Russ Andrews X6 review

This upmarket mains block is a great add-on for any high-end system... Tested at £350

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Simply by allowing your electronics to give off their best, this mains block is worth every penny

Pros

  • +

    Allows your system to sound wide-open, revealing and convincing

Cons

  • -

    Nothing, as long as your system justifies the outlay

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

Stepping decisively away from the standard and into the realms of the up-market, a mains block costing £350 is, naturally enough, not for any old system.

Performance

But if you’ve spent real money on your electronics (and let’s not forget, this is a six-way block and will support the entirety of a pretty expansive set-up), we’d argue that you need to consider this kind of outlay to bring the best from your kit.

Especially when £350 buys, as in this instance, a mains block so adept at giving your system free rein.

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No matter the source material you run through your set-up (and we ran the gamut from Sufjan Stevens’ John Wayne Gacy, Jr through to Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On to Max Roach’s Lonesome Lover), the Russ Andrews X6 is a revealing, seamlessly integrated listen.

There’s real coherence and balance to a price appropriate system hooked to the X6, and a sense of absolute fidelity where even the most processed sounds are concerned.

The sense of performance it facilitates is tangible, helping deliver impeccable timing and cashmere-smooth integration allied to a reasonably expansive soundstage and rigorous stereo focus.

MORE: Mains products Best Buys

Verdict

The Russ Andrews X6 allows your kit to be as explicit as wide-open, revealing and convincing as it is capable of being, with an underlying smoothness to the presentation it facilitates that only becomes more appealing over time.

In allowing your electronics to give their best, as long as your system justifies the outlay, this mains block is worth every penny.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


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