Asking Keith, Dr. Acoustics Antigone 2.0

[Bonzo]

Okay KeithL, what's up with this thing? I see adds for it in Stereophile with very little description on it. The thing looks like a home made explosive with 3 pipe bombs all wired in series. They advertise it as a noise reducer but how does this really work? Are we expected to think those tubes containing "Nano Crystal Formula" (what ever the frack that is) actually filter out noise when the wire passes through? Like a water filter?

These people definitely sell (or try to sell) those exotic snake oil cables, so I'm thinking they are basically full of schiit, and so is this device. At $5595 it's more expensive than an RMC-1. Silly.

www.dracoustics.com/en/produit/antigone-power-management-system/

Antigone 2.0 Power Management System
$5595.00 USD
• Patent Pending Noise reduction technology
• MQCI Noise reduction technology (Micro Quartz Chamber Isolation System)
• ASSITS Vibrations Control Subsystem
• Individual phase filtration system
• Integrated anti resonance footer
• Receptacles with Nano Crystal Formula (NCF)
• Rhodium-plated Alpha pure copper receptacles
• Multistage Point to point Wiring (No PCB)
• Cryogenic internal Cabling
• 4 AWG Ultra-pure Copper internal Wire
• No current limiting fuse or breaker.
• No Coils.
• No Capacitors.
• Improve resolution and dynamic on Video and Audio Applications.
• Max 20 amp
• Max Instantaneous Current 360 AMP
• Max voltage 240
• Outlets : 10 NEMA 5-20R
• Inlet IEC C-20
• 10mm aluminum face plate
• Face plate Available in Black anodized aluminium
• Weight 11KG
• Dimension (W D H ) 431mm x 406 mm X 152

Photo of the Stereophile advertisement.
Attachment Deleted

Picture from the website

[pedrocols]

I see that thing is full of snakes inside of different colors. Where there are snakes there is snake oil.

[creimes]

Is that the 8 or 10 gauge version

Made in Canada, friggin Canadians are at it again

3D Structure of a nanocrystal....

[Bonzo]

Patent Pending Noise reduction technology
I bet it will be pending until they stop making this thing.

MQCI Noise reduction technology (Micro Quartz Chamber Isolation System)
So put some rocks around the wires and it filters out noise?

ASSITS Vibrations Control Subsystem
WTF is this, some fancy schmancy rubber?

Individual phase filtration system
Oh, so since there are 3 wires, and it has 3 filters, it's something to brag about?

Integrated anti resonance footer
Oh, so it has some fancy rubber feet.

Receptacles with Nano Crystal Formula (NCF)
Most companies brag about gold or silver. These guys have Nano Crystals. Really?

Rhodium-plated Alpha pure copper receptacles
Wait, so they are bragging about copper. So what the frack do the nano crystals do?

Multistage Point to point Wiring (No PCB)
Hunh? Just a fancy way of saying wired in series?

Cryogenic internal Cabling
DOAH! There it is. The cryogenic wires. Every man's tell tale snake oil.

4 AWG Ultra-pure Copper internal Wire
Okay, this is real. They are nice big cables. Good.

No current limiting fuse or breaker.
So there is zero surge protection. $5595 and zero protection even for itself?

No Coils.
Okay.

No Capacitors.
Okay.

Improve resolution and dynamic on Video and Audio Applications.
Well I most certainly hope so. Why else buy this thing? And for $5595 it better do it VERY well, and a lot of it.

10mm aluminum face plate
Okay, but that's really not that special.

Face plate Available in Black anodized aluminium
Why say "available"? It's the ONLY way it comes. And they really need to use spell check.

Weight 11KG
About 25 lbs. So it's fairly heavy.

Dimension (W D H ) 431mm x 406 mm X 152
17" x 16" x 6". So it's pretty big too. A big space in a rack.

[DYohn]

Alternative product:
Ferrite Filters

[garbulky]

Oct 1, 2019 8:45:51 GMT -5 Bonzo said:

Individual phase filtration system
Oh, so since there are 3 wires, and it has 3 filters, it's something to brag about?

Well since it's probably the only thing of real use

[geeqner]

Oct 1, 2019 8:45:51 GMT -5 Bonzo said:

Patent Pending Noise reduction technology
I bet it will be pending until they stop making this thing.

MQCI Noise reduction technology (Micro Quartz Chamber Isolation System)
So put some rocks around the wires and it filters out noise?

ASSITS Vibrations Control Subsystem
WTF is this, some fancy schmancy rubber?

Individual phase filtration system
Oh, so since there are 3 wires, and it has 3 filters, it's something to brag about?

Integrated anti resonance footer
Oh, so it has some fancy rubber feet.

Receptacles with Nano Crystal Formula (NCF)
Most companies brag about gold or silver. These guys have Nano Crystals. Really?

Rhodium-plated Alpha pure copper receptacles
Wait, so they are bragging about copper. So what the frack do the nano crystals do?

Multistage Point to point Wiring (No PCB)
Hunh? Just a fancy way of saying wired in series?

Cryogenic internal Cabling
DOAH! There it is. The cryogenic wires. Every man's tell tale snake oil.

4 AWG Ultra-pure Copper internal Wire
Okay, this is real. They are nice big cables. Good.

No current limiting fuse or breaker.
So there is zero surge protection. $5595 and zero protection even for itself?

No Coils.
Okay.

No Capacitors.
Okay.

Improve resolution and dynamic on Video and Audio Applications.
Well I most certainly hope so. Why else buy this thing? And for $5595 it better do it VERY well, and a lot of it.

10mm aluminum face plate
Okay, but that's really not that special.

Face plate Available in Black anodized aluminium
Why say "available"? It's the ONLY way it comes. And they really need to use spell check.

Weight 11KG
About 25 lbs. So it's fairly heavy.

Dimension (W D H ) 431mm x 406 mm X 152
17" x 16" x 6". So it's pretty big too. A big space in a rack.

YEP!  Burn me at the stake too as a fellow Heretic
All this crap about "Crystals" - Don't they know that as Canadians, you have to MEDITATE on the Crystals (or Smoke em, eh?) - preferably while dreaming about hooking-into a BIG Walleye
If you're getting conned out of nearly 6 large - it had BETTER be big and heavy.  At least you want a good Boat Anchor if the workings do not live-up to the hype.

Ever notice how nearly ALL of the exotic cable / cable lifters / cones for your things that are largely unaffected by vibration define nearly ALL of their "Performance Gains" in qualitative, abstract terms that really cannot be quantified or measured? - stuff like "it broadens and deepens the sound stage" / "it gives your music the Aura that harmonizes with the sub-spectral universe" and other assorted B.S,

That's one of the things that makes me leery of sites like Audieeohgone - it seems like the majority of the people there have bought-into the exotic cable / power cable / fuse stuff big-time.
(I DO believe that adequate wire guage / shielding / capacitance etc for the associated load makes sense up to a point - but thousand-dollar plus power cables?  Gimme' a break...)

[audiobill]

I bought two......thanks for bringing to my attention.

[KeithL]

Officially we never comment directly on competitors products.....

(And I will qualify this by saying that I have never even touched one of these - so I am basing my statement purely on their technical description and pictures.)

However, personally, from an engineering point of view, I see nothing in their description, or in the construction shown in their photos, that would make me think that their product would do anything at all useful for audio equipment.

To me, it looks like a really nicely made, elegant looking, power strip - which is totally lacking in anything that has even the remotest possibility of doing anything to improve the quality of AC line power in any useful way.

In all fairness...  it does look like a nicely made power strip.

(Also, in all fairness, noise filters utilizing coils, capacitors, and sometimes ferrite beads, do the job really well, if and when it needs doing, so I can't even imagine how they could improve on that anyway.)

[Cogito]

Crystals??? FOOLS! Are they unaware of the piezoelectric effect?

[Bonzo]

Here's to hoping the $12,000 worth of Cambria quartz counter top we are putting in our kitchen remodel helps lower the noise floor of my theater system in the ejoining room. 😜

[Hair Nick]

Alright, let me see if I can hear any difference.

[DYohn]

Oct 2, 2019 9:41:10 GMT -5 Bonzo said:

Here's to hoping the $12,000 worth of Cambria quartz counter top we are putting in our kitchen remodel helps lower the noise floor of my theater system in the ejoining room. 😜

Nice!

Be sure to ask the installer to gather up any dust from fine-trimming during installation so you can sprinkle it like fairy powder over your listening area.