Hi farzad, Today’s best AC enhancement units aren’t "power conditioners" as we knew them even 5 years ago. Regeneration, Electro-magnetic cells, Graphene, etc. have obsoleted the notion of "taking something away", usually associated with power conditioners as they lower the noise floor based on passive filtering and choking of extraneous noise from the AC signal. The current TOTL AC enhancement products virtually recreate and/or transform the AC power. A few even audibly increase dynamic headroom over what is possible from the raw AC line. The right models will positively improve the sound of a good system in every way with no downside except the high cost. Best to you farzad, Dave |
"none of my favorite high end stores that I do business with use power conditioners in their showrooms..." Why? Are you convinced that they have honestly auditioned the latest AC Enhancers or are they summarily acting in accordance with their experiences with passive filtering products of years past? Can they tell you which ones they recently auditioned? Best to you jl35, Dave |
Hi toolbox149, Just unplug the conditioner's power cord at the receptacle if you are that worried about lightning. It is my experience that components need (often a lot of) time to warm up in order to sound their best, so restore power at least a half hour before doing any critical listening. Best to you toolbox149, Dave |
oleschool: "jmho this 2k plus range is where the real changes in conditiong etc are taking place upwards to 4k for regenerative power .." Yahtzee! I started my AC enhancement trials after the installation of dedicated 30 amp power lines with a Furman IT-Reference 20i ($3500), their TOTL conditioner then and now. Very well-built unit, but impact on sound was minimal, er, I mean "modest". I compared it to my ancient Chang Lightspeed CLS-6600ISO conditioner and the Chang was better, but still "modest". Sold the Furman and moved to a SR Powercell 10 Mk II and the improvement was like in the Wizard of Oz when it changes from B&W to color. Sold that one off in a period of financial hardship and went back to the Chang. The magic was gone but I adjusted over time (ie didn’t listen much and got hooked on vintage systems for a while). Years passed. Recently bought a pre-owned Powercell 10 UEF/FEQ ($2500-$3K for a pristine used unit including a TOTL SR power cord and FEQ unit) and the improvement in sound is transformational. I would like to know if any of the owners of budget passive power conditioners have tried a reputable-brand, equivalent-cost power cord on their digital source instead of their current/previous power conditioner? If so, what power cord and what were your impressions of the relative effect of each on the sound of your system? Best to all, Dave |
For those that can't sleep at night without a surge protector: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/ac-conditioners-audience-ar2p-high-resolution-power-conditioner-20... No affiliation. Best to all, Dave |
Hi oleschool, Your DIY power generator is effectively eliminating the usual problems with dirty AC from the grid. Excellent! The only thing left to address now, if you are inclined to do so, is the RF/EMI entering the wiring from the power source to the receptacle and possibly your system cabling. I just received two different versions of RF/EMI cloth from Amazon, one inexpensive and the other a bit more expensive, to experiment with shielding my power cords, ICs, and speaker cables, all post-power enhancement, from RF/EMI. I will let you know how it comes out if you are interested. Best to you oleschool, Dave |
