Power Conditioners: Myth, Magic, or Necessary

i have old power wedges and dedicated circuits - the improvement i have most noted is they help in the elimination of a static low level hum heard mostly when there is no music playing. i still have to float grounds and they do not not effect transformer hum. all in all a small gain for me.

Power conditioning CAN make all the difference in the world DEPENDING on the component. The only way to really tell is through trial and error. For example, my amplifier (Gamut D-200) does not really like bening plugged straight into the wall. I get deffinite improvement from the sound of the amp when it is plugged into a PS Audio 20 HC UO. My amp even sounds better plugged into a PS audio power plant (unfortunately I do not have a power plant big enough to really plug in into effictively, but I have experimented with my P300, the combo is amazing).

Anyway, my Ayre K-3x preamp is just the opposite. The Ayre much prefers being plugged into the wall and does not like power conditioning of a UO or power plant. The Ayre though does have a lot of power conditioning in the preamps design, and Ayre told me (though I did not 100% beleive them at the time) that I should just plug the preamp into the wall. After some experiementation, I came to the same conclusion.

KF

Ernewald,
I would start with a few dedicated 20 amp circuits if you don't have them. The correct power conditionor could do wonders for anyones system however that is a debatable topic, it worked wonders for me.
I have also demoed different power cords, where some were wonderful and some did nothing for my system. It's possible that the power cords you purchased work well for other systems but not in yours. Sometimes you have to demo different brands to find the one that works well for you.

I have an entry level Chang Lightspeed conditioner I've had for about 3 years. I have noticed quieter backgrounds and longer decay to notes. I think it's the kind of thing you notice more it's absence than in it's presence. For the record I live in DC, where I'm sure the power is as nasty as the water!

I was very happy with my audio system. Balanced, beautiful sound, the whole deal. Then I purchased an Audio Magic Stealth Power Purifier. Why? Because it was there, and I read a lot of good press. Now I am even happier. I'm always happy with my sound. I just want to be a little happier, if I can afford it. If you didn't hear a difference with your PCs, that doesn't mean what you think it means about PCs. Maybe they are not doing the job. You may hear the difference with another set. I cannot imagine that you will not hear a difference with the Stealth. The differences it makes in my system are dramatic.