Gigawatt PowerPrime Silver / Powersync plus / Powersync ultra

Description - Gigawatt PowerPrime Silver / Powersync plus / Powersync ultra

Adult network filtering for really demanding hifi systems, available with a brand new, technologically advanced corporate cable, powersync ULTRA

/ read the test at the end of the article /

Gigawatt POWERPRIME is the first model from a new family of conditioners, which sets trends for future project concepts that will be gradually initiated in our following products.
POWERPRIME provides effective surge protection, and at the same time supplies the devices with clean, well-filtered energy. That makes it an essential part of every modern audio/video system.POWERPRIME_Txt2

CONSTRUCTION:
All elements of the device are mounted in a new, rigid, steel/aluminum chassis, with a modular structure, which allows the outlets assembly  in various standards. The housing is based on anti-vibration feet, which isolate the device of undesirable interference, coming from the ground.
The new design front panel, is made of a thick piece of aviation aluminum, the surface of which, after precise milling, is anodized in two color variants – black or silver. In the central part of the front there is a filter enable indicator.

The conditioner is also equipped with a system that indicates incorrect connection of the device to the mains. The red LED at the back, indicating the wrong polarity of the power supply, or incorrectly connected grounding or lack of grounding.
POWERPRIME is equipped with six power outlets G—040.  Brass connectors are silver-plated, without the use of intermediate metals such as a copper or nickel layer, which could cause detrimental serial resistance and thus lower the voltage. Strong, stable connection, bigger connection surface and a thick layer of silver guarantee perfect contact with the plug pins. Additionally, the sockets are cryogenically processed and de-magnetized.

GigaWatt LC-1 EVO power cord, is the standard equipment of POWERPRIME.

TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS:
POWERPRIME is based on the new architecture of the RLC filtering branch. The device does not have traditional protection elements, such as thermal or blow fuses, which throttled the free flow of the current, have a negative influence on the sound.
Surge protection is provided by a protection block integrated with the filter, equiped with plasma spark gaps and a new generation of UltraMOV varistors. These elements, in combination with a properly executed, modern electrical installation guarantee comprehensive protection against overvoltages and overcurrents.

The surge protection is provided by the overvoltage block integrated with a filter that contains plasma spark gaps, a new generation of UltraMOV varistors and a pre-filter. These elements, in conjunction with a properly made, modern electrical installation, guarantee comprehensive protection against overvoltages and overcurrents. Interference suppression is ensured by a filtering system that was built, among others, on Premium class interference suppression capacitors and IP filter cores (Iron Powder). The filter system is activated by an internal high-in-rush relay with silver contacts with a large surface area and a switching capacity of 4000VA.

All electronic components of the filter are mounted with silver solder on PCB’s with extremely wide conductive traces made of copper (total thickness of conductive layers is as much as 70 micrometers). Short connections and a very large cross-section of paths reduce the transition resistance and significantly increase the current carrying capacity of the entire filter.

The device uses a buffering system with a GigaWatt Audio Grade compensation battery, which increases the current efficiency at non-linear loads which are, for example, power amplifiers and reduces the difference between the power at the input and output of the conditioner. This allows for almost unlimited impulse possibilities, unheard of in other similar passive conditioners and unattainable for active power conditioners.

The internal wiring is based on GigaWatt Powerlink cables from OHFC copper with a cross-section of 4 QMM. The connection system in the star topology leads the current to the output sockets through a current distribution system based on massive third generation distribution bars made of polished, high-conductive copper (OHFC 10100 with a purity of 99.995%). The large cross-section of each rail (30QMM), high wiring conductivity and star star connection guarantee an even and stable distribution of power at each output socket – regardless of the load of the other outputs of the conditioner.

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT:

-DC Offset Blocker – the conditioner can be equipped with a circuit eliminating unwanted DC component of the power grid. This DC component is a very deteriorating phenomenon, which exists in almost all power grids. It results in the sinus wave of the alternating current become non-symmetrical (non-sinusoidal) and has negative impact on all devices using transformers. It causes their cores to become magnetized, what increases their noise, diminishes the efficiency of power supplies and lower sound quality as a result of those. The DC blocker allows to eliminate this phenomenon effectively, without causing any compression or any other negative influence on the sound

-Rolling-Ball Isolation System feet – The device can be equipped with a new kind of feet with a mechanism called Rolling-Ball Isolation System. This is an anti-vibration system comprised of two parts (external and internal) made from solid aluminum, with two runs with balls between them. The setup is to minimize the points of contact between the feet, and then the chassis of the conditioner and the rack, what in consequence translates into a significant reduction of mechanical vibration, which negatively impacts the internal elements of the conditioner, what in turn degrades its sound. Another isolation element, on which the whole construction is placed, is a proprietary elastomer, 5mm thick.

-Power cords – higher models. The POWERPRIME is equipped as standard, with the PowerSync PLUS 1.5m To maximize the potential of the conditioner we recommend the use power cords LC-2 EVO or PowerSync ULTRA

-Output power sockets in a different standard. The PowerPrime is equipped with the G-040 Schuko power sockets used in most European countries. To protect your children, those sockets can be equipped with automatic anti-surge protection (improved protection conform with VDE 0620). Also available are versions with sockets in other standards like: NEMA 5-20R, used in North America and some Asian countries, or AS/NZS 3112 used in Australia.

Available socket types: EU (Schuko), US (Nema 5-20R), AU (AS/NZS 3112)
Line voltage: 220-240 VAC 50/60 Hz, 110-120 VAC 50/60 Hz
Maximum output power : 3 680 W
Maximum current load: 16 A
Absorbed impulse current: 13 000 A
Dimensions:  440 x 310 x 95 mm
Gross weight:  9,5 kg

PowerSync ULTRA (previously known as LC-3 EVO) is the best, copper, power cord, we have ever produced. The cable construction has been completely redesigned. Technical solutions are closer to those used in the top LS series.

Conductors are made from 99,997% pure copper (OFHC C10100, 5N), additionally subdued to an annealing process, which allows them to gain uniform structure and better conductance.

The design is a 8 x 1.5 mm2 lead, where each lead consist of 7 strands, spun in a tight pitch.

Twisted conductors ensure significant cable inductance reduction, maintaining favourable quite high self-capacitance.

The wires of the cable are protected by a static shield, made from laminated aluminum foil. The tight construction of the shield covers 100% of the surface of the cable, perfectly protecting against all kinds of external interference, and EMI and RFI noises.

In addition the shield prevents the appearance and spread of internal interferences as well as returns parasitic currents to the ground wire. In the construction of the cable a lot of attention was devoted to the reduction of the vibration created by the electromagnetic field induced around the conductors.

All wires and the shield are covered with elastic material damping the unwanted vibration. The cable is additionally protected from the outside with antistatic braid, which prevents static charges accumulation.

The PowerSync ULTRA uses the highest quality, company mains plugs. Their massive construction ensures extraordinary  durability  and reliability. Casing of the plugs is made of compact aluminium. Their solid connectors are made of rhodium plated brass , which guarantees low impedance and larger amount of connecting cycles with no parameters loss . Connectors were additionally subject to cryogenic treatment and de-magnetization. All conductors are connected with no use of tin, and plug connections are bolted which minimizes plug impedance and guarantees reliability.

PowerSync ULTRA is designed for advanced audio systems. It can successfully power the strip or conditioner to which the whole system is connected. Due to its large cross-section it is particularly recommended for applications related to high power consumption.

test: Audiodrom.net 2020

Network filtering Powerprime is a very neatly and efficiently manufactured - and even packaged - device, to which you get a very solid power cable LC-1 EVO 1.5 m, so you can deduct five thousand from its price. When I was sorry to unpack all this, for example, I did not come across plastic protectors for the connection points of the network cable, even for products worth hundreds of thousands.
For GigaWatt, Powerprime is a product in which filtration procedures appear on a pilot basis, which should gradually reach all other conditioners. The nice thing is that with the innovated circuit solution, this time the model does not come the highest, but the lowest. That the Powerprime belongs to the basic category can be seen on a simple sheet metal bent chassis, however, the front panel is already a good piece of milled aluminum and glass - and you can have it in both black and silver. The larger part of the panel is occupied by a large display, the only illuminated part of which is the white power indicator.
The Powerprime is equipped with six silver-plated Schuko sockets, grouped in pairs according to the degree of filtration. All connection points are cryogenically treated and demagnetized. Next to the IEC input for the mains cord is a small LED indicating the correctly connected phase.
Protection against current and voltage peaks is solved by GigaWatt varistors and plasma spark gaps, which according to the company do not stifle dynamics like traditional fuses. An interesting solution is the use of a battery, which has the task of compensating for the nonlinear dependence between the input and output of the filter, caused over time by the changing power requirements of the connected devices. GigaWatt claims that this way Powerprime can handle current demands at peak times without limiting the power of eg amplifiers. The device is connected to the star using 4mm OHFC conductors and solidly dimensioned copper rods. The entire chassis sits on four anti-vibration feet.
As mentioned, there are three pairs of drawers at the back. The first pair on the left is DAC / CD and other non-power components, the second for amplifiers and the third for extra voracious components with high current consumption. I didn't let myself be limited by that and I gradually mixed all possible combinations with both available devices, ie SACD player and power amplifier.

I'll start with what happens when I pull the network cables out of the Shunyata Research Denali conditioner and plug them directly into the wall, on a separate lead with a separate circuit breaker. In the first place, space collapses. The sound retracts between the speakers, the dynamics disappear, and a kind of large sound ball is created, which clings to the center rather than the floor. On the album Diary of Dreams Nigredo (Metropolis Records), it is almost like a kind of extended mono compared to the previous state. I hadn't had network cables right in the wall for a long time, and I was amazed at how huge the difference was.
If I connect the player to Powerprime in such a situation, it is clear in 2 things from the first tone: the vertical and lateral space jumps back and the dynamics also take a step in the right direction. With Powerprime, the individual elements of the Giftraum sound collage are easier to distinguish and the recording becomes more readable. At the same time, it can be heard that the bass component also strengthens, not so much in depth as in volume. The bottom thickens and sounds like a nightclub, bloated and muscular. There is more bass compared to Denali, on the other hand, it is also heard that GigaWatt lacks better control in the lower octaves. Here, however, I compare devices from completely different categories.

In the second socket group (the amplifier) ​​I had a different experience. The volume of the bass is smaller and thus gets into a better proportion with the rest, for the ear it also means its refinement. On the other hand, I observe the thickening of the heights, as if they began to scrub and lose the finesse of their resolution. Either way, at least you can hear that each power circuit in Powerprime is really preceded by a different filter stage. The last of the pair of sockets, HC high-current, was not a fundamental change against the pair. If I had to summarize it, I would leave the CD player plugged in where the manufacturer recommends it.

When I do similar experiments with a power amplifier, I find that in terms of color and tonality, the connection of the devices to Powerprime and Denali is practically the same, and this is a very positive finding. What's different? Dynamics that are more suppressed against the reference conditioner, and left-right and anteroposterior space, which are more centered. When I go from the HC sockets to the middle "general amplifier" group, the sound seems better to me than from HC. I pay a tax for this in the form of a small bass choke, but this is balanced by improved space and resolution. In this respect, despite the GigaWatt Powerprime-powered system, it was completely easy to listen to with everything the highend has to offer.

Powerprime does exactly what it promises. Against devices powered directly from the wall, it means a clear sound shift for the better. As usual, you need to experiment with what you plug in and not push plugs where it is expected.
The included LC-1 EVO network cable uses pure copper with a fixed cross-section and has a geome

The included LC-1 EVO network cable uses pure copper with a fixed cross-section and has a geometry optimized to achieve the lowest possible capacity, which GigaWatt sees as the biggest helper in filtering out unwanted RF interference. Several network cables from GigaWatt have already gone through my hands, so I can safely recommend upgrading to a higher model LC-2 or 3 (you can order it with a conditioner instead of LC-1 EVO straight), because you will appreciate it.

Test: Audiodrom.net