Titan Ares power distributor
When asked if I would like to review the Titan Audio Ares, I jumped at the chance as numerous people whose opinions I value have spoken highly of the brand’s products. I have been an advocate of quality mains blocks ever since the first high-quality block I tried impacted my sonic memory banks. I was even more intrigued upon discovering that Gary Campbell, Titan’s MD, had a close friendship with Max Townshend, whose ideas were a major influence on the R&D side. Titan Audio likes to back up audio theory with science, so they formed an association with Queens University Belfast. As Gary explained, this link-up has allowed them to prove what was heard in listening tests with hard data.
He went on to say that one of the focuses of Titan’s designs is to combat noise caused by high-frequency vibration. Research showed that low-frequency vibration and subsequent noise would only be a significant issue should the mains block be placed close to a primary source of low-frequency resonance, such as a sub-woofer, which rarely happens in real life. With this in mind, the Ares sits on 10mm thick acrylic feet which he claims “are decoupled from the body of the mains block to dilute both seismic and parasitic vibrations to prevent physical movement as well as EMI interference, which is caused by the parasitic vibrations of any metal surfaces.”
The Titan Ares block is wired with single-crystal copper, which the company claims allows for superior current delivery. Rather than using traditional star-earthing, each of the six high-quality mains sockets has additional earth cables feeding back to a ‘noise drain’. Here’s how it’s said to work: “The material is placed at each end of the block (behind the legs) and is a combination of an elastomeric rubber lined with aluminium. This both helps with damping but also uses the aluminium to absorb additional ground noise which may be picked up by the aluminium chassis from airborne EMI/RFI rather than pumping it back down the ground loop and into your mains supply.” Apparently Titan does not employ active filtering in their products which they believe can suck the life and dynamics of music.
Build and design
Titan’s philosophy is that low weight equals low resonance, but that does not mean the Ares is lacking in the build quality stakes, far from it. As previously mentioned, the feet, which form the outer side, are made from 10mm acrylic and moulded to a plastic core which houses six sockets. To the left, there is a master switch, which is protected by a flip cover. The block is usefully compact, although your choice of cables may mean it needs space around it. For this review, Titan supplied three of their mains cables, which were all pretty stiff and limited the area where I could place the Ares. This will not be an issue in many setups, but it is something to consider if you wish to hide away your mains hardware and cables and have limited space in which to do so.
To the left rear of the unit is an I.E.C. input socket. My unit was supplied with UK spec output sockets, but European Schuko and US options are also available. The purchase price for the Ares of £400 does not include an input mains cable, which must be budgeted for if you do not already own something suitable. Titan recommends that the input cable be from their Signature range, as these cables are of a higher gauge for superior high current delivery. A 3m length of Titan Helios Signature cable accompanied the Ares for review purposes. A separate review of both this and a couple of other mains cables from Titan Audio will follow shortly.
Iron fist/velvet glove
Before the Titan Ares I had been using a far more expensive mains block. So, in the interest of fair competition, I replaced this with another high-quality six-way mains block from a well-known British manufacturer, with a retail price far closer to that of the Ares. I listened to my system as normal in this configuration for a week or two, after which I replaced this block with the Ares. Having allowed the system a day or so to settle down before listening critically, it was evident that the Ares had a positive effect on my system’s performance. Firstly the bass performance was on an entirely different level from its similarly priced rival. In terms of both texture, depth and power, there was no comparison.
The reduction in high-frequency glare when the Ares fed my system was equally impressive. The noise floor was perceptibly lower, which allowed dynamics to thrive. These benefits worked to good effect on Yussef Dayes’ latest release, Black Classical Music (Qobuz 24/48), fed via Melco’s wonderful N1-S38. Many of the tracks from this album, notably the single release Tioga Pass, feature virtuoso bassist Rocco Palladino, son of bass legend Pino. Via the Titan Ares, Rocco’s bass sounded more powerful and realistic in texture and was now given more space to breathe. The music was presented with a better sense of weight, focus and precision, especially percussion instruments, which now timed better, benefiting from the removal of the slight glare I heard via the competitor’s block.
Boards Of Canada’s Music Has The Right To Children (CD rip) was another album that worked well with the Ares. This recording has powerful bass, which now punched through the mix with renewed authority. The soundstage is another beneficiary here and expanded further beyond the speakers and with a better sense of depth than via the other mains block. This album has lots of high-frequency energy yet at no point did this overwhelm the performance, which could occasionally be the case with the previous block.
Another CD rip from the Melco N1, Joni Mitchell’s Turbulent Indigo, showed that the Ares charms also worked with more subtle music. Here it expanded upon the already cavernous soundstage, enhancing bass depth and power. The third track from the album, How Do You Stop, demonstrated the transient performance that the Titan Ares allowed my system to deliver, with help from Carlos Vega’s drums, which now really grabbed my attention. The piano on Not To Blame sounded delicious, with just the right amount of warmth, it had sounded rather ordinary via the previous block.
With listening tests completed, I swapped back to the high-end block that I had been using before this review. I was pleasantly surprised at how close the Ares got to it. Although the it could not produce quite as expansive a soundstage, it more than held its own musically. The Ares was a match dynamically, slightly stronger in the low frequencies, and, whilst not matching the five times more expensive block’s level of detail and insight, delivered the music in what was perhaps a more organic and unforced manner. The differences between these two are subjective; the balance of some systems may indeed suit the Ares over its far more expensive competitor, especially if that system is prone to brightness. This got me thinking: if the Titan Ares gets this close to a £ 2,000 block, how good is the top-of-the-range HS-PWR?
Summing up
If such a thing as an audiophile bargain exists in high-end audio, then the Titan Ares would be a good example. It represents a huge upgrade over DIY store blocks and a considerable one over the similarly priced competition that I’ve heard. I loved the organic, weighty balance that it brought to my system. Titan Audio offers the opportunity for customers to return any product within 30 days of purchase if they are not entirely happy, so giving the Titan Ares and, indeed, some of the company’s mains cables a try should be considered a no-brainer if you are looking to upgrade your system’s mains feed.