Help choosing Power Conditioner

Maineiac, thanks for the explanation. No worries.

Jman66, you make a good point about the humming. I own a OneAC unit that does have transformer hum, and I have moved it to my HT system where it's located in an area that masks the hum. Readers should note that we are referring to hum coming from the conditioner itself and not a ground loop hum in the loudspeakers. At least that's not the hum I'm talking about. I suppose I shouldn't speak for Jman66.

It would seem one could use a product like a PS Audio Ultimate Outlet Humbuster ($299 new, or less used) in conjunction with a Powervar ABC1200-11, and have top quality, hum-free conditioning for $528 or less. That beats most of the audiophile transformer based conditioners.

Also, I have low level hum in my VAC power supply and in my First Sound power supply, so this is not limited to power conditioners with torroidal transformers.

I must have gotten my Powervar from the same guy as you Tvad. These things are the real deal and at 229 so much cheaper than other iso-transformers out there. I have no hum issues at all.
Mike

Tvad - Yes, I was referring to the transformer hum. The Powervar I used (ABC1200) had varying levels of hum by day, sometimes quiet in the morning and then noisy as heck at night. I tried some additional damping of the toroid, helped a little bit but not enough.

Agree with Snofun on the ethics issue,Bob

I got a 10 amp powervar used on ebay for under 50 bucks. Has minimal transformer hum, essentially inaudible at > 3 feet away. (Did NOT purchase from Tvad!). I assume it will protect the front end pieces if lightning strikes, and that was my main reason for buying. (Also, I was able to buy a kind of cool-looking gadget-like thing that was pretty heavy, which adds to any placebo effect....so yeah, I'm happy, I think).

OK, seriously--I was unable to hear any definite sonic difference in my system, but do have a vague sense that it is probably better than just a surge protector if there's a storm, etc. Hum is inaudible at listening distance (and my hearing has been relatively recently tested and is still quite good).