What I hear with my Panamax 5300EX

Hello All,
OK, the stereo geek in me just never wants to leave well enough alone. I had never tried a power conditioner and I though that at the very least I should have some level of surge protection as I leave my system powered up 24/7. I also live in downtown Minneapolis so I was curious if I could hear any difference if I "cleaned up the power". I confess right off the bat that I don't know what that exactly means, lol.
I bought the unit a couple days ago at a local "big box" store and will probably return it very soon, then buy it online for half the amount I paid locally.
I plugged in my CDP and my preamp into the Panamax and left the amp directly into the wall. Of the research I've conducted in the threads here that seams to be a common practice. I'll plug the amp in tonight and do some A/B comparisons and post those results later.
I'm not sure what change I'm hearing (there is a definite change though). I possibly am hearing more resolution. It also seams that things might be "brighter" but with that comes a tad more "harsher" sound?
The increased resolution is a plus, but I'm not excited with the brighter feel to it. I'm curious as to what differences others have experienced. Please give me some feedback as to what you have heard in your systems after installing a power conditioner for the first time. FWIW, I know dedicated lines are a great plus, but I live in a condo and that's not an option right now.

My current system is:
CDP: Bel Canto CD-1
PreAmp: Gamut CR2
AMP: Musical Fidelity a308cr
Speakers: Spendor S9
Power cords: ZU Birth
Speaker wire and interconnects: Analysis Plus Crystal Oval 9

Any thoughts will be appreciated, Thanks!