By Finding perfection in our audiophile systems is a somewhat impossible, yet it is a worthy aspirational goal. Early in our journey, there are big improvements to be had without spending like madmen. Over time, as we move up the audiophile food chain, the cost for upgrades becomes more and more and the improvements are smaller and smaller but make no mistake – they all add up. One audiophile component category that sometimes can be overlooked is AC power. While lots of federal and state money get spent all sorts of programs and projects nationwide, not nearly enough resources go into our power grids. We get power that “works,” but can be dirty, noisy and not really all that great for our audio systems, although it is fixable. Allow me to explain.
There are all sorts of power products for us as audiophiles to consider: power conditioners, power regenerators, bus strips and just plugging a component right into the wall. The topic of this review is the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner (buy at Crutchfield). This is a $2,999, very nicely-made and well-engineered audiophile component designed to filter out AC noise and deliver a full dose of current to your components, while suitably protecting them, too. This isn’t like a power regenerator, which operates more like an amplifier to regenerate the AC to a more lab-perfect standard. This is a simpler yet still quite effective way of reducing noise and maladies in our audio system. Is this component worth $2,999 in your system? That’s what we are here to discuss.
What Makes the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner Special?
- Six circuits allow you to manage a small- to medium-level system with ease. The two high-current outlets, which are easy to see, as they are colored red on the back of the IsoTek Aquarius V5 power cleaner, are best suited for audiophile power amps, but that’s not how I used them, as my amps are located between my speakers and this was logistical. My Pass Labs XP-32 (read the review) is a stereo preamp that Wayne Colburn designed to possess dedicated power supplies for each channel, so there is a reserve of power there by its extreme design. I matched my preamp up with the high-current outputs of the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner as that seemed like the best option.
- The wiring of the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner is all very high-quality, solid-core Ohno Continuous Cast copper silver-plated internal wiring. Aerospace grade Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) which has a low and stable dielectric constant of approximately 2.0. However before this is applied a helix of FEP is wound around the conductor creating a dielectric which is virtually air with minimal conductor contact. This is a very good thing in the world of power conditioners/cleaners.
- The build quality of the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner is topnotch. The chassis is made from a single block of aluminum and, from the moment you pick up the component, you can sense that it is significant both inside and out, which at a certain level is expected in a top-performing audiophile system.
- The fuses used in the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner use Thermo Magnetic Fusing which is a solid engineering upgrade over other audiophile power components. This method is significantly better because you
have two large copper plates clamped together, which release under fault conditions. These types of fuses are also are easy reset. Why isn’t gold used? Mainly because, it is soft, not as good a conductor, and would vaporize if the fuse tripped. - IsoTek offers every type of AC plug option that you can think of for global audiophiles.Most of our readers are in the United States and Canada, and that’s an easy one, but the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner can be configured to meet nearly any AC outlet standard in the world.
- The IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner comes equipped with a robust, stock AC power cable. This power cable matches the internal wiring, and that is a good thing. There are some audiophile engineers who I truly respect who really think aftermarket power cables make a big sonic difference. We have reviewers on staff who believe that, too. Respectfully, the way the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner does it is to my tastes in that they offer a good, matching option, and that is what I ran with in my set-up.
- The IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner isn’t going to cause you to pop a hernia. Other audiophile AC power conditioners are so heavy that they can bend a rack shelf or rupture a disc in your back trying to lift it. The IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner is rock-solid but nothing that you can’t manage.
- There are two color options for the IsoTek Aquarius V5 power cleaner: black and silver. How I ended up with black is a good question, when all of my gear is silver but you know what? The component looks pretty dapper at the bottom of my rack. The IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner has a little bit of an audio jewelry vibe going.
- Reportedly,67,500A of instantaneous power protection is delivered so IsoTek can protect your gear from some (nothing can protect from all possibilities, like a close or direct lightning strike) AC power events. Some good power protection is always a good idea, as getting your gear fixed takes a lot of the fun from the hobby.
Why Should You Care About the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner?
The IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner will appeal to the mid- to higher-level audiophile enthusiast who is looking for a non-hyperbolic, non-bullshit solution to the AC power in their rack. Protection, filtration, higher current all starts to make the value proposition argument here. The sonic benefits are real but not jaw-dropping, nor are any other power conditioners that I’ve ever heard, reviewed or experienced. This category of product is an incremental performance boost with other logistical and practical benefits. If that appeals to you – you are in the right place.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner
- The protection switches are on the bottom of the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner and caused me to pull out chunks of my hair during set-up. These switches are poorly located from the start, and even worse after installation. During shipping, one of the two breakers flipped; there is one for the two high-current outlets and another for the four other outlets. The unit sort of worked, but only in the high current outlets. This took me a while to figure out and, before I did, I had gone as far as to order a replacement unit. A little note in the packaging would go a long way to making the set-up process better.
Listening to the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner
I used this track in my Pass Labs XA 160.8 amp review (remember, my amps are not plugged into the IsoTek Aquarius V5 power cleaner, more for logistics than anything else, as the unit isn’t limited in terms of current) and I was shocked to hear the level of detail and depth on “Then Came You” from The Spinners (with Dionne Warwick) on Qobuz. Growing up in Philly with a dad who was a radio program director in the early 1970s, music like this was the soundtrack to my upbringing in the 1980s. AC power products normally don’t change your outlook on your music but, when you know a recording this intimately, hearing the extra detail on the effects-laden guitar was a very pleasant surprise even before the vocals kicked in. The bass was just a little bit more taut. The vocals presented with more layering. The shimmer on the hi-hat was less shrill (not shrill at all, actually). The Philly Sound (learn more here) inspired strings were detailed and rich-sounding with the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner in my rig. There was no sensation that my sound was being limited, compressed or filtered, as you can get with lesser power conditioners. The IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner was delivering, as we say in sales, “all plus business” and, in my fancy rig, this is a very, very welcome improvement.
I played “Vigilante Shit” by Taylor Swift on Qobuz as a great-sounding, modern, bass-heavy track that has youthful appeal at our Harvard event at the Shelemay Audio Lab in February. I won’t lie – the lyrical content is on point as someone who is currently getting divorced after 24 years, as this is why I don’t let my girlfriends in the same county as my “loving” ex, as Tay-Tay speaks to me in this, Brian Kahn’s favorite track. The bass was THUMPING on this track and it never sounded better than with the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner in my loop. Put the bass performance aside, the quiet background in the spaces behind the track were so black or quiet (how can I call this quiet, as it must be 105 dB in my listening room as I type) that I got that visceral bass with the in-the-studio palpability that I sonically crave. With the IsoTek Aquarius V5 power cleaner, I got just a little bit more of what I like. That makes me reach for the platinum card in most instances.
I am a sucker for a good supergroup, as well for as a fantastic cover song so, when I came across the stripped-down version of “Billy Jean” by Audioslave (and Soundgarden) frontman Chris Cornell, I became a bit fixated. This sing-songy, while very ballsy, cover of an iconic track from Michael Jackson’s Thriller is fully badass. What I noticed was that the raspiness of Cornell’s voice seemed to pop with more presence than with the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner out of the loop. There was ever so slightly more resolve and depth. We pay big money for this level of performance, and for good reason. Later in the album, Cornell also covers the Led Zeppelin classic “Thank You” and makes it an even more personal track, which is seemingly impossible but true. The space around the acoustic guitar was simply intimate with the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner in the loop. Every kickass product in my front end just seemed to find its role just a little bit better. This is the dragon that audiophile junkies like us chase.
Will the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner Hold Its Value?
It is hard to see how the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner will ever stop working, unless it takes a major electrical hit and, in that event, the unit owes me nothing. If I can find a better performer (IsoTek makes some crazy power regenerators, by the way), then I would upgrade, and I am sure the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner will retain some solid value, as it is a truly high-quality, luxurious as well as high-performance audio component.
What is the Competition for the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner?
PS Audio’s Powerplant 12 ($5,999) is a component that I have in my system also right now and Paul McGowan’s legendary power regeneration device is a whole other way of looking at audiophile power maladies. If the power that comes into your system is less than stellar, the PS Audio Powerplant regenerates the signal to make it almost perfect. This is a much more invasive, much more involved way of going for the Nth degree of audiophile power via AC power. I’ve used power regeneration in the past with great success. The IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner has an openness that I’ve never heard before in a power regeneration device. That is appealing, but the PS Audio on my front end brings a level of power “perfection” that is very appealing. More on the A-B comparison in that pending review.
Paul Wilson uses the AudioQuest Niagara 7000 power conditioner (read the review), which is a behemoth. Technically, the AudioQuest Niagara products are more in line with the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner in terms of design and philosophy. The AudioQuest Niagara 3000 ($4,500 – buy at Crutchfield) is still more money than the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner but is likely a better comparable than the big-boy unit.
Final Thoughts on the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner
As audiophiles, we all seek that last drop of performance from our systems as a matter of passion and fun. We will spend enthusiastically to get there, too, and why not? The idea of getting “the feels,” as the kids call it today, is simply worth it. So is “living in your art,” which is my modern mantra for why non-enthusiasts should justify the space, time, effort and cost needed to have suitable music playback systems in our homes and lives.
The IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner (buy at Crutchfield) has allowed each component in the front end of my reference audio system to perform incrementally better. This is no small feat, and the results are something that I enjoy playing for anybody and everybody who is willing to stop by and listen. Audiophile AC power products, on their own, are not inherently sexy but getting your sexier components to be just a little bit more ready for Saturday night out is where the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner delivers its value. I needed the IsoTek Aquarius V5 Power Cleaner for power management and logistics. It might have earned a coveted spot in my new SolidSteel rack for how it elevates the other gear in my rig in the aggregate.
