First of all with your system, I would recommend a Niagara 3000 or 5000.
As far as ASR, there is a lot of Kool-Aid being drank in this hobby. He drank some pretty weird Kool-Aid.
Seeking a Power Conditioner
My system consists of the following:
- Martin Logan 11A Impression Loudspeaker (hybrid)
- Bryston 4B3 cubed power amp-300/channel into 8 and 500 into 4
- Bryston Bp-19 preamplifier
- Chord Qutest DAC with S Booster Linear power supply
- Lumin U2 mini streamer with LHY Linear power supply
- Read reviews on both Niagra 1200 & Puritan Audio PSM 156 power conditioners and the reviews were extremely positive. While reading I came accross a review of both products by Audio Science Review (ASR) who claims his reviews are objective with scientific data supplied and his reviews were not nearly as positive to say the least. Anybody have any thoughts on how I should proceed with the differing of opinions. Thank you.
+2 for pay no attention to ASR. As far as power conditioning is concerned there is a controversy sparked by misunderstanding. It is only needed in locales where the power supply is not tightly regulated or in areas served by old infrastructure or where a recent increase in population has resulted in a power demand that is taxing the power grid. Not everyone needs power conditioning and if it isn't needed it does no harm, but it does no good either. Hence the confusion. I live in South Florida and in the summer months in densely populated areas the voltage swing goes from ~105 to ~120vac. Especially during peak usage times this can affect audio performance. I use a PS Audio P20 and it smooths things out completely. I don't have to fuss with the bias on my tube amp any more and tube life is greatly extended. That is real world experience over the past 8 or 10 years. |
Have a question about ASR. reviews. I have been into this field for about 40 years and believe that each piece of the puzzle makes a difference in what we ultimately hear, room treatments absorption, diffusion etc. cables and interconnects, power cords, amps, preamps. dacs, streamers, etc. I have always believed reviews whether from magazines or fellow audiophiles are credible. Of course, I attempt to listen for myself before making a decision. For example, I plan to purchase the Schiit Loki Max, based on reviews. Now I come to the issue of power conditioners. I currently have a Richard Gray conditioner that is 20 years old or more. I wanted to make a change on the rationale that conditioners have improved technology since my purchase. My goal is to reduce the noise floor so I can listen to music at 55 dbs and still hear the dynamics and full body of the music. In my quest, I figured that less noise, more music. Then I read a few positive reviews in print and was ready to make a buying decision, until I came 2 reviews from ASR, who claims his tests are conducted with objective scientific instruments, and he concluded that 2 specific conditioning products that I already mentioned make almost no difference at all as to the goals of reducing the noise floor or otherwise. On this site, a few people have said his supposedly scientific testing is not useful, and that the subjective reviews online and in print have more value as compared to his objective tests. Are the conditioners for real? Who is correct and what is your rationale for your conclusion? Would appreciate any thoughts that you may have. By the way, my budget is in the $3000.00 range, new purchase only. Thank you.
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Get the best power conditioner you can afford, but be aware that there is no magic, just reality of electricity. If there is a benefit, it can be measured, so don't believe false claims of better audio in most cases. Where I live in Florida I'm done with paying for repairs from dirty power and surges, even when the house has surge protection (that didn't protect the stereo and on-demand water heater). I have not read the reviews of power conditioners on ASR, but it's electric and there should not be such negativity from this group to looking at the facts about the measurable characteristics of the power handling. I have a simple conditioner from Panamax and I have seen it work in storms and with generators that push dirty power as well. We have had fireballs traveling down the power lines and houses having things burst into flames even with surge devices installed as I assume it was a bigger event than they could handle. I have had to repair two McIntosh components due to immediate and latent failures related to this type of issue. A good conditioner will tell you that there is an event happening and dirty power may not be obvious, but can cause damage. I cannot plug things into the wall unless I want to risk losing them. A good conditioner should also have the high current capacity needed for pretty big high current amps. Every system and device is different so do your research on the actual power needs of your system, not this crazy idea that everything must be plugged directly into the mains with a cord made of unicorn hair. IMHO, you are not going to get any sonic benefit, just cleaner power and protection. |
I used to have my amp plugged directly into a dedicated 20 amp line, pre and source on another, protected by a PS Audio in wall surge protector. I would always unplug the amp any time thunder storms were forecast. After a little research, I bought this :https://www.crutchfield.com/p_756ELT15PF/Furman-Elite-15-PFi.html. Everything is now plugged into it, and it is plugged into dedicated 20 amp line. Absolutely nothing but improvement, most notably the soundstage grew wider and deeper. ( my room is not optimal in this area, so the improvement was quickly noticeable.) The thing is cheap enough for you to try and can be returned if you don't like it. I love what it did in my system, plus I have additional peace of mind when storms pop up and Im not home. You can surely spend a ton more, but this piece is a great start point IMHO. |
@dean_palmer +1 ! |
Amongst my people I come across as a stereo guru. As they gaze upon me with wonder upon the vast knowledge I spew upon their minds. Here on this site, I find myself at the very shallow end of a very deep pool. It would become painfully obvious if I tried swimming in the deep end, I would drown very quickly. Yet, if I was to believe my people, I’m a genius. Amir has been able to get the masses to believe his own ideas. So now he goes around telling and believing his idea of truth. Get a following and you got a cult. Like I said earlier, drink the Kool-Aid or not. |
Here's the deal. As with all audio components, there's a million different conditioners/manufacturers out there to choose from. And you can't believe or disbelieve everything people write or say about them. That said, as always, all you can do is, go out there and see for yourself what works best for you and your audio system. Ultimately, that's the only way. Personally, the perfect conditioner that gets the job done for me, is the magnificent Audioquest Niagara 3000, which I plug everything into, including my amplifier. Happy listening. |
I recently picked up a used Shunyata Research Hydra Triton V3 that I am very impressed with. It uses passive filtration. The sound quality improvement was immediately apparent. I began researching power conditioners when it was obvious to me that some evenings the sound quality was noticeably better than others. Many satisfied users over at whatsbestforum. |