Power conditioners

A few observations in addition to those above: most of the comments so far line up with my own experience-- try before you buy (or have the ability to return for a full refund). I experimented with "black box" conditioners in my previous house (with dedicated lines) and preferred going "straight in." And the dedicated lines, alone, did not isolate the system from anomalies elsewhere within the household electrical system- a noisy light or appliance elsewhere in the house on a different circuit.

(At one point, I could not eliminate a nasty electrical zap heard through the system from the air compressor that drives my tone arm without its own dedicated line, a step down transformer and power conditioner, but would not have wanted to pass audio signal through that heavily "conditioned" outlet).

@Erik_Squires point about surge protection is a good one, but you can do whole house surge protection plus point of use without "conditioning." I did that in my latest set up- using a whole house surge protector plus a large (10kVa) isolation transformer (the size of a big refrigerator but half as tall) which has a surge board on it- that is dedicated to the main audio system only.

Last thought: not a bad idea to have a qualified electrician go over your household electrical system for any problems starting at the meter and working through the service panel to your dedicated lines. I tend to prefer commercial electricians but that’s me.

One of the first things to ask is: Are you sure you won’t suffer a devastating power surge?

For me in a thunderstorm and mediocre power delivery state (South Carolina) the answer is no, I’m 100% sure I’ll suffer at least 6 to 12 power disruptions a year and some of those will be lightning induced surges. The one laptop I lost since moving here was because it was plugged in during a storm and I forgot it wasn’t on a surge protector.

I also know that even if I had insurance I do NOT want to pack my amp into a box and then into the car for repair.

The other part of this is rather theoretical. Having a dedicated line in no way eliminates noise. It may reduce noise from other devices but whatever is coming down the power line is still there and even motors on other circuits can and do show up on the entire panel. I’d rather have noise filtering at the surge protector than not.

I wrote about my thinking in detail here, I hope it helps:

( My original post had an outdated copy of this article, my bad)

@tattooedtrackman 

That’s a tough question. How bad is my power ? Is there an actual problem? Or am I seeking a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. I would say that I am seeking a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist OR I don’t know about , yet. 

For me, it was good to get clear about this question. Because I don't have unlimited funds, it's critical for me to spend money only on the weaker links in the chain. Otherwise, I spend on something which is not really a problem and leave the bigger problems unsolved.

Regarding the quality of your power, ask yourself if the system sounds as good during the day as it does late at night, with the gold standard being Sunday night. Admittedly subjective, with lots of other factors involved, but if your answer is a firm yes, then I think it would be worthwhile. 

@hilde45   That’s a tough question. How bad is my power ? Is there an actual problem? Or am I seeking a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. I would say that I am seeking a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist OR I don’t know about , yet. 

Make sure you can return the equipment for a full refund if you are not happy.  If you don't have issues with your set up now.......   IMHO 

Not the answer you are looking for but as you probably already know, you have to try a conditioner in your system and decide for yourself.   

Avoid any "conditioner" that just passes electricity thought and cleans it up with "filters" or strainers.  These are likely to be current limiting.  Rectifying and inverting is the proven way to make perfect power that isn't current limited.  PS Audio pretty much invented this and still is your best choice.

Jerry

I’ve been reading about this question, too, for years and I share your curiousity.

The wisest response I’ve gotten when I’ve asked the question is: "How bad is your power?" In other words, is there an actual problem you would be curing or are you seeking a solution for a problem which doesn’t exist?

[This is a great response because it helps explain why audiophile's comments about power conditioners/regenerators/etc. are all over the map. Whatever else differs between people's perceptions, it is surely the case that local power conditions -- in a town or county or even particular home -- differ massively.]

My response to this question has always been, "How does one find out how bad their power is? With what measurement tools or local power company information can one determine how noisy their power line is?"

The answer to that question has typically been, "It usually takes professional equipment to determine this."

OP, if you’re the sort of person who only wants to spend money and time on a real and not an imaginary problem, I’d be curious to learn how you solve your own question.

@knotscott  Ty. I guess like u said there are many variables. I emailed Audio Research and waiting for them to get back to me with their opinions. Could take some time before I hear back from them. I’m the meantime I was wondering what all you audiophile guys would say about that. I will also report back what Audio Research says about that. Happy holidays!! 

There are a lot of variables in play, so I doubt there are many cold hard absolutes that apply. The wiring to a given outlet, the supplied voltage itself, etc., and perhaps most importantly, the power supply included with any given component. I know that Convergent (CAT) goes to extreme lengths with his power supplies, and recommends against any sort of power conditioner. I’m sure there are other components that would benefit from there use, and others that may not.

Sometimes experimentation is the only way to know for sure, but it’s always good to check with the manufacturers if you can.