Power conditioner helps, but you have to wait until it’s burn in and acclimate with your system. Find the right power cable to match your system.
Has a Power Conditioner Improved Your Sound?
My system sounds great. When it is on and not playing music it is dead silent. I tried a PowerPlant Regenerator and it didn’t improve my sound. Actually it slightly constricted my soundstage. Like most audiophiles I’m always searching for that next improvement and wonder if a power conditioner might add something to my SQ So before I start auditioning any power conditioners on a 30 day trial I’d like to know if anyone has experienced a significant improvement to their system, what that improvement was and which power conditioners they used. Right now I’m considering the Isoteck brand. Possibly the Aquarius or Electra. I’d most likely keep the amp plugged into the wall and connect my Streamer and DAC to the conditioner.
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- 86 posts total
Lalitk, you are so correct. Getting foundational stuff correct makes everything in the system perform its best, but it is very unglamorous. It's like getting underwear and socks for your birthday instead of a new bike! I am learning that power, isolation, room accoustics, cables, tube rolling, very non-sexy stuff is transforming my system into a much more engaging and rewarding sound. Buying expensive large components is way more fun, but without integrating each component with the rest you don't get the full benefit of your investment. A couple of years ago I bought a used Vivaldi Stack. This was the most expensive investment I had made in this hobby. After I wired the money the broker suggested that the previous owner would sell me his Nordost loom for a super low price of 47K. I'm sure they would have sounded great, but I was out of my lane. I could afford to buy the component, but I didn't have the money to integrate it. I sold the stack and went with a much simpler approach that I could afford to optimize. |
Perhaps you misunderstood my last post. It’s not about spending 4 to 5 times. It’s about finding the right component that offers no compromises given so much riding on it. In my experience, a passive power conditioner like iFi or Furutech would have yielded better performance with everything plugged into it. Check out the link for iFi with return privileges. If I were in your shoes, I would have ordered this combination to compare against 707. In my opinion, AQ707 is not the best choice for your system. I am using a $2800 PC that’s powering a system well north of $100K. |
I wonder if that's not the same effect which I have been observing these last 20 years - every time I make a major upgrade, some 'sparkle' goes out of the top end. I've come to realize that this is high frequency distortion. This has lead me to value 'smoothness' over sparkle or other tinsel. YMMV This may be what @ghdprentice is referring to. By 'major upgrade' I mean air bearing turntable, air gap phono stage, etc. |
I live in British Columbia, Canada and our electricity is generated entirely by hydroelectric dams. BC Hydro produces electricity that is 98% clean. I also live in a large city, so we don't get power outages, power spikes, lightening strikes or brown outs. Despite this, I still use power conditioners because I need 14 outlets and I've just always used a power conditioner. Am I an idiot? ( That's a rhetorical question. ) |
- 86 posts total