Power Conditioners: Myth, Magic, or Necessary


I own a Granite 860.1 monoblock system which I love.I upgraded the power cords to premium $395.00 models.
I can hear no difference. I bought these upgraded PC's
because I thought I was "supposed to" after reading all the ads and testimonials.

The next logical upgrade for me is a power conditioner.Do these power conditioners actually improve the sound of my system? Or, are they like the "Emperor's New Clothes?" By that, I mean a hype.Are they a tweak for audiophiles obcesssed with perfection?
I am referring to power conditioners in the $500.00 to $1000.00 price range.I live in Riverside, Southern California where the electrical power is as pure and clean as the skies.
ernewald

Showing 1 response by cdc

How to decide if your system needs conditioning is the big question. Some thoughts:
1) If you see an improvement late at night.
2) Turn your volume up with nothing being played. How far do you turn the volume before hearing "white noise"? In my case I hear nothing even inches away from my speakers until the 12:00 o'clock on the volume. Since I listen at 8-9:00 them EMI/ RF is probably not a problem.
3) Try a "noise sniffer" sold, I think, by Quiet Lines or Audio Prism. If this thing has no noise probably not in your system.

Vrsola, you can get a mini-stealth for $499 from one of A-gon's "approved dealers". I forgot which one. They normally retail for $599. It is a 2 outlet version of the Stealth and the mfg'r told me identical in every other way.