Yet Another Post About Power Conditioners!


OK, OK, so I know there are eleventy billion posts about what power conditioners are better than others. I've read them all...yes, all eleventy billion! But, I am still wondering which one I should chose.

Here's the backdrop: I have four dedicated, 20-amp outlets. There's a bunch of noise on them. So bad I can hear a local hip hop station clearly playing through my Greenwave Dirty Noise Filter w/speaker. I use an assortment of very high-end, and expensive power cables,. I use very expensive, high-end outlets. My system consists of a Mobile Fidelity Ultradeck, a PS Audio GCHP phone stage, an AudioLab 6000CDT transport, a Burson Audio 3x Reference headphone amp, and Focal Clear headphones. Everything is connected with really good interconnects, most of which are balanced. Having downsized from a much larger, much more power system, these nuggets suit my current needs just fine.

Still that AC noise. Given the size of my system, it's silly to spend mega-bucks on a regenerator, or the expensive balanced isolation transformer PCs. Based on my research, I've narrowed my choices to these in the $1500 and under price range:

Furman Elite 15 or 20 PFi (used)
AudioQuest Niagara 1200
PS Audio Dectect
Core Power Equi=Core 1000 or 1800 (no return policy, ugh)
Shunyata Hydra 8 (used)
Decware ZLC (10-12 month wait, ugh)
NuPrime Pure AC-4
Toroid BTE500E or 1000E Balanced Transformer
Tripplite ISO500 or 500HG Isolation Transformer
Torus TOT Mini Balanced Transformer

Yes, that's an extensive list, but my search reveals these are the top choices by many folks, as well as a few, little-known contenders.

If you have actual experience with any of these--and have compared them to other PCs, your opinion or recommendations would be appreciated greatly. You're welcome to suggest others, too, if you've done hands-on comparisons.


output555

Showing 4 responses by whart

I’ll play the contrarian. I’ve done a number of dedicated rooms, with dedicated lines, and over the years tried various power conditioners. My preference is minimal filtering. If you have noisy electrics, the first question is whether it is something within your house, after the service connection, that you can do something about, without the need for filtering.
At present, I have a whole house surge and a dedicated subsystem consisting of a 10kVA isolation transformer, with additional surge protection, that feeds dedicated lines in the listening room. That system is isolated to the degree possible consistent with code, and shares a ground with the main household system.
Sometimes, more is needed. If for example you live in apartment or flat where you are sharing electricity with other living units, or are in a service area where the power is compromised due to other stuff on the line, you may need to deploy more filtering or regeneration. My ideal is to minimize the need for that since filtering for noise or gremlins will necessarily filter out information that may be part of the musical experience. It’s all trade-offs. If you have a good source of power to start with, I’d try to keep the black boxes to a minimum.
No doubt that power conditioners can do something. The question whether it is a net improvement is different, and in my view, risks compromising the signal to the extent you need to rely on more intensive power conditioning measures. (I rely to a large degree on high quality power supplies in amps, the line stage runs on batteries, the phone stage has had attention and all runs through the big iSo transformer mentioned above).
If you can try before you buy, that’s good. Do not base your buying decision on the immediate reaction to what you hear, but if you have time to evaluate with a wealth of material over a period of time, you should be able to get a handle on what you are improving v. what you are losing.
@output555 - I hear you, it is a question of spending money on electricians and dealing with what may be system wide (power not just hi-fi) issues.
@mikelavigne - not being one for watching long videos (nice plug for Rex though), did Fremer do a splitter on the power after the meter to feed the system panel directly and then, on the other stem, run the transfer switch to the main household panel so the ATS is not connected at all to the hi-fi? I assume the issue isn't running the system on generator, but eliminating the noise from the presence of the switch in the same circuit as the hi-fi power. As I understand it, splitting the power before the main panel and connecting the Generac downstream of the system should eliminate that issue, aside from aluminum cable, corroded contacts, etc. I know you did extreme power. Me, I just hope the Texas grid is sustainable. Man, talk about a loss of faith! :)
Bill
@mikelavigne: Mike- you preachin’ to the choir. I am also of the view that sorting basic power issues before applying what may amount to band-aids is not only more effective overall, but pretty cost-effective. I had an intermittent noise in my system and after replacing every tube, a bad XLR connector and and a bad tube socket, the noise wound up being caused by some dust on the contact plate for one of the battery panels in the line stage. But, having gone through a ground up electrical system "audit" and upgrade when I first moved here, the "noise issue" was independent of all of that. I guess that is to say we are dealing with "systems" and there are many parts to same. Basically, I agree with you in terms of where to start. Where you end up may be a different matter depending on the problem.
As to finding contractors, oy. My favorite was sent to prison in NY but that’s a whole other story....