The PS Audio Powerplant 300 is worth considering. You could pick up a B Stock from the manufacturer for $750. I picked one up and have found dramatic improvements. Read the reviews on audioreview.com. Although expensive, consider the fact that it improves the sound on up to four of your components, and that it does far more than recondition the power - it takes it from DC and then back to AC again. The PS audio homepage gives a good explanation of how the unit works. I think this will give you the best bang for the buck, even though it stretches slightly beyond your budget. Also, I believe you can return the unit within 30 days for a refund if you are not happy with it. Best of luck with whatever solution you go with :-)
POWER: conditioners vs filters vs cords
OK. I've heard a lot of contradictory stuff on power accesories. I'm going to throw this out to the roundtable and hopefully clear up some of the fog. I've heard the following: 1) Most full blown conditioners ($500+) do everything better. They stabilize input power, clean up ground loops, filter noise and insulate against power surges. However, some compress dynamics. 2) Most surge supressor/filter units ($200-$350) clean up ground loops, filter noise and insulate against power surges. (but a good power conditioner makes the system sound better overall) 3) Good power cords kinda clean-up ground loops and kinda filter noise; their major advantage is a blacker background, better dynamics, soundstage and imaging. 4) If you have a full blown conditioner, better powercords are redundant and offer little advantage. Am I on the right wavelength here? I have a minor intermittent ground loop, and I know my power is a bit on the dirty side, infrasonic garbage wise. So the question is this: I want to improve my sound quality by cleaning up my power supply without blowing a small fortune. I'd like to invest between $200 to $400(list price) but I wouldn't be adverse to bumping the price to $650 if it REALLY makes a difference. What do you recommend? Your opinions on any part of this subject are welcome and product recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks, Morbius2130aol