Power Wedge 1 vs Furman Elite 15 PF

I have the Furman Elite 15PF and I would recommend it highly to anyone. It has a great deal of flexibility with all of the outlets and has saved my equipment during a severe electrical storm. It also has reserves power for the times when your power amp needs to draw large amounts of current without limitations. As far as sound quality, there is none. The sound of the component is what you will hear without any coloration from the Elite 15PF. Since I have never used the Power Wedge, I am unable to offer you any comparison between the two.

At one time I used the Power Wedge and also the Power Enhancer...an auxiliary unit that brings the Power Wedge to a higher level. When I got a more refined system, I found that the Power Wedge actually did more harm than good and when I got additional higher quality components, even the Enhancer revealed that it was a detriment. I suggest you try the Power Wedge and Enhancer and see how it works in your own system

I have the Furman. When I connected my ARC vt200 to it the music seemed just a hair louder and more dynamic. I couldn't hear anything detrimental to the music. My pre remained exactly the same; no ill effects as far as I can tell. However, I could hear the effects of the furman with my CD player especially on guitar strings, they rang and seemed less clear so I don't have that piece connected. Both my CD player and pre benefited from using the Lessloss pc by lowering the noise floor leaving a cleaner and clearer sonic picture so I did not experiment with the furman w/o the lessloss pc's. The furman is very good but I would connect each component one at a time and listen for changes. As always, your experiences may be different.

I use the Furman in both my two channel and HT setups and its great. I run everthing, amps and all, through the Furman and cannot detect any ill effects.

Thanks guys!
I tried out a Power Wedge and it crippled my system. Looks like I'll have to take a look at the Furman, at least it's got a good reputation with you guys!

Ignore my reply above. Here's why. I've been auditioning an interconnect from Signal cable for my CD player (see "Another cable burn-in question" thread). It would be replacing a much more expensive cable from wireworld. Bottom line: with the wireworld cable I did not like the glare in the music that I heard when I connected the CD player to the Furman so I left it connected to the wall outlet. My amp and preamp were left connected to the Furman. With the Signal cable in place of the wireworld, something still did not sound right even after prolonged burn-in. So after much experimentation, I connected the CD player back up to the Furman and lo and behold everything improved- big time. The music was crystal clear, smooth and extended. In short, the new Signal i/c in combination with the Furman is the best my system has ever sounded. Everything seems to be working in synergy. Imagine that.

I also have the Furman Elite 15. My whole 2 channel system (tube pre-, tube monoblocks ,music server, SACD, and turntable)runs through it, I noticed a big drop to a black silence background that I didn't know could be there. I just wish I could turn off the blue digital display when I want to.
I'll probably be getting another one for the home theater setup after the New Year.

Keith - Off the topic but...I use a black Sharpie marker to tame down excessively-bright lights on components. It might not work as well on a big wide light like the Furman's, but if it doesn't look successful, a damp paper towel and some rubbing will take it off. I've done it several times now and it's greatly improved the listening experience in the dark.

Arthur

Budget idea from Furman.

I purchased a Furman PF-Pro R POWER FACTOR LINEAR AC POWER CONDITIONER brand new from a seller on Ebay for less than $200 a few years ago. This is a rack-mounted line conditioner designed for use by professional musicians. I LOVE it! It improved sound staging and for video sources plugged into it, improved picture-quality immensely. I bought a second one for my bedroom system. What a value!

Look this unit up at the Furman website. The specs are very similar to the Elite 15 PF and that is why I gave it a try.

I had my Hi-Fi dealer contact Furman to ask what the differences between the Elite 15 PF and PF-PRO R might be. He mentioned that the Elite has "star-grounding" and the PF-PRO R does not. I have not given the 2 units an A/B, so I can't confirm this leads to an audible/visible difference in performance.

Good luck!

Kurt Buechler

The Power Wedge is crapola. The Furman is SOTA