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Experiences with power conditioners

post #1 of 9
7/2/09 at 2:10am
Thread Starter 
Anyone use power conditioners out there?

I recently picked up a belkin pureAV PF31 power conditioner from a friend.

I find that it makes my amp sound more...polite. i might go back to plugging directly into the wall or get a ps audio power bar (no surge protection) for more outlets


anyone else with a similar experience?
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post #2 of 9
7/2/09 at 2:44am
Had the same experience with a Xindak Power Conditioner. I experience that the bass amount was weaker and the slam suffered a bit. But it also help make some ambient sounds like a humm I found on my rig go away.

After that I bought a power distributor an Oyaide MTB-6. Everything was back minus the noise in my system anyway. You can still use the conditioner for sources the effect will still be there but it's usually better for the source. An amp would benefit from a direct power line like thru a wall socket or a good power distributor.

Off topic, try you conditioner on a LCD monitor. Now using the Xindak for my PC rig. The monitor seems to respond well that the video lines seems to be less even without changing refresh rate. the LCD I'm using can only go 70Hz at the resolution I want. =)
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post #3 of 9
7/2/09 at 2:46am
Conditioners can suck the life out of your audio. Getting a power bar with no conditioning is not a bad way to go. Some will change the sound of your rig. I use a Synergistic Research QLS 9. It was a little light in the pants until it was burned in. It sounds fantastic now. Big fan of Synergistic Research. It is hooked up to a Oyaide R1 receptacle. I have a Furman PST- 8D also hooked up to the R1. So I pick very carefully what is plugged in to what.
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post #4 of 9
7/3/09 at 12:22pm
I use a Russ Andrews The Silencer which I have plugged into the first socket of a Russ Andrews Blu Mains Extension, with the rest of my kit plugged into the other sockets. I find that it has reduced background noise through my cans from very little to almost nothing (only audible if I turn the volume to maximum).

I have used The Silencer for years in different houses with different kit and the condition of the mains supply appears to determine how effective it is.

I have heard it said that amps are better plugged straight into the wall socket, but apart from background hiss increasing, it made no difference to my X-CANs. I assume that that is because they do not exactly draw huge amounts of power.
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post #5 of 9
7/7/09 at 10:14pm
I just received a PS Audio Duet in the mail today. I recently moved into a new apartment complex and noticed i could hear pops and clicks everytime the AC/water heater/dishwasher/etc kicked in. I also noticed a harshness that wasn't there before the move. So after reading many reviews, i chose the Duet.

It's only been a few hours and I also replaced the wall outlet at the same time, so take this for what its worth.... I noticed an improvement in sq above my expectations. The harshness is gone, no clicks or pops yet (haven't run dishwasher yet), bass hasn't been affected (heard claims of conditioners making bass anemic), and no loss in dynamics that i can tell. I think a lot of power conditioner complaints come from speaker power amplifiers that draw alot of current. I think heaphone amps can be safely plugged into conditioners without ill effects. JMHO.
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post #6 of 9
7/7/09 at 11:41pm
The biggest (hidden?) bang in power conditioning is non-audiophile "true on-line double-conversion" UPS devices.

These are not the cheap UPS stuff that everyone uses but are expensive ($900-2000 range) devices that convert AC to DC, then pure sine wave is regenerated from the battery, not from the wall. Refurbished ones can be had VERY cheaply, often at 5-10% of "audiophile" double-conversion UPS devices like Audiophile APS Pure Power stuff ($2500).

IME, they work especially wonderfully for digital gear. Only caveat is they basically ALL need to have their noisy fans changed to a quiet one, e.g. Nexus fan.
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post #7 of 9
7/7/09 at 11:59pm
Thread Starter 
got rid of my power conditioner. used the money to get a new power cord long enough to reach the wall
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post #8 of 9
7/8/09 at 11:16am
I use the Russ Andrews Silencer and Mini Purifier, with the Quantum Electroclear x2. Music sounds tighter and more 3 dimensional.The bass is extremely tight and everything is more focused and refined.
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post #9 of 9
7/8/09 at 10:47pm
Big Poppa, x2. Jon L, x2.

I've had experience with lots of conditioners and while they all have benefits in some areas, they all hinder performance in other areas. The best way to go is with a power regenerator. They create fresh AC power by taking the AC from your wall, converting it to DC and then back to AC again. If you want to get an idea of the kind of performance you'll get from one of these, listen to your headphone system between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. when power usage is at the lowest for the day.

The cheaper Belkin conditioners and power isolator strips work very well for video equipment but are not so hot for audio gear. If you are using your computer as a transport it may not hurt to plug your computer into one. Try it and see if you like the change. I also highly recommend well-built, aftermarket power cords.
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