House Power Supply - getting the best out of it!

There are lots of threads about approaches on how to make the best of the household power supply.

E.G. Do I need power cables, or Do I Need a power conditioner, etc...

Having experimented extensively with cables, plugs, outlets and power conditioners I thought I would throw my 2 cents worh into the mix.

I will state now, power cables can make a noticeable improvements - if you buy good cables

• NOTE: as the quality of the components inceases, you will need a very good power cable (see links below for some pointers)

To start with, I found that buying a power condtioner early in the process had very little impact on sound quality, mainly because, as I discovered later,  my house power was actually pretty clean and my cables at that time were not capable of conveying any improvements it made.

So, as I was developing my own cables, I took the following aproach....

1. Determine the stability of your houshold supply (i.e. without getting too technical and by using my earsl)...
   1. install very good power cables on every component
      1. NOTE: I found plugging power amp(s) directly into the wall outlet provided the best dynamics andbass performance
   2. install hospital grade outlets where needed - they make a huge improvement by camping the plugs like a vice
   3. if you are still not happy - install dedicated lines to audio outlets
      1. NOTE: I stopped after installiing a dedicated line because there was no noise
   4. if there is still noise on your system - then get a very good power conditioner. I would suggest looking at $2000+ units - most units below this price point will probably provide very little tangible improvements and impact amp dynamics
   5. If you are still experiencing noise, then get a power regeneration unit.

One thing I have not mentioned here - My other cables -

• I.E. Speaker and Interconnect cables

I have already invested heavily in ensuring these were capable of extremely good performance. Without them, you will not be able to hear the more subtle imrovements that good power components and conditioners will convey.

For more info on my other cables Take a look at 

• What I have found makes a good-cable
• DIY Helix Geometry Cables

Hope you find this post and threads useful

Regards - Steve