Soon after I posted that Dr Anwar Ali was the first Malaysian hi-fi designer to have his product selected for Stereo Times’ Most Wanted Component List, Frank Voon WhatsApped me today to gently remind me that his Ultra Bank had been named as a Most Wanted Component by Stereo Times in 2015 and 2017.
So this post serves to set the record straight and I apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Stereo Times Most Wanted Components 2015
Frank Acoustics Ultra Bank UB-25000Ws Power Conditioner (US$4,500). I really don’t know why this unit is called an AC power conditioner because it operates very different from any power conditioner I have ever experienced. This unit surpasses anything and everything that any power conditioner I have ever owned, and I am not ashamed to say I have owned a few. To best describe what the Frank Ultra Bank UB-25000Ws PC does is not try to describe it in this short paragraph. However their website says “The shunt reactor is an absorber of reactive power, thus increasing the energy efficiency of the system”. In other words this unit will take your system to heights unimaginable. Trust Me. This unit will put your system on Steroids. Worth every dime of the asking price. (Clement Perry, David Caplan, Moreno Mitchell)
Frank Acoustics Ultra Bank UB25000Ws (US$4,600). Frank Voon surprised me this year with a new version of his Power Bank (reviewed here) which he now calls the Ultra Bank, and with a new model number to boot. As before, he was unwilling to delve into the details of the new device save that it contains a radical grounding component built inside, and which can be obtained separately (review forthcoming). The difference between pre-UB and post-UB? Think of it as drinking from a stale fetid puddle of larvae-infested water (before) and a deep, ice-clear, minty, fresh lake the size of Loch Lomond (after). I kid you not. Ignore this at your peril. (Stephen Yan)
Stereo Times Most Wanted Components 2017
Frank Acoustics Ultra Bank UB-25000Ws Power Bank(US$5,800). Got an additional unit in October and am shocked at my system’s newfound energy and drive. Now I see why so many owners have more than one! Only downside is the price increase to import into the USA. This most unusual device operates very differently from AC conditioners and thus works quite well plugged directly into one. Has quite an impact on the system’s overall virility as well as delicacy and overall quietness. Images appear more resolute as they pop out against a jet black and velvety background. To best describe what the Frank Ultra Bank UB-25000Ws Power Bank does: “This shunt reactor is an absorber of reactive power, thus increasing the energy efficiency of the system,” says its designer Frank Voon. (Clement Perry, David Caplan, Ron Cook, Dan Secula)
