Chord Company

PowerHAUS S6 mains block

£1,000

The notion that high-quality mains cables, plugs and distribution blocks can improve a system's sound is not a new one. In the UK, for example, as far back as the nineteen-eighties, many audiophiles were choosing and using premium priced MK mains plugs over cheap generic equivalents. Since then, the market for such things has spiralled, and now it's possible to spend vast sums of money on such things if you so desire.

I've always held a nuanced view of such things; they can and do make a difference, but it's important to place that in the grand scheme of upgrading things. For example, an expensive regenerating power conditioner being used in a budget system is far from a sensible allocation of funds. Yet, decent mains products yield a clearly demonstrable difference in mid to high-end systems. The Chord Company's new PowerHAUS distribution blocks should be put in this context; at £1,000 for the entry-level S6 version and twice that for the M6 model (below), they're clearly aimed at people who've already got very decent hi-fis.

As the acronym in the name alludes – Hybrid Array Unfiltered Supply – the company has not decided to do a filtered and/ or regenerating type product. That's because, it argues, these can produce quite variable results; in some systems, they can be a real breath of fresh air, whereas, in others, they can flatten the sound somewhat. Chord Company's basic contention is that a properly made power block is a good place to start – and audiophiles can think about more sophisticated mains solutions later. It says they're the result of “one of the longest product development phases the company has ever undertaken, following initial research undertaken as early as 2003.”

The company has been designing and making its own power blocks for its internal use for decades. They were never CE approved and/or intended to be sold on the open market, but rather were made to give the company a decent benchmark for testing its own cables in its own dem systems and/ or demonstrations at hi-fi shows. Lots of work was done to ensure the power blocks had excellent sockets, contacts and wiring. They became the basis from which the new PowerHAUS products were created; the latter had to be demonstrably better for them to be productionised. So early in March, a select bunch of hi-fi hacks – myself and StereoNET UK's Editor Jay Garrett – included, went to the Salisbury HQ to hear the guys there dem the difference.

It's fair to say that both the starter S6 and the flagship M6 were surprisingly big improvements over Chord Co.'s in-house reference. Both designs show serious attention to detail in the way they handle power transfer and have a special version of the company's proprietary ARAY technology, about which more information is available on the website. The idea is that there are no gimmicky bits, just really good build quality and wiring, along with the avoidance of potentially sound degrading filters, neon power indicators, switches, etc. And no doubt, to the horror of hi-fi Flat Earthers, the design also attempts to minimise microphony too.

Contrary to earlier thinking on such things, star-wiring has been avoided, and instead, there are three isolated bus bars running in parallel. This is claimed to limit contact and thus reduce high-frequency noise. “Secluding the earth bus bar from the live and neutral also brought further sound quality improvements during testing”, says the company.

The PowerHAUS blocks are said to have specially selected, high-quality, heavy-gauge cables throughout, with top quality sockets. The more expensive version, which I haven't tested in my system but which Jay and I heard in the Chord dem, uses three hybrid MainsARAYs fitted in parallel rather than in series. Both come in a really well finished, robust aluminium case with a single 16A IEC mains input – so you'll need a power cable going into the block. Of course, Chord Co. will be happy to sell you one, and the guys there have a few that they prepared earlier. Yet you can, of course, use any such cable you wish, and many folk will have existing high-quality mains cables that will fit precisely this role.

The PowerHAUS S6, which is the subject of this review, has six output sockets, all unswitched, of course. Outlet ratings are 13 amp (UK) and 16 amp (EU), with a maximum rated current of 16A and a supply voltage of 100 to 250V at 50Hz or 60Hz – so that's the US/Japanese market covered too. For the purpose of my listening, I used Chord's own Clearway Power cable going into the block and compared it to a high-quality but non-audiophile-specific power block that I've had for decades in my second system. My main system components comprise a Chord Electronics Hugo TT2 DAC, Sony TA-N86B Class A power amplifier and Yamaha NS-1000M loudspeakers, but I tried the block with a range of other components too. My usual IsoTek Mosaic Genesis power regenerator was set to one side and not used.

THE LISTENING

Across a range of music types, in every case, there was a sonic improvement from the PowerHAUS S6 over my standard mains block. The music sounded subtly more three dimensional, slightly less grainy and/or tonally forward in the upper midband, and rhythmically more natural. Even soundstaging improved too, with a slightly more 'out of the box' feel from my system; the speakers seemed to dissolve into space more – which is always welcome with my Yamahas. They always end up disappearing into the ether, metaphorically speaking, but usually take about twenty minutes from cold to perform this magic trick – this is when the metal drive units have got some heat into them. Curiously, with the PowerHAUS S6 in my system, the NS-1000Ms seemed more invisible from the word 'go'.

The 16A connector on the S6 is the same as the M6

For example, Fleetwood Mac's Tusk is a tricky recording to get right. It's tonally dry – very late-seventies in its production values – and has a lot of low-level detail and shuffling rhythms that need to be properly heard if you're to really enjoy the song. It's a long way from the easy-listening anthems of the Rumours era, that's for sure. As such, it's a great test because the musical nuances are more important than with more 'singalong' tracks. My system is good, and always does it justice, but with the PowerHAUS S6, the recorded acoustic seemed to reveal itself better. The quiet bits – the spaces between the notes, so to speak – appeared just that little bit quieter. This, in turn, boosted the song's dynamic impact; the hard-hit drums and other percussion played a bigger part in the music.

Moving forward nearly a decade, REM's Fall On Me was also clearly improved with the PowerHAUS S6, compared to running my system through a standard power block. Beautiful as this eighties rock song is, it's not exactly a hi-fi masterpiece; it sounds a bit grey, and lead singer Michael Stipe's voice is a touch too gritty for my liking. The Chord Company power block really did remove a subtle layer of 'mush' from the sound, as if a camera lens had been wiped. Things seemed tonally slightly smoother, and instruments played more confidently, better separated from one another in the mix. Again, the improvement was not profound but was clear to hear and unquestionably for the better.

The PowerHAUS S6 gently widened the soundstage, too, as if it had prized the window onto the music open just a little more. The classic electronica of Kraftwerk's Spacelab was better resolved, with the opening synthesiser glides pushing wider stage left and stage right. Again there was a sense of the noise floor being lowered slightly, alongside better definition of instrument sounds and vocals. Timing was subtly improved, too, the music seeming to shuffle along in a more resolute way. Also, dynamic peaks seemed just a touch more pronounced, likely due to the lower noise floor.

THE VERDICT

Chord Company's new PowerHAUS S6 is an undeniably expensive product and undoubtedly only intended for higher-end systems; it would be overkill to install it with separates systems costing under £5,000, for example. Yet to my ears, and in my system, it had an undeniably positive effect. Akin to cleaning the lenses of your spectacles or washing your car windscreen, it doesn't really let you see that much more but does make it much easier to see – and enjoy – everything that's there. You get a more realistic, natural perspective on the music you're listening to. So I'd say it's well worth auditioning if you want a very high quality, no-nonsense mains block to underpin your already accomplished sounding system.

Visit Chord Company for more information