Objective Studies?


There seem to be endless debates across the internet whether a "power conditioner" (I always conjure a soapy head image when I say that) is a genuine need or just so much snake oil for the gullible in the audiophile community.  There appears to be at least some consistency that concerns about power conditioners should be near the bottom of the audiophile's to-do list.  Yet there are some who claim, vociferously, that power conditions make a huge difference in sound quality.  And so the debate rages on....

What would seem to be helpful is an objective/scientific study regarding measurable differences they can make, if any.  Surely someone has done a valid study of the issue?  I'm hoping to avoid yet another power conditioner turf battle on Audiogon by focusing this post just on whether objective/scientific studies have been done.  If you know of any please share!
kellen

Showing 1 response by helomech

Don’t know of any credible studies. I do know for a fact that DC blockers can work to reduce DC-offset which is a common power quality problem. Some power providers are willing to conduct a quality audit if you have legitimate concerns, like wonky appliance behavior or buzzing transformers. That would at least give you an idea of whether power conditioning is worth pursuing. I find that if the gear is well-designed, the quality of the mains power is not as critical. A high quality power supply will largely filter out the incoming garbage.

 You definitely want to stay away from amps with cheap toroids though it can be difficult to identify which brands are using quality ones.


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