Power Conditioners - Audible or Not?

[Chuck]

I believe that surge protection is essential, but what about power line conditioners, AC regeneration, etc? And if you believe that you can hear a difference, what would you purchase?

[aashton]

I used to have a PS Audio P-300 Power re-generator and I could definitely hear a difference - unfortunately it was the noise of the fan which drove me to distraction. In my case most of my equipment either already had more than adequate power conditioning built in or had too big a power drain for most of the units out there. As with all things it really depends on personal circumstances, tolerances and preferences - for me it was a tweak too far.

All the best - Andrew

[Tony Plachy]

I too use a PS Audio P-300 for my source and front end components except my turntable (has its own power source), but not for my power amps. Right now I just use it as very clean 60Hz power source. If you go to the other wave functions it make a big difference in sound, but I have not had the time to do critical evaluations to decide which is my preference

[sgraham]

I don't speak from experience here, but there are power conditioners and power conditioners. I would not put an audio system on a simple UPS, for instance, since it produces AC with lots of harmonics that are sure to cause trouble. And you'd need a really hefty unit if you were going to put your power amps on it.

[Sckott]

One great tweak I've experienced (it wasn't cheap) was a new power grid.... Some improvement was evident later on...

[Gary]

I have a power strip designed for stereo equipment. Don't recall the name. It was pretty cheap ~ but boy! ~ does it ever clean up the sound. Especially when the wife turns on the washer or dryer (listening room in basement....)

[Joe Koz]

About a year or so I invested in the Monster Cable 2500. the moment I turn the conditioner on I heard a difference. Let me tell you I'm a hard sale for this kind of stuff and I was flabbergasted by the sound.

[DaveG]

It depends on the power in your listening room. If it is relatively clean you will not hear a difference. If it is noisy (from any number of sources), and if your equipment cannot adequately filter out the noise on its own, then you will hear a difference.

That said, the best way to find out if a piece of equipment will help is to arrange to audition it, with an agreement that you can return it for a full refund if not fully satisfied.

A friend who was hearing a pop through his speakers when his refrigerator compressor cycled recently tried the Monster power conditioner, but to no avail. His conclusion was that his equipment was picking up radiated noise, not conducted. I thought this was a reasonable assumption, although it could just as easily have been a dip/spike in the 60Hz that got past the Monster.

-DG-

[Richard Feirstein]

Likely RF noise. A capacitor placed in parallel with the motor feed could eliminate this. Best to contact the refrigerator service line to see if they have a recommendation.

Richard.