[Gatepc]

Alright so i'm moving in with some family for collage and am going to be upgrading my system along the way. I've read that a cheap power conditioner will actually make the power worse and speaking that if I did get one I would want to keep it under $200 but I can stretch to $300 if its really worth it. Now i've read the post that others have made but this is slightly different. Let me explain, the house I am moving into probably has power problems I don't know this for certain but I think it does for the following reasons: 
 
-House is close to 100 years old and the power was put in during the 30-40s (it still has outlets in the floor)
 
-Light bulbs that are supposed to last 10 years usually last less then 1 
 
-A lot of the wiring is probably original, I've seen power cables in the walls (they are bare wires rapped in cloth to provent contact (likely illegal and dangerous!) 
 
with that said though a new breaker has been put in (last one still used those old fuses haha) and all new wiring is running to my room with 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits 
 
So will it be clean power or is there something else I should worry about? I wouldn't trust the power companies in the area either. Its about 5 miles from a nuclear plant but the power goes out a lot during storms and lights fluctuate a lot. So should I invest in a power conditioner or just get a heavy duty surge protector? I actually will have a dedicated 20 amp line just for my equipment if that helps.
 
I plan on upgrading to some fairly high end stuff around the same time. Possibly a Burson 160D with some LCD 2s and possibly a turntable if that matters.
 
Thanks in advance 

If I don't need a conditioner I was thinking of just getting something like this since I will need more outlets http://www.amazon.com/Cyberpower-CPS-1220RMS-Rackmount-Power-Surge/dp/B00077IS32/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2HWVN35AQ6TV0&colid=3EMTO2ZSPXTGC

 

[Uncle Erik]

I don't know what condition the house's power is in. But I'd mostly worry about whether it can deliver sufficient power.

The power supplies in your gear actually are power conditioners. They take AC and then put it through a rectifier that changes it into DC. Then it will go through a series of capacitors and resistors engineered to smooth it out into clean DC for the circuit. Really good gear will have chokes to further smooth the DC and some will even regulate the power.

You can have problems when there isn't enough AC to power the gear. You can also have trouble with a ground loop. Other than those, a fancy and expensive power conditioner won't help. No matter the amount of esoteric parts in a conditioner, it won't help if there isn't enough power coming through. If there is a ground loop, you'd be better off buying a $50 isolation transformer. An isolation transformer will take care of ground loops and DC on the line. You don't have to buy anything expensive. A $50 isolation transformer designed to keep electronics experimenters from frying themselves will work fine.

Though not incident to old wiring, you might have a problem with EFI/RFI. Effective filters for that are $3-$5 at most places. You would need to build them into an enclosure. However, don't pay hundreds for a filter that costs a few dollars.

Do not let myth and superstition lead you into paying huge smounts of money for something your power supply already takes care of. Even old knob-and-tube wiring works fine, though it might not be as safe to work on as modern wiring. But if in good condition, it'll work fine with your power supply.

 

[Gatepc]

Thanks a ton for this information. My father who currently lives there also has a headphone amp. I don't think there is any ground loop problems. One thing I just remembered though is that his amp did die on him after about 3 weeks and had to get it replaced. It might have been the power transformer on the amp that died.... I don't think that's a good sign haha. If anything I think the house tends to send too much electricity to things. Maybe I should buy a volt meter and watch the voltage coming into the house and see how badly it fluctuates. 
 
Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Transformer death usually has more to do with a bad transformer than bad wiring.

DC on the line can contribute to transformer death, but that's the fault of the power company, not the wiring.

You can build a DC blocker for under $10, though an isolation transformer would also take care of it.

 

[zotjen]

Based on your description, are you sure it's actually safe to move into this place?

 

[Gatepc]

Well the house it self is in great condition other then electrical. And they are replacing some of the more dangerous stuff in the house (electrically wise) I mean its been there for about a 100 years with not fires or anything so why would it start now? But I think I'm just going to get a heavy duty power strip and maybe a mutli meter so I can monitor the voltages. 
 
 

 

[DaveBSC]

Measure your voltage at the outlets you are planning to use in your system. You want a nice steady 120V, at least close to that. Yes equipment can be plugged straight into the wall, and most amplifiers will sound better that way than plugged into a cheap series "conditioner" (read: power strangler). If you are seeing any kind of wild swings in there, like more than 125V or less than 115V, you will risk damaging your equipment, and a voltage regulator like one of the big Furmans may be a wise investment. If you have decent voltage, you may still want to try something like a PS Audio Duet. Very affordable, and it will protect your equipment from crazy power spikes and what not in the way that "surge protectors" won't A typical surge protector does basically nothing if you give it like 140V for example. The PS will shut itself off to protect the equipment.
 
Power quality is a huge variable, and some people's homes may have absolutely no need for a high-end conditioner like a Shunyata, Audience, Running Springs, or a big balanced transformer like a B-P-T or an Equi=Tech. I think most people CAN benefit from these devices though, provided the equipment has high enough resolution to benefit. Some components like the Levinson flagship amplifiers can regulate their own power and don't really need any help, and most of the digital amps with switching power supplies also don't seem to benefit because they are also basically self regulating. Just about everything else though I think can improve when attached to a Hydra V-ray, or an AR6-TS, or a Dmitri.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Old does not necessarily mean dangerous. Even properly maintained knob-and-tube works fine. Though you have to be careful about deteriorated insulation, etc. Still, I have a few electric fans pushing 100 years and, as long as the insulation is good, they're safe to use. Plenty of old electrical stuff is fine as long as you give it a going over and replace what's work out.

If they're upgrading the electrical system, consider a nice grounding rod. These are usually long copper-jacketed steel rods. Not terribly expensive (often under $50) and you simply drive it into the earth and connect ground to it. Some old places don't have a good ground - some connect ground to water pipes or don't have one at all. But a grounding rod is the gold standard. It might help with ground loops, but more than anything, it really increases safety. If something goes wrong, the electricity will be very, very pleased to go to earth through a nice grounding rod.