Audience, out of San Marcos, CA, is one of the most respected companies in the power conditioning arena, with their line of adeptReponse series consistently getting rave reviews from the audio press and end users alike. I reviewed the adeptResponse aR6 conditioner, and subsequently purchased the review sample, as it enhanced my system in every conceivable way sonically. I cannot imagine my main system without it at this point.

The company, headed up by CEO John McDonald, also produces award winning cables, speakers, and electronics. I reviewed the Audience ClairAudient 2 + 2 Loudspeakers and was highly impressed. Last, but not least, they make state of the art capacitors, which they call AuriCaps. They also make a Teflon version called AuriTeflon. Aside from using them in their own products, they also supply them to other high-end audio manufacturers, along with their Auric hook up wire.

My second system has no power conditioning of any kind, just a pair of passive power strips. I felt it might be time to investigate a more cost effective product to see if I could elevate its performance, since it is a system I use quite often for reviewing in conjunction with my main system. Audience supplied me with their entry-level conditioner, the aR2p, which retails for $695. The aR2p-TO, which uses the higher end Teflon capacitors called the, sells for $1600.

The aR2p is about the size of a cigar box, weighs a little over a pound, and has two Hubbell hospital grade receptacles. It plugs directly into a wall outlet, without the need of a power cord. Audience says an ideal application for the unit is with single components, or mono block amplifiers. You also use it with a high quality passive power strip to power a whole system; you just won’t get the component-to-component isolation that the higher models offer. Some of the features Audience touts as significant to the performance of the aR2p include:

• Dynamic range performance maximized by extremely low DC resistance
• Hubbell high conductivity power receptacle
• Marinco high conductivity power plug
• Auricap High Resolution Capacitors used exclusively in filter sections
• All hand wired with 10 gauge equivalent power wire; no printed circuit boards
• Non-wearing silent high voltage transient suppression up to 20,000 AMPS
• Non-resonant damping
• Entire electrical circuit cryogenically treated

I used the aR2p in my second system, currently consisting of the McIntosh MA6600 amplifier, a Squeezebox Touch, a PS Audio NuWave DAC, Marantz CD player, and Harbeth Speakers. I have everything plugged into a high quality Cable Pro Noisetrapper power strip. I also have my own Hubbell hospital grade AC receptacles installed, but no dedicated line, as in my main system.