I wanted to report my experience with the Yeti reference v2 2000W balanced isolation transformer / power conditioner, in combination with my battery power. Didn’t know where to post this so here we are since it is relevant to battery power.
In terms of context, I built my own 48v battery powered power source with a large inverter. All my hifi system is plugged on the battery power system I built. I’m using a QSAL Ultimatum power cable from the inverter, and a Schnerzinger grid protector as well (on the battery pack, not on the grid, just to be clear).
I tried a number of power conditioners which I put in the battery power chain (ie battery pack > inverter > QSAL Ultimatum > power conditioner + Schnerzinger GP… i.e., the following were tested):
1) Airlink 2000VA
2) Airlink 3000VA
3) Puritan 156 (had 2 of them)
4) Ansuz Mainz C2
5) Isotek Sigma v3
6) Isotek Titan v5 (this one is only for power amps)
7) AQ Niagara (different models)
8) Isol-8 (forgot the model)
9) Connected Fidelity AC2K reference (this one is cryo)
10) Yeti reference v2 2000W (this one has 8 custom outlets, more on that later, and is the heaviest with 55kg/120 lbs)
11) Custom made Toroidy Supreme (4000VA if I recall properly) - highest grade specs they could sell - balanced isolation transformer
12) PS Audio
13) custom made/Mundorf based DC blockers
For passive power distributor, I was using a Cardas Nautilus.
Bottom line, notable units are:
1) Airlink has very good VFM since they’re so cheap
2) Isotek Titan v5 is fast, punchy, very dynamic and dramatic with low noise floor but could be over the top in some systems - also it’s limited to power amps
3) AC2K is balanced and musical (the one I tried did have a QSA red fuse installed)
4) Yeti reference v2 2000W sounds - by a margin in my system - the biggest, most substantial and “beefy”, more planted, confident sounding, lower noise, less harsh/hash, AND fully fleshed out top to bottom, with strong bass. Just a full, substantial, well developed sound. Effortless, and more importantly, it’s very musical. You don’t think about hifi at all. You just focus on the music. Coincidentally, alpha audio (link below) noticed and wrote the same. The Yeti has a lot of calmness and authority, decreases hardness, and has a very good, organic and European (from the ground up) type of tonal balance. Not in ANY way dry, thin, cold, harsh, analytical etc. I think SQ impact has to do with common mode or similar type of noise - but I’m not an expert on the why.
Apparently, the version I got is the latest and the founder (Thijs) told me he was able to slash the output impedance by a factor of 5. Also, in this latest version, he doesn’t use a fuse anymore to decrease further resistance (he uses something else instead).
Inside there’s a huge medical grade custom made transformer, but what I noticed is that while almost all of the others had toroid transformers, this one was more of an “old school”, square type transformer inside, similar to what you would see in a tube amp. I don’t know the name of those types of transformers or what are the pros and cons, but this was the only one that was like this with the Titan v5 (this one uses a number of smaller square transformers inside… vs a huge one in the Yeti… which weighs about 120 lbs in total).
Also inside, I can see Thijs from Yeti has put unusually heavy gauge cables. A nice touch.
Lastly, the 8 power outlets are custom made of pure copper or silver (an option) and they grip very tightly, in a good way, as we all know that outlet tightness is actually very important for SQ.
Now, on top of being the top performer, at least in my own system, here’s an additional key feature as far as I’m concerned: the Yeti has 8 outlets. Because of that, you don’t need a power cable + power distributor anymore. You can connect all components straight to the Yeti.
Why does it matter? You’re basically decreasing the number of wires and connection points which is then likely to increase the SQ of the whole system since you now have less cables, less outlets, less screws.. etc etc. Some of those conditioners or balanced isolation transformers have only a couple of outlets which means you need a power distributor.
In my view, every time power goes through a cable, a connection point, an outlet etc there’s a loss in sound quality. But with the Yeti it’s straight connections of everything from the Yeti which in my system definitely contributed to an additional boost in SQ, since I was able to remove a Cardas Clear beyond XL + a Cardas Nautilus power distributor. No need anymore. Plus the outlets are just very good quality and for context I own and tested the following outlets:
1) Furutech NCF rhodium and gold
2) Schnerzinger
3) QSA Gold (!)
4) Cardas Rhodium
5) Various Viborg
6) Oyaide (top model in the range)
7) PS Audio
8) Hospital grade (various)
I don’t feel the need to replace the Yeti outlets at all, they’re totally fine.
Let me cut to the chase: the Yeti reference v2 as a balanced isolation transformer / power conditioner is a beast (no pun intended) + on top of that it doubles as a power distributor (no need for one, and for the extra power cable anymore - as long as you’re ok with 8), a huge benefit in real life to improve SQ by removing extra cables and connection points in the critical (for SQ) power chain. And more cost effective as well.
I am so enthusiastic about this product (the other products that impressed me were QSA and QSAL, and - to some extent but not unreservedly - Schnerzinger) that I’m considering helping Thijs from Yeti (which is really a small company in the NL) in some way in the future to help his product reach more enthusiasts. But as of now, I am just a customer, and that’s the only Yeti product that I have which I purchased with my own money.
A GREAT find and highly recommended.
Link to a test of the Yeti (back then, so this is not the latest version):
Manufacturer
”Audiofiele beleving zonder compromis bereikbaar maken voor iedereen” Yeti Acoustics Yeti Acoustics is een gedreven Nederlands bedrijf gevestigd in Enkhuizen, wat zich richt op de onwikkeling en productie van nuchtere en eerlijke audio produkten. Kenmerkend zijn onze gedrevenheid en hoge mate...
yeti-acoustics.nl
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!