GIGAWATT PC-4 EVO PLUS

Description

GIGAWATT PC-4 EVO Plus ( 2021 Model) is the flagship power conditioner model and regarded as one of the world’s best and most advanced constructions.

Reference Model. 12 outputs. DC Blocker. Distribution bars – silvered OFC 45 QMM. Internal wiring – silvered OFHC 4 QMM. Hi-Flux Filtering Cores. 2 pole 25A Power Relay (breaking capacity 6500VA). GIGAWATT AUDIO GRADE Suppression Capacitors. Double Power Buffer System. Ultra-rigid, Non-Magnetic Aluminium Chassis with Bituminous Vibration Absorber. Voltage Display. Rolling-Ball Isolation System

This is a reference device designed to provide power High-End class audio and video devices. PC-4 EVO+ is the quintessence of many years of research and development of an uncompromised power conditioner. The PC-4 EVO+ is a very effective protection against interference and power surges coming from the power line. Still, it guarantees a significant improvement of sound quality and displayed picture of the devices connected to it.

The main differences to the PC-3 SE EVO+:

• Printed circuit boards with increased layer thickness
• Filters based on High-Flux cores
• Distribution rails made from silver-plated, highly conductive copper (99,995%) with 45 mm2 cross-section.
• Two-pole hydraulic-magnetic power switch from Carling Technologies
• Two-pole internal relay 6500W
• Proprietary capacitors with enhanced capacity
• Enhanced buffer compensation batteries
• Anti-overvoltage circuitry with enhanced efficiency
• PowerCon 32 A input power socket
• Twelve output sockets
• Ultra-rigid chassis made from non-magnetic stainless, austenitic steel
• Reference anti-vibration feet Rolling-Ball Isolation System

CONSTRUCTION

All internal elements of the Gigawatt PC4-EVO Plus conditioner were enclosed in an ultra-rigid, non-magnetic chassis made from stainless steel with an austenitic structure.

Its chassis was additionally damped with a composite bitumen-polymer mat to reduce the vibration passed onto the conditioner.

The whole is suspended on reference, anti-vibration feet equipped with an innovative solution – Rolling-Ball Isolation System. This design is made from two parts (external and internal) made from solid aluminum, with two runs with balls in-between them. The system’s role is to minimize the number of contact points between the foot and then the conditioner, with the shelf it is put on, which translates into a significant reduction of mechanical vibration, which negatively impacts the work of the internal elements of the conditioner degrading its sound. Another isolation element on which the whole construction is supported is the proprietary elastomer, 5mm thick.

The front panel of the conditioner is made from a thick slab of aviation-grade aluminum. Its surface is brushed, after precision milling, and then anodized black or silver.

The PGigawatt PC4-EVO Plus has twelve high-quality proprietary power sockets GigaWatt, with large surface contacts. The brass contacts of the sockets were subdued to the process of technical silver plating without the usage of intermediate metals, like copper or nickel, which could introduce an unfavourable serial resistance and a voltage loss. The increased surface of the contacts and the thick layer of silver guarantee good contact with the plug pins. The sockets were additionally cryogenically modified and de-magnetized.

In the central part of the front, an LED display indicates the voltage of the input current. The precise voltmeter is very resistant to distortion and measurement errors caused by upper harmonics while not generating any interference, which would impair the quality of the power filtered by the conditioner.

The voltmeter display is red as standard but is available in green, blue or white on demand.

The conditioner is also equipped with an additional circuit signalling the wrong connection to the power grid. Its action is indicated by a red LED on the back of the unit, which signals the wrong polarity of the device or faulty grounding.

TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS

The conditioner Gigawatt PC-4 EVO Plus is equipped with three independent filtering branches, which supply three sections composed of four output sockets. Due to this solution adjusts the filtering for the load it has, different for each type of device – digital, analog or high current devices. Autonomous passive filters allow for isolation from interference produced by the devices connected via a shared power line.

The PC-4 EVO+ is based on a novel filtering architecture, where the most advanced and uncompromised components were used. The main novelties are the anti-interference capacitors and the compensation batteries for the buffering circuits manufactured by the company Miflex, according to GigaWatt specification.

In the PC-4 EVO+, an innovative, two-stage current distribution system is used, a proprietary design of our company. It is based on massive third generation distribution rails made from polished slabs of oxygen-free copper OFHCC 10100 with 99.997% purity. The first stage allows for lossless and even distribution of voltage to each of the filtering branches. The second stage provides current directly to each pair of output sockets via bolted and clamped connections and cabling with conductors with 4QMM cross-section made from oxygen-free copper isolated with FEP Teflon. The star connection topology and high conductance combined with the 45 QMM cross-section of each of the rails allow for a uniform and stable power distribution regardless of the load on the individual outputs of the conditioner.

Due to the improved efficiency of the filtering circuits, they were mounted using silver solder on massive PCBs having fifteen times the amount of copper compared to standard PCBs. The dual-layer PCBs have extensive traces made from silver-plated copper, with a combined thickness of 550 micrometres. The interference is damped by filtering blocs of RLC type, built around proprietary Audio Grade capacitors and HF (High Flux) core filters.

The newest version of the Gigawatt PC-4 EVO Plus is equipped with special capacitors – with higher capacity and more efficiency than in the lower models. Those capacitors are manufactured by a renowned and valued company on the specialist market, Miflex, according to GigaWatt specifications.

There are no traditional protective elements in the conditioner, like thermal or blow fuses, which throttled the free flow of the current have a negative influence on the sound. The surge protection of the conditioner is provided by the starting block, which utilizes plasma spark-gaps, UltraMOV new generation varistors and an initial filter. Overload protection is provided by a two-pole hydraulic-magnetic switch from Carling Technologies, made in the USA, to a special specification from GigaWatt. This element controls the current flowing through the internal circuits and serves as the unit’s main power switch. All those elements working together with a well-made, contemporary power grid guarantee a complex protection against surges and overcurrent.

The internal construction of the elements of the Gigawatt PC-4 EVO Plus conditioner allows for transferring loads up to 25A constantly (and 90A peak), of course, if the power grid can handle that. Such a big reserve is not required for the lossless power transfer from the power grid but to have an oversized reserve of power for peak, impulse loads. The power reserve is fundamental for powering powerful power amplifiers, which load the power line to values many times over the nominal load. The main power supply socket is a professional PowerCon 32 Amp one with silver plated pins, able to transfer a stable current of 32A. The maximum load of 25A is almost three times the typical load of similar devices using the popular IEC socket.

The PC-4 EVO+ is equipped with a double buffer circuit with Audio Grade compensation batteries to allow for the maximum impulse response, a proprietary design. The circuit increases the current output with non-linear loads, like power amplifiers, and eliminates the difference of power between the input and output of the conditioner. This allows for almost unlimited impulse capabilities, unheard of in other passive conditioners and not reachable for active conditioners. The impulse capabilities of the PC-4 EVO+ surpass even the values of a clean power line without any devices connected to it.

The standard equipment of Gigawatt PC4-EVO Plus is also a DC Offset Blocker –  a circuit eliminating unwanted DC component of the power grid. This DC component is a very deteriorating phenomenon, which exists in almost all power grids. The sinus wave of the alternating current becomes non-symmetrical (non-sinusoidal) and harms all devices using transformers. It causes their cores to become magnetized, which increases their noise, diminishes the efficiency of power supplies and lower sound quality as a result. The DC blocker allows eliminating this phenomenon effectively, without causing any compression or any other negative influence on the sound.

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT for PC-4 EVO PLUS

• While LED display. Besides the three basic display colours, a white LED display is available at a surcharge.
• Voltmeter display switch – allows for switching off the display.
• Power cables – higher models. The PC-4 EVO+ is equipped as standard with the power cord LC-2 HC EVO+ with 1.5m length. To maximize the potential of the conditioner, we recommend the use of the power cord LS-1 HC EVO or LS-2 HC EVO.
• Output power sockets in a different standard. The PC-4 EVO+ is equipped with the G-040 Schuko power sockets used in most European countries. Those sockets can be equipped with automatic anti-surge protection (improved protection conform with VDE 0620). Also available are versions with sockets in other standards like NEMA 5-20R, used in North America and some Asian countries, or AS/NZS 3112 used in Australia.

Gigawatt PC-3 EVO