foundation research

LC1 and LC2 review as printed in Bound For Sound Issue 151 Published September 9th 2003

Distributed in the USA by Music First Distribution, 76 Morgan Dr., Caledonia, Ontario Canada N3W 2L6. ph. 905.765.7878 www.musicfirstdistribution.com. LC1: $795 LC2: $995

The Foundation Research LC1 and LC2 AC Line Filters
by M.G.DeWulf

The e-mail came in from Kerry Legeard (of Music First Distribution) telling me of a new AC line device that I might beinterested in. I didn't know it then, but it turns out Kerry had been a long time reader of BFS and knew of my belief in, and backing of, effective types of AC line conditioning. As a BFS reader, Kerry had a friend that he thought might be interested in what I had found. That friend was Ed Wolkow, an engineerwith a keen interest in audio and more than a little experiencein filter electronics. Ed became interested in BFS and the work I was doing, reading our coverage of the PS Audio Power Plant and TG Audio Bybee/Sucker, while taking note of our findings on earlier devices from VansEvers, Marigo and Chang. And therein lies the genesis of the Foundation Research LC1 and LC2; they are AC filters, plain and simple. No magic, no mystic devices, nothing but filtering. The LC1 and LC2 are low pass AC line filters that are unusually effective in their operation.

It seems that there are a number of AC line conditioners on the market that are based on filtering. Some are pretty gentle devices; others are more drastic. There is also a great difference in the cutoff frequencies that the various manufacturers choose, though at the frequencies we'll be discussing I can't imagine how filter attenuation could impact 60 Hz power from the wall. But it does, that has been proven to me.

So, here I am with five units (I actually use four of them full time), all of them to be used simultaneously. I feared the worst. What happened was quite different. The preamp benefited from the move, or perhaps I should say that the "system" benefited from the LC1 being used with the Audire Diffet 5. On and on I went, each component in turn having an LC1 plugged into it, with an improvement in sound with every move. 2 Power amp wise, the LC2 didn't work all that well with the Pass X250, making it sound soft and lacking in energy. On the other hand, the LC2 worked extremely well with the Edge NL-10 amp. Apparently there was too much electrical draw by the Pass. 3

Anyway, when all the filters were in place, there was an immediate improvement in all sonic parameters that were, and still are, important to me.

Foundation Research makes several performance claims for their AC filters. The first of which is high pass filtering. The second claim is electrical component isolation. Electrical component isolation was not a factor until digital transports, processors CD players and switching amplifiers made their appearance. Due to the speed that some of their circuits run at, they generate high frequency noise that is capable of feeding back through the power supply and into the common AC lines. This noise created by digital componentry is capable of contaminating anything with it on the power line. For example, if you plug your CD player and preamps into the same wall duplex, there is no isolation of one component from the other, and the preamp is forced to deal with the line contamination created by the CD player. Some preamps have internal AC line filtering, but even with those that do, the filtering is generally insufficient to attenuate the noise level to where it is harmless. The LC1 and LC2 are specifically designed to electrically isolate every component using them; not only from noise coming in off the AC breaker, but to keep noise generated by the component from infecting other components in the system. So far, I haven't designed a test to see if the sonic improvements heard with the LCs over the TG Audio and PS Audio are the results of the filtering or the isolation capabilities 4, but since these are going to be around here for a while, if something comes up I'll let you know.

SO WHAT DO THEY SOUND LIKE?????

This is going to be tough. I have delayed this point of the review knowing that a description of their sound, or more correctly, how they impact the sound of the components using them would be difficult. For, what is it about the listening experience that allows one to conclude that the components auditioned are performing at their optimum, or at least closer thereto? Again, I turn to natural complexity. Which conditioner results in the naturally more complex sound? Remember, "complex" doesn't mean more etched detail, or upper midrange trickery. It doesn't mean a forward upper frequency range. Complex means harmonically complete, but without excesses in terms of the even or odd harmonic. Complex is purity of timbre, inner detailing and being able to differentiate direct from reflected sound as well as the moment of transition. Complex is being able to assess the interaction of loud at the front of the stage with the barely audible at rear stage right. Complex is transparency to the signal, while maintaining scale and space. Complex is being complete - though not more than that. When these elements come together, a rightness results, which when strong enough, is compelling.

After adding the Foundation Research LC units, the Big Rig exhibited many of the elements which make up complex as defined above, but even more interestingly (and as an important aside) it allowed me to hear the design errors in a component that were unrelated to the AC line. Even with the best conditioners, AC line grunge covers up a lot of things, good and bad, performance wise. With the LCs in service, AC line grunge is so much less of a factor that it now seems insignificant.

Inserting the Foundation Research components resulted in unmistakable improvements in the sound of the Big Rig. Using the LC1s and LC2s are not band aids, nor are they coloration aids. It's like this. With other AC line filters, once plugged in, minor changes elsewhere in a system seem to have less impact. For example; if one has four TG Audio power cords plugged into a PP 300, changing out one of those power cords (to the preamp for example) with an Audience cord will have minimal effect on the sound. However, when I had the entire system using the Foundation research AC filters, and then substituted a standard power cord for the LC1 going to the MSB digital processor, there was an immediate and clearly observable difference in the sound - very obvious. What it told me was that the addition of the LCs made the rest of the system more revealing, more accurate, more capable of making music! Note, that changes were not exaggerated, nor did it seem that what I was actually hearing were interactive effects. It was not. With the LCs the system was simply more transparent to the signal being fed it. And if that signal was changed, it was hearable.

Conclusion

I am a firm believer in the notion that hearing as much as one can of a signal makes for better music listening. I do not believe in anyway that constant colorations or designing a component to sound anything other than absolutely transparent to the signal is in the long run beneficial. Just as rose colored sun glasses distort the view of the world, making it seem to be something that it isn't; a rose colored sound system can be pleasant, but in the long run will limit ultimate satisfaction. The Foundation Research AC filters result in a new level of truthfulness from the components they are used with - but try to use the LCs all the way, and on every component; that's the way they work the best. What I like about these filters is the way they bring life to the music without the overly animated, almost cartoon-like sound some units produce. I like the way the LCs seem to allow my components to get closer to the music without stripping the music of its personality and character. I like the way these filters allow me to hear the true potential of a component, even if that potential isn't all that great. I like these filters.

Now, before you start thinking that this review is simply another rave and addition to the AC conditioner of the month club at BFS; my review of the PS Audio PP 300 was in June 2001, and I reviewed the TG Audio Bybee/Sucker in June of 1997 - that's three top rated line conditioners in six years. I've reviewed other line conditioners during that time, and some others have been returned without reviews. But these are the top units in my estimation, and the Foundation Research seems to be the cream of the crop.

Lastly, let me emphasize the importance of using as many LC units as your pocket can afford - one on each component. I am not blind to their expense, they are not cheap. But one thing that makes them somewhat more affordable is the inclusion of a quality power cord as part of the integrated package. In most cases that alone can save you $400 or so per unit. Could the LCs sound even better with a different power cord hard wired to them? Who knows, even getting into that discussion at this point seems to border on the ludicrous and neurotic.

1. The entire Foundation Research system consists of LC1, LC2 power line filters, and NL1 speaker filters. I have intentionally left the NL1s out of the present analysis so as to keep the focus on the AC components. The NL1s will be reviewed at a later date.

2. The preamp, digital processor and dip upsampler all used LC1s. I used an LC 2 on the Camelot digital transport because it draws as much juice as some small power amps - 30 watts continuous (it runs hot).

3. Kerry Legeard informs me that an LC3 may be on the way which can accommodate 40 - 60 amps. Made for the really large amplifier, Kerry says it will handle any amp you throw at it (or, when one requires an exceptionally clean weld). 4. My guess (and it may be a bad one), is that in this implementation the filtering is the isolation, and sorting them out may be impossible.

	Also from foundation research Details at: www.musicfirstdistribution.com

And after talking to Ed, I even have an idea of how things work, though I wouldn't say I have an understanding of it all. When Ed described it all to me though, it made sense. (Which says more for Ed's teaching skills than it says about my ability to comprehend.) What surprised me was how complex the charging cycle is for a power supply in an electrical component, and how it is affected by AC line filtering. I now understand how some after market AC line conditioners can make the situation worse, hence the mixed results with some units as reported on in the press. So, my conversation with Ed was enlightening, even if I don't fully understand the details of what I was told. Still, I'm hoping that the basic concepts have made it through intact .

The mere fact that I'm reviewing the Foundation Research units says something about them even before a single word is written and then read. For if these units from Canada were not extremely good, or the best I'd ever used, they would have been sent back to the manufacturer with a nice note suggesting that they improve the units, then try again. Instead, I bought them. In this case it was obvious that I was using something outstanding.

Foundation Research makes two AC line filters; the LC1 and the LC2. The LC1 has been designed specifically for line level equipment, and as you might expect, the LC2 was designed for power amplifiers. The primary difference between these units is obviously the ability to handle current. The one (the LC2) handles more - it also costs more, and it has a higher cutoff frequency. That said, there were times when I found a particular component to work best with the "wrong" LC. It is power supply dependent after all, so while the rule is a good guide, it is not absolute.

Tale of the tape.

The LC1 and LC2 are not your ordinary AC line filters. Whereas most AC line filters plug into the wall and then you plug the component into it, with the Foundation Research the power line filter is part of the power cord; or should I say that the power cord is part of the AC line filter? Doesn't matter, they are part of the same unit. Each unit comes with a 15 amp fuse installed. The manufacturer states that the end user can use a 20 amp fuse as long as AC the breaker, wiring and outlet are similarly rated. A BUSS 20 amp slow blow is suggested. The LC2 is designed to be used with power amplifiers (220 wpc and under), but of course, it can be used with line level gear as well. The smaller of the two components (LC1) is capable of delivering 6/8 amps RMS peak (660/880 watts peak 110 volts). The larger LC2 is a 20/28 amp RMS peak device (2,200/3,080 watts 110 volts). Since these are high pass filters, the -3 dB point for both units is 20 kHz, and the rate of attenuation for both is 4th order. Believe it or not, I heard no break-in changes as time went on with these devices. As far as I can tell, they sound the same now as they did when I first put them in - very unusual and very welcome.

What it does for your system.

Ideally, the perfect AC line conditioner would allow any component using it to perform optimally. The perfect design would not impart a sound, or signature, to a system. Instead, it would allow a component to sound exactly as it was designed .... for better or for worse. I'm not going to tell you that the LC1 and LC2 are perfect devices, I'm not sure I would know perfect if I heard it. But I know "better" when it comes along, and these units are the best I've heard.

A little history:

Back in the early nineties, power line correction devices hit the market with a passion. We listened to Marigo, Mark Brassfield, VansEvers and many more. The Brassfield was an interesting device in that it was a true re-generator. It was enormous, a substantial part of the design being large rechargeable batteries to provide DC. Then the DC was cycled to 60 Hz and released at 110 volts. The power coming from it was totally isolated from the wall - you could even unplug the unit while it powered your line level components. The next significant conditioner to come along was the TG Audio Bybee/Sucker. Actually, the Bybee/Sucker was two products packaged in one box. It was one half oil capacitor conditioner from VansEvers, and one half Jack Bybee Module. The oil capacitor acted as a filter, and the Bybee Module did ...ah ... err ...what Bybee Modules do best - isolate and purify. From there, I replaced the TG Audio with the PS Audio Power Plant 300. What a change! A change that I initially could find no fault in, and liked very much. With time, however, I started noticing a signature coloration regardless of the component used. No matter how I configured the various "wave" options, it seemed that the PP 300 made everything plugged into it ripen in the upper bass. With that, and I'm not sure if the two were related, there was some emphasis of images at the front of the stage, while the rear of the stage was slightly lessened. Those were not easy criticisms to make, especially when the PP 300 did so many other things outstandingly well. And if you weigh the positives against the negatives, the positives run away with it, and as a whole, I still preferred it to the TG. But the TG had something that the PP 300 didn't - neutrality. The TG didn't image as dimensionally, and it seemed to lack some of the gross dynamic contrasts (explosiveness) of the PS. But in an odd way, music from the PP 300 was animated to the point that it seemed slightly cartoonish. After an extended stay here at BFS, and hundreds of hours operating in the Big Rig, I ultimately concluded that in some respects the PP 300 might be a too much of a good thing. I noticed that everything started to sound similar, and reviewing other products with the PP 300 on line actually became more difficult due to the commonalities exhibited from component to component. Nonetheless, I liked how it sounded - it gave color to the music. Reluctantly, I sent it back to PS Audio. (I'd still love to audition one of the BIG PS Audio Power Plants. A 1200 maybe? I really like the technology.)

So, I was back to the TG Audio and an old TAD Power Purifier (which is actually very good). Poor me, but I was getting along quite nicely.

Then I received the Foundation Research LC1 and LC2. 1 The box came with five units inside, three LC1s and two LC2s. I started inserting the LC1s one at a time, using each one to bypass the existing line conditioning as I went. I wondered how the system would sound with multiple filters operating. After all, it has been my experience that while one conditioner can be beneficial, adding additional conditioners usually is not. Mixing and matching AC line conditioners is generally a bad idea too. The number of times that I've tried to improve the overall sound by adding new conditioners to the old conditioners is numerous; the times that it has actually worked - never.