Isotek introduced mains conditioners about a decade ago that flat out IMPROVED our sound quality. For the first time we heard that a mains conditioner could not only PROTECT, but could actually IMPROVE our sound.
We learned that if you DON’T have such a conditioner in your system, you’re losing clarity you can’t get back later in the chain. For those of us that love definition and nuance, a great conditioner is a must.
Plucked guitar strings JUMP out of your speakers better instead of sitting in the background. Piano hammers are more percussive as they are in real life. It lets you appreciate a talented pro and their incredible technical skills. Perhaps most importantly, a great conditioner like Elektra brings more resolution and emotion to the human voice.
Isotek is designed in England and built in its factory in Slovenia- not China!
The improvement Elektra will provide is so noticeable that it’s fair to say you cannot attain this level of transparency and transient response without it- or a higher end competing product. Elektra allows you to “see” the leaves on the tree, not just… see the tree.
Isotek comes out with new models every few years. Each series features a few tweaks to up their game. Elektra represents what I feel is the SWEET SPOT in the lineup now.
Elektra comes with a high end power cable called the Initium, which runs $175 a la carte. If you get an Elektra, you should get Initiums for your audio components.
Please be aware that many competitors sell their conditioners without any power cable. They require you to spend $200-400 to plug the darn thing into the wall. Please, just buy an Elektra that sounds great and comes with a commensurate power cable.
If you don’t have a top level conditioner, like Isotek’s models, perhaps you have a Home Depot type bar. Don’t waste your money buying better power cables without a fine conditioner. Cheesy power strips don’t eradicate the electrical noise from getting into your system. Consequently you won’t hear the benefit of Initiums. With an Elektra at the head of the stream you CAN perceive the improved clarity Initium will provide.
Your electric company provides a signal full of honeybees. Your house is an antenna for noise with all of its metal and wiring. The video analogy is… remember the snow we used to see in our TV pictures? The Isoteks eliminate the snow that obfuscates the exquisite detail we audiophiles crave.
In my quest to check out the other guys, I ordered a sample of a $700 competitor made in China. It did fairly well on its 8 source level inputs. However, on the 4 high level inputs that amplifiers would be fed, there was NO conditioning! That’s just crazy. Ya spend $700 to clean up your preamp, CD player and streamer- and send it into a DIRTY integrated amp or power amp that still has snow in the road?! I sent it back.
If you’re lucky enough to have a system with a fine streamer, CD player, integrated amp or separates, you’ll love your system even more when you get an Elektra!
