[WireNut]

I’m wondering what AC members use for power conditioning in your home audio systems?
Are they a waste of money or do they really help?
Can they suck the life out of a system?

[WireNut]

Also, what benefits have you noticed?

[Early B.]

I've owned several relatively low cost power conditioning systems. The most expensive was a BPT transformer-based conditioner. Eventually, I realized that simpler is better for my setup, so now I use a Blue Circle PLC Thingee. It works much better than anything else I've tried - with a blacker background comes more clarity, detail, and a cleaner, effortless sound.

Unfortunately, power conditioning is one of those things in audio such that you have to try a variety of them until you find one that works best or you. Even the power cords you choose for them alter the sound, sometimes in dramatic ways.

[Folsom]

Understanding the sound you're getting and why is surprisingly not that easy. I've read people complaining about loss of dynamics when it's a physical impossibility. In some cases you find out your equipment just isn't up to snuff, or incompatible due to strange/inappropriate designs.

The Blue Circle is certainly going to be entirely passive. But I'm not into the soldering they do, as I'd consider compression to be best in AC distribution systems, and solder something to be used in conjunction when necessary. There's a safety factor in that. Plus I think some of their claims are taking some pretty big liberties. 157 filters? Well yes I suppose capacitors are filters... and there's a little subjectivity towards when noise is "sucked away".

I'll never live without one. Power conditioning made me a "Industry Participant".

The biggest benefit I think is actually a lack of fatigue that you get (or should). Improvements in all other fields may happen (or should), but the most important thing is what keeps you listening.

[jtwrace]

Well yes I suppose capacitors are filters... and there's a little subjectivity towards when noise is "sucked away".

Look forward to seeing your objective data.

[RDavidson]

Look forward to seeing your objective data.

Great way to stop a discussion whether you agree with the subject matter or not.

I think what may be the important thing to understand are the differences between, power isolation, passive filtering, and power regeneration and applications where their various approaches to cleaning power line noise and fixing power instability can affect the equipment hooked up to them and where they can't (or can't do it well in any practical way).

[SoCalWJS]

I have tried a couple of different solutions and settled on one that was better for audio, and another that was better on video. I think the results are more noticeable if you have more issues with the AC in your listening room - the better/cleaner power you have, the harder it is to notice. I took my power conditioning equipment to a friend's house who was having some other issues with his power and cable at the time, and the improvement was far more profound than what occurred in my system.

How to describe the differences......it's tough to explain in some ways. Most noticeable to me is the consistent sound I now get. It used to be that there was a pretty big difference in my sound from daytime to nightime. I live in the sticks and am fairly close to the end of the line for my power run. In the wee hours of the morning I really enjoyed the sound, but not so much in the afternoon. Now it's the same at all times of the day or night. I can also say that the background level is much, much lower now. By that I mean that I can turn all of my equipment on, but not "push play", then turn the volume waaaay up with absolutely no noise. It used to be that I would pick up some hiss as the volume got up there. I also think that I can listen at higher volumes more comfortably allowing for greater dynamics.

The tougher description is the generic comment that I think I had a "more musical" system afterwards. Instruments and vocals all sounded better/closer to the truth.

Why don't you try it for yourself? I'm pretty sure there are multiple vendors who offer money back guarantees. Try it in you system for X number of days and if you don't like it, send it back.

[WireNut]

Best Buy sells Furman and Monster I think. I could probably put one of those on my acct to try out. If I had the cash available I'd get two of the Blue Circle Thingies.

[Folsom]

Look forward to seeing your objective data.

On capacitors?

I think given the nature of audio the notion being expressed here to try and find out is an excellent choice. It's subjective. You'll find people saying they're worthless that refuse to try them. Yet they are regularly sold for some reason? Sometimes our imagination won't let us indulge because we can't understand why something would work; and therefore it obviously doesn't... Or the counter reason isn't true or true for the reasons we believe.

Muddy water, trust your ears.

[Early B.]

Muddy water, trust your ears.

It took me a while to realize it, but "power management" can potentially transform a system. By "power management" I mean conditioning (however you define it for your needs), power cords, speaker cables, and interconnects. Power cords, speaker cables and interconnects are akin to your audio setup's circulatory system. If your blood is not clean or the flow is impeded, you got problems. Likewise, the current flow from the wall and between components should be as "pure" as possible and cannot bottleneck.

I've gotten as much benefit from trading out a single power cord, for example, as I have from upgrading a component. So when it comes down to power conditioning, try as many reasonable options as you can, and suspend your judgment about the technical merits until you've heard it for yourself in your system. 

[Folsom]

A conditioner can not only work to purify the incoming AC power, but also prevent sharing noise that is leaving your equipment as well. Depending on the type of filter this means you're better off plugging in many things that don't need it because it can spare the rest of your equipment from more noise.

For example, you have an Audience Adept AR12 unit, do you plug your turntable motor in? This turntable motor is only connected to the turntable via a rubber pulley. The answer is yes if you don't literally have different service for non-sensitive equipment. Anything like this when plugged into this conditioner will go through a CMC, and cancel noise before it can be shared within the power distribution of your stereo. It was made in the motor however, and didn't come from the wall.

In other cases like an isolation transformer the opposite is true.

[Early B.]

A conditioner can not only work to purify the incoming AC power, but also prevent sharing noise that is leaving your equipment as well. Depending on the type of filter this means you're better off plugging in many things that don't need it because it can spare the rest of your equipment from more noise.

For example, you have an Audience Adept AR12 unit, do you plug your turntable motor in? This turntable motor is only connected to the turntable via a rubber pulley. The answer is yes if you don't literally have different service for non-sensitive equipment. Anything like this when plugged into this conditioner will go through a CMC, and cancel noise before it can be shared within the power distribution of your stereo. It was made in the motor however, and didn't come from the wall.

In other cases like an isolation transformer the opposite is true.

Hmmm... interesting. 

[SoCalWJS]

Best Buy sells Furman and Monster I think. I could probably put one of those on my acct to try out. If I had the cash available I'd get two of the Blue Circle Thingies.

I'd do a bit of research on the specific model of Monster before making that choice (I have no first hand experience with Furman).

I had a mid level Monster power conditioner for awhile. I never paid much attention because it was primarily for safety purposes. When I started to get serious about power treatment, I discovered that the Monster was deteriorating my sound.

I was surprised how much better things sounded when I took it out of the system.  why it was having that effect.

[Folsom]

I'd do a bit of research on the specific model of Monster before making that choice (I have no first hand experience with Furman).

I had a mid level Monster power conditioner for awhile. I never paid much attention because it was primarily for safety purposes. When I started to get serious about power treatment, I discovered that the Monster was deteriorating my sound.

I was surprised how much better things sounded when I took it out of the system.  why it was having that effect.

Unfortunately good conditioners are very expensive to manufacture and sell. I doubt anyone will find very cheap commercial units to be any good. The one from Pi audio and Blue Circle are probably the cheapest you'll find that do anything; well, outside of the DIY realm.

You get what you pay for in many ways.