In our quest to provide all hi-fi enthusiasts with a top quality extension bar/block that is sensibly priced and above all provides an immediate sound quality improvement we set about designing one to add to our “7 series” group of cables. The No. 79 is based on a tried and trusted aluminium lined design (strong enough to withstand being stood on by mistake although we don’t recommend trying it). In addition the on/off switch and neon light are dis-abled as this has been proven to be detrimental to sound quality.
We often read discussions about star earthing and surge protection, often these debates end in hostility and strong dis-agreements, MCRU don’t believe star earthing makes any difference to sound quality whatsoever and surge protection often robs the system of dynamics as it is one more circuit for the current to pass through.
The No. 79 features our bespoke internal filtering, inside the block itself and the mains plug, german manufactured filter units are installed and have proven to be an effective barrier to stop RFI. Radio waves often travel along wires which can result in serious degradation to sound quality.
The cable is soldered directly to the internal rails using audio note 6% silver solder, 7N quality japanese cable feature DUCC copper we have not heard anything better. Top quality silver plated UK mains plug fitted with a hi-fi tuning supreme3 fuse.
Standard cable length is 1 metre (no shorter length is possible).
martin.manson (verified owner) –
I ordered my No.79 to replace a cheaper one I had and right from the start I was amazed by the improvement! Two weeks on now and I continually hear more from my music, everything sounds so much better in every way. For me and my circumstance it is a significant upgrade and remarkable value for money.
It is also well made and I was surprised by the speed of service, I ordered on a Tuesday and it was here by the end of the week, and I live in Northern Ireland. Excellent!
David Burchett (verified owner) –
Stupendous!! Or to quote Robert Duvall from the film ‘Open Range’ – “worth every penny”. That is high praise indeed for a product owned for just 1 week!!. If this block had simply replaced a cheapy Argos thing that would make perfect sense. However this block replaced a very decent MCRU block consisting of the £47.50 silver plated block with AMR fuse, copper plated £35 plug and basic fuji something cable ( at £40 metre). That block cost close to £150 to put together and yet this block has almost kicked that into touch such has been the level of improvement! That i did not expect.
The components plugged into this are amp, cd and speakers that cost about £800 each, plus a £500 Panasonic blu ray player and Top of the range 50 inch Panasonic plasma. These in turn are all plugged into the block with MCRU leads costing in the ballpark of £80 to £100.
This block seems to have finally unleashed all of these items full potential. Picture and sound were really really top notch before – now they are awesome!! In our lounge we have some Dynaudio Emit M10 speakers plugged into an old Kandy L3 amp and matching CD – i bought the speakers second hand at Xmas for £135 off Ebay and had been really struggling to enjoy them, they sounded woolly and harsh and i was finding them quite fatiguing to listen to – a single album and i was getting a headache. Out of curiosity i plugged these into this block and lo and behold what a change! The M10’s are now singing and playing the Kingsmen CD raised the hairs on the back of my neck this morning such was the energy and sheer enthusiasm coming from the speakers. I now think i need to buy another!! Robert Duvall was spot on – ‘worth every penny’.
sadsammy (verified owner) –
It all started because I wanted a decent extension block to tidy things up around the back of my TV, jump forwards in the timeline and many purchases later and I am now the proud owner of one of these because I needed 8 outlets. Every step of the way, (add silver plating, upgrade the fuse, try a better cable etc, etc) has brought subtle but obvious improvements. This extension hub is the crowning glory at the moment, the picture on my telly should not be looking this good for it’s price range, nor should my sound bar be able to make such outrageous claims. In my view so far this is my money well spent. Thank you MCRU.
gowerstowers (verified owner) –
I bought this on a recommendation from MCRU to replace an old Olson Sound Fantastic power block which had proved an excellent upgrade over a standard 4 gang. On arrival, it’s huge with chunky high quality components from a decent cable down to a pricey fuse. Definitely has made a difference . Bigger sound, more refined and less fatigue. All genres sound beautiful. You can listen to music loud for longer periods without wanting to turn it down.
On the flipside, you’ll want to replace your power cables to your amp, dac, cdp, etc to get the full benefits and it does make the system sound warmer with less attack. Pricey, but my hifi deserved this upgrade and much cheaper than buying more hifi. My TV and soundbar is now benefiting from the old Olson and is looking and sounding so much better. Happy days.