Any one measured the EMI/RFI attenuation performance of audiophile power conditioners?


Hello,

I was looking for a very good/robust power conditioner which will clean up reliably very noisy/dirty power supply that I have in my aprtment. While looking for one I went through catlogs of AudioQuest, Shunyata Research, Synergestic Research etc. but no one published charts showing attenuation performance over frequency range like you get for EMI filters from Schurter or Schaffner etc. which are in the industry for EMI/EMC compliance.

Since audio is very subjective, but contrary to audio reproduction Power and EMI/RFI reduction is completely objective and can be clearly demonstrated via attenuation charts.

Hence I am asking if anyone has measured the actual performance of these audiophile power conditioners. I am not denying someone saying they hear improvement after using XYZ product, but since I am talking about power conditioning or EMI reduction it's as objective as it can be.

I am not at all surprised to see all the manufacturers not publishing the performance data, else it would be used in other industries and research fields where it's far more critical and have far more stringent requirements on the performance of conditioner/EMI filters. But I am shocked to see even products ranging above 5-10K are following the same practice of not publishing the results.

Please note I am not a measurement fanatic, but I know where I can chase the measurements and where I can rely on my hearing to gauge the difference.

Regards,

Audio_phool

128x128audio_phool

@tonywinga I am in the market searching for a power conditioner. So having the specifications and performance data will help me compare the options I have and make an informed decision.

I agree that speaker manufacturers do mot provide the data of individual drivers or electronics manufacturers do not provide info on the noise reduction incorporated. But for speaker manufacturer providing the specification of the entire speaker is more important than the individual one, hence specification of sensitivity, impedance & (in many cases) frequency response & in case of the electronics, they do provide the specification pertaining to the function of their product, e.g. if it's a pre-amp then they provide the gain & S/N ratio, impedances etc. Noise reduction is part of design which will mean how careful designer is to eliminate noises. Since thats not the primary function of that electronic they can skip on specifying how much reduction is achived through designing.

But in case of power conditioner it's main function is to reduce the EMI/Noise & manufacturers are omitting on specifying how well it's doing the job which it is supposed to do. Now imagine if Power amp, pre-amp or even DACs manufacturers stopped publishing all the specs? Isn't that problematic?

@vk_onfilter Thank you very much for the detailed reply. I appreciate your view on accepting both objectivity and subjectivity whereever applicable.
 

@deep_333 do read the response of vk_onfilter & let that sink in.

Audio_phool

Reference page 14 of the Niagara 5000 Owners Manual which can be found online.  That seems to list some of the noise reduction specs that you are seeking perhaps.

@tonywinga thanks for pointing it out. I wonder why they kept it in user manual where no prospective buyer is likely to look into. Though these are not exactly what I am looking for but better than not having anything.

Audio_phool

Want to point out that series mode power conditioners are essentially low pass filters that start working ~ 3 kHz. True for ZeroSurge and Furman with SMP while AFAIK, RFI filters usually start in the 10s of kilohertz. This is why I always recommend them for noise filtering efficiency.

Parallel filtration has a difficult time filtering out lower than that due to the limitations on caps across the hot and neutral. YMMV.

Also, keep your dirty power supplies (computer, cheap wall warts) out of the clean side of a power conditioner and use shielded power cables to ensure you don't suffer re-infection of noise after the power has been cleaned up. 

Actually, I study the owners manuals online of products I am considering purchasing.  My brother says the owners manual/assembly instructions are just one engineer’s opinion.  My brother breaks things a lot.