The Elgar from RSA makes its debut…
February 8, 2011I’ve been using Running Springs Audio power line conditioners in my two reference systems for the last four years now with excellent results. I’ve tried damn near everything else and everything else that I have tried has fallen short. Nothing has been able to offer the combination of lowering the noise floor and cleaning up the power line grain without compromising dynamics like the RSA products. Even the mightiest pair of monoblocks haven’t had an issue with the Maxim conditioner that I have plugged into a dedicated 20 amp line. I have their Dmitri connected to another 20A line for my line level components (and a few small power amplifiers, as needed) and a Haley on yet another 15A line strictly to keep the power going to my dCS Paganini stack and Sooloos music server performing at their best.
My only beef has been that this level of performance doesn’t come cheap. Their prior entry level product, the Haley tips the scale at around $2,000. It’s worth every penny, and in informal comparisons has often outperformed other PLC’s costing twice as much, but has been out of reach for the person with a more reasonable system, or perhaps someone not having such heavy current demands. Enter the Elgar, with a list price of $999.
A full review is in progress, but on first listen today with my Woo Audio 5 headphone amplifier, utilizing 300B SET amplification, my first impression is “fantastic!” For more information, visit the Running Springs website here:
-Jeff Dorgay