Plug Amp directly to Mains or use a Power Conditioner?


There have been discussions about whether to plug an amp directly to the mains or via a power conditioner. I live in a house that's 60 plus years old, with two phase (non-grounded) wiring in most of the house. The neighborhood I live in is also quite old with an ancient power grid. I have been plugging my amp directly to the mains, but think, due to the bad power distribution, I should plug it into the new power conditioner I have on order. I also bought some mildly upgraded power cords for both the amp and conditioner. 

I respect that some may suggest re-wiring the house or using a whole house conditioner. Probably great ideas, but I am more of a serious hobbyist than a true audiophile. Meaning that I am not going to invest thousands for electrical current remediation. 

I have my large-ish TV's plugged into decent Panamax or Furman line conditioners and saw noticeable improvements. I am thinking that my audio output may also benefit.

Suggestions anyone? 

 

motown-l

Showing 1 response by r042wal

Taken from the '10 Biggest Lies In Audio'

Just about all that needs to be said on this subject has been said by Bryston in their owner's manuals: "All Bryston amplifiers contain high-quality, dedicated circuitry in the power supplies to reject RF, line spikes and other power-line problems. Bryston power amplifiers do not require specialized power line conditioners. Plug the amplifier directly into its own wall socket."

What they don't say is that the same is true, more or less, of all well-designed amplifiers. They may not all be the Brystons' equal in regulation and PSRR, but if they are any good they can be plugged directly into a wall socket. If you can afford a fancy power conditioner you can also afford a well-designed amplifier, in which case you don't need the fancy power conditioner. It will do absolutely nothing for you.