[headphone_speaker]

hi,
right now all of my gears have been plugged into a cheap outlet strip which was bought from Wall Mart. And that outlet strip has been connected to outlet power on the wall

my question is that what the power conditioner is used for.

if I buy a good power conditioner(can you recommend me one?), we will use the conditioner to connect to the outlet power on the wall and after that all of my gears will be connected to the power conditioner, right???
with that option, my sound will be improved right? (no using cheap outlet strip for this method)

or i just go and buy a good outlet strip(can you recommend me one?) not the power conditioner?


thanks

 

[spacemanspliff]

Do you have any power issues? Like surges, weird, low level hums etc in your sound? If not, then you just need a better power strip.

If you want to spend $150 or so I might have a great deal on a new power conditioner.

 

[Golden Monkey]

A power conditioner will help clean up noise in your AC power line before it gets to your equipment, mostly RF (radio frequency) and other EMF. There's several methods used to do this, like transformers that decouple you from the grid, to passive filters. Additionally, there are conditioners that reshape the AC sine wave (most battery backup types don't give a true sine wave, it's more of a sawtooth wave...this introduces harmonic noise), output true 60hz AC, and provide surge, undervoltage and overvoltage protection. What you get from all of this is a quieter "blacker" background to your music, less hiss and cleaner highs...of course, they are not really necessary unless you have dirty power to begin with, but most sensitive digital equipment like CDPs and DACs will benefit. There's a whole lot of options out there, some more effective than others, and some better suited to audio equipment (for example, most battery backups are not recommended, as they are for PCs, and the impression is that the AC they output constricts the soundstage and dynamics, escpecially if you have an amp on it). Check out offerings by PS Audio, Furman, Belkin's AV line, and even Monster...

 

[headphone_speaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif the impression is that the AC they output constricts the soundstage and dynamics, escpecially if you have an amp on it).

you mean that it will make our soundstage become smaller?

thanks

 

[Golden Monkey]

Yeah, essentially that's correct.

 

[headphone_speaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, essentially that's correct.

hum, it seems like it is not really a good move to buy a power conditioner when we have no problem with our power outlet

has anyone hear about the Bybee/Curl pro power purifier? do you know how much it will cost? will it improve my sound?

thanks

 

[earwicker7]

There is a camp that believes power conditioning is crucial. I happen to be one of those people. Unless you have a dedicated power supply for your setup, you will almost definitely have contaminated power. My last apartment had horrible power; there were hundreds of people in the complex and the electrical hardware was dirt cheap (damn slumlords!). There were low levels of hiss that I eventually made go away with proper power cords and conditioners.

My new apartment doesn't have this problem; the landlords know they're charging fairly high rent, so they make sure the place is nice. However, there is still occasional AC noise (I have one of those PS Audio gizmos that you can plug into a socket and "see" the noise... it went crazy at my old place), so I keep my power conditioning stuff just to use as a kind of prophylactic for those rare times that it flares up.

 

[Golden Monkey]

...and if your power conditioner also provides surge and spike protection, you get even more prophylaxis!

 

[Patrick82]

PS Audio Premier Power Plant and Quintet/Duet power conditioners are great, I haven't heard a restriction of dynamics with those. I added a Quintet between the Premier and wall and I got better sound.

When I used their old Ultimate Outlet + P300 Power Plant it sounded very slow and blurry. But with the Quintet + Premier combo it sounds less blurry than the wall.

 

[royalcrown]

Are you sure you just weren't drunk when you tested the former and sober when you tested the latter?

I don't think one should ever hear a "blurry" sound, or at least not drive during those periods of time.

 

[Golden Monkey]

Patrick has some insane equipment, so I'm sure if anyone heard a difference in power conditioning, it would be him.

Royalcrown - it's not a "blurry" sound, more of a "squashed" sound. Constricted dynamics, as in less dynamic swing, less quietest quiet and loudest loud. This is mostly when using a UPS, and not true power conditioning, I've found.

 

[ronnielee54]

I think the need for a power conditioner would be more prevelant in a metropolitans, apartment complexes, or condo developments. In my situation (single family dwelling in rural area) I just don't see the need for it. I have a Monster power conditioner with surge suppresion, but only because I got a cheap price on an open box.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronnielee54 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the need for a power conditioner would be more prevelant in a metropolitans, apartment complexes, or condo developments. In my situation (single family dwelling in rural area) I just don't see the need for it. I have a Monster power conditioner with surge suppresion, but only because I got a cheap price on an open box.

I agree for the most part. There's still a chance that some of the appliances in the house could contaminate the supply, but it's much less likely than in apartment complexes, where it's 30 people (or in my last apartment, 300 people) with lots of WalMart brand switched lighting pooping up the flow.

 

[royalcrown]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif Royalcrown - it's not a "blurry" sound, more of a "squashed" sound. Constricted dynamics, as in less dynamic swing, less quietest quiet and loudest loud. This is mostly when using a UPS, and not true power conditioning, I've found.

I was just pulling your leg

 

[regal]

Download a "silence track". Play it, do you hear anything? If no - a power conditioner will be a waste.