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POWER: conditioners vs filters vs cords

OK. I've heard a lot of contradictory stuff on power accesories. I'm going to throw this out to the roundtable and hopefully clear up some of the fog. I've heard the following: 1) Most full blown conditioners ($500+) do everything better. They stabilize input power, clean up ground loops, filter noise and insulate against power surges. However, some compress dynamics. 2) Most surge supressor/filter units ($200-$350) clean up ground loops, filter noise and insulate against power surges. (but a good power conditioner makes the system sound better overall) 3) Good power cords kinda clean-up ground loops and kinda filter noise; their major advantage is a blacker background, better dynamics, soundstage and imaging. 4) If you have a full blown conditioner, better powercords are redundant and offer little advantage. Am I on the right wavelength here? I have a minor intermittent ground loop, and I know my power is a bit on the dirty side, infrasonic garbage wise. So the question is this: I want to improve my sound quality by cleaning up my power supply without blowing a small fortune. I'd like to invest between $200 to $400(list price) but I wouldn't be adverse to bumping the price to $650 if it REALLY makes a difference. What do you recommend? Your opinions on any part of this subject are welcome and product recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks, Morbius2130aol
morbius2130aol
garfish
1,840 posts
 
I pretty much agree with Redkiwi's post above. I have two name brand AC conditioners, but after installing dedicated AC and ground systems, and going to good quality power cords, the power conditioners actually degraded music quality, and I no longer use the AC conditions for primary stereo components. By far the best "bang for the buck" is good quality power cords that are compatible with your system. Cheers. Craig.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
From my experience most "Brand Name" conditioners are living off their brand name and stopped innovating years ago. The Adcom ACE-515 I started with many years ago and have long since discarded originally came out around 1986, and the current model is exactly the same internally. Only the on/off switch button is different only probably only because they can no longer get the original one. Mike Vansevers stuff I now use are designed is a pro audio guy who did not believe in conditioners until he started playing around himself and discovered he could improve on his dedicated lines in his studio. Read all the white papers and other comments on his web site.
puubie
45 posts
 
You can also get the Monster conditioners at http://www.hififorless.com/acatalog/
outlier's avatar
outlier
381 posts
 
The PS Audio Powerplant 300 is worth considering. You could pick up a B Stock from the manufacturer for $750. I picked one up and have found dramatic improvements. Read the reviews on audioreview.com. Although expensive, consider the fact that it improves the sound on up to four of your components, and that it does far more than recondition the power - it takes it from DC and then back to AC again. The PS audio homepage gives a good explanation of how the unit works. I think this will give you the best bang for the buck, even though it stretches slightly beyond your budget. Also, I believe you can return the unit within 30 days for a refund if you are not happy with it. Best of luck with whatever solution you go with :-)
marcy
34 posts
 
I also agree with Redkiwi and Garfish. I have never experienced any improvement with power conditioners. The best results for me are amps and front end right into the wall. I currently use a monster 2000 for surge protection only on a few components. It really compressed the sound of my CD player.
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