[Jozurr]

Since we don't already have a thread for this, maybe we should since it's a very important aspect to getting cleaner sound.
 
What power conditioner or regenerator do yo use? What is your chain and what are it's effects on your chain? Would you recommend it?
 
Maybe we can even come up with a list of recommendations under $500, $500-$1000, $1000-$2000, $2000+

 

[Jozurr]

Reserved.

 

[geoffalter11]

I need recommendations. I here both sides of the a argument. Some say it is super important, others say it helps to extract the last bit of detail. Others say the fact most if not all homes have a lot of open wiring that it makes no difference. I see the idea of protecting my investments a worthwhile venture. In the $500 range, what is a good value? What are the benefits? How much improvement in sound can be had?

 

[sharktopus]

I've heard quite good things about Furman's products, and some of them are quite inexpensive.  I've seen a number of them in various bands/venues racks of fancy pants (read lots-o-$$$) electronics.  One of my buddies has this one and likes it quite a lot. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009GI7NC/ref=s9_acsd_al_bw_c_x_1_w
 
I was talking to one of the reps of a very high-end audio store here in Denver recently about power conditioning, and one of the cool features that a few of the furman ones have (I don't remember exactly which, but I can check) is the ability to boost your amp's power.  By this, I mean that they have some capacitors inside that allow for a constant output of power regardless of fluctuations in the mains, and can also provide a bit more oompf if the amp needs it for a particularly dynamic section of music.  I think that this is mostly geared towards people with speaker setups though, and may not be as useful for people in headphone-land.  Though if you live in California and are plagued by brownouts, etc. then maybe it would be worth looking into, I'm not sure.
 
Also, aside from power conditioning, I have always had surge protectors of some sort on my amps, dacs, computers, etc.  I have had two friends and my cousins' house all get hit with power surges or nearby lightning strikes that took out essentially every electronic thing they owned.  Computers, phones, the lot.  I can't afford to replace my nice stuff, so I use surge protectors on what I really want to keep 

.  Well, that's my two cents on the topic!
 
Also, some of the rack-mount power conditioners (across brands) have nifty little lights that pop out of the front (and sometimes the back) when you want some light on the subject.

 

[johnzz4]

I've heard quite good things about Furman's products, and some of them are quite inexpensive.  I've seen a number of them in various bands/venues racks of fancy pants (read lots-o-$$$) electronics.  One of my buddies has this one and likes it quite a lot. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009GI7NC/ref=s9_acsd_al_bw_c_x_1_w

I was talking to one of the reps of a very high-end audio store here in Denver recently about power conditioning, and one of the cool features that a few of the furman ones have (I don't remember exactly which, but I can check) is the ability to boost your amp's power.  By this, I mean that they have some capacitors inside that allow for a constant output of power regardless of fluctuations in the mains, and can also provide a bit more oompf if the amp needs it for a particularly dynamic section of music.  I think that this is mostly geared towards people with speaker setups though, and may not be as useful for people in headphone-land.  Though if you live in California and are plagued by brownouts, etc. then maybe it would be worth looking into, I'm not sure.

Also, aside from power conditioning, I have always had surge protectors of some sort on my amps, dacs, computers, etc.  I have had two friends and my cousins' house all get hit with power surges or nearby lightning strikes that took out essentially every electronic thing they owned.  Computers, phones, the lot.  I can't afford to replace my nice stuff, so I use surge protectors on what I really want to keep  .  Well, that's my two cents on the topic!

Also, some of the rack-mount power conditioners (across brands) have nifty little lights that pop out of the front (and sometimes the back) when you want some light on the subject.

That's their Power Factor correction which is a feature on the Furman Elite 15 PFi I am parting with. They have a capacitor with reserve energy and a low output impedance on the four power factor corrected outlets - they are also the most dynamic and best sounding of all the outlets IMO. Made a huge difference..enough where I was comfortable spending some more $$ on a power solution. If you have a budget of $1500, the deal on music direct for the PS Audio P3 is excellent. My research for the best conditioner under $1k which was my original budget led me to the Furman which costs $750 new - specifically the one with power factor correction.

 

[Jozurr]

That's their Power Factor correction which is a feature on the Furman Elite 15 PFi I am parting with. They have a capacitor with reserve energy and a low output impedance on the four power factor corrected outlets - they are also the most dynamic and best sounding of all the outlets IMO. Made a huge difference..enough where I was comfortable spending some more $$ on a power solution. If you have a budget of $1500, the deal on music direct for the PS Audio P3 is excellent. My research for the best conditioner under $1k which was my original budget led me to the Furman which costs $750 new - specifically the one with power factor correction.

 
How much of an improvement did you feel between the Furman and the P3?

 

[johnzz4]

How much of an improvement did you feel between the Furman and the P3?

Not as much as I was hoping. I haven't tried to A/B, but the P3 may be a very little bit more dynamic..Maybe. I am in love with with all the power monitoring that the P3 does though. Sound quality specifically, the Furman is a much better value. They also have a unlimited connected equipment warranty after $500 deductable. I haven't seen anything about a connected equipment warranty from PS Audio.

 

[Jozurr]

Not as much as I was hoping. I haven't tried to A/B, but the P3 may be a very little bit more dynamic..Maybe. I am in love with with all the power monitoring that the P3 does though. Sound quality specifically, the Furman is a much better value. They also have a unlimited connected equipment warranty after $500 deductable. I haven't seen anything about a connected equipment warranty from PS Audio.

 
Thank you. Do you think that the price difference between the P3 and the Furman was worth it to you?
 
I have ordered the Elite 20 PFi from Furman. I will post updates of what effects it has on my system, if any. Currently I don't use any power conditioners. I never had trouble in the newer house that I used to live in, but not it seems the power isn't as clean.

 

[johnzz4]

Thank you. Do you think that the price difference between the P3 and the Furman was worth it to you?

I have ordered the Elite 20 PFi from Furman. I will post updates of what effects it has on my system, if any. Currently I don't use any power conditioners. I never had trouble in the newer house that I used to live in, but not it seems the power isn't as clean.

At the discounted rate for the P3, yes. At full price, I don't think I would have gone for it. You need the 20amp? Could have grabbed mine and saved some $$ if all you needed was 15 amps. Regardless, I think you'll like it. The non-PF outlets are smoother but definitely compress dynamics. My preference was to plug all the audio equipment in the PF bank.

 

[Benny-x]

There is a MASSIVE thread on this topic over on CA that's been going on for like a year. Some of it gets pretty heavy and there are some deep comparisons for pages, but it's the defacto place i look for this now.

I'd recommend reading up on that one and then 2-3 others about network isolation and vibration damping. All on CA.

 

[sharktopus]

What exactly is CA?  Other than Canada, that is

 

[Jozurr]

At the discounted rate for the P3, yes. At full price, I don't think I would have gone for it. You need the 20amp? Could have grabbed mine and saved some $$ if all you needed was 15 amps. Regardless, I think you'll like it. The non-PF outlets are smoother but definitely compress dynamics. My preference was to plug all the audio equipment in the PF bank.

 
I think the more power reserve would be helpful. I have studio monitors etc all hooked up to my wall too at the moment.
 
Did you have noisy A/C or even with quieter power you still felt there was improvement?

 

[DancingBlue]

  What exactly is CA?  Other than Canada, that is

 
I'm guessing computeraudiophile.com

 

[DelsFan]

Because I found it used on Craigslist (and then read about it before purchasing), a couple of years ago I bought a PS Audio Duet Power Conditioner for $125 approx. (four outlets total, $299 list?). Into this unit I plugged in my cable/satellite receiver, Blu-Ray player, ZVOX soundbase (second from their top model), and television.  (Using $200/meter Wireworld analog interconnects and/or $105 Digital Coax cable from Kimber (DV-30) to deliver signal from source to soundbase.)
 
I only did A/B testing playing CDs in my Blu-Ray player, but found a small but clear degree of improvement in sound quality.  Specifically, everything was a bit tighter, there was a bit of air between instruments, strings sounded really like strings etc., and I could a bit more plainly hear instruments in the background that were either far in the background before or nearly unintelligible.  Using upgraded (Wireworld) interconnects made a small difference, using my Iron Lung Jellyfish power cord to supply power to the Duet made a small difference.
 
I only recently plugged my television into the power conditioner; I should do some A/B testing with and without the Duet with my Panasonic Plasma but haven't.
 
I expect to receive on Monday an IsoTech IVO 3 Sirius Power Conditioning Strip.  I will try and report my thoughts between it and the (less expensive) PS Audio Duet.  After that, I'll compare the IVO3 Sirius to using nothing but a plain $10 power strip.  For these tests I'll use my Linn Genki CD player instead of the Blu-Ray player for audio testing!
 
My first advice is, find a decent used power conditioner and buy it - see what it does in your system.  Then, if you can borrow a better one, or have a friend or acquaintance come over with his for an hour or so, again see if you can tell a difference.  My thought is, you should spend $100 to $300 to $1000 (maybe used) on "something", and whatever you intelligently select will probably be a long ways better than doing nothing.  I would have not (last week) purchased something better than the Duet, but I'm hoping to put together a nice headphone system so a) I needed something better, and b) I knew my four-outlet thrifty purchased-used device wasn't going to be enough anymore.
 
I'll report back next week with a comparison between the $300 Duet and the $900 IVO3 Sirius.

 

[Jozurr]

  Because I found it used on Craigslist (and then read about it before purchasing), a couple of years ago I bought a PS Audio Duet Power Conditioner for $125 approx. (four outlets total, $299 list?). Into this unit I plugged in my cable/satellite receiver, Blu-Ray player, ZVOX soundbase (second from their top model), and television.  (Using $200/meter Wireworld analog interconnects and/or $105 Digital Coax cable from Kimber (DV-30) to deliver signal from source to soundbase.)
 
I only did A/B testing playing CDs in my Blu-Ray player, but found a small but clear degree of improvement in sound quality.  Specifically, everything was a bit tighter, there was a bit of air between instruments, strings sounded really like strings etc., and I could a bit more plainly hear instruments in the background that were either far in the background before or nearly unintelligible.  Using upgraded (Wireworld) interconnects made a small difference, using my Iron Lung Jellyfish power cord to supply power to the Duet made a small difference.
 
I only recently plugged my television into the power conditioner; I should do some A/B testing with and without the Duet with my Panasonic Plasma but haven't.
 
I expect to receive on Monday an IsoTech IVO 3 Sirius Power Conditioning Strip.  I will try and report my thoughts between it and the (less expensive) PS Audio Duet.  After that, I'll compare the IVO3 Sirius to using nothing but a plain $10 power strip.  For these tests I'll use my Linn Genki CD player instead of the Blu-Ray player for audio testing!
 
My first advice is, find a decent used power conditioner and buy it - see what it does in your system.  Then, if you can borrow a better one, or have a friend or acquaintance come over with his for an hour or so, again see if you can tell a difference.  My thought is, you should spend $100 to $300 to $1000 (maybe used) on "something", and whatever you intelligently select will probably be a long ways better than doing nothing.  I would have not (last week) purchased something better than the Duet, but I'm hoping to put together a nice headphone system so a) I needed something better, and b) I knew my four-outlet thrifty purchased-used device wasn't going to be enough anymore.
 
I'll report back next week with a comparison between the $300 Duet and the $900 IVO3 Sirius.

 
Would be very interested in your thoughts. 
 
I have the Furman Elite 20PFi coming in and Ill see what difference it makes, if any. I have yet to get some decent power cords though.