Does high end system with dedicated circuits need grounding products

well ok I have enjoyed the SR active block SE for several days and my impressions are positive.

I generally like something new to sound better immediately and that box was checked here. Sure it could be perception bias or lot of other subjective things but a good start. Nothing worse than first thing you notice is sounds worse or sounds the same.

The other factor is listening for several days with both digital and analog sources. I find that the bigger improvement is with digital. I would say that in my system at least its worth it just for digital. Soundstage seemed bigger and/or better instrument separation. However, I only listen to digital 25 percent of the time.

Luckily I found it made an improvement as well with analog albeit less pronounced. I believe that for one thing its not recommended to connect the turntable or phono cable to the ground block. So the benefit is indirect from everything else plugged into the ground block.

As much as I was kind of hoping budget-wise to just return this item it seems its worth the money for me since my dealer threw in several hd cables to lessen the financial pain. I did not try any of the basic cables.

I know some people scoff at SR or at grounding blocks in general but if you can audition yourself at home not sure insisting that it cannot help is very open minded approach to this hobby.

Well despite my low expectations I am going to try the SR Active Block SE to add to my dedicated circuits and power conditioner and see if I like the addition.

The only reason that I am willing to risk it frankly is because I can return it.

I am guessing it will have some effect so question will be whether the difference is positive over time and enough to justify the costs (albeit I got a good price).

@8th-note   Your post brings up a very good point. IME, a big wall sucking amp will almost always need a dedicated line. Not so much for the little flea powered or lower powered amp. The voltage sag that you mention is the culprit...which doesn't seem to really have to do so much with grounding. In my system, with my big Rowland on the dedicated line, I get better sound from not having any other gear on that line, even though it is a 20 amp line! OTOH, with my lower powered tube amps, this is not a requirement and all can easily be accommodated on the dedicated line. 

I went to AXPONA in 2018 and heard a demo of an Ansuz power distributor/grounding gizmo. It was their top end model and cost $20k but I don't remember the model number. IIRC one of the main features of the thing was that it acted as a star grounding system. The system consisted of Raidho speakers and Ansuz amplification. They compared the system with a high quality power strip (I don't remember which brand) and then they unplugged everything and replugged all the components into the Ansuz unit.

Before I go any further I should let you know that my bias is toward skepticism regarding tweaks like this. Turns out that this little demo changed my mind about this type of product. There was an unmistakable difference with and without the Ansuz - the Ansuz was quieter and the backgrounds were "blacker." I don't poo poo this stuff anymore.

It could be that the power in the hotel was awful and that any good power conditioner/filter would have helped. I also would not spend $20k for such a thing because I would upgrade several other components first. But I have to admit that it made a demonstrable difference and if I had a mid 6 figure system I would seriously consider  buying it.

One more note regarding dedicated outlets. One of the main reasons to install 1 or more dedicated outlets is to prevent voltage sag which can definitely affect how your components perform. If your amp draws a lot of power and your other gear is on the same circuit the voltage will sag considerably, especially if the circuit is a typical 15 amp line. Even having a 20 amp circuit to run everything is a benefit because the 20 amp circuit uses larger gauge wire from your panel box. In my previous house I installed 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits in my listening room - one for my Krell amp and one for everything else. I had good quality power and my voltage never dropped below 120 on either line.

The better the grounding schemes of the individual components in your system (and assuming your house wiring is to code), the more you will find that such grounding boxes have less effect if any at all.


A properly grounded bit of audio electronics will have its chassis grounded by the AC cord, but its electronics will not be tied directly to that chassis. In this way the chassis can provide shielding without opening the component to ground loops. The sound is more 3D and the background noise lower, as compared the same circuit that lacks proper grounding.

I also have Frey 2 power cables throughout my system. Quality power cables make a significant difference as well. My experience has been that consistent power cables and interconnects help balance the system. Obviously power conditioning plays a big part. Since going to complete Nordost cabling in my system, along with their power conditioning QX4 I have witnessed a smoother deeper sound. Hope that helps 

I just installed the Nordost QX4 and QBase 8 and am very happy with it. It made a noticeable improvement in my sound

I have the SR active ground block with the better ground wires and orange fuse.  I also have the 12-outlet power conditioner UEF-SE and a black outlet. I have a dedicated 8 GA wire line. Like Tom said, your mileage may vary. In terms of improvement, the conditioner has the better ROI, followed by the dedicated line. Cannot say much about the orange fuse in it as I have not tried swapping it. The active ground block is the least as far as return on investment is concerned. This is in my system, might be different in another one. Hope that helps. 

+1 to Mike’s excellent answer and description of what a solid and beneficial system tweak/enhancement can be had from employing these system upgrades. IMO, the first step would be dedicated lines and judicial listening. If more improvements are thought to be warranted then you should explore similar products to those you have already listed. Just make sure to listen and measure at each step to determine if the added pieces move you in the right direction to achieve your end goal. Test and measurements rules the day. Some of the reported improvements will always be system dependent and some are cleverly disguised “film-flam” (a highly technical term 🤔).  YMMV.

I have cryogenically treated and TC coated 4 ga wire bring 240V to a step down, then 120V to my conditioner. So the system is transformer isolated, with its own earth ground connected to a grounding block on the conditioner. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 

The Synergistic Research Atmosphere Level III interconnect comes with grounding clips. The included grounding plug is nothing more than a good quality three prong plug with just the 2 grounding wires connected to the ground pin. So I removed the plug and connected the wires direct to my grounding block. Talking with the Cable Co back when I was buying the IC they said that's all the fancy SR block is, a very attractive looking bolt and nut job, no special sauce or circuits.

So I don't know for comparing but no reason to think what I have is any better or worse than the SR grounding block.

Which is.... a small but noticeable lowering of the noise floor, a little more delicacy and a little less grain. But not much. Worth plugging in if you have it. Not worth what they want for the box. Although for that kind of money its hard to believe they wouldn't put a dab or two of the stuff they paste on fuses and outlets that makes them so much better. If they do, and it makes the grounding block quite a bit better, it just might be worth it.

Active may be quite a bit different. Would love to try one, if I didn't have so many more things on the list of things to try.

i think when we relate dedicated circuits to grounding we cause confusion, at least in the title to the thread. you do go on to discuss Synergistic Research grounding products.

dedicated circuits are mostly related to safety issues related to the A/C Power Grid grounding according to local electrical codes.

Synergistic Research products are peripherally related to the A/C Power Grid but more dealing with chassis grounding and performance.

there are lots of system performance issues related to the Power Grid and it’s ground scheme. in my system i have a separate building away from my house where my system is; i use two separate electrical panels for this building; one standard for dirty power such as lights, HVAC and normal items. then another panel, an Equi=tech 10WQ wall panel system which is a 10kva Balanced Isolation Transformer with it’s own dedicated ground rod. this panel feeds 10 dedicated circuits for my 2 channel system. certainly i do this for performance purposes.

OTOH i also use Tripoint and Entreq grounding boxes in my system which are not really power grid products, they are more like the Synergistic Research products you speak about. and they focus on chassis and signal path grounding, not the power grid.

do i ’need’ those extra products? no. how much do they have to do with dedicated lines? not much.

so really, dedicated lines have little directly to do with whether you use those extra grounding tweak products. you could use those without dedicated lines, although most systems applying those grounding tweaks likely have dedicated lines......since most serious systems do dedicated lines early on as it's a good ROI thing to improve power grid performance......low hanging fruit.