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Power Conditioning on the Cheap

This is my first post here after a bit of lurking, so please be gentle.  I realize this subject must come up a fair amount and I've read erik_squires blog posts on the subject, but I was hoping to get the community's opinion on the relative merits of a few relatively basic power conditioners.  I've narrowed my list down to a few options at a range of (fairly modest) price points.  From low to high they are:

Furman PST-8D

ifi Power Station

Furman Elite-15 PF I

Shunyata PS10 w/ Venom Defender

Audioquest Niagara 1200

In a perfect world where I didn't have a limited budget I would probably buy something higher up the line from Shunyata, but since we live in a decidedly imperfect world, these are my options, although I would welcome other suggestions that fit within this price range.

I should also probably mention that while I value subjective reports on the sound quality of various products, generally speaking I give more weight to objective measurements or at least arguments based in sound science.  More embarrassingly, I also place a certain amount of value on aesthetics.  Aesthetic taste being inherently subjective, (a debatable point, but for the sake of argument lets just assume that it's true) lets just say that when I lust after completely unobtainable equipment it tends to be from companies like Soulution or Pilium rather than Dan D'Agostino or darTZeel.

incorporeus

Showing 3 responses by elliottbnewcombjr

elliottbnewcombjr
5,249 posts
 

You cannot improve a lack of a problem, and most people, myself included, do not have a problem.

Thus it's about confidence.

dedicated circuit is good, isolate refrigerator, ac compressors, anything else

I bought a Furman P-1800, here's an open box listing

 

It's the capacitors that are sending the juice, and you don't need to over-do it, only part of your system is on at any one time. you could theoretically fill the capacitors with filthy power, they send the same out. your quality equipment has transformers, capacitors, ... 

take a look at the diameter of the wire in the fuse before you buy power cords larger than garden hoses. the furman monitors/shows incoming voltage, if you had a real problem, temp or permanent, it would be easily revealed. I use it as a power center, 1 switch for all equipment, the preamp and amp power switch's will stay in on position. walk away for 20 minutes. then turn on selected source equipment via it's switch. they still get powered via the Furman.
elliottbnewcombjr
5,249 posts
 

’new found better quality power’

Better ISOLATED, i.e. nothing that cycles on/off to disturb the line, is NOT better QUALITY.

Problems prevented, a worthy goal, will NOT make better sound.

"I am personally a fan of the Garth Powell units (Furman and Audioquest) that have storage in the unit for more power than the line can deliver for transients."

Exactly why I chose my Furman P-1800

The capacitors store and send the juice. It’s like filling a baby bottle, the equipment is the little suckers. Except juice is constantly filling the bottle. The juice can be cloudy, that’s why there are filters.

Doesn’t make it sound better, just problem free, IF you had a problem, which ... most of us do not have.

Thus, don't need to over-do it.

 

elliottbnewcombjr
5,249 posts
 

 

carlsbad

I only meant, if you suspected your service was bad, low, high, spikes of voltage, you could find out by watching the meter, it shows voltage fluctuations in real time.

my 2 controllers for my sump pumps also monitor and show voltage in real time. I already knew from them that my voltage is very consistent 121-122v.

weirdness will not be revealed, but will be filtered and kept on the incoming side, not the outgoing side, of the capacitors.

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