Importance of Power Conditioner?


I currently using an old Adcom "power enhancer" and pondering power cable upgrades from stock, etc.

If I spend hundreds on a power cable from my source or amps to the power conditioner, how important is the conditioner?

Given finite resources, where should the money go, power cords or power conditioner. Or how would you spend the next $1k , 1 Wolff at $600 or ...?

System electronics
Meridian 508.24
Meridian Preamp
VAC PA 100/100
cdc2

Showing 2 responses by bombaywalla

There is no universal truth to power conditioners (as w/ everything else in audio!). Power conditioners could make a difference in your system BOTH for the better & for the worse. It depends....
I agree with Thorman: concentrate on clean power to your system from your panel (in the garage or basement) rather than doing a band-aid job in your listening room w/ a power conditioner. If you do not use an isolation xformer, then concentrating your efforts on clean power from the main panel will, generally, be cheaper than a power cond. (of course, you could put in 6-7 dedicated lines, create a new sup-panel, buy expensive outlets & rack up the cost!).
I do use a power cond. but only for the front-end components. All other components go into the wall. I find that this yields far superior sound + I do not have to deal with the power cond. sonic signature on top of the component's sonic signature. It's hard enough to get the sound right w/o a power cond. so I don't need yet another variable.
Power conditioners have diff. effects with diff. audio gear. You buy a power cond. today for the components you have today & all might be well. You change a piece of audio gear tomorrow, all of a sudden your power cond. has a diff. effect on the sound. You might like it, you might not (chances you will not are higher!). Then you are out in the market shopping for that synergistic power cond. Personally, this is the wrong way to audio but this is just MHO. In the end, it's your money & your system. My 2 cents FWIW. YMMV.
Stehno,

WTF! I feel that you are totally out of line here! Trying to pick a fight when there isn't one. I feel that if you have nothing useful to add to Cdc2's question then don't say anything. And....if you DO really want to fight, email me off-line!

Here's my rebuttal (anything else, let's take it off-line):
What is wrong in writing "there are no absolute truths in audio"?
I do not understand why you are nit-picking on this statement?

Inferior products vs. superior products: Sure there are but that's MY opinion. Somebody else might like what I dislike. Would that be incorrect? I'm not imposing my likes & dislikes on anyone. I'm merely recommending. If that person choses to blow off my reco, so be it.

Absolute truths I cling to? It's irrelevant in this forum.

Stehno, take a real chill pill, OK?