[AlanY]

I was thinking about this the other day. People say that ferrites on power cords need to be removed because they constrict the sound and degrade sound quality. Yet, many of those same people are strong advocates of power conditioning, and almost all power conditioners contain chokes and ferrites. What's up with that?

 

[Solude]

When did power conditioners stop choking power

 

[michaelhwolff]

Quote:

Yet, many of those same people are strong advocates of power conditioning, and almost all power conditioners contain chokes and ferrites. What's up with that?

Your darn tootin they do.. That's why I won't use some of them in my system. They roll off the highs. Now with the case of the PS Audio, I unscrewed the top, took my trusty scredriver and removed them nast ferrite rings.

 

[markl]

Yes, conditioners work by *subtraction*. Is it possible/likely that conditioning could have a negative impact (depending on implementation)? Yup.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelhwolff They roll off the highs.

As I see it, that's exactly what power conditioners are supposed to do, or am I wrong? Everything else than the pure original signal (a sine wave) is considered a pollution which can potentially do harm to your audio electronics. That said, from what's been reported it's absolutely possible that they (ferrit rings and chokes) may have an adverse effect as well -- I was just amused by your «rolled-off highs». You wouldn't want artificial highs added by your power line, would you?

.

 

[AlanY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelhwolff Your darn tootin they do.. That's why I won't use some of them in my system. They roll off the highs. Now with the case of the PS Audio, I unscrewed the top, took my trusty scredriver and removed them nast ferrite rings.

Did you remove the iron-core inductors too? It would seem to me that the inductors would have even more impact on the sound than the ferrites, since the power has to pass right through the inductors (they're directly in the "signal" path, whereas the ferrites are not).

The other thing that comes to mind is: why did PS Audio put the ferrites in there if they hurt the sound quality? It's not as if PS Audio is a mass-market vendor; they're an audiophile brand, and these are audiophile power conditioners.

 

[michaelhwolff]

Nope did not remove the inductors. Does the PS Audio 500 and 600 have inductors. Hey, it's just what I did and I like the performance better. I have auditioned such as the BPT which is also "Audiophile". Didn't like them. highs were rolled off.

 

[michaelhwolff]

Quote:

why did PS Audio put the ferrites in there if they hurt the sound quality? It's not as if PS Audio is a mass-market vendor; they're an audiophile brand, and these are audiophile power conditioners.

Gosh well I never thought about that. Maybe I should not have modified it.

 

[Jahn]

My old amp sounded better going right into the wall instead of through any power conditioning. But my Melos seems to sound fine either way so i keep it under conditioning.

 

[helix]

 

[Edwood]

[size=large]DEATH TO ALL FERRITES!!![/size]

[size=xx-small]Seriously, I couldn't tell the difference with and without them on Quail Power cords.[/size]
-Ed

 

[rimmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood [size=large]DEATH TO ALL FERRITES!!![/size]

 

[Beauregard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood [size=large]DEATH TO ALL FERRITES!!![/size]

It's reprehensible that a friggin' hamster-lover finds it necessary to spew such venom about another creature that many of us find charming and delightful. I've been raising ferrites for years and I'll take them over your smelly little rodents any day!

 

[morphsci]

In my experience I have noted that ferrites can actually help lower the noise floor. But they can also reduce the treble energy. I prefer using the smallest ferrites possible and then using multiples, putting them on and taking them off. I rarely use them with my PS Audio 500. My Stealth seems to have extended highs when plugged into the PS 500 rather than the wall due to the lowered noise floor. MY MF A3cr is plugged into the UO of the PS 500 and I notice no diminishment in treble clarity or extension compared to plugging it straight into the wall.

It is a thin line and you need to decide for yourself what is your preference and what is closer to the actual music. Are you rolling off recorded treble or are you rolling off audible hash from rf or emi? Just an alternate opinion.

 

[AlanY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by morphsci Are you rolling off recorded treble or are you rolling off audible hash from rf or emi? Just an alternate opinion.

That was my guess too (some people like the extra "detail" that comes from RF/EMI-induced hash), but I didn't want to say anything.