AudioQuest Niagara 1200 Power Conditioner

Affordable Advanced 7-Outlet Power Conditioner with Niagara-series Technology

AudioQuest's Niagara 1200 seven-outlet power conditioner brings the benefits of highly optimized power management to far more music lovers and replaces the amazingly well-received Niagara 1000.

The most obvious difference between the Niagara 1000 and 1200, other than the 1200’s gorgeous textured bright finish, are the more universally useful shape and surprisingly substantial weight. The 1200 can now sit on a shelf like a component with all the in and out cables in the back. It can be used ‘face down' with the outlets in the air, fitting much better in the space between furniture and the wall. And, the 1200 is designed to stand on one end. 100% of the performance in a more useful package – and still priced the same as the Niagara 1000.

"So did the Niagara 1200 make a difference?" asks Reverso in a head-fi.org review for June 8, 2019. "Yes. Astoundingly yes. The magical juju in this box made the 'groove' in the music readily apparent. Instruments had more space of their own and that seemed to accentuate the attack of every note. Following the melodies and rhythms of each instrument became an effortless task. Rhythmical fills that were once buried deep in the mix became an intrinsic part of the presentation."

Optimized for Low Noise Performance

Designed by Garth Powell, the Niagara 1200 embodies the very same design philosophy and incorporates the same patented technology found in its larger siblings, the Niagara 5000 and Niagara 7000, but packs it into a smaller, sleeker enclosure at a fraction of the price.

Much like the Niagara 5000 and 7000, the Niagara 1200 uses ultra-low resistance solid-core wiring optimized for low-noise directionality, capacitor forming technologies that vastly improve linearity and minimize distortion, and low-impedance AC inlet and outlet contacts with heavy silver plating over high-purity Beryllium Copper for superior noise dissipation. Similarly, Niagara 1200 features our non-sacrificial surge protection, patented Ground Noise-Dissipation technology, and over-voltage shutdown. The Niagara 1200’s non-sacrificial protection circuits ensure that your system is thoroughly protected from AC surges and spikes, and the Niagara 1200 protects itself—no damage, no down time. Set it and forget it.

A System That Honors Verifiable Science

Though it's easy to boast, it's quite another thing to create a solution that is consistent, holistic, functional, and that honors verifiable science. It's not enough to reduce AC line noise and its associated distortions at just one octave, thus leaving vulnerable the adjacent octaves and octave partials to noise, resonant peaking, or insufficient noise reduction. Consistency is key. We should never accept superior resolution in one octave, only to suffer from masking effects a half-octave away and ringing artifacts two octaves from there. This is the principal criterion for AudioQuest's Low-Z Power Noise-Dissipation System.

Superior Technology

AudioQuest's patented Ground Noise-Dissipation System gives the Niagara 1200 two banks of direction-controlled ground noise dissipation. Linear Noise-Dissipation Technology provides more than 18 octaves of AC differential filtering with linear response, optimized for varying line and load impedance. Non-sacrificial surge protection withstands multiple AC surges and spikes up to 6000V/3000A.

Surge Protection Limits

The Niagara Series has automatic voltage shutdown for North American units of 140V (275V for export 220V-240V 50Hz countries). Undervoltage shutdown is not utilized, as undervoltage is not in and of itself what creates a damaged circuit. It is the massive overvoltage that is typically measured after a utility undervoltage brown-out is corrected. The overvoltage is what causes the damage, and the Niagara overvoltage circuit will respond in one quarter of a second, resetting the output when the AC voltage is back into a safe range.

• 7 AC outlets: 2 High-Current; 5 Linear Filtered
• Patented Ground Noise-Dissipation System: All outlets: 2 banks of direction-controlled ground noise-dissipation
• Direction-Controlled Ultra-Low-Resistance Solid-Core Wiring
• Ultra-Linear AudioQuest AC RF Filtering Capacitors
• Linear Noise-Dissipation Technology: More than 18 octaves of AC differential filtering with linear response, optimized for varying line and load impedance
• Non-Sacrificial Surge Protection: Withstands multiple AC surges and spikes up to 6000V/3000A without sustaining damage
• Over-Voltage Shutdown with Automatic Reset
• Low-Z (low impedance) NRG Series Silver/Beryllium AC Power Inlets and Outlets

• Dimensions: 19.61" wide x 7.52" deep x 3.41" high
• Weight: 15.1 lbs.

The Absolute Sound High-End Audio Buyer's Guide 2020

"This sleek, and surprisingly lightweight (though its performance is not) conditioner is filled with many key elements of its big-brother, bigger-bucks flagship 7000."

"Right out of the box, the six-outlet 1000 handily and noticeably lowered the noise floor, creating a sense of clarity that also seemed to increase resolution."

"Kudos to AQ's designer Garth Powell for bringing power conditioning to a wider audience."

- The Absolute Sound High-End Audio Buyer's Guide 2020

"So did the Niagara 1200 make a difference? Yes. Astoundingly yes. The magical juju in this box made the 'groove' in the music readily apparent. Instruments had more space of their own and that seemed to accentuate the attack of every note. Following the melodies and rhythms of each instrument became an effortless task. Rhythmical fills that were once buried deep in the mix became an intrinsic part of the presentation."

- Reverso, head-fi.org, June 8, 2019