[MagusG]

Ok, I'm not in the market for anything quite yet, as my gear is still kind of lowend, but I forsee great changes in my future. I was wondering about power conditioning. I am young and right now I live with my parents, so custom power installs and dedicated lines are out of the question. I probabaly won't have a real place of my own, aside from an apartment for quite some time. I was curious about what could be done to help the quality of the power I'm feeding my components(that I dont have yet). I have read that a lot of you have the Monster HTS1000, what else is there? Also, I have seen these bybee quantum purifiers that Bolder sells. How are these? I guess I am trying to figure out a way to overcome poor power. What kind of suggestions do you guys have?
-Mag

 

[dhwilkin]

Do a search on "balanced power". I use a B.P.T. BP-Jr, and it made such a big improvement in my system, especially on the noise floor. That would be my vote.

 

[Andrew Pielet]

Power conditioning is the last step to building a system. Why bother lowering the noise floor when you can improve the music itself. Once you do have your system complete, it is possible the conditioner will effect the music in a not so good way (my experience). It is kind of like buying nice cables, when you don't even know if they will be compatible with your next purchase. Just buy wisely, and get your components first. The road is long in this hobby, try not to make too many mistakes in the beginning.

 

[Hirsch]

Sometimes it's far from the last step. It depends on your power. I had a serious hum problem with the EAR HP4 when I moved it to a different outlet. After eliminating ground loops as a possibility, I built a Jon Risch surge suppressor/power conditioner. It eliminated the hum problem completely. So, it's not just a last step in this case, but a necessary first step to get rid of a nasty artifact. diycable.com has a kit for the JR power contioner for around $100. You can search Audio Asylum to get a list of the parts, and probably buy them and build it for less.

 

[tom hankins]

These are the two best affordable LC's I've used. I like both of them more than the more exspensive Monster 3500 I had.
-Chang Lightspeed 3200 MKII, I like the isolated digital outlet.
-PS Audio Ultimate outlet, This is what I'm using now for headphones. It has 2 outlets. I've up graded the PC on it to a LatInternational AC2.

 

[MagusG]

Don't worry, I am still quite a ways away from investing in power conditioning and stuff. Speculation is a hobby of mine and I just like to find out about stuff well before I buy it. Just keep the suggestions coming. I will eventually get to my own research. I was just looking for some suggestions to get me started. Thanks so much guys.
-Mag

 

[SteeleBlayde]

You might also think about investing in a UPS. They provide excellent surge suppression as well as regulating your voltage, ie. clean it up. You can use it with PCs and the sort as well. Great backup battery too when you lose power.

 

[MagusG]

C'mon, I know some of you bigwigs have something to say about this.
-Mag

 

[sacd lover]

I like ps audio powerplants or ultimate outlets. The p300 powerplant is a regenerator that produces new power. The effect of the p300 is large compared to most power conditioning; better low level resolution, clearly less noise, freedom from glare etc. You can pick them up used for as little as $500-600.

The ultimate outlets arent as good as the powerplants but they are still very effective at lowering noise. More importantly, even though they dont do as much as a p300 they seem to do very little damage; such as restricting dynamics or changing the tonal balance by darkening or thinning the sound. Ultimate outlet standard versions go used for $150-200 while the high current models go for around $250-300. I use the regular versions and I like them much better than the hts 1000s I used in the past.

 

[radrd]

Quote:

You might also think about investing in a UPS. They provide excellent surge suppression as well as regulating your voltage, ie. clean it up. You can use it with PCs and the sort as well. Great backup battery too when you lose power.

I would avoid using most UPSs for audio needs. Though there are probably some that are very good, many will have a negative effect on audio quality. I can't say why because I'm not exactly sure how they work, but do a search before seriously considering a UPS.

 

[wahoox2]

I've owned the Monster Power HTS700, 1000, and now the 3500. I hav eliked all of them.
I've also owned the Panamax 4300, which I did NOT like. It definately introduced a lot of video noise, and seemed like maybe some audio noise.

 

[fredpb]

For a start, go to www.brickwall.com .

This is a surge/spike protector without peer, and a superb conditioner. It filters the power down into the AUDIO range, something most big conditioners don't do.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by fredpb For a start, go to www.brickwall.com . This is a surge/spike protector without peer, and a superb conditioner. It filters the power down into the AUDIO range, something most big conditioners don't do.

This can be problematical. The Brickwall is the only power conditioner I've tried that has had some serious deleterious effects on sound that are quite audible and reproducible.

 

[Calanctus]

I read a lot of web reviews on power conditioners, and the Audio Magic Stealth seemed to come out very well indeed. So I got one...it's significantly better than my Monster HTS1100. Even non-audiophile friends notice the reduction in HF noise. This was one of my best tweaks.

 

[bozebuttons]

I had the MIT Z center and still have the PSaudio High current ultimate outlet which is sitting unused.
I bought the exactpower EP15a Unit
that I borrowed for the NY meet and later added the matching exactpower sp15 balanced power unit for my front end components.
I am a very happy camper with the results they give, no mater what I plug into them. Much bigger improvement Over any powercord upgrade I have tried.