6moons audio reviews: Audio Magic Stealth XXX


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		Source: Eastern Electric Minimax CD player with NOS Philips Miniwatt 6DJ8s, Cairn Fog v2.0 24/192 CD player, Pro-Ject 1 Xpression turntable w/Ortofon 540 Mk II cartridge Preamp/Integrated: Manley Labs Stingray, Manley Labs Shrimp Preamp [in for review], Audio Zone AMP-1, Almarro A50125A [in for review], Pro-Ject Tube Box phono stage with RCA Black Plate 12AX7s Amp: Manley Labs Mahi monoblocks [in for review] Speakers: Green Mountain Audio Callisto (on lead filled metal stands), REL Q108 Mk II subwoofer, Almarro M2A [in for review] Cables: DH Labs Revelation interconnects, Auditorium23 speaker cables, Audience powerChord AC cables, GutWire Power Clef 2 AC cables Stands: Premier three-tier, filled with sand Powerline conditioning: BPT Pure Power Center w/Wattgate 381 outlets, Bybee Quantum Purifiers and ERS cloth, Blue Circle BC86 MkII Power Line Pillow Sundry accessories: Grado SR-60 headphones, Pro-Ject Speed Box, Gingko Audio Cloud 11 platform, Grand Prix Audio APEX footers (under speaker stands), Isoclean fuses, Walker Audio SST contact enhancer, Audience Auric Illuminator MkII, GutWire Notepads and SoundPads, Black Diamond Racing Cones, dedicated AC line with Wattgate 381 outlet, Echo Busters acoustic room treatments Room size: 11x18x8, short wall setup Review Component Retail: $2,199



	Back in January, I enthused over Audio Magic's new Stealth XXX power line conditioner only to discover late in the review process that Jerry Ramsey was revamping his PLCs to offer filter matching. Essentially, today's x-rated Stealth is identical to the unit I examined then. The difference is the addition of selectable filters. As I wrote in my original review: "As of January 1, Audio Magic has released updated versions of the Stealth, the Eclipse and introduced a completely new product called the Transcendence. All three include a patent-pending filter-matching circuit. This fascinating feature allows the end user to custom match filtering to each connected component via a series of front-mounted switches; 3 banks of 2 switches for each section (amp, low-level, digital). For example, the new Stealth XXX will offer 6 more filter arrays to allow the owner to optimize the filtering. What a great idea! As I alluded to earlier, PLCs can have unpredictable effects with certain components. This feature would be invaluable to obtain optimum performance."

	Apart from the additional filter matching circuits and switches, today's follow-up sample seems sonically and cosmetically identical to the unit I reviewed last winter. The Stealth XXX is a basic black box about the size of a CD player with several duplex outlets on the rear, five in all, two white, three orange. When you pick up the unit first, you'll think that somebody forgot to put anything inside. It barely weighs a few pounds. While Audio Magic won't divulge what exactly is inside, it's something alright as the unit most assuredly had an effect on my system's performance.

	The new Stealth XXX incorporates a super filter, 5 duplex outlets, two isolated circuits, cryogenic and Molecular Stabilization Treatment aka MST, 10-gauge silver wiring, detachable Audio Magic XStream silver power cable and integral spike and surge protection. There's a total of 6 pairs of filters, with the white duplex excluded from the add-on matching circuits to instead rely on the firm's standard fixed filtering. A series of front-panel switches control the various filters for the orange outlets. A pair of switches controls each section of the Stealth - amp, preamp and digital. Thus, four differing filtering regimes are available per orange outlet. By the way, the Stealth is riveted shut. According to Audio Magic, tampering will destroy the MST treatment, apparently sacrificing 30% of the Stealth's performance. Being nosey, I pressed Jerry for further comments. "I realize people get a little weird about the 'don't open the product" warning but the folks who perform my MST treatment state very clearly not to expose the insides to full spectrum or fluorescent light or the treatment will deteriorate over several months. This will happen gradually. The only way to detect whether you have corrupted the treatment is to put a sealed unit next to it and do an A/B. If the treatment weren't such a dramatic improvement, I wouldn't bother. It's truly a pain in the butt." Nosey types, consider yerselves warned. The included manual offers straightforward instructions for the switching feature. After connecting all components of a given system, the first switch for each section should be engaged by flipping it down (all units are shipped in this manner by default). Then engage and disengage the two switches in each section until optimum sonics are realized before proceeding to the next pair of switches. With four possible filter settings for each orange outlet (2 switches x 2 positions each), there's a bewildering number of possible settings for the entire system. No doubt this feature is a tweaker's wet dream or an obsessive/compulsive's worst nightmare. I freely admit to fitting somewhere in-between. The enclosed instructions warn that careful experimentation and patience will reward the listener. I initially lacked on the patience front when I started this review because I couldn't detect any difference from one setting to the next. None. After some suggestions from Jerry, I began to get a sense of this variable filtering technology. My problem? I expected an immediately obvious effect such as a blatant tonal shift when flipping switches on the fly. Frankly, I doubt anyone would notice much by way of differences between components using that - um, flippant methodology. It was only after I lived with a setting for several hours or days that I noticed any changes after flipping my switches. Nevertheless, I found the effects to be predominantly minor regardless of component. To my ears, the effects were mostly spatial in nature. That is, soundstage width and depth would alter as would image placement and ambient cues. Depending on the settings, there were also certain tonal changes. Bass could become slightly tauter and punchier or softer and fatter. Other settings had more effect on the mids, maybe a little more transparency, perhaps a touch more definition. Sometimes there was more air and delicacy in the treble region. In other positions, the highs were a touch rolled off. However, in a few instances I noted greater emphasis on leading edge dynamics or slightly greater punch and slam. I can't really say that I found one ideal range of settings. Then again, I didn't come across anything that completely offended me either. In a nutshell, I just tried to focus on obtaining a more realistic sense of the natural ebb and flow of the music, its timbral accuracy and truthfulness. Perhaps I would have noted greater results in a higher performance system than my wee little rig? Maybe more keen-eared listeners might find greater differences between settings? Frankly, I am more interested in obtaining greater emotional and intellectual involvement with music. Everything else is just sound effects to me.

	Ultimately, the largest overall differences and improvement to music playback came from just having the Stealth in my system. Noise and hash simply vanished to leave flesh and blood performers in my living room. Both micro and macro dynamics were enhanced. Minute spatial clues were more audible. Instruments and voices were more realistic, with less electronic haze surrounding them. The entire presentation just seemed more believable. The switching was the icing on an already very tasty cake. While I was quite enthusiastic about the Stealth throughout my first review, I admit that some of that glow has slightly faded of late, mostly due to the appearance of BPT's considerably less expensive Pure Power Center. However, comparing the Stealth and PPC is a bit like comparing apples to oranges. Both have completely different axes to grind. It's simply that the PPC meshes better with my still evolving listening preferences. Where the Stealth and PPC differ is in spatial effects and dynamic drive. The Stealth is for those who lust after grain and noise-free, deep wide open and layered soundstages. The PPC is geared towards pace, rhythm and timing and offers less of a filtered sonic landscape. Take your pick. I tend to lean towards the latter of late. However, I am sure others would prefer the Stealth by a wide margin, especially those plagued by electrically noisy environments who crave an ethereally silent backdrop for music to emerge from. Readers frequently ask which component is better. I am reluctant to answer that since I believe there is no such clear-cut answer. What exactly does "better" mean? I mostly find components to be merely different. Mind you, some are pure crap. In which case you probably won't read about 'em here unless I'm coerced at gunpoint. The only thing worse than listening to a disappointing component is to write about it. No such problem with the Stealth. My task is to report on what I observe in the context of my system and hopefully convey an idea as to the component's sonic signature so you can decide for yourself if the piece under consideration is worth further personal investigation. If anything I've written above hits your hot buttons, the Stealth XXX is certainly worth tracking down. As noted in my earlier review, the Audio Magic Stealth XXX is one of the better PLCs I have tried. This updated model adds a myriad of customizable settings for enhanced system compatibility, focusing on morphing spatial aspects as though to suggest that the sorcery in Audio Magic's name is primarily enthralled with the third dimension of depth and soundstaging effects. Kudos to Jerry Ramsey for developing this truly unique product.

Manufacturer's reply: Thanks, Paul, for the outstanding review and your patience with our new filter matching circuit. I don't think I could describe what the XXX does any better than how you did it. I will make mention that our conditioners are power cord sensitive and we highly recommend our own cords since that's what was used to design our units. The XXX is offered with our entry-level silver power cord and we do offer a 1-year trade-in on the stock cord ($100), towards any other Audio Magic power cord to upgrade the conditioner's performance to the next level. As you know, our systems are being constantly bombarded by noise and it gets worse all the time regardless of where you live, be it air-borne, through the AC line or component-generated. It makes power conditioning one of the very important components in a system. They should get out of the way and simply remove noise. If they do, things fall into place naturally and a wider and deeper soundstage, less grain, more layering, more inner detail and better dynamics are the result. At RMAF 05, we introduced a new look with a silver-aluminum engraved beauty plate on the front and now also incorporate our new Quantum Physics Noise Disrupters in all Stealth Power Purifiers as well. Lastly, we would like to thanks 6moons for all its support throughout the years as well as all our wonderful customers. Jerry Ramsey

			Manufacturer's website

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