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Does a dedicated circuit need power conditioning?

post #1 of 21
4/2/08 at 3:40pm
Thread Starter 
Folks, I have a dedicated circuit that comes into my office. By dedicated I mean that there is a circuit into my office directly from the house breaker box and there are no other outlets on the circuit.

I plan to turn it into a 110 circuit and have it terminate into either a regular plug or an in wall power conditioner that fits into the box.

I have never had the option of a dedicated circuit before and don't have any idea if it's dedicated nature is sufficient in terms of being "conditioned". There are certainly other breakers in the box and I suppose that upstream from my breaker box there are other things going on with the city power. I have always understood that conditioning was useful for taking noise out from other appliances in the house or whatever that were on the same circuit.

So, in the opinion of the power knowledgeable folks, is the dedicated circuit sufficient or should I go ahead and whack a conditioner into the wall?
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post #2 of 21
4/2/08 at 4:58pm
The best way to determine this would be to try both and hear what sounds best to you

I have dedicated lines running to my equipment. I use an Isoclean infront of the Pre-amps and Vinyl power supplies.
I found the CD player sounds best on it's own leg out of the wall.
The amps are also on their own legs right out of the wall
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post #3 of 21
4/2/08 at 6:57pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the response.

I was trying to decide between one of those power conditioners that you can mount directly into the Jbox and a separate piece of equipment.

It sounds like a separate device is the way to go - it will give me the greatest flexibility in terms of power setup.
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post #4 of 21
4/2/08 at 7:01pm
I use three dedicated 20 amp lines for my stereo. The only conditioning I use is I run my CDP through an Audio Magic Stealth power purifier. Everything else(preamp, 2 amps, phonostage, turntable) run direct.
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post #5 of 21
4/2/08 at 7:24pm
I run 1 dedicated 20amp line and I found PSA products improve the sound.
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post #6 of 21
4/2/08 at 10:55pm
i use Marigo Power Conditioner for my Turntable, phono stage, pre amp and power amp, and its improve the sound, just try it
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post #7 of 21
4/3/08 at 12:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tom hankins View Post
I use three dedicated 20 amp lines for my stereo. The only conditioning I use is I run my CDP through an Audio Magic Stealth power purifier. Everything else(preamp, 2 amps, phonostage, turntable) run direct.
By direct you mean straight into the wall socket? Sorry for my silly question
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post #8 of 21
4/4/08 at 12:52am
Man, I envy you. I have to deal with apartment electricity... I can't even come close to affording a house in Los Angeles since I blow most of my money on electronics and my daughter.
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post #9 of 21
4/4/08 at 3:42am
If you do decide on a conditioner, make sure it's a good one... Even with my audio equipment on the same circuit as a handful of other heavy-use electronics (including a ceramic heater, humidifier, and a computer), it still sounds better to me when it's all plugged straight into the wall, versus some of the less-expensive conditioners I've tested (up to around $150).
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post #10 of 21
4/4/08 at 10:09am
Of course, a GOOD power filter, or several ones PER LINE (the more lines, the better), will always be better than no filter.
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post #11 of 21
4/4/08 at 1:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jolida302 View Post
Of course, a GOOD power filter, or several ones PER LINE (the more lines, the better), will always be better than no filter.

This is not true. Power conditioners do not always help the sound. In my case (and I have tried many of the best out there) they have only made a slight difference for the better when used to keep digital signals from everything else. In all other cases they either where worse or showed no improvment when compared to my dedicated lines.
Wether you need conditioning is dependent on (IMO) your location as much or more than anything else.

edit: For the record, I usewd products from the following...Audio Magic, Panamax, PS Audio, Furman, Lightspeed.
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post #12 of 21
4/16/08 at 8:53am
From the market, i can recommend Transparent "Power isolator" filters.
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post #13 of 21
4/16/08 at 8:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tom hankins View Post
This is not true. Power conditioners do not always help the sound. In my case (and I have tried many of the best out there) they have only made a slight difference for the better when used to keep digital signals from everything else. In all other cases they either where worse or showed no improvment when compared to my dedicated lines.
Wether you need conditioning is dependent on (IMO) your location as much or more than anything else.

edit: For the record, I usewd products from the following...Audio Magic, Panamax, PS Audio, Furman, Lightspeed.

Unfortunatly for you, you haven't tried the good ones. It has nothing to do with the location or even the power's quality. A good filter always improve.
Try Transparent "Power isolator". If it doesn't works, there's a problem in your system. Richard Gray filters can be add to "classic" filters as they work in a different way (Richard Gray work better on power amps/sub following my exp).
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post #14 of 21
4/16/08 at 11:26am
The rule is as follow: begin with "small" filters to filter your source(s) and preamp, which doesn't consume much power. Cd is the first thing to filter, double or triple filter if you can as it pollute a lot. Use a dedicated line for your CD, it's very important. Once you're filtering the source and preamp (the preamp is the most sensitive element to optimization), you can look for big filters to filter your power amp(s). You need a 1Kva filter for a 200Watt amp.
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post #15 of 21
4/16/08 at 11:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jolida302 View Post
The rule is as follow: begin with "small" filters to filter your source(s) and preamp, which doesn't consume much power. Cd is the first thing to filter, double or triple filter if you can as it pollute a lot. Use a dedicated line for your CD, it's very important. Once you're filtering the source and preamp (the preamp is the most sensitive element to optimization), you can look for big filters to filter your power amp(s). You need a 1Kva filter for a 200Watt amp.
This does not make any sense at all. Double or triple filter your CD player? You have got to be kidding me...
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