out there, but there are no better surge protectors.

Similar Products Used:

Tice Microblock Monster HTS 2000

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 06, 2000]
Tommy
Audiophile

Strength:

Best Surge protection available. Subtle but effective line conditioning/filtering. No choking of Dynamics whatsoever in my system. Good quality (if not great) duplex outlet. Solid build.

Weakness:

None at the price point, especially considering it was purchased mainly for surge protection.

This is for the PW2RAUD .... Audio version, 20 amp guts but 15 amp cord and rating.

Living in Florida, this was purchased first and foremost for "brick wall" surge suppression. In this regard, few will argue that the Brick Wall is not the best and safest.
My only other criteria was that the unit not choke dynamics or color the sound.

This unit is in front of a DIY, 4 outlet power block. My integrated is plugged directly into one outlet of the BW with the power block plugged into the other outlet and source electronics plugged into the power block.

I haven't come across any signifigant issues with the "quality" of power in my home. But, I'm happy to report that, while fairly subtle, plugging the integrated into the BW does make for a slightly blacker background as opposed to directly plugging into the wall. This translates into the audible reproduction of a little bit more detail.
Most importantly for me however is that the BW does not limit dynamics at all.

I don't think that I could have done any better, atleast not for my priorities. I didn't have to mortgage the house and I have unbeatable surge protection with a slight but noticeable improvement to the systems sonics as a side benefit.

Similar Products Used:

Tripp, API, Monster, Panamax ......

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 10  

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