If I could only choose one, it would be an Ansuz Sortz. Which of the models is best may also depend a little on taste. Basically Sortz do the same thing, just with a slightly different character. The Sortz Basic can be the right one in many places. And I assume that two basics of different components can have more effect than a signature that costs twice as much.
For example, in Donald system, which already has an organic, warm sound, I would choose a basic sort. My system can also easily tip over to the overly full side. There you donât need the slightly smoother style of the Signature and you definitely donât need the full, round character of the Supreme-Sortz. The Basic Sort makes the sound clear and clears up the stage presentation without sounding too bright or too dark. I think the basic is the neutral; Signature the silky and Supreme the full-bodied character.
Iâm just so free because Iâm always interested in opinions about something that interests me. Here is an excerpt from an email I received from a silent member of the forum. Some prefer to read along and donât like being in the spotlight. At the same time as me, he is testing the Ansuz Sortz in the XLR version.
I didnât want to keep it from the others.
Basic: strong â beautiful naturalness etc. of voices, precise location, bodies, clearly focused, yes, takes me away
Supreme: strange â a veil over the whole thing, darker, more bass, maybe more space, but not so good localization, no, doesnât suit me
Signature: great â but whatâs the difference to Basic? Nice clarity of the voices again, precise location, body, maybe more bass, a little finer? Yes, that fits too
I received a nice email from the same silent member too, and he reconfirmed your finding. Sounds like a Ansuz Sortz Basic is coming to my way.
The SQ of my system sounds much better today, and I do not know if it is from the new IC, continued break in on PC, or simply my system has had enough time to recover from long shutdown. I will wait until the system stabilized before I order any new toy.
Advantages of the Ansuz Sortz:
For those who are done with cables and looking for that last bit more. The Sortz are inconspicuously inserted into the back of the components. The sound is cleared of interference and becomes more expressive. They do not require any additional space in the rack like grounding boxes or similar.
Disadvantages:
The price and the desire for multiple Sortz. Every component can benefit from this.
If your wife can use a smartphone, finding products and prices is easy these days.
Are you if the opinion that the Sortz approach should be a first option before other grounding schemes are installed?
I am late to the grounding party. I have no passive or signal grounding schemes.
I believe in the benefits of simple chassis grounds but signal grounding seems to offer greater potential (or harm).
Had I not owned the PZ, I would have thought noise reduction through metallurgy was a bunch of crap. Now Iâm intrigued. Maybe it is as much as how can anyone sell a thousand dollar plug without some validation.
Step right up.
I was skeptical at first too. Iâve already tried a few plugs to suppress interference. The first sortz in the digital part of my Marantz Link 10n amazed me. The sound improvement is on the same scale as the step from the Cambridge Edge NQ to the Link 10n. Since one of our dealers offered his plugs from the demo for half the price, I took them up. Otherwise the list price would have put me off. I quickly reordered the ones that interested me and that he still had. Iâm now thinking about buying some for my mono power amplifiers. Unfortunately it no longer had any RCA plugs. I just listened to âTemptationâ by Chantal Chamberland. I hadnât noticed her intermittent deep breathing before. I thought that my streaming chain was already high quality, with two switches over fiber and high quality power supplies, cables and Muon pro. Even there, the plugs still reveal one or two hidden details. The music is more captivating and makes you look deeply into the recording. Ansuzâs approach of directly cleaning the signal ground with the sortz connectors seems to work. I installed grounding boxes previously. The sortz plugs made a much bigger difference for me. The best thing would be a demo in your own system.
The Ansuz sortz become effective the first time they are connected to the component. I added three more sortz to my streaming chain two days ago.
Donald would say, âEither the Marantz Link-10n is still breaking down after three weeks, or the sortz arenât fully effective until the third day in the component. My system has never sounded so good.â
The sound is purified and clearer than ever, perfect placement, body, sense of space. I hear individual layers in voices that I didnât recognize from my system before.
And thereâs that voice in my head again:
âWhat if every component had at least one sortz?â
With Sortz I Would have said âThe darn thing made my system sounded so good right after installationâ No break in needed!
Otherwise, it is nothing special. I checked a European site that has it at a lower cost than US, until I checked the shipping cost and they want $126 for shipping this little tube! I glad I did not pull the trigger last night because I lost at least another D333 on the market. I may as well wait for a used one to show up. Sortz has been around for a few years so I am sure a used one will come around sometime.
My new golf clubs are helping my game this morning, more than all these voodoo tweaks for audio for sure.
I bought the Furutech version of these devices. I make no claim of any benefit for adding them to my Gryphon Commander Preamp. No claim at all. They can stay, but I do not recommend these sorts of products to anyone for any reason. Nope.
I think the Commander may have a lot to do with this. This technology does not warrant approval, and has none from me.
New toy number two has touched down! Welcome the Direct Stream DAC MK2. Spinning my first disc and already noticing little bits and pieces Iâve never heard before. Eager to Buckleyâs version of Hallelujah.
I agree with you. I bought the Furutech and they look nice, but I didnât notice any sound advantage. At least they protect the contacts from dust. With the Epluggs I couldnât hear any difference with the best will in the world. I wouldnât recommend it. Maybe theyâre making use of something in a system thatâs full of glitches. The Ansuz sortz seem to have an effect, unfortunately they are quite expensive.
The effect in my system is amazing and perhaps therefore cheaper than upgrading a component that offers this performance.
So you are saying your brand works and makes an audible difference?
You are saying a device, designed to stop a noise through an unused input, makes a difference in the sound you do hear?
Why do I believe you believe what you believe?
I donât believe.
