When using a power conditioner, why is it advised to run amps directly to the wall?

I wanted to add more to this discussion, if I may.  If current is restricted voltage will drop.  That’s it.  If the voltage remains stable then the amp is drawing as much current as it can. 

After YEARS of watching AC  power fluctuate in apartments and my home the biggest problems I have seen are NOT the amount of power your amp draws.  The biggest problems are daily / seasonal variations in AC voltage and what your big appliances like your HVAC and electric range or hot water heater are doing.  The device in your system that’s going to be most susceptible to this is a linear amplifier. 

For this reason I take two approaches.  One is I use a cheap ($12-20) voltage meter or conditioner with a voltage meter.   Plug it in and watch your voltage sag or not.  Especially useful with these is to watch the N-E voltage as it may indicate voltage restrictions due to wiring length.  

The other thing is I use an actual voltage regulator and surge protector at the front of all my home entertainment systems.  The most expensive versions are from PS Audio, which regenerate power.  For that reason and that I live in a lightning prone area I use Furmans with series mode protection (SMP) and voltage regulation like this one (yes, this is an affiliate link).   It’s ridiculously less expensive than a PS Audio unit with similar power rating. 

I know some surge strips offer damage warranties, but my amp is 60 lbs I do NOT want to pull out and ship and wait for repairs.  Also storms sometimes pop up without warning.  While it is good advice to unplug equipment, half the time things happen I am out of the home or don't have time to react before it's happened.  

" I have had literally everything in my rack plugged into the Mac power center for nearly 16 years plus I just added a big powered sub a few weeks ago. It sounds great and I have had no problems at all."

That says it all. Your ears/practical self rule. Now you're brain washed with yes/no/maybe...

Get out now while you can-with your wallet intact!

"I am sold on the idea of installing dedicated power runs to the system after the many mentions and recommendations for that."

Maybe the #1 thing to optimize what you already have. Don't forget to finish it off with fancy audiophool approved outlets too. You may not even hear a difference/improvement. 

If not, confirmation to just enjoy your setup. 

Please be aware that some power conditioners such as those by PS Audio Regenerators ADD noise to the line; plus other problems. Amir at ASR tested that.

I would view power conditioners rather as surge protectors, and slightly better power strips. Given that all electronics run on DC with smoothing done at rectification, I fail to see what power conditioners can possibly contribute with AC adjustments (assuming they do anything at all) in a DC circuit. 

Where I live power grid voltage can drop to 90V, so I added as voltage regulator. Needless to say, plugging an amp directly into 90V outlet is a non-starter, so has to go through the voltage regulator. Most power conditioners do NOT regulate voltage, including the Regenerators (checked with PS audio). 

Re short peaks, isn't that supposed to be addressed with capacitors in the amp? And if we assume that most of us listen at WAY below max power, and caps are designed to handle max power, then caps are significantly over-dimensioned for normal listening levels.

my 2c. 

So after much discussion,  it boils down to the adage "let YOUR ears decide".  Funny how many threads arrive at this same truth.  Cheers. 

Whether to plug your amps directly into the wall or into a power regenerator or power conditioner is situational dependent.  Hence the variety of opinions and experiences shared in this thread.  Each audiophile must start by assessing the condition of the power being received from his or her wall.  That is the fundamental flaw in the analysis reported by ASR.  Amir did not begin, or ever report on the condition of the power source that he used in his tests.  Hence his conclusions are worthless.  A power regenerator will do nothing if the power coming in from the wall is within spec in the first place.  One the other hand, if the power is subject to wide voltage fluctuations due to demand, for example in high demand locations, or if the power is corrupted by spurious noise from other users nearby, which might occur from industrial machinery, then some sort of buffer can be quite useful.  Only you can decide if the addition of such equipment is necessary or helpful.  Since each of us lives in a different location, there is no universal answer.