The next phase in my Nano-Flo journey Begins with treating other AC inlets on my components, and the power plugs on my Earth Sky power cords. I kept the Nano-Flo power cord on my Merason DAC 1 MK2, and treated the power inlets on the Modwright KWA 99 amps, Modwright LS99 preamp, Innuos Statement, and power supply to the QSA Crystal Gold Switch.
I left the system playing over night at the store to avoid the irritation of break-in.
Break-In
Break in with Nano-Flo, as I have mentioned in my earlier post, is a little rough at first, but doesn't last long. Initially the mids and highs will be a little edgy and rough, leaning towards bright, but after a few hours it's greatly reduced, and over the ensuing 48 hours is stabilized, with smoothness and loads of transparency, dynamics and resolution.
When I returned to the store in the morning, the music emanating from the system was spectacular. Soundstage depth probably had the biggest gains, along with microdetail, dynamics and texture. It was like my first experience hearing air and space in a recording for the first time.
My Tidal Studio Demo Tracks playlist is what I use when I evaluate my system.
Listening
When I listened, I could see the performers in their places, hear the air around them and in the venue they were recorded in. But there was more. An energy, flow, and naturalness that wasn't there earlier. I had heard this only a few times in far more expensive systems. I didn't get much accomplished that morning I'll just leave it at that. The Nano-Flo was definitely additive in it's effect on power.
Last to be treated was the AC inlet to my power conditioner. I did this during my work day at the store, listening to the system in the background as I went about my day. This came as a pleasant surprise as I wasn't expecting much of an improvement after treating all of my other components power connections and cords. It immediately was a very significant improvement that elevated the performance of the entire system. I did have the initial break-in symptoms, but this time endured them as I worked, but paid attention to what was happening to the sound throughout the day. I would say it took about 2 hours before the sound went from super revealing but fatiguing to very pleasant. By the time the day was done, I was able to sit and listen for about 30 minutes before leaving for the day. It was a system-wide relaxation and texturization of the music. So many subtle details that make the music real. Microdynamics and texture were beautiful.
The success of the power conditioner treatment had me thinking about my process with QSA products and how the QSA treated circuit breaker made such a significant difference to my already QSA'd system.
Getting Closer To The Source
I have a theory about QSA and now Nano-Flo products. Whatever they are doing seems to be more effective on higher voltages, and/or as you move closer to the transformer feeding power to your home, or in my case, store. The closest I can safely get to the source is the breaker panel. My theory is they are eliminating noise early on. "Nipping it in the bud" you might say prevents problems from being amplified further down the path of one's system. Catch it before the wall outlet and you create a powerful effect that is cumulative with each AC connection you treat.
Conclusions
Nano-Flo is a tremendous tweak. My experience has been that it works best for high voltage connections. I find that If you love the QSA products, you will absolutely love Nano-Flo as well. They are equally impactful, but sonically different. The Nano-Flo brings life, dynamics, impact and energizes the music. The QSA brings sweetness, naturalness, and a flow to the music. Both increase the soundstage width, depth and resolution. Together they are an intoxicating blend that takes my reference system to new heights.
Stay tuned for the next blog covering the Nano-Flo power cord installation in my system.