With all the preliminaries taken care of, I settled in for some quality listening. These observations are minus ground cable enhancements since the Antigone was declaredly prioritized to combat AC noise. Immediately striking was the tonal balance. The system showed a disarming naturalness that blossomed from a gorgeously convincing midrange and extended up and down the spectrum. The presentation acquitted itself in Goldilocks fashion with bass that was neither overblown nor undernourished and complimented by a treble that stayed sweet and clean with unforced extension. The character hit hallmarks of neutrality with sufficient broadband presence to sound as real as the recording allowed. This purity garnered praise from every listener who stopped by.

Transient ability was very good, with acoustic edges well defined. The DR Acoustics also proved highly adept at lowering the noise floor into inky blackness, proving the validity of Mr. Robidoux's passive approach. In that regard it matched the best results of any methodology tried in house. I anticipated that payoffs in lowered dynamic floor and increased dynamic range would follow suit but the Antigone played a different hand. You could easily hear the improved depth of acoustic blackness the system could achieve but low-level musical detail and dynamics were prematurely diminished by a small degree. The presentation of resolution and dynamics fell instead into a natural stance, not drawing attention to themselves as separate characteristics but rather as an integral part of the whole picture. Some will applaud that organic self-effacing quality while others will find the presentation a bit understated.

On the opposite end of the dynamic scale, crescendos and peaks were handled with incredible refinement, displaying an absence of distortion that was exemplary. The argument of natural versus understated, as descriptions of the same character, applied. From the understated perspective, dynamics on the loud end were somewhat diminished, losing some force and startle factor. From the natural point of view, instruments sounded realistic and devoid of the overload artifacts that take the listener out of the event. The amalgamation of performance at opposite ends of the dynamic scale translated that the overall absolute range was a little reduced. What lay within those achievable boundaries was beautifully and seductively convincing, just a bit polite.

Soundstage and imaging were quite good, with a very natural perspective that complemented the superior tonal balance. Width was convincing although not quite up to the Cinerama vista that some combinations have achieved. The neutral tonal balance translated into individual images that were strongly believable but the slight reduction in low-level information meant that placement was more approximate than precise and the slight compression of dynamics translated into less differentiation of comparative instrumental volume and scale. System depth and projection were somewhat compressed, with background instruments pushed slightly forward and a reduction in distances between objects. Venue information was rich and slightly dark so the overall weight of spatial information fell into the organic camp, with more emphasis placed on the content of the music and less on context. All of these observations amounted to an exercise in myopic analysis, measuring against mental absolutes. It was time to put aside those deconstructive standards and look at comparative effectiveness and character traits. I would have liked the big Shunyata on hand to see the variations between two examples of this approach but alas, it was not available. Instead, my workhorse Exact Power EP15A power conditioner with Audio Art Cable Power 1 SE AC cord was called upon for comparative duty. In keeping with the goal of a level playing field, initial observations excluded the use of a ground cable again.

It was immediately apparent that these competing power management designs had clear differences in priority and intent. The Exact Power EP15A hit around the $2'500 mark when current in 2004. It deals with noise dynamically rather than passively and actively corrects the incoming waveform as well as provides surge protection. It therefore not only does things differently, it does different things. One of the primary reasons for my purchase was to ensure consistent quality of listening in the face of ugly hydro variability. A prior situation necessitated the ending of listening sessions whenever the houselights began to dim. The EP15A solved that problem as well as reduced noise levels noticeably to preserve dynamic swing and detail in stellar fashion. The Audio Art cable 1 SE power cord with its quality Furutech FI-28 connectors is capable of delivering exceptionally wide dynamic swing and gradation. My Apogee ribbons make big demands and this combo delivers.

The passive Antigone is a very different beast and flexed its muscle with different strong suits. It couldn't perform the electronic tricks of the EP15A but in its primary intended function as an instrument of noise reduction in combination with the Red Fire Ultra AC cord, it did indeed outperform the old warhorse by a decent margin. The nature and amount of noise has changed since the older product was introduced and the DR simply proved better equipped for that challenge. The Antigone/Red Fire Ultra AC cable also achieved a somewhat more realistic tonal balance over the Exact Power/Audio Art Cable 1 SE combination, improving the overall coherence of the presentation. It was however far from a one-sided contest. In the parameters of imaging and soundstaging, the Exact/Audio Art proved different in style but equivalent in quality, leaning more on the transparency side so in the points of detail and dynamic gradation, it was actually superior.