THE AUDIOLAB DC BLOCK 6 SERVES A FULL HIFI SYSTEM WITH REBALANCED POWER

The Audiolab DC Block 6 is designed to remove RFI/EMI whilst banishing ‘DC on the mains’, delivering rebalanced power for up to six separate components in an audio or AV system.

British HiFi brand Audiolab, known for its amplifiers and digital source components released its first product designed to improve the quality of AC electricity we feed our audio and AV systems in 2021. The Audiolab DC block was designed to connect to an individual audio component.

Audiolab DC Block 6 front and back in black

AUDIOLAB DC BLOCK 6

The new Audiolab DC Block 6 is designed for a whole system rather than individual components. Serving the purpose of a six-way power strip, the DC Block 6 contains the same mains filtering and DC blocking technologies as the original DC Block but provides six individually isolated outlets.

Housed in an aluminium enclosure, the Audiolab DC Block 6 is perfectly proportioned to sit with standard width source and amp components on the shelf of a HiFi rack.

Audiolab DC Block 6 in a stack

OLED VOLTMETER DISPLAY

At the front is an OLED voltmeter display which shows the measured mains voltage, this can be switched off if preferred. Around the back are six C13 IEC outlets; simply connect these outlets to the AC mains input of each audio component in an audio or AV system and use a single IEC cable to connect the DC Block 6 to a mains socket.

Rear of the Audiolab DC Block 6

DC ON THE MAINS

One common issue for HiFi systems is ‘DC on the mains’, a problem known to affect the performance of audio equipment, especially amplifiers. In theory, the mains electricity we obtain from the sockets in our homes should be pure AC, with a perfectly symmetrical sine wave alternating between positive and negative phases. However, the presence of ‘asymmetrical loads’, household devices that use the AC energy available in the mains cycle unevenly, from dimmer switches to kitchen appliances to computer power supplies, causes the waveform to become offset, resulting in the presence of DC voltage on the AC supply.

The AC transformers commonly used in home audio equipment cannot tolerate the presence of significant levels of DC voltage without being compromised. Less than 500mV of DC can be sufficient to cause toroidal transformers of the kind often found in amplifiers to become saturated, which adversely affects sonic performance and may cause audible mechanical vibration. By blocking, or cancelling, DC voltage found within the AC mains supply, the Audiolab DC Block 6 is designed to correct the DC offset and rebalances the mains sine wave.

Tackling ‘DC on the mains’ is not the only benefit delivered by this dual-action device.It also contains a filtering circuit that removes RFI/EMI contaminants from the mains supply. This is effective in reducing both differential-mode noise and common-mode noise, aggravated by airborne interference from phones, Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth.

Audiolab DC Block 6 in silver

AUDIOLAB DC BLOCK 6 PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The Audiolab DC Block 6 all-in-one DC blocker and mains filter for audio and AV systems is available from November at an RRP of £349.

It is available in black or silver and comes with a full set of power cables, six IEC C14 to C13 cables to connect its outlets to the user’s system components, plus a cable to plug it into the mains.

HiFi Pig Says: A sensible option for using on the full system at once, also looks neat on the rack.