Can the shape of a mains distribution
block affect sound quality? The fellows at MusicWorks certainly think so.
How many audiophiles have spent a small
fortune on high-end IEC mains cables or even mains filters only to run out of
sockets and end up with a multi-way adapter block halfway down the line? I’ll
wager this is more common than we’d care to admit, but it was sufficient to
spur the owners of the AudioWorks Hi-Fi shop in south Manchester to develop a
better solution and a new brand – MusicWorks.
No
run-of-the mill mains block, every part of the Reflex Ultra was auditioned for
its impact on sound quality. It looks pretty, too
There are currently two models in the
range, the $675 ReFlex Lite and the $1,335 ReFlex Ultra. On the face of it, the
Ultra looks like a six-way mains block from a fashion house with all that
glossy-glass curves. But every nut, bolt and facet of the Ultra, we are
assured, has earned its place in the final product. Even the shape – the freedom
from sharp corners was deemed to contribute positively to the Ultra’s ‘sound’.
There’s synergy between the materials too.
MusicWorks auditioned every 13A socket on the market and discovered it wasn’t
the most expensive that yielded the best sound. Anchoring the faceplates with
polycarbonate screws also benefited the whole. And even the ‘black’ acrylic
isn’t really black, it’s just another layer of clear acrylic with a black coat
printed underneath. Clear acrylic ‘just sounds better than black acrylic’ we
were told. This audiophile adventure really has taken on life of its own!
Arguably, a key component (and cost) of its
manufacturing is the cryogenic treatment of socket components and internal
wiring. The latter, incidentally, are PVC-insulated multi-stranded cables,
2.5mm2 for live and neutral and 4mm2 for the ground which is ‘star-wired’ back
to the earth pin on the input IEC socket. The internal cables are not soldered
but crimped together and then crewed into the base of the sockets. Meanwhile,
that IEC inlet connection just begs to be tried with your stash of Hi-Fi power
cables.
The
internal ‘star carthed’ wiring is just visible through the sides of the acrylic
sandwich
Power play
I’m always exhausting the five outlets on
the back of my PS Audio Powerplant mains regenerator (last month’s dCS Vivaldi
was a case in point) and so the ReFlex Ultra’s six additional sockets were most
welcome. I compared the Ultra with a standard power strip and, yes, there was
difference: the Vivaldi sounding that bit smoother and easy-going just as
musical silences seemed, well, that bit more silent. This is not a mains filter
or conditioner, most of which offer subjective swings and roundabouts in my
experience, but as a non-invasive block it proves its mettle.
The
Music Works Reflex 'Lite' mains blocks are completely unfiltered designs using
star wiring
The verdict
Whether your system benefits from mains
regeneration, RF/noise filtering or not, there are precious few audiophiles on
the planet with a surfeit of 120V/240V sockets, which is where the ReFlex Ultra
comes into its own. So throw out those ghastly power strips bought from the
local DIY store and savor instead the superior look, feel and sound of the
MusicWorks ReFlex Ultra, the cleanest ‘unfiltered’ mains adapter on hi-fi’s
block.
Sound quality: 8.5/10
