VORTEX Hifi Ground Optimizer MKII – HiFi review

You can find the original test under the link:

HiFiToday / Frank Wacker / April 23.04.2023, XNUMX

The first version of the VORTEX Hifi Ground Optimizer brought our hi-fi systems a big step forward, but with the new Ground Optimizer MKII, the performance jumps to an addictive level.

If you were to ask about the most extraordinary moments of my 30-year career as a product tester, a handful of experiences would come to mind: When products became my teachers, conceptual models that had grown over decades crumbled until, over the course of weeks, months and - sometimes even years - burst. This created the space for new insights, with which test results from a long time ago that had been waiting for a really satisfactory answer could be explained at once.

The products from VORTEX Hifi belong in this rare category, as in recent years they have opened the door to a sound cosmos that was beyond my imagination. Here's an example: I recently put on the current CD of one of my metalcore favorites – 2019's As I lay dying's »Shaped by Fire«. It's the first album after 61⁄2 years in prison by shouter Tim Lambesis . The boys go with me

unbelievable energy to work, play the frustration of the missed time from the soul, combined with the hope for the new band future. That captivated me from the first moment. But the production diminished the fun at first, because there was a lack of any depth - although the spatial representation was already one of the strengths of my system in 2019, music was completely detached from the loudspeakers with reasonably good recordings and instruments stood three-dimensionally in the room.

Music tangible and within reach - an extraordinary listening experience

Today that also happens with albums like Shaped by Fire: The guitars on the left and right play about 2,5 meters apart, sound incredibly real, are close enough to touch and can be felt physically - as if I were headbanging right on the edge of the stage. Drummer Jordan Mancino thrashes his drums in the middle about two meters away from me, the dimensions of which are also quite realistic and not only massage the pit of my stomach, but also my arms and legs. And Tim Lambesis? He yells at me so brutally that at first I would like to take cover behind my listening chair. Pure madness – in a positive sense! The melodic background vocals sound in the background. Roughly speaking, the stage in the 15 square meter room measures almost 30 square meters - ten times as much as 3 1⁄2 years ago. The clear, melodic singing gives the brute work a glimmer of hope - which is more touching than usual. The music reminds me of Kaspar David Friedrich's painting »Abtei im Eichwald«. Monks carry a coffin into a ruined church surrounded by gnarled, leafless oak trees. The scene is so somber that I stopped hanging it in the music room for my wife's sake. Only a closer look reveals two burning candles to the left and right of the crucified Jesus, parts of the sky glow in a similar hue to the candle flames - an encouraging sign to keep hoping in dark times.

It's not just the hi-fi system that determines good sound

The groundbreaking new insight for me was that this gigantic leap in sound and the physical perception of the sound have nothing to do with improvements in the system. Devices and loudspeakers are the same, I had already devoted myself intensively to the immensely important topic of power supply - from special fuses in the main distributor in the basement, separate supply lines with high-end sockets to exquisite mains cables to sound-enhancing fine-wire fuses in all devices and high-quality power supplies . In addition, all the devices themselves in the racks stand on absorber feet, and the loudspeakers are also decoupled.

But what has changed? Our house is suppressed by products from VORTEX Hifi. You heard me right: suppressed. Instead of the usual way - improving the signal - VORTEX Hifi boss Norbert Maurer is concerned with sharpening our perception so that we can perceive and feel music more emotionally. If you deal with the hearing process, this makes sense: Our ears pick up sound waves, but sound images are created in the head. It is only through an extremely complex imagination affecting several areas of the brain that the musicians stand freely in the room, the carpet of strings spreads out in front of us, a grand piano sounds like a grand piano and not a mixture of the direct sound of the loudspeakers and the many reflections of our own listening room - the no producer knows during the mix. The better our ears and brain areas can communicate with each other, the more intensively we experience music.

According to Maurer, this also paves the way for increased physical awareness – which my experience confirms.

Sound killer electrosmog - and what you can do about it

Electrosmog, on the other hand, significantly disrupts nerve communication - this is shown, among other things, by the studies by Dr. Magda Havas from Canada. It also explains why VORTEX Hifi products bring so much. Electrosmog arises because all electrical devices, from coffee machines to computers and hi-fi systems to lamps, power and network cables, emit low and high frequency fields like an antenna. Their interference potential increases massively due to the very energy-efficient switched-mode power supplies and more powerful microprocessors that are installed today - even in many household appliances today there are mini-computers. A Miele technician once said that our new washing machine has more computing power than the Saturn moon rocket of 1969. DECT telephones and WLAN and mobile phone networks are also extremely disruptive - which can also be determined in blood tests: pictures taken with a microscope from VORTEX Care show that the red blood cells clump together (money roll effect) - "This reduces blood circulation and impairs the complex processes in our brain, which are crucial for an emotional music experience," explains Norbert Maurer.

Proven and successfully tested for years: the VORTEX Hifi Ground Optimizer

Due to the many different sources of interference, VORTEX Hifi offers a wide variety of products to minimize electrosmog. I've tested most of them in the last four years - and bought them, because the music enjoyment increased with every measure (link to the field report: https://www.hifi-today.de/energiewirbel/vortex- hifi-entstoerungsprodukte-in-der-praxis.html). New devices or loudspeakers would not have brought so much. That's why I prick up my ears immediately when Norbert Maurer pulls something out of a hat like the recently revised Ground Optimizer. Nothing has changed in the basic concept, which has been tried and tested for many years: A ground optimizer consists of a mains plug for the socket, from which up to five thin cables lead away. They connect to hi-fi devices, routers, televisions, computers or tablets via cinch, XLR, HDMI or USB plugs and dissipate ground interference whose fields, which impair perception, are otherwise transmitted via the cables of the hi-fi system and network and would distribute antenna strips.

About three years ago, I discovered how much a Ground Optimizer can do. Here is an excerpt from my test notes from back then: »What a bass – ultra deep without thickening, clearly richer in timbre and more flexible than before, it pushes bass drums, double basses, electric bass and the deep wing strings into the room. In addition, instruments, voices and noises such as birdsong are displayed even more vividly across all frequency ranges, making the music more engaging. Wow! An outrageously expensive chain from the Swiss manufacturer Solution, which I heard at Thomas Fast's studio (Fast Audio), only gained so much expression and emotionality through the Ground Optimizer that I enjoyed the performance.

Even then it became clear to me: If ground interference has such a massive, negative impact on our perception - and thus on our nervous system - it is not enough to just suppress the hi-fi system with a ground optimizer. So all routers, hi-fi systems, computers and CD radios got hit. That meant an almost

Five-figure investment just for the Ground Optimizer, but the plus in sound quality was worth every penny. My VORTEX hifi dealer Thomas Fast later told me that this earned me the nickname Mr. Ground Optimizer.

Innovative technology in the smallest space: The VORTEX Hifi Ground Optimizer in detail

The Ground Optimizer cannot be compared with the grounding systems that are becoming more and more widespread today, as, according to Norbert Maurer, it combines findings from building biology, environmental and alternative medicine. A frequency-selective galvanic isolating element dissipates low-frequency interference above 2000 Hz via the ground potential. In addition, the Ground Optimizer should act like a so-called field sink and bind all other low-frequency interference fields - similar to a vacuum cleaner for electrosmog. This is done via a capacitor bank connected to ground. These are the same extremely fast high-end components that are also used in the highly effective Vortex Hifi Power Optimizer current filters (link to the test; https://www.hifi-today.de/netzfilter/vortex-hifi -bob.html). »Unfortunately, strong fields are created again by the group of capacitors – Prof. Dr. K. Flour described. We shield them with our highly effective nanofleece,” says Maurer. In addition, the plug is extensively dampened to prevent vibrations - they should also be annoying, which also makes sense to me: device feet do not change the signal flow of the system, but can have a strong influence on the sound.

Each Ground Optimizer is handcrafted by an employee in Germany. He needs half a day for the large models with five cables. For comparison: An engine builder of the Mercedes factory tuner AMG has to assemble almost a complete unit in this time. The information of the components, which took place weeks before, is added to this. Information means that plugs, capacitors, silver solder, cables, etc. are permanently programmed with additional vibration patterns. The great art also consists in the composition of these vibrations - this explains why these so-called energetic accessories have different effects and why you should not necessarily combine different manufacturers with each other. Because too many cooks spoil the broth: With HIFI-TODAY publisher Karl Belkner, this led to an inhomogeneous, diffuse sound pattern. Siegfried Nehls from Klang Atelier Berlin, one of the most experienced dealers in terms of energetic accessories, also advises against it (Link to the interview: https://www.hifi-today.de/themen/interview-mit-siegfried-nehls-vom-klangatelier -berlin.html).

Decades of know-how combined with a thirst for research

Two of Norbert Maurer's great strengths lie in his experience and methodical approach: he has been researching accessories and components for more than four decades, Maurer has been investigating the topic of information for 20 years and examines the effects of his vibration recipes not only on the basis of listening tests. He measures the heart rate of the subjects with an ECG, because the faster the pulse reacts to even the slightest exertion, the healthier and less stressed an organism is. This is called HRV or heart rate variability measurement. Under stress, on the other hand, our heart rate turns into a monotonous clock generator. That would be great for CD players, streamers and servers, but not for us. Maurer's investigations showed that the heart rate variability is significantly improved by the information used by VORTEX Hifi.

The Ground Optimizers GO2, which I have used from the start, also contain semi-precious stones that are intended to give our imaginations a boost. Therefore, VORTEX Hifi calls this information standard PI for Power Imagination. With the diamond standard, gemstones are added, which, according to Maurer, sharpen our concentration and thus also our perception of music. According to my many years of experience, both are true - this test shows this particularly impressively (Link Iraser: https://www.hifi-today.de/energiewirbel/iraser-4-vortex-hifi.html). “In this way, up to 119 semi-precious and precious stones come together, which have to be placed around all interfaces – that requires a great deal of sensitivity,” explains Norbert Maurer. He understands interfaces as all contact points where, for example, the cable goes into the plug or components are soldered in – with silver solder, of course. According to Maurer, the strongest vortex fields arise at these transitions. They have to be suppressed, but they are also ideal for absorbing information that has a positive effect on us and radiating it like an antenna. Often millimeters in the placement decide on the best possible effect - over the years, Maurer refined the optimal placement and composition of the semi-precious stones and precious stones through listening tests and computer-based stress measurements.

Oscillation alignment technology: the latest highlight from VORTEX Hifi

What distinguishes the revised VORTEX Hifi Ground Optimizer from its predecessors? Above all, the Oscillation Alignment technique, the strong positive effect of which I have already experienced through other Norbert Maurer products. It is based on knowledge of quantum physics and, to put it simply, makes it possible to modulate existing fields around power lines, electrical devices as well as WLAN, DECT and mobile phone networks as well as earth radiation (geopathogenic zones) by transporting information in such a way that they have a positive effect on our body – which further increases the effect. During the stress measurements already mentioned, Maurer also discovered that the vibrations of special microorganisms have a positive effect on our body - not surprising for my wife and me, because we have been using cosmetics and body care products with microorganisms for years. Our plants also grow magnificently thanks to them. In the meantime, even the University of Hohenheim, one of the leading agricultural faculties in Germany, teaches about the positive effects of microorganisms. The vibrations of the microorganisms are said to influence our microbiome, i.e. all of the microorganisms in the whole body - which affects the whole person. “After all, a person has more bacteria in their body than their own body cells. For someone who weighs 70 kilos, it's about 38 trillion," says Maurer.

In addition, Maurer adds 64 further vibration patterns to the already existing information, the so-called earth information. They are based on elements found in the earth's crust and red blood cells. with the Ground Optimizer GO3 MK2 Sigma, well over 100 come together. In addition, the cable housings are now anti-static and no longer charge over time. In new condition, however, this hardly matters. If there were any changes in the sound in my test compared to the predecessor, these are not based on the electrical parameters, but only on the oscillation alignment technology and its additional information.

Since all the ground optimizers in our company are GO2 variants without the Diamant standard, I also ordered the new MK2 as a GO2 variant - and also in the top version as MK3 Sigma models to find out whether this step is also worthwhile.

The following ground optimizers were used:

• A 804-way ground optimizer with 2x HDMI and 5x USB, Ethernet and cinch is used on the home cinema system (loudspeakers B&W 2, large Rotel surround amplifier, highly equipped Bluesound Vault 1i media server) to connect the television, amplifier, media server and Blu -Ray player to connect. The Ethernet connection docked to the switch (Silent Angel) optimized for hi-fi, which is fed via a linear power pack.
• There are two ground optimizers in the small listening room: one for the system and two with cable lugs that are screwed to the negative pole of the speakers. Here I decided to swap only the ground optimizer for the speakers.
• The living room system, consisting of an AVM All-in-One and Audio Physic Tempo loudspeakers, has only one ground optimizer with one cable. The successors are also used here.
• I also ordered an MKII Sigma with a 4,5 meter cable and USB-C connector for the iPad. I will use it to check how much a tablet interferes - which is now often used as a control center.

Ground Optimizer GO2 MK II – the turbo for image, sound and feeling

First I give the surround system the revised 5-fold Vortex HIFI Ground Optimizer - with resounding success: the music breathes and pulsates as if it had been brought to life. Each piece noticeably gains in expression and fills the entire room. Two examples show this particularly impressively: First, the solo grand piano on the CD »Sanctuary Series: Mercy«. From the very first notes, it sounds like a large concert grand piano. It's not due to the swinging out of the strings, since they were already vibrating in their full length beforehand. But the body has more volume, the multi-layered timbres convey more clearly to me that the strings are tightly clamped in a metal frame and struck with a felt hammer. The now more clearly audible pedal noises also contribute to the greater authenticity. The nuanced, sometimes quieter, separated with more pronounced breaks, then more impulsive game makes my whole body excited.

This effect also occurs when we stream »Top Gun Maverick«. Even with the outdated 5.O set-up (front speaker, center and rear effect speaker (right/left), the soundscape arches around us like a dome, the top gun theme flows out of the speakers in a wonderfully differentiated way, bass rumbles deep black and The title "Highway to the Dangerzone" has never been more fun for me. And then the soundscape of the hustle and bustle on the aircraft carrier deck: Jets hissing as they take off and landing, safety nets whirr and give me the feeling of being on board - simple The picture also benefits: It looks even more vivid, more colorful and reminds me of the difference between a very good lens and one from Leica or Zeiss, which gives you a picture that is as clear as looking through a freshly cleaned window.

Ground Optimizer GO3 Sigma: the truth serum

I don't really need more - I thought until I switched to the Ground Optimizer GO3 MK2: The picture now appears as if you are looking through an open window, because the barely perceptible unnatural brilliance caused by the glass is missing. And the F18 fighter jets audibly fly past us, the roar of the engines disappears behind us - I don't need Dolby Atmos with countless effect loudspeakers. In addition, the shimmering activity on the aircraft carrier deck is even more contagious. When I was streaming Terminator Genisys a few days later, the blast from the nuclear explosion hit me so fast that I flinched and felt like I was thrown onto the street - unbelievable that home cinema can be so intense.

Music also gets under your skin more - regardless of style and intensity. The piano playing on the previously mentioned CD Mercy is even more pointed, I notice how the long bass strings spread the vibrations away from the hammer. That impresses me a lot. Harter Metall also takes another step forward: the raw rap from Rayn Clark, the singer of the metalcore band Demon Hunter, is wonderfully aggressive and powerful on the opener "Storm the Gates of Hell" from the CD of the same name; the thunderstorm of drums at the beginning of the second song "Lead us Home" shoots out of the speakers with such force and sophistication that the corners of my mouth snap into the permanent grin position - if laughter is the best medicine, health insurance companies should actually cover the costs of a Ground Optimizier MK2 Sigma support proportionately.

Far-reaching effects: The fields also have an effect outside of the listening room

I also hear the increased intensity, richer tones, more details and a more opulent three-dimensionality – in a weaker form – over the desk system in the room above the home cinema room. I'm happy about that, but I'm not surprised, because in all the years since I've been dealing with the products from VORTEX Hifi, I've rediscovered over what great distances such fields have an effect. Even the suppression of the gas condensing boiler in the basement, one of the strongest sources of electrosmog in our house, was audible four floors above.

New system, new luck? The second test round in the small listening room

In the next step, I replace the Ground Optimizer connected to the negative poles of the speakers in the small listening room with the MK2 version. And it has the effect of a musical meltdown: I have the feeling of being one with the musicians, taking in the smallest nuances in expression, space, voices and instruments gain in size. In addition, they are more clearly separated from each other and more integrated into the overall space - I'm just amazed at how much potential is still slumbering in my system. In this configuration I experience the example mentioned at the beginning (As I lay Dying: Shaped by Fire). But the sound booster also works with classical music: The CD The British Project, conducted by the Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, is so tense that the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Even during breaks there is a tingling in the air. In the next few days I'll be listening to a lot of my favorite discs and I'm looking forward to Christmas like a child.

The Sigma top version can hardly top that. In fact, the sound change is not as spectacular as from the old Ground Optimizer GO2 to the new GO2 MKII. But something happens that impresses me even more. In order to describe it correctly, I search for the right words for days - and realize that paraphrases do more justice to what I experienced. On the one hand, the change in sound reminds me of the experience with the television picture, which, thanks to the Ground Optimizer GO3 Sigma, resembles the view through an open window because the unnatural brilliance of the glass was missing. Secondly, it awakened a memory in me that had slumbered in my mind for a long time: a choir sings on the third song of the soundtrack of Schindler's List. It suddenly seemed so real that I thought I was listening to a large church nave - just as I did as a teenager when I performed with the state youth choir in many large collegiate churches in the run-up to Christmas and occasionally listened as a listener during rehearsals. I've never had that association before. In other words, only now did my brain get enough information to make this connection – a crazy achievement.

Sound tuning for the predecessor: how old ground optimizers can be upgraded

Next, I »tune« the old Ground Optimizer GO2 with 4 cinch connections (CD player, preamplifier, power amplifier and subwoofer) on the system - a tip that Siegfried Nehls from Klangatelier Berlin gave me. First I spray the entire Ground Optimizer with the Vortex Surface Optimizer Sigma (50 ml bottle, 99 €), with which plastic surfaces, cables and much more become antistatic and with the

already mentioned Sigma information. The effect corresponds to that of the new Sigma Ground Optimizer in a much weaker form. If I had to commit to a numerical value, I would say something like: 10 percent - which is sensational in view of the low investment, as the rest of the Surface Optimizer can be used in an enormous number of ways. Simply spray the CD drawer with it - and be amazed. When I think about it, that would also be an exciting test... But there's even more: I stick a 30-piece Sigmaronde on each cinch connection and on the power strip (set of 10: €799).

These are discs just under a centimeter thick and three centimeters in diameter of obsidian, a black volcanic rock that is also informed with the Sigma standard and transmits these vibrations through a field. I've had a lot of positive experiences with discs in the diamond standard in recent years, which is why I came up with the idea of ​​updating the old Ground Optimizer - which works really well: it's a clear improvement again, I would rate the sound progress at around 50 Rank percent of performance compared to a new Ground Optimizer Sigma. A lot happens, especially in terms of joy of playing, emotionality and physicality. This is certainly due to the fact that the circular blank on the CD player also suppresses the cinch cable plugs and the sockets behind it on the power strip. I enjoy the system so much that I spontaneously decide to let the test be and put one CD after the other in the drive just to listen to the music damn well.

Knock-out for the music: a system without a ground optimizer

After a few weeks, the sense of duty pushes with ever louder voices, finally there is the living room system on the top floor: an AVM combo device with the Ground Optimizer connected to the digital cinch input. Here, the upgrade to the MK version provides results that are similar to those of the other two systems, but not quite as clearly audible: The GO2 MK II brought more space and attack, the GO 3 Sigma also more naturalness. And because the Ground Optimizer can be undocked within seconds without any major contortions, I decide to do a cross check without - which in a few bars shows me the difference between music (with) and canned music (without): whether Nora Jones' voice, grand piano , saxophone or drums all sound synthetic on Norah Jones CD "Day Breaks" without a bit, the performance seems a bit reserved. Also, the volume of air around Norah Jones is missing, which makes it audible that she is standing in front of the microphone in the studio. And the playing of the saxophone only arrives at a distance due to the little differentiated opening noises. When the song "Tragedy" is running, I think spontaneously, a suitable title for the performance without a ground optimizer.

Good for the sound: a hi-fi cable with effective grounding

The longer I think about it, the more I realize the scope of this experience: Although our house is effectively suppressed in many areas, the Ground Optimizer has such an enormous effect. This underlines how disturbing the high- and low-frequency fields of the ground line are. That's why I decide to do more sound experiments. The Ground Optimizer is currently still plugged into a wall socket in the living room, while the AVM system is protected via the hi-fi cable. The HMS mains filter has only one Schuko socket, which blocks the mains cable of the AVM. A few more Schuko sockets installed in the hi-fi supply line, which have a more effective grounding than the mains supply in the living room, can help. In theory, the low-frequency interference discharged via the Ground Optimizer should be dissipated more quickly - and less disruptive, which should have a positive effect on the sound perception.

Here I limit myself only to the effect with the Ground Optimizer Sigma, the sound descriptions apply to the above-mentioned album Day Breaks. In fact, spatiality, fine resolution and emotionality increase: With the grand piano you can hear more clearly that the other strings are also resonating, Norah Jones seems more mature and sounds more sensual than before and the bass becomes more transparent.

A lot helps a lot: more ground optimizer experiments

Next, I also dock the old Ground Optimizer to one of the analog outputs. In this way, interference on the analog level should be dissipated without going through the digital section of the AVM combination device. This is also audible: the entire band, including Norah Jones, plays more exhilarated, the voice and all instruments sound clearer and in more opulent timbres. Basically, a ground optimizer has a stronger effect on the digital input because the larger interference fields occur here. Ideally, however, the analog section also docks onto the Ground Optimizer. In our case, a ground optimizer with two cables would be ideal, which is even more effective than two separate ones - I had this experience years ago. Due to the complexity of the matter, you should definitely seek advice from an experienced dealer who knows what is important.

And because the old ground optimizer for the loudspeakers from the small listening room is still available, I connect it to the negative poles (important!) of our Audio Physic Tempo in the last step. The bass gains so massively that I can suddenly tell the drum, skin and body apart - which was not one of the strengths of the living room system until now. The tingling atmosphere provides even more excitement, Norah Jones voice sounds stronger, but at the same time more nuanced and fine. With the saxophone I can distinguish between the mouthpiece, the body and the outlet opening. As with the other systems, I am surprised at the potential that is still there - if instead of the old model a new GO Sigma were to be attached to the loudspeakers ... Let's see what the future will bring: A big advantage of the products from VORTEX Hifi is yes also in the fact that you can increase it step by step over the years - and as Mr. Nehls from Klang Atelier in Berlin put it so aptly in the interview already mentioned: It just keeps getting better.

Sound killer iPad - and what the Ground Optimizer changes about it

That brings me to the last experiment: suppressing interference on the iPad using a ground optimizer – which gave me another aha and a shock moment. Because although the iPad has already been optimized with Vortex Hifi products and runs completely independently from the battery, the Ground Optimizer makes an audible difference: As soon as the USB-C connector is plugged into the iPad, I relax, the sound space expands in everyone dimensions and I dive deep into the music of the CD »Down the way« by Angus and Julia Stone. When we first heard the album in a studio through an expensive chain of McIntosh tube gear and Sonus Faber speakers, it went straight to our hearts - and that hasn't changed to this day. Without Ground Optimizer, however, the emotional fire licks a bit on the back burner, with it burns brightly. I hang on the every word of the two siblings, can let myself go completely, the variety of tones illuminates my mind like the warm light of a sunrise or sunset. The performance of the much more expensive McIntosh chain from the studio doesn't come close either. I experience the beginning of song 11 Draw your Sword as if in slow motion and am amazed where all this information suddenly comes from, which gives the music so much more expression. And that works, even if more power is required as the piece increases in intensity from 4:52 min.

Far-reaching effect also over rooms and floors

When I plugged the Ground Optimizer into my wife's iPad a few days later while she was working on the tablet, she looked at me and asked if it was possible that she could suddenly take a deeper breath and slow down her heart rate - although her pulse got raging when I was fiddling around with some cables again. Her experience thus also confirms the previously mentioned measurements of heart rate variability, which Norbert Maurer carried out as part of his research. "You can buy it for both of us," is her comment after we've talked at length about how the Ground Optimizer works.

A few days later I'm listening to one of my old metal core discs (This is my Blood by Soul Embraced) on the home cinema system on the ground floor and I'm already amazed at the deeper reverberation rooms during the intro. The guitars screeched into my ear canals even more than usual, without being annoying. It also pushes the double bass attacks into the room with more force. In addition, screamer Chad Moore sounds much more imposing than usual - which actually corresponds to his stature. I would like to jump around the room shaking my head. But then the stereo triangle would be in the bucket. When I arrive later in the attic, I see my wife on the iPad – with the Ground Optimizer plugged in. I can finish the check quickly without it because it sounds as usual. This shows once again that fields have an effect over several floors/rooms and that interference should not only be suppressed for devices that are playing directly in the area around the system.

As I write these lines, the Ground Optimizer is connected to a USB-C port on the notebook, Diana Krall Live in Paris is running. I don't have to say much more about the quality of the excellent performance, but I do about the effect of the Ground Optimizer: If I unplug it, it seems as if Diana Krall takes a step back on stage, her voice loses its expressiveness. The audience's applause and the playing of the other musicians also seem more reserved. So it's clear: If you operate iPads and computers without a ground optimizer, you're wasting a lot of sound potential.

How to: Useful advice on using the Ground Optimizer

Finally, a few tips to keep in mind before trying it out. Much of this is also in the very detailed instructions. First, the phase-correct connection of the mains plug: it has a dot with a V on one side; this shows the phase and must point to the side of the socket where the phase tester is lit. Secondly, the position in the bar: For models without star wiring, the Ground Optimizer belongs in the front socket so that the ground disturbances can be dissipated as quickly as possible and fields do not radiate via the bar and connected cables. I've often done it in such a way that there are two almost equally authorized sockets in the wall. The strip for the entire system hangs on one, and the ground optimizer on the one with the best grounding.

The following applies to the device side: Digital connections such as HDMI, USB and Ethernet achieve the strongest effect because this is where most of the ground interference occurs. If these can be dissipated in a targeted manner using the Ground Optimizer, they are not distributed in the device - which would further increase the antenna effect. This is followed by digital cinch connections and finally the analogue ones. With bi-wiring or bi-amping, the cable lugs belong on the negative poles of the midrange/tweeter and not on the bass - the difference in our home cinema system, in which I run the B&W 804 in biamping, was immense.

In addition, there is a so-called initial deterioration with energetic accessories, simply changing the plug and listening immediately does not work. I always waited around eight hours, plugged in the new variant in the morning and made music and film evenings on the same day. According to Maurer, this effect is based on the fact that the fields change significantly as a result of the new vibration pattern and this simply takes time. Even days later there are still changes, so I waited with the upgrade from the 2 version to the 3 Sigma as well. As a rule, the differences are so clearly audible that there is no discussion - an experience I have had with all VORTEX Hifi products over the years.

Enjoying music without the VORTEX Hifi Ground Optimizer – impossible for me!

Conclusion: I was already enthusiastic about the old version of the Ground Optimizer, otherwise I would not have equipped all the hi-fi systems, televisions and computers in the house with it. But with the new one, Norbert Maurer catapulted the effect to such a much higher level that I couldn't find the words at times. Nothing works without the Ground Optimizer MKII at home. This reminds me that Sigried Nehls said in the interview that anyone who tries it (the new Ground Optimizer) keeps it. He's right. If you really want to know what's in your system, then test the new Ground Optimizer at home. Ideally in the top version Sigma - for components, loudspeakers, tablets and computers. But there is nothing wrong with combining different qualities with each other – that works extremely well for us. And even the cheapest version is better than no Ground Optimizer at all, because even the simplest GO 1 MK II does its job just as well as my old models - I was able to check that on the Sonoro CD radio in the kitchen.

And the best for last: As an introductory offer, the new Ground Optimizers cost the same as their predecessors - that makes them an absolute hit when it comes to value for money: The GO1 MK II is available for EUR 199, the GO2 MK II with one connection costs EUR 399. euros, each additional connection costs 200 euros. For a five, 1399 euros are due - considering what many simple grounding systems cost, this is also very, very cheap. The top models GO3 MK II Sigma start at 599 euros and end as a five-piece at 2099 euros (surcharge for each additional connection: 300 euros) - and are also worth every cent.