Anybody stop using power conditioning?

I have removed all except one device, It is used to keep the DSS receiver, VPI record cleaner and Dolby Processor from interfering with my two channel.

This conditioner has four switches on the front panel that cut power to the four devices protected by it. When its time to listen to two channel, all the switches go to off. Even better than conditioning them is removing their power from the wall.

There is no conditioning on any component in the system except for described above. Power conditioning applied to my preamp, phono stage, speakers and amps have all served to reduce performance.

The best any device did was the Accuphase. It helped the digital a little and the dealer suggested I try it on my preamp. I warned about the preamp being high draw and they said "No problem, plug it in."

We did, and after the smoke cleared it was removed from the system. I have only tried the Hydra since then and have lost interest in doing additional testing.

I don't doubt your position Stehno, it's just that in my system every conditioner applied to my main (two channel) gear made the music worse. It would be senseless to continue to use a product based solely on theory.

As already stated, a one time exception was a test with my digital player. Although the Accuphase provided some improvement, it cost six times more than the player it was providing power for.

On the topic of dedicated lines, if they are done properly they reduce the stress of sharing load with other devices. This can be significant in systems where the equipment draws heavy on the line. As for power cords, the good ones are audible whether connected directly or through any of the line conditioners I've tested.

A perfect example is the Walker motor controller. The aftermarket power cable supplying 120 from the wall to the controller makes a big difference in sound. Although this is called a controller, it is a regenerator and therefore, my one "successful" power conditioner.

A sonic signature here was hard for me to accept. The power entering the Walker is converted and then regenerated before outputting to the turntable motor. Logically that would remove any effect or personality the power cord could impart.

Far from it, even after the regenerated power turns that motor which is driving a brass pulley, turning a silk belt that is spinning a 60 pound lead platter on an air bearing, it is not only audible, it can be altered significantly by various brands and designs of power cords.

Crazier still, whatever personality that cable has on the Soundlab speakers, amps, and preamps is exactly the same personally it imparts on the turntable.

So far, all of the power conditioners I tested were effected by the choice of power cable. That personality or sound is also delivered through to everything it is providing conditioning for.

There are two new Audiogon members invited for music this coming Tuesday. If they wish, we can do a quick test and they can post here based on their own listening experience. I will ask if they have interest in this.

Visitors that have been coming around long term are no longer amazed by this, it is taken for granted due to the number of times this has been tested and identified.

Capeguy, I have no protection. It does worry me, especially during those electrical storms that Texas and Oklahoma are famous for.

When the weather turns really ugly, I simply do not play my stereo. Sometime I get so paranoid I unplug the main components.

I too received a lighting strike, probably nearly twenty years ago, but still fresh on my mind. The damage was almost identical as described by you, including (thank goodness) my stereo escaping any damage at all.

I don't like what the PS Audio does to the music. They were ineffective with my Soundlabs (powering back plates) and Soundlabs draw only one eighth of an amp at 120 volts.

The Soundlabs are an excellent place to test conditioners, whatever sound the filtering adds or takes away is obvious and immediate. That personality is additive and identical in every other component it's tested on.

Comments here at Audiogon about balanced lines have all spoken favorably. A friend who also owns my same preamp and speakers and who's opinion I respect said balanced lines helped in his home, and there appears to be no downside.

So far the only bad news is the parts costs. After much testing, the best results were from large air core transformers, hand made in Switzerland. They are very expensive and require a fairly large mounting space near the AC panel.

The economy needs to turn around and my business must improve before I venture into multi thousand dollar investments for experimentation.

I just finished my living rooms acoustic treatment, rebuilt my Soundlab cores and back plates and had six new power cables built by Purist Audio. These were a small miracle, beating my Dominus like Dominus beat OEM cords, but they were very expensive.

When I recover from all that and test the new Bruce Moore 225 Mono blocks that are on the way, I hope to do more experiments on power. Possibly the balanced approach.