Power conditioner some say yes and some say no.


Depending on who I ask a power transformer conditioner can have a good effect on the sound while others claim they inhibit the dynamics of an amp. I don’t have serious power problems as far as I know but I enjoy my sound most of the time. I currently use a Hydra 6 for my entire system except for my amp where I use a Hydra 2. Would it make sense to invest thousands on a power transformer conditioner or would my Hydras be enough by isolating the components from each other. I was waiting for a Keces IQRP 3600 to try but the dealer I was to get it from died from Covid-19 before arranging my Keces to be shipped. I am out $4000 and am not so fast to drop another $4000 on the Keces. Perhaps in the future if it makes sense. I find that not many use transformer conditioners due to the dynamics limitations of the amp. Any help would be appreciated.
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Showing 3 responses by millercarbon

phillyby-
I have tried many, and good ones, sold them all. The only one I held on to is a PS Audio P-12 Regenerator for my front-end gear and it does what they say it does. My amp is always into the wall no matter what I was using. The PS can clean up the incoming and output a pefect clean wave form, and as importantly keep the voltage steady at 120V. The days when folks claimed their system sounded better on some days or at nights or weekends, the thought was more noise, well it is also the line voltage changing up and down.

To test this I raised the out voltage of my PS audio unit from steady120V to 121, 122, 123, and with each step raised the sound became less detailed with fat bloated bass, and by 123 volts the dark heavy sound was backlike days gone by in the past, then I lowered it to 119V, 118, 117 volts and the sound became thinner and clinical sounding, same as some days in the past.

This was an education for me, and from that now if a conditioner of any kind cannot regulate the voltage to a steady 120, then I would look for a unit that would. Going back to my front end with out PS unit, sounded OK, but then later on the day it sounded totaly different, I check the out going wall voltage and the reading was up to 123.9 volts and it sounded that was, even a dictated line will not solve a major issue that impacts all systems, day or night. My wall outlet is rarely at 120V, most days 122V and others 119V, highest has been 124V and lowest 118V.

When AC line voltage coming in the wall varies this is a natural result of voltage draw on a vast complex electrical grid. This is nothing like what happens when you change the voltage on your regenerator. The two are completely different, and in ways that have a huge impact on your comparison.

Power in watts is volts times amps. W=VA.

You cannot create watts from nothing. The power delivered is the power delivered. You can increase volts only by decreasing amps. So even though your panel and wire may support more amps you have limited it by increasing voltage. So of course it sounds worse. But if you decrease voltage then again you have a problem only now it is that you are trying to draw more amps from the circuit. So it sounds worse this way too. There is no free lunch. You are screwed either way.

I never have measured voltage at night. It sounds better then, but not because of voltage.
Impossible question to answer because there is no way of knowing what "a" power conditioner is. They are not all the same you know. If you get a good one it will be better. If you don't it won't. Yes it really is that simple.