Other, similar blind spots abound, such as the ubiquitous application of bent metal casework, steel fixings, rubber feet on amplifiers and gaudy, over-sized and over-built connectors. All-told, it’s a depressing landscape. One that helps explain why so many products genuinely struggle to rise above the realms of mediocrity. Unless, of course, you are the possessor of some new, magic material. A material that seems to deliver consistent sonic benefits when applied to a whole host of audio products. Then? Then it’s a case of, how many places and how many ways can I use it?
MusicWork’s proprietary Acouplex material seems to be just such a case. Deceptively simple in concept and appearance, it’s the result of the Company’s exhaustive (exhausting?) evolutionary listening tests, a long, drawn-out process that does, eventually, yield results. And what results! So far, the material has already featured in shelves and a rack, cones footers and other supports. Then there’s the innovative and astonishing ReFract damping panels for use with the CH components. In fact, time and imagination seem to be the only limitations when it comes to applying the material. A complete CH component casing? Always possible – but possibly too big a challenge to contemplate. However, the potential mechanical advantages of the material as a chassis element are too great to be ignored, so it was only a matter of time before a complete Acouplex component emerged.
MusicWorks had already developed an audio-dedicated distribution block, based on an acrylic sandwich construction. Leveraging the advantages of multi-layer contact damping, a non-metallic chassis material and (unlike units based on extruded sections) the ability to employ shapes with non-parallel sides to help control resonant characteristics, the acrylic blocks already delivered an excellent level of performance. Switching to Acouplex construction really was a case of straight substitution, one material for the other, while taking the opportunity to refine the fixings still further, eliminating even more metallic elements. They also took the opportunity to increase the capacity, now offering an eight-way as well as the original six-way block. The result is the rather clumsily named Reflex Ultra G5/8 Distribution Block – although its musical attributes and performance are anything but clumsy!
Details, details…
Even a quick glance will give you the basic layout and features of the MusicWorks block(s). The ‘two-by…’ layout creates a broad, flat footprint, not as easy to site behind a rack as a linear strip, but that’s missing the point. The MusicWorks block is both laterally stable and perfectly proportioned to sit on a rack shelf – or the Acouplex ‘sub-table’ that MusicWorks offers. Rack placement is a whole lot more practical with the right-angle entry of UK 13A mains plugs (rather than Schuko or US straight entry designs) but the stability is extremely welcome and makes dressing power cords far easier, an important point for those who like to keep all power cords the same length. But whatever the Reflex block sits on, make sure it’s stable, with all four feet equally weighted.
