The YETI Sound
Contents
The effect of a filter is by no means always predictable. We are also regularly surprised by products: cheap and pricey. Consider the Isotek Isoplug…. For around 100 Euro you have a very nice parallel filter. Should you expect miracles? No… of course not, but it works! We usually apply these little filters very specifically…. And that works just fine.
Heavy gear
For the really heavy stuff, there are the larger filters. Brands that work with large transformers include Torus, Plixir, Audes and, of course, Yeti. Yeti produces a balanced filter with the Reference. The 1000 watt version costs 4999 Euro.
The nice thing about a balanced transformer, is that you no longer have to pay attention to polarity. After all, it is always right. What does matter is how you connect the transformer to the mains: the filtering effect is measurably and audibly better if you connect it properly. We recommend everyone to experiment with this. Or just do a measurement if you have the gear to do so.
Air!
Let’s try to describe what happens when we connect the Sonnet Pasithea, Mutec MC3+ and REF10-SE120 to the Yeti filter. We are comparing “directly into the wall” to the Yeti filter.
What is immediately noticeable is that there is more air and stability in the stereo image. The whole thing just floats less and also gets more “3D pop”. We honestly didn’t expect that.
Magnification of scale is always nice, of course. However, it should not be at the expense of sharpness in the stereo image: always pay close attention to that! That is fortunately not the case here: everything remains nicely within proportion and sharply delineated. There’s just more “air” around it. And characters feel much more three-dimensional, which certainly enhances the experience.
Peace…
What may sound a bit contradictory is that there is both more air and space and, on the other hand, calmness…. You don’t hear that very often. Usually it’s air and space and then also more energy… but that is not the case here.
In itself it is logical. After all: the filter removes noise… and that noise is no longer amplified… That creates calmness. Perhaps the reduction of noise also ensures fewer problems with digital products (lower jitter perhaps?) … which in turn ensures more precision in clocking and thus a larger stereo image. However, these are theories. Perhaps we can confirm this in a study someday.
However, the quietness is very pleasant because it ensures that you can listen longer without getting tired. After all, the brain has to work less hard: the various layers are easier to follow and intelligibility increases with more quietness in the overall presentation.
Sound color
It is difficult to specify a timbre. We tend toward a neutral to “light and open” sound. Warm sounding the Yeti is not. The Isotek Aquarius V5, for example, has a softer / warmer sound. This is immediately obvious to us. However, we feel that the Yeti is a bit more neutral, given the comparison with the Audioquest Powerquest conditioners we did the other day. There, the difference between the 707, this Yeti and the Isotek was obviously audible, but the Yeti fell a bit in between.
Insight
Finally, we want to emphasize again that good power conditioning always makes for greater insight into the music. A good filter – like this Yeti Reference – simply makes deeper listening easier. After all, there is less clutter that creates unrest and obfuscation. And who doesn’t want that?