Who uses power conditioning?

@steakster   So true, so true. After trying it out and going back to using it as a stand alone in the previous setting, I spent a all this time just listening to what it can do.

It seems like new life has been breathed into what I already thought couldn't get any better. Now I'm even more curious to see if Gilbert's newer version can sound better.

All the best,
Nonoise

@steakster  I just tried out your scenario and it wasn't even close. With the Blue Circle Thingee on a different line that my computer uses, there was none of the magic that it evinces when on the same line as my stereo.

That "lit up from within" quality is A.W.O.L. as well as the strength, impact and effortlessness that live music has. It's not so much as an increase in the noise floor as it's still pretty much a black background but the aforementioned qualities are simply gone. 

Gone is the air, decay, in the room presence, and again, for lack of a better descriptive, that effortless strength. 

For those with any technical expertise, here's a few shots from the  TLP Audio page that shows what Gilbert built which replaces his previous work: http://www.tlp-audio.com/powerConditioners2.php

If you scroll down you'll see what's inside and maybe someone can chime in as to the effectiveness of the design and whether simpler (as it appears to look) is better when using better quality components.

All the best,
Nonoise

@steakster   Will do. It sounds simple enough and I'll report back later.
Thanks for the tip. 👍

All the best,
Nonoise

Well, that didn't take long. That big step up again proved too much of a good thing. Lot's of attack and leading edge at the expense of body and weight. 

It's strange how going from 12' of PC (two 6' lengths with a power box in the middle) to a single 6' PC straight into the wall resulted in too much filtration. 

I've been informed that Gilbert no longer runs Blue Circle and now works for another company but he did develop a newer line of conditioners that are sold at TLP Audio with better filtering and features at not too dear a price. 

I may try one of the three models but am hesitant about their being inline instead of stand alone (based on past experience). There is, however, testimonial from someone with a Gryphon amp and preamp who loves the sound he's getting from them so it might be worth a try.

All the best,
Nonoise

Experimenting further, I moved the Blue Circle Thingee from the Cullen Cable power box (a square strip) directly to an unused outlet which is situated about 8' from the one that my integrated and SACD player occupy, but shares the same line. 

That made an even bigger difference, cutting down the 12' total length (outlet to Cullen Cable box and the Thingee with a 6' PC) in half. It appears that the closer the Thingee is to the source, the better the filtering and conditioning. 

It's almost as big a step in improvement as first inserting it the older way.

All the best,
Nonoise

The limited experience I've had with power conditioning led me to believe that going straight into the wall gave the best sound. Better dynamics, wider soundstage, etc.

On a lark and propelled by threads like this and the one on the Equi-Core I did some research and considered at least trying out the Shunyata Venom Defender. That was when I realized I had something like it already packed away.

All it took was a few minutes and I plugged my Blue Circle Thingee into a vacant spot on a Cullen Cable power strip (no filtering or surge capability) using a bog standard power cord.

Cue the lightbulb over my head, or the heavens parting. 

It seems that with both outlets on the same line and dedicated only to my audio and video demands, the Thingee did it's thing. BlueCircle sells smaller versions that don't have receptacles that just filter AC line noise and the Thingee has several times the amount of filtering.

Next, I swapped out the standard PC for a Zu Audio Mission PC and things got even better.

The noise floor, as well as the ceiling, side and back walls just dropped, blew up and blew out. I spent the last three hours going over familiar tunes only to discover new, or better tunes. A slight hash in the upper registers is gone (didn't know it was there). Everything has air aplenty with exacting space that naturally compliments positions instead of congealing them. The better the recording, the better the results.

The funny thing is that with the anything plugged into the Blue Circle the results weren't as good, but when used as a stand alone device, it excels. 

Now I'm wondering if something like the Venom Defender would be a better propositon than the Blue Circle Thingee, or if there's an even better one out there. As it stands now, this is a rather big improvement.

All the best,
Nonoise