Meet "Looking Glass II"

$2500.00 and $7500.00 USD

Power conditioners should do only one thing and that is to simply eliminate noise without removing dynamics and tonal color. Nearly all currently available power line conditioners on the market fail miserably to accomplish this seemingly simple task.  Following in the footsteps of such monumental successes such as the Innamorata amplifier and the Majestic integrated amplifier as well as the standard setting Headtrip headphone amplifiers comes the "Looking Glass" series of power line conditioners. The "Looking Glass II" conditioners following our philosophy of "simplicity in design but meticulous in execution" is passive in design. This eliminates the dynamics robbing of regenerative conditioners.

At the heart of our conditioners we use a circuit developed by John Curl and Jack Bybee as it's main filtering technology. This circuit employs a series of filtering caps and also contains a "gas module" that breaks the circuit when it senses an overcurrent condition. Once the condition has passed the gas within the module reforms and once again becomes conductive allowing the conditioner to once again function normally. The specially designed outlets have phosphor bronze contacts (the best sounding material for audio contacts), all wiring is sourced directly from the wire manufacturer and is proprietary. Wire insulation is teflon.

In the Looking Glass II Level II we go even further with a second level of conditioning. The “White Paper” explanation is below. The "Looking Glass II" power line conditioners will improve the sound of your system dramatically. Dynamics will be explosive, the soundstage the largest, separation the greatest, decay the most extended and bass the most prodigious you have ever experienced through your system. Don't take our word for it, ask for a demonstration today!

Technical Features of the Wells Audio Looking Glass II, Level II Power Conditioner

Design Principles

The Looking Glass II Level II power conditioner uses traditional LCR filters combined in a novel way to

produce maximum synergy among the filter sections. Briefly, the circuit employs a 3-stage fully

symmetrical frequency-staggered noise filter to optimize the suppression of AC line harmonics across a

broad spectrum of frequencies. The guiding principles behind the filter design are: 1) the use of state-ofthe-

art audio grade parts; 2) the use of passive filters optimized for low, mid, and high frequency noise

suppression; and 3) the use of resistive damping to control transient overshoots and ringing.

The AC Harmonics Problem

Passively filtered power conditioners use chokes and capacitors to suppress and bypass noise on the AC

line, leaving a more or less pure 60Hz voltage at the output. Unfortunately, in a typical passively filtered

power conditioner, high-frequency line harmonics can exploit leakage paths in the filter components

and pass through to the conditioner’s outputs. These unfiltered harmonics are then passed along to

whatever equipment is plugged into the conditioner. To one degree or another, all chokes and caps

contain leakage paths that allow unwanted noise harmonics to pass through them.

The Looking Glass Solution

To minimize this effect, the three filters inside the Level II Looking Glass are each optimized for a

different frequency range: low, mid, and high. The three filters are lined up in series from low to high,

such that harmonics that pass through the leakage paths of the low frequency filters are captured and

suppressed by the high frequency filters. The three filter stages in series combine their effects to create

a wideband wall of harmonic suppression.

Transient Overshoots & Ringing

Transient noise pulses, which occur when an appliance is turned on or off, or when a motor is revved up

or down, produce a broad spectrum of high-frequency harmonics on the AC line. This results in a fast

change of state inside the chokes and caps of the filters. When that happens, undamped chokes and

caps can overshoot and ring. In the worst case they can oscillate uncontrollably.

The Looking Glass Solution

Resistors are the forgotten component in passively filtered power conditioners. Resistors are energy

dissipators that can be used to damp uncontrolled resonances in electrical circuits. The resonant

frequency of each LC filter in the Level II Looking Glass is resistively damped to suppress overshoots and

ringing when the conditioner is struck by high-energy transient pulses. In an undamped filter, the effect

of such pulses is prolonged and amplified. Resistive damping allows the Level II Looking Glass to control

overshoots in the same way that a shock absorber controls bumps in the road—by dissipating their

energy.

Parts Quality

The parts used in the Level II Looking Glass have been carefully chosen for both sound quality and

reliability. Miflex copper PIO caps are used for the mid and high frequency filters, and a larger oil-filled

polypropylene cap is used in the low-frequency filter. Air-core ribbon chokes are also used in the lowfrequency

filter. Smaller, iron-core chokes are used in the mid and high filters to reduce capacitive

leakage paths. Bybee Quantum Purifiers are used at the tail end of the filter string to give a final polish

to the already quiet power.

Call (408) 376-0861 to audition your Power Conditioner today.