HIFI STATEMENT review, April 2020 (By Dirk Sommer)

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TEST Ansuz Acoustics PowerSwitch D·TC Supreme 15.04.2020 / / DIRK SOMMER

No, Hifistatement is not turning into a specialist journal for audiophile LAN switches. But, since Roland Dietl and I heard the sound improvements that were possible with it, we couldn’t let the matter lie. At the Stuttgart trade fair, I discovered the Ansuz switch that, to the best of my knowledge, the price has gone as far as it can. I must, however, admit, to my shame, that I have come across the name of the manufacturer very often at trade fairs, but I knew neither the name of the director nor what made their product so exceptional. Yes, mea culpa: New cable producers on the markets don’t usually arouse my curiosity. The matter of network switches, however, is another matter. Morten Thyrrestrup, who represented Ansuz Acoustics at the Süddeutsche HiFi-Tage trade event and who is responsible for presentations, sales and customer support, was kind enough to offer a PowerSwitch D-TC Supreme for a test. Before I agreed, I wanted to make up for lost time, and visited the website of this Danish cable specialist: To my surprise, I discovered Lars Christensen there, whom I had met in 1998, if my memory serves me correctly, and then subsequently at lots of trade fairs in Europe and in the USA. I not only remember his impressive demonstrations of renowned high-end cables, during which he didn’t shy away from presenting himself as anything but the reasonably priced leader in chains, whose overall price was under that of cables; I also remember one or two merry evenings we spent together.

The housing of the PowerSwitch D-TC Supreme was milled from a single piece, and the top was made with embossed leather

HIFI STATEMENT review, April 2020 (By Dirk Sommer)

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Lars Christensen later left the American cable specialist, but stayed active on the scene, which meant that we met at various shows on numerous occasions. Then, the company in which he has a considerable stake, started producing expensive high-end cables as well as LAN switches of varying levels of quality, whose top model, according to Morten Thyrrested, has not yet been tested anywhere – another reason for taking an interest in the PowerSwitch D-TC Supreme. Lars Kristensen and Michael Børresen founded Ansuz Acoustics a few years ago with two other partners. What’s more, Ansuz is the fourth letter of the Runic alphabet and is meant, among other things, to be a symbol for Odin. In the company catalogue, we present both reasons behind the history and the working method: “Building on the great experience and the considerable expertise in the high-end sector, Ansuz Acoustics was quickly able to bring a range of feedback control and high-end cable products to the market. … The development of Ansuz cables and accessories is based on research and development into new technologies. This process requires days and months of testing, of trial and error, to find out how we could best combine and improve on scientifically documented principles that we were already aware of. … And if an idea turns out not to be right, we throw it away, rethink it and start over, trying to use what we have learned to take a new approach. We believe that over time, proceeding in this way, great results and innovative ideas have come to fruition.” Both main shareholders take the credit for this success, but not just for themselves. They mention that their professional and qualified employees have made a great contribution to this. Their innovative and aesthetic approach are characteristic of the special Danish culture.

The lights on the LAN sockets cannot be switched off. You won’t find a mains switch either

Otherwise, Ansuz Acoustics, via the website at least, is not very forthcoming. The comments on the history and working method of the company won’t be found there. But you will find information in the catalogue that you have to download first. Explanations or just white papers on the frequently used “active Tesla coils” in their various versions, the “analogue dither” or the “anti-aerial & resonance coils” won’t be found on the Internet. I would probably have found out more on site in Aalborg during the planned visit. But cross-border travel was no longer possible. So, Morten Thyrrestrup and I agreed to change the order and to start with the test of the switch. At my request, Morten Thyrrested provided me with a little information on the switch, namely that which applied in essence to all four models: Cable-related streaming networks, in the view of Ansuz developers, present a problem for audiophile environments because they are connected with the World Wide Web and hence with all kinds of external noisy electronics. For computers, routers and switches, and all kinds of other electronics, the background noise is not as important an issue as it is in the audio sector. Furthermore, Ethernet is a floating network, which means that there is no earth connection to divert the noise. With the Ansuz Acoustics PowerSwitch, one of the main benefits is the earth connection that filters out a significant part of the noise. The PowerSwitch had – as mentioned – a large number of Ansuz technologies to reduce the noise even further. These technologies are also

HIFI STATEMENT review, April 2020 (By Dirk Sommer)

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compatible with those that are used in other Ansuz Acoustics products. This is how a strong alliance was formed to lower the noise level in the entire audio system.

The alternating voltage outputs to supply the active Ethernet cables are placed under the LAN sockets. They, like the Darkz feet for the PowerSwitch, will also be subject to an additional test

The Ansuz Acoustics PowerSwitch also includes – as suggested by the name, “power” – a PowerBox with ten outputs that provide energy for the Ansuz Ethernet cable with active technology. The outputs can also be used to provide power for other Ansuz digital cables. To supply analogue Ansuz cables, however, it is recommended to use one of the pure PowerBoxes. With a single voltmeter, I was able to determine that there were various alternating voltages on the four sections of the plug for the connection with the active cables. They are generated by five so-called “analogue dither switches” and are supposed to have an effect on the dielectric of the active LAN cable. They are also found in the listening room, but are not part of this test. Despite that, the fact that alternating current, instead of direct current, as with AudioQuest cables, affects the dielectric, aroused my curiosity, so I called the Ansuz Acoustics head developer, Michael Børresen, who very eagerly provided information on the solution used. I won’t, however, reveal what was involved with the alternating current for the dielectric until the first test on the D-TC Supreme Ethernet has been completed.

Under the grey shrink tubes, there are active cable Tesla coils that are connected via both efferent wires with the active switch to eliminate spikes

HIFI STATEMENT review, April 2020 (By Dirk Sommer)

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Let’s stay with current, precisely with that which flows from mains socket to the resonant mode mains socket, a very costly switching power supply variant that works in this case with a sinus curve instead of the usual right angle, and consequently produces less and lighter background noise to be filtered out. In the feed lines to the mains socket, the active cable Tesla coil can be found, a switch that recognises the current peaks from the mains, generates an inverted impulse, thereby almost totally eliminating the spike. Thanks to this switch, the Ansuz Acoustics PowerBox and PowerSwitch should have a positive effect on the sound of a system if your current is not used as a LAN switch. But that’s not all: At the end of the cable to the mains socket, there are two anti-aerial & resonance coils that prevent them acting as antennas. This is achieved by wrapping the ends of the cable into a coil, first in one direction, then in the other, and twisting the individual coils with each other. Thanks to these double-wire coils, no continuous waves are formed, and the cables cannot serve as high-frequency antennas. The most noteworthy are the 60 active Tesla coils on the main and piggyback plates that should actively hinder noise. Much bigger still, is the number of active square Tesla coils: 138 quadratic spools from conductor tracks above and below the plates filter out high-frequency radiation, and some serve as a kind of sensor for active noise-cancelling switches. Even if Michael Børresen has published his techniques on the noise-cancelling features down to the finest detail, it should be clear that Ansuz Acoustics relies on highly autonomous and in some cases very expensive solutions for the PowerSwitch.

At the end of the power cables, sit the anti-aerial & resonance coils that should prevent the power cables serving as antennas for high-frequency interference

What was just right for the Melco switch, should also be cheap for the Ansuz switch: an appropriate break-in time. Before I heard the PowerSwitch D-TC Supreme compared with my personal reference, the SOtM sNH-10G in combination with the 10 MHz clock sCLK-OCX10 for timing the switch, it had to run up more than three weeks of continuous operation in the photo studio alone. The connection to the router, Melco and Auralic Aries is created as usual with Göbel Lacorde Statement Ethernet cables. The PowerSwitch is connected with an AudioQuest Tornado to the Niagara 1000, from which all digital components are stored. I have not yet optimised the set-up at this early stage. I will talk about the effect of Ansuz Darkz feet in the not too distant future. At the moment, the PowerSwitch stands on the Melco with standard plastic feet that are not of particularly high quality, but otherwise the SOtM switch has its place in the most complete Artesania audio rack.

HIFI STATEMENT review, April 2020 (By Dirk Sommer)

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In total, there should be 138 of these square Tesla coils above and below the plates During the break-in time with a few new acquisitions such as the 88.2 kHz version of the Barre Phillips Solo Bass Album End To End, the sound, with an enormously quiet, black background, was fascinating. The often percussive bass is created uncommonly clearly in a large recording room. Even the breathing of Barre Phillips can be heard every now and again once more. Thanks to the perfect differentiation, these not particularly clear sounds turn into an experience. But, let’s stay for a little while with ECM and music from powerful four-string instruments: Larry Grenadier The Gleaners. In “Pettiford”, a homage to a great colleague, the bass appears to be totally free in a really large space and, at the beginning even indulges in warm, voluminous sounds, before Larry Grenadier shines in the higher registers. You can’t guess where the speakers are located; the sound becomes totally detached from the acoustic converters and you feel as if you’ve been transported to the recording room. An incredibly enjoyable experience! Right, let’s get going with Patrice Héral’s “Improvisation” album recorded in the cloisters of Noirlac, Le Concert des Parfums, first of all via the SOtM switch: The large, hall-like refectory in which Patrice Héral has set up his varied percussion instrument space, sounds very intimate; the impulses come across vigorously, and the ebbing drumbeats can be perceived with precision. All of this can also be offered by the PowerSwitch by Ansuz Acoustics. But, now, the sound has a hint of warmth, the deep drums produce a little more impact, and the sound of the drumbeats lingers for longer. Despite the additional information, the rendering seems to me to be a little bit more organic, round and slightly less technical. What’s more, I unplugged the power switch briefly from the mains, while the SOtM sNH-10G did its job, because Ansuz Acoustics states that the active cable Tesla coil is supposed to have a positive effect on the chain as long as the switch is connected to the power supply.

Twelve of a total of 60 active Tesla coils that actively hamper noise

HIFI STATEMENT review, April 2020 (By Dirk Sommer)

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Well, you can argue about whether the use of a switch with a price in the more or less the same range as a converter or an up-scaler is worthwhile. But, first, my main aim is not to advise you what to buy. It is more about finding out what is possible and whether extreme expenditure will result in sound benefits. And second, all audiophiles know that for the last one or two percent of additional sonority, exponential, constructive and financial outlay is necessary. Which is why I’m not going to waste any more time talking about the price of the PowerSwitch D-TC Supreme. I’d prefer to check, with a few additional pieces, whether the Ansuz by any chance goes particularly well with “improvisation”. When scrolling through the music library, I stopped for a moment at Paul Rodgers' Muddy Water Blues. The version of “Hoochie Coochie Man” is no sound revelation, but it’s a lot of fun: The subtle use of reverberation, the rich bass drum and the opulent arrangement do not in the slightest take anything away from the captivating groove. Top-quality feel-good music – especially when the PowerSwitch distributes the data. The bass drum has a richer punch and the guitars have a touch less of an aggressive bite. With the SOtM, the really rich instrumentation seems slightly more finely defined, and the play of the sound engineer with reverberation is somewhat better tracked. With the Ansuz, I just find this song simply more fun.

Five “Ansuz analogue dither” switches generate the alternating voltages for the active Ethernet cables Finally, I treated myself to Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” from the album Der Symphonische Ring with the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Jonathan Darlington. As with all recordings of the Living Concert Series, this one can boast good spatial depiction, gripping dynamics and illuminating tones. With the Ansuz, they give off just that little bit more warmth, and the depiction of the instrument groups on the now somewhat deeper stage manages to be more vivid and the orchestra not only seems bigger, but somewhat more charged with energy. Really great! The differences are, of course, not dramatic at this extremely high level. But for which audiophiles is it not about – sometimes decisive – nuances?

STATEMENT

The Ansuz Acoustics PowerSwitch is waiting with a load of autonomous technical solutions and shows how much sound gain is possible by just distributing data. Even if the power supply for the active Ethernet cables had not been used until now, it’s clear to me that the D-TC Supreme is the best-sounding switch that I have ever integrated into my digital chain. The Ansuz Acoustics PowerSwitch not only marks the end of the road in terms of price: but in terms of sound, too!

TESTED WITH

NAS Melco N1Z H60/2, WDMyCloud

Streaming Bridge Auralic G1

HIFI STATEMENT review, April 2020 (By Dirk Sommer)

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Up-Sampler Chord Electronics Hugo M-Scaler with Poweradd

D/A-Converter Chord Electronics DAVE

LAN-Switch SOtM sNH-10G i mit Keces P8

10-MHz-Clock SOtM SCLK-OCX10 mit Keces P8

Preamplifier Audio Exklusiv R7

Power amplifier Einstein The Poweramp

Loudspeaker Göbel Epoque Aeon Fine

Cables Goebel High End Lacorde Statement, Audioquest Dragon HC, Tornado (HC) und NRG-Z3,, Swiss Cables, SOtM dBCL-BNC

Accessories

AHP Sound module IV G, Audioquest Niagara 5000 und 1000, Synergistic Research Active Ground Block SE, HMS- Wall sockets, Blockaudio C-Lock Lite, Acapella Basen, Acoustic System Feet and resonators, Artesania Audio Exoteryc, Harmonix Real Focus and Room Tuning Disks,

AuAudio Exclusive Silentplugs