Power Strip vs. Line Conditioner


Please give me some feedback on this. I was told and have read that line conditioners should never be used as they degrade the sound. Instead a simple power strip such as the Wiremold brand is all that is needed for the best sound. Is this true?
boboh1
Mezmo, I found that using a good power strip (wiremold) from the wall to my power conditioners worked better for me. Just my 0.02.
i presently use 4 power-amps - 2 bridged adcom gfa555's driving my 4-ohm subs, & 2 electrocompaniet amps, biwiring the monitors. i was using a tripplite conditioner which keeps the woltage at exactly 115v regardless of what's happening in the outside world. i was using this 20amp, 2400v unit not to get better sound, but to protect the equipment.

well, after hearing the pros-n-cons of power conditioning, i replaced it w/a generic 15amp 1875v power-strip - *no* conditioning whatsoever, yust decent-quality 3-prong plugs. also a whopping $3 from mcm electronics. well, the sound improvement was *not* trivial. even the wife noticed.

but, i don't like running the equipment unprotected - even tho, for the most part, the power quality is good, we get strange surges & dips every now-n-again. so, i purchased a couple of those vansevers *unlimiters* that a-gon's steve bruzonsky has adwertized. i was hoping for *nothing* when plugging my amps into one - i yust want protection w/no penalty! :>) well, the werdict's still out, as i yust got 'em this afternoon, but for sure, one unlimiter doesn't muck-up the sound of the amps - it mite even make it a li'l better. mebbe some double-blind testing is in order! ;~) certainly, some listening w/familiar materials is in order - it's only been latin/jazz/world on the tuna tonite.

so, the one unlimiter will certainly remain in the system - i cant see affording the two ps1200's needed to power my amps, anytime soon! :>) as for the 2nd unlimiter, i haven't decided whether to use one each for two amps (mike v/e sez this *will* give a sonic improvement), or to yust use the 2nd for my source components, which are also plugged into a tripplite. i don't tink the tripplite's obvious current-limiting properties are degrading my source components, but, until i try...

doug s.

I use power conditioners and factory power cords. As long as you use a quality power conditioner, dynamics should not be a problem with small signal components. When power amplifiers (and possibly some preamps) are plugged into conditioners with transformer isolation, loss of dynamics is very possible.

Following my experience with a highly regarded isolating conditioner, I have stuck with transformerless units and am very pleased with my results. The quality of your results is highly dependent on conditioner quality, and care in determining which component plugs into which outlet. As a general rule, the greater the isolation between digital components and analog components, the better. Power amplifier conditioning may or may not be preferable to a direct wall connection. As has been pointed out, you have to experiment in order to get the best results.

-- Trevor
I added two Monster HTS 2000's for surge protection and their ground breaking feature. I live in an older building with sketchy wiring. I was pleasantly surprised that these inexpensive units also made and improvement in sound (insert the usual adjectives). Each unit has two non current limiting outlets for amps. I had tried power conditioners in their early incarnations and found them to be too "subtractive" in nature, so I had stuck to cheap strip/surge protectors. I'm thinking of adding better quality outlets now.
Cool, Jim

I recently tried a used HTS2000 in my system. I plugged it into one of my main conditioners for additional isolation, and then plugged most of my video and digital equipment into it. The improvement with the video monitor, LD player, and DVD/CD player was VERY noticable (I previously used power strips plugged into same main conditioner). That daisy chained HTS2000 is now an invaluable part of my audio/home theater system.