ENACOM Series Audio Noise Eliminator

An unlikely contribution—Kiuchi Kazuo’s unique piece

The fact that various RF noises from AC power cords and air will have an impact on the acoustical quality of stereo has become a common recognition of stereo players. The radio waves here and there have become a public enemy of stereo enthusiasts. Eliminating the impact of RF on stereo equipments as much as possible is not only an essential means to get a better sound but also a compulsory course of stereo enthusiasts.

A tuning expert named Kiuchi Kazuo from Japan had found that eliminating various RF from power supplies or air was one of the essential steps to get better sound, and he had produced the ENACOM series audio noise eliminators before and advocated the product in Taiwan ten years ago, but the birth of ENACOM did not arouse so much response as the anti-RF recognition had not been formed in the stereo field of that time and the quantity of wireless products was rarer than that of present.

I’m under the impression that the magazine has introduced ENACOM products before but that introduction was not in depth. Then Billon Company played the same trick and delivers the three types of ENACOM series products to me again. So I’m glad to identify their effects again to find something new on one hand and to let the new readers of the magazine learn the ENACOM’s fantastic effects on the other hand.

Mr. Kiuchi’s ENACOM series includes three types of products. One is the AC Line ENACOM, i.e. power supply ENACOM which is inserted into an idle jack neighboring a power supply pin of the equipment and is judged to be a parallel wave-filter which can eliminate the RF noise transmitted through the power cord; the second is Speaker ENACOM which is used for the terminal of a speaker box just as the implying of its name and is just like to be in parallel with a speaker wire acting as a parallel RF wave-filter and is considered to be used for eliminating the RF noise generated by the induction between the speaker wire and air; the third is Line Cable ENACOM which is specially used for signal cables and should be connected in series between a signal cable and an input terminal of a signal amplifier, whether the internal filter of this type falls into the series-connection or parallel-connection is difficult to judge.

All the ENACOM filters are sealed in very strong copper columns, feel heavy when held by hands, and look like exploders used for igniting detonators at first glance.

How should I justify the effects of the three different types of ENACOM products? I adopted the “learn-them-separately way”, which can not only hear their respective effects but also learn the purpose of Mr. Kiuchi’s product designs.

I used the AC ENACOM first, which has a distinct effect of dramatically reducing the noise from the sound, especially when low-cost power cords are used or the power supply has not been grounded well, hoarse, strident or rough sounds appear or when many kinds of high musical instruments are played at the same time, the acoustical feeling of unclearness or mixed-noise often appear. Then once the AC ENACOM is adopted, not only the noisy background can be removed and the stereo feeling of musical instrument becomes distinct but also the musical field becomes compact from a loose state as if irrelative people are excluded from a live performance. I had the same effect by connecting the AC ENACOM to various apparatuses, so I think this is the main effect of the AC ENACOM.

As the effect of the AC ENACOM is very evident, any stereo system which sounds noisy or becomes noisy after the volume is raised can be enhanced on the acoustical quality with the AC ENACOM.

The second product, Speaker ENACOM, has a similar effect like the AC ENACOM. After application, the background becomes very quiet, the sound becomes compact and the roughness is largely reduced. Maybe as the RF mixing in the audio is filtered, the imaging force of sound is enhanced and the veins and lines of sound become clearer. Then, no matter the form of musical instruments or the sound and mouth-form of singers all become distinct. With the application of the AC ENACOM or the Speaker ENACOM (or both), the previous loose and expanded sounds will become convergent and have distinct sequence, making the sound feel quieter. Once the volume is raised a little, not only an energetic feeling can be heard but the sound becomes orderly and the acoustical preciseness can be largely enhanced.

What surprises me most is the Line Cable ENACOM with its effect. This group of product which doesn’t look so hot on both pin and jack makes its main contribution on the noise elimination and revivification of original music signals. I didn’t really have any high hopes on this metal-less feel group at all, as I was apt to accept the work theory of [parallel connection] filter and that the series connection of Line Cable ENACOM between the signal cable and the signal amplifier could always generate a feeling of intervention loss.

But the acoustical effect was so different from my previous judgment. The Line Cable ENACOM not only harbors the sound filtering effect of the above two ENACOM products but can also express the delicate rhythm and make the music more dramatic. This is especially true for jazz and vocals, the Line Cable ENACOM can make the sound smooth and the rhythm dramatic. This function of restoring the essence of music results in an ultimate performance of the ENACOM, which not only amazed me but also on how cheap an investment can make so much a difference.

Generally speaking, the effects of the three groups of ENACOM are all positive. Even though I just used common wires and equipments, such as the Pioneer player, Logic A-35 amplifier and Wharfedale 75-anniversary speakers, the effect was still so evident! Moreover, I experimented using the AC ENACOM and the Speaker ENACOM on my bedside stereo, and the effect was still so dramatic!

My last conclusion is that the three types of ENACOM all have their own functions, and the functions are distinct. Especially the Line Cable ENACOM which I once looked down upon has a very special effect. The greatest characteristic of the Line Cable ENACOM is to largely enhance a common cable so as to magically convert the acoustical quality to be better. I used a cable which costs less than 100 NT to match the Line Cable ENACOM, but the change of acoustical quality surprised me so much that the final acoustical quality sounds like it came from a cable that costs at least ten times more.

So, among the three types of ENACOM with different effects, I think the Line Cable ENACOM is worth the most, with Speaker ENACOM in a close second. As I have many power supply accessories, the AC ENACOM, while impressive, didn’t amaze me too much. But the AC ENACOM is still worth trying for enthusiasts who haven’t tried power supply accessories.

Whether the three types should be adopted at the same time lies on what the enthusiast lacks at the present and wants to add. I think enthusiasts interested in ENACOM can buy one each like I did to optionally match the various audio-visual equipments and cables for playing at home to see that each type of ENACOM has its own performance space.

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