Akiko Audio, a Dutch Company reached out to Hifi Chicken to see if we were interested in checking out their Triple AC Evolution. The Triple AC Evo is a plug-in device that aims to aid in power delivery to your system by reducing noise as well as a handful of other ways I will get into more below. You can pick a Triple AC Evo for 450.00€ or about 500.00 U.S., meaning it’s a fairly affordable device to try in your system. It can be plugged into your power strip, conditioner, or the outlet you gear plugs into making it also very easy to install in your system. It is available in U.S., Schuko, and U.K. plugs meaning it will work in many countries without an adapter. So let’s see if this is the easiest way to get better sound.
Unboxing and Setup
This is going to be a pretty short section of the article as this may be the easiest product to set up that I have gotten in for review. It does however come in a really cool tube-shaped carton with the details on the outside much like how posters ship. Once you pop an end off you can slide out the Triple AC Evo and plug it into any of the above sockets mentioned, though you can always try it on any of your outlets that connect back to the system to see what may work best for you. I plugged it into the duplex outlet that I have the Synergistic Powercell 8 SX plugged into initially as I didn’t have any extra spots on it with some other review items in, however, I did also try it plugged into the Powecell 8SX. Akiko says it does take a bit to burn in and sound its best so I gave it a week of regular use before I started really listening as well as trying out some different setups to see where it performs best.
To set up some other tests I also tried it with a basic power strip as well as my AudioQuest PowerQuest 3 to see where you may see the most dramatic differences.
Sound
It’s hard to describe the sound of a device that doesn’t really have its own sound, rather I can talk about the changes to the system I heard. The claims set out by Akiko are better dynamics, less noise, cleaner bass, and more natural sound as a whole. So we will break down those aspects and see how much it impacts each one. Now I want to caveat this with the severity in which it helps or hinders in any aspect depending heavily on your system. If you are running a full power regen system such as StromTank or from PS audio you may notice less difference as you are starting with a very clean and consistent power source. However, you may still find some benefits for your system all the same.
Dynamics:
Dynamics are the differing volumes that make up a song. You want good dynamic range in your gear so that all of the elements of the song get the same amount of attention and presentation to create the attitude of the music. Think of all the small background sounds as well as the front and center sounds playing with enough space that you can easily pick out each layer. A good example of bad dynamics is when music sounds muddy and sort of lifeless. Everything gets crammed together and seems almost blurry to your ears.
To test Dynamic Range I listened to “Give Life Back to Music” by Daft as it is a great track to get a feel of your system’s ability to present a good range. The sound with Triple AC Evo plugged into the Powercell 8 SX was better, in that the extension was clearer, not so much that it added extension but rather that both lows and highs were crisper with better detail making that dynamic range more impactful on the listening experience. I listened to quite a few tracks of Random Access Memories as the whole album is great and Daft Punk tends to be very dynamic in general. The top end sounded more open and smooth as well and while the Sonus Faber Sonetto is far from being a fatiguing speaker (to me anyway) it became even more relaxed while retaining space and detail.
Noise:
This is one area that was not noticeable to me, at least plugged into the Powecell 8 SX as it already does such an incredible job at cleaning up the power signal. Depending on your current power situation you may get more benefit in this department, if you have an extremely low noise floor as it is you may find that the Triple AC Evo doesn’t help much. That said it is what prompted me to try using a regular Belkin powerstrip which, to be honest, I do not recommend. Cheap power strips do not offer the protection your gear deserves let alone the sonic benefits that even a decent power conditioner and power distribution offers, however, I decided I would try it for a bit while there were no chances of storms as to minimize risks.
So what is it like in a generic power strip? The one I used was one I had lying around unused, so I figured I should try it out since I am sure many people out there probably use a standard power strip. With just a basic powerstrip there was an underlying hum before plugging in the Triple AC Evo. I have always had a hum in this room, which led me to buy the PowerQuest 3 a few years ago and it certainly helped that low hum. But does the Triple do it as well as a power conditioner? The short answer is no, however, the hum is significantly quieter with it plugged in but if you don’t have any music playing you can still hear it ever so slightly. There is improvement but in my case, it is not a perfect solution on its own.
When I plugged it into the PowerQuest 3 there was no audible difference in noise as I mentioned The Powerquest does take care of my noise issue in this room, however as I was able to hear a difference when it was plugged in with the regular power strip it may be worth trying if your power conditioner is not quite solving a noise issue.
Bass:
I have a song I have been using to see how well a piece of gear handles bass since 2016, “Northend Nightlife” by Headphone Activist. It has incredibly low and hard-hitting bass. If you turn it up you will rattle stuff off the walls and likely upset your neighbors. All that said, the bass in my room is handled fairly well for its size and the bass drivers in my speakers. However, there is always room for improvement in bass control and detail so I was eager to see what the Triple AC Evo would offer. With it plugged into the Synergistic Powercell 8SX, there is a small but noticeable increase in bass detail throughout the song. I also tried it plugged into the Audioquest Powerquest and the Belkin standard Powerstrip The improvements to the bass detail were most noticeable on the Powerstrip. I also played “Sail, Unlimited Gravity Remix” which dials up the bass of the song. The bass was less controlled when using the powerstrip without the Triple AC Evo plugged in. The Bass extension seemed the same with or without the Triple AC Evo plugged in, which is more of a room and speaker acoustics issue than power. Power can affect bass extension if your distribution is limited current to an amp, however it is not an issue I have experienced in my system.
Natural Sound
I think we need to define Natural Sound before diving into this section. In my mind, natural sound refers to something that sounds live, life-like, not sounding compressed or processed. Along with that, I think the detail and texture of the music are the foundation of natural-sounding music. Anything that improves the detail, feel and emotion of your music is going to impact how natural it sounds to your ears. In this case, yes, the Triple AC Evo does improve the detail, as well as transients, which I noticed while listening to Joe Hisaishi’s “神の手” or “Hand of God”. The amount of musical information present in the song and just how holographic it is makes it a beautiful piece. This area seems to be where the most dramatic differences can be heard with the Triple AC Evo. It is also the most important to me outside of noise. Once you have noise controlled in your system it is now time to start getting every last drop of detail that you can. For me, it is the foundation of good sound, without details you don’t have the transients, balance, or natural sound.
Specs:
- Neutral tonal balance
- High-quality audiograde Gold AC connector with aluminum housing.
- The Triple AC Evolution’s wiring is exclusively connected to the grounding, making it absolutely safe.
- Internally, the product does not contain any metals, ferrite, or power filtering.
- Length housing: 160 mm
- Length total: 330 mm
- Weight: 700 grams
- The Akiko Audio Triple AC Evolution is Hand Made
- Treated with contact enhancer
- Suitable for 100-250 volts.
- The Triple AC Evolution is the superior model of the Triple AC Enhancer
- Also available in US edition.
- Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! Thanks to our international 14-day money-back guarantee you can try everything at home for yourself.
Price: 450.00€ ~$500.00 U.S.
Associated Gear
- VPI Prime with VPI 3d Unipivot (10″) and Wand Unipivot (10″)
- ZYX Bloom Exceed
- SOTA Pyxi
- Advance Paris My Connect 250
- Marantz SR7009
- McIntosh MC250
- Onkyo M5140
- Sonus Faber Sonetto V
- Paradigm Defiance V8
- Synergistic Foundation SX loom (Gold and Purple tuning discs)
- Synergistic Powercell 8SX
- Belkin Powerstrip
- AudioQuest PowerQuest 3
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Does exactly what it claims
- Small easy to add accessory
- Quality build
- Affordable sonic improvement
Cons:
- None at this price point
Conclusion:
The Akiko Triple AC Evo is a great way to get better sound without a ton of work or money. You can plug this into your system and be off to the races with better dynamics, bass, and lower noise. How much gain will you get? Well, that depends on your system, as in mine currently, I didn’t notice much if any difference in noise however that is due to excellent power conditioning. However, I noticed better dynamics, better bass control, and a crease in the natural tonality of the music. If you have a couple of these areas under control there are still gains to be had in others and perhaps you may notice that you do get better sound in those other areas of the music as well. It is also worth mentioning that Akiko Audio is from the Part of the Netherlands where my favorite Violinist André Rieu is from so I know some very musical people who come from Maastricht. If you have a bit of spare change and would like to get better sound from your system, the Akiko AC Triple Evolution is well worth the price.
For more information about Akiko and where to buy click the link below:
https://www.akikoaudio.com/en/
Disclaimer: Akiko Audio provided Hifi Chicken with a Triple AC Evolution for the purpose of this review. Akiko Audio nor any affiliate paid in full or part in exchange for this review.