The Grid Protector, the EMI Protector and The Allocator By Schnerzinger-In My System and I’m Blown Away

[RdW]

If I remember correctly, the GIGA protector was the second Schnerzinger GIGA CANCELING product after the CLEANER and the first for the room (EMI and Piccolo did not yet exist). The GIGA protector consisted of two devices, each with 13 switches and large antennas, which were intended to suppress interference from the entire listening room and were usually positioned in opposite corners of the room. The manual is still available on the website, the product was sold until 2022. By the way, the GIGA protector is still part of the video, which explains the Schnerzinger GIGA CANCELING technology on the website.

I first saw the GIGA Protector in Munich in 2014.

I remember the High-End 2014 in Munich particularly well, because I visited the fair for the first time together with my current wife. At the Zellaton booth we met Manuel Podszus (Speaker Developer and Co-Manager Zellaton) and Michael Schwab (Sales). I will never forget how enthusiastic and proud they were. They couldn't believe how great their products sounded at the show. The then still quite new cooperation with Schnerzinger had raised their trade fair demonstration to a level that had not previously been thought possible. This joy of the two men was such a beautiful and impressive experience, I cannot forget their almost childlike happiness. We had been happy with them.

Later the portfolio for in-room interference suppression was expanded. In addition to the GIGA protector for the entire room, there was first the EMI for near field area and then the Piccolo for the targeted interference suppression of critical interference field peaks. Around 2020 or 2021, the Multi Guards offered an effective and comprehensive ROOM SHIELD by coupling in the room. Perhaps this is the reason why the GIGA Protector was taken out of the program in 2022.

I am excited about the presentation of the successor.

Schnerzinger is tremendously creative. If there really is a new product, then this will also bring clear progress. So far, no Schnerzinger recommendation had disappointed me.

I have the amazing Giga protectors already for a long time, and have tried them in the different listening positions (or maybe I should say many) and finally ended up with both behind but outside the speakers positions, closer to the wall then the speakers.

What I want to say is that it makes sense to try any Schnerzinger product in a different set-up. I’m always surprised how one can clearly notice the audible differences.

 

[RdW]

Wow Steve, have fun! My experience is the more Schnerzinger stuff you add, to more you will notice the synergy, the less 12v settings you will need. The manuals say that as well, if too much power is added, the sound might worsen. Curious about your experience .

 

[Jazzjunkie]

Wow Steve, have fun! My experience is the more Schnerzinger stuff you add, to more you will notice the synergy, the less 12v settings you will need. The manuals say that as well, if too much power is added, the sound might worsen. Curious about your experience .

I’d relate “stuff” mainly to the connection and cabling stuff. The closer one is or gets to overall Schnerzinger resolution and bandwidth level, the more the recommended minimal settings of the noise cancelling products are usually superior. The reason therefore is not synergy in the sense of “common sound of all products” but in the sense of overall resolution and bandwidth on another level with other rules for config settings than in a mixed environment.

 

[luca.pelliccioli]

The wall socket arrived. It’s really impressive and big and heavy. The case is made of heavy metal, built like a tank.

3 more are coming.

Next week I’m going to start the “light” refurbishment of the room (front/rear wall treatment and new twisted wires for each line from the dedicated panel), can’t wait…

 

[Steve williams]

Be careful "little grasshopper" as that rabbit hole has taken many turns" .....all good Luca. when I built my dedicated sound room , all of my dedicated lines were wired with 14 gauge Romex to accommodate a 20 amp circuit. I have 12 in my room. Also each AC outlet was hospital grade so less chance of noise on the circuit. That outlet looks immense

 

[QuadDiffuser]

Hi Steve, not trying to detract from the thread subject, but 14 gauge Romex is the equivalent of just 2.5mm2; is that really enough copper to deliver 20A, unimpeded? I’m in the process of wiring my dedicated listening room, and I’ve decided to use 6mm2 for both Live and Neutral conductors (insulated with XLPE), tightly twisted together at a minimum of 5-6 rotations per meter. Looking forward to auditioning the Schnerzinger products once my room is completed around mid-year!

 

[luca.pelliccioli]

Be careful "little grasshopper" as that rabbit hole has taken many turns" .....all good Luca. when I built my dedicated sound room , all of my dedicated lines were wired with 14 gauge Romex to accommodate a 20 amp circuit. I have 12 in my room. Also each AC outlet was hospital grade so less chance of noise on the circuit. That outlet looks immense

Thanks, Steve. To be honest this is the second time I do that job. Less than 3 years later! I already have 5 dedicated lines (16A 230V max by code). Next week the aim is to replace the current 4 mm2 wires with new twisted ones of the same size. And Scherzinger AC outlets of course.
The real job is the front and rear walls rebuilding though.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

but 14 gauge Romex is the equivalent of just 2.5mm2; is that really enough copper to deliver 20A, unimpeded

...14 gauge Romex would be a 15 amp circuit. 12 gauge would be required for a 20 amp run, you're right to call it out QuadD.

 

[Steve williams]

...14 gauge Romex would be a 15 amp circuit. 12 gauge would be required for a 20 amp run, you're right to call it out QuadD.

you're correct..It's been so long. I just checked my plans and it is 12 Gauge Romex. I remember the difficulty the electrician had wiring the outlets as he installed them and swore at me winding the wire around each new Hubbell outlet

 

[Steve williams]

Meanwhile my set of Multi Guards remain in the box as I await delivery of the loaner Plural Evo to tide me over until my new Reference Ultra speakers arrive

 

[luca.pelliccioli]

Meanwhile my set of Multi Guards remain in the box as I await delivery of the loaner Plural Evo to tide me over until my new Reference Ultra speakers arrive

I can feel your pain! Patience is a virtue…

 

[RdW]

The wall socket arrived. It’s really impressive and big and heavy. The case is made of heavy metal, built like a tank.
View attachment 147584
3 more are coming.

Next week I’m going to start the “light” refurbishment of the room (front/rear wall treatment and new twisted wires for each line from the dedicated panel), can’t wait…

I"m sure you are going to like it. But, like the Allocator, give it a 150 hours time. It sounds a bit thin in the beginning, but no worries, it will come! I have ordered my Allocator Max by the way. May take two to three weeks.

You talk about new twisted wires. Can you disclose what wires you are thinking of? I found that a very difficult choice to make. I want to replace my Belden E3462-M (AWG 14). I have that one already for 8 years but since my system has grown, I want to replace the cable with a minimum of AWG 12. The thing is that I need to pull 25 meter length in a 16mm pvc-pipe. I brought my long list down to a OYAIDE EE / F-S2.0 V2 (12 AWG) or a Gigawatt LC-Y EVO (11 AWG), but am still looking for experts on this forum what their choice of in wall power cable is. I saw your posts earlier and saw Steve is using Romex, but can't find this in Europe.

Thanks.

 

[luca.pelliccioli]

My electrician will use 4mm2 stranded wires, twisted as much as possible, pure copper OFC (don’t ask me the brand - surely not an audiophile one). I mean phase, neutral twisted and earth a part for each line. I’ve used them for years (not twisted) and I already know how they do their job. About 10 meters each, through PVC pipes. 4 lines from a dedicated panel.
Certified by the electrician, of course.

 

[RdW]

Thanks Luca.

As far as I understood it, and for 10 meters, stranded wires are as good as solid cores, but beyond, and certainly for 20+ mtr, I was told to go for solid core. Still if your Electrician want to disclose the wire he is using, that would be much appreciated.

But let me stop here. My intention is not to start a conversation in a conversation. This thread is about Schnerzinger, and not about in-wall cable

 

[dbeau]

I am taken by Schnerzinger and Holostage threads that each have enthusiastic support from experience of reputable members BUT I remain confused and hope for help on which of either, or both, to try.
They appear to bring the same improvements and are 'black' boxes that are relatively affordable and 'the more the better'.
Any help here for me? Thanks

 

[Jazzjunkie]

I am taken by Schnerzinger and Holostage threads that each have enthusiastic support from experience of reputable members BUT I remain confused and hope for help on which of either, or both, to try.
They appear to bring the same improvements and are 'black' boxes that are relatively affordable and 'the more the better'.
Any help here for me? Thanks

They try to deal with all the kinds of NF/HF interference topics of which there are plenty. Therefore different types of measures are necessary. And yes, the more complete, the better. Just like water coming into your house. Fixing the most relevant leaks is important, fixing them all is much more complete in the final result ;-)

 

[Zeotrope]

In the manual it says:
Connect the GRID PROTECTOR at the first slot of the HiFi system power distributor. If this is not feasible, select a socket of the same circuit.

I don't know the Niagara 5000, so others may have a more competent answer to your question.
For a "simple" power distribution system I`d recommend to directly plug the GRID into this power distribution system.
Second best option seems to plug it into a socket of the same circuit.

I suspect that the Niagara 5000 is no simple power distribution system, so there may be reasons not to use one of the Niagara outlets for the GRID. In this case your solution (next to the one = same circuit hopefully) may be the best option.

The good thing is: You can test various sockets and let your ear decide.
The manufacturers recommendation may only help you to find the best socket faster.

Is the Niagara 5000 like the Shunyata units in terms of component to component isolation? This is actually a very important benefit, as it does not allow noise to be transmitted from one component to another - each component can dump its own noise back to the power line. If the 5000 does this, then plugging it into the distributor is not a good idea, as its effectiveness will be isolated.

 

[Zeotrope]

Prior to adding your first round of these were you experiencing variations in sound quality during different times of day/night that you feel have been leveled out since adding?

Yes, I was getting elevated background noise at certain times - notably on weekend nights. This is audible because I have large, highly efficient horns, fed by massive monoblocks (although I heard it with an 8W Kondo tube amp as well), and I sit a relatively close 3m away.
Yes, the Schnerzinger EMI, GRID, and probably now MULTI as well, have eliminated that noise!

 

[Zeotrope]

My MULTI-GUARDS just arrived. Thank you @Audioarts.

I am already using the EMI and GRID, with great results, which I wrote about here.

First, a note about the recommended settings, as there have been a few questions about that in this thread:
Follow the manual directions very closely - it’s actually very precisely worded. All my Power settings are at 0. I do not have multiple AC circuits in my room and did not want to install the ‘wall warts’ on the same circuit, especially since I have replaced all such power supplies with linear units. I was also very happy with the results at Power level 0. Remember that 0 is the default Power setting - that is made clear in the instructions. So start at 0 and then decide if I or II sounds better. If it does not, go back to 0.

After ‘charging’ the MULTIGUARD Master for 15 minutes by connecting it to AC power, I then unplugged it and moved it out of the room.

I listened to a typical set of tracks that I know well. Source was the Taiko Extreme, into the Nagra HD DAC X, Nagra REF Pre, and REF Amps. The tracks certainly sounded very good. The theme of my notes was that it sounded very nice with no complaints.

I then connected the MULTI units as follows. Remember to connect them in this specific order, as mentioned in the manual!
1. MASTER - this is on the side table with my remotes, as central in the room as I can get it without it looking ugly.
2. PHASE 1 - this is at the back of the room in a spare outlet that is shared with one of the Shunyata Denali v2 distributors. I did not plug it into the distributor for the reason mentioned above (post #617).
3. PHASE 2 - upstairs in the same outlet as my fiber-optic data modem and Eero 7 Wifi router.
4. EARTH - on the left wall of the media room
5. ROOM - on the right wall of the media room
Note that PHASE 1, EARTH, and ROOM all ‘frame’ the room, they are each on one wall. At the front of the room is the GRID.
EMI is placed high, essentially above the listening position and close to the back wall.

So how does MULTI-GUARD sound?
Really really good! It’s another step forward when it didn’t seem possible to get any better. The theme in my notes is that the sound is more effortless, more “real”, singers and instruments are more anchored and more clearly localized. There is a slightly wider and deeper soundstage — not by a lot, but the difference is audible.
It makes digital sound closer to analog, which is about the highest praise I can give it.
Finally, there is less harshness. It certainly did not sound harsh at all before; but there’s definitely a difference now.

 

[Zeotrope]

Keep in mind that the MULTI-GUARD units are a bit too large to share an outlet (at least in N. America) with another component plugged into the same outlet. I had to add a multi-outlet extender to get it to fully seat.

If you look closely in the second photo, you can see the GRID and one of the MULTIGUARD units. In the foreground is the MULTIGUARD Master.