Clean electricity, power conditioners, etc.*

[ress4279]

I did a search and didn't find an answer. Tom Port of DCC Blowout talks about unplugging all his appliances before he sits down to listen. He also has tube electronics.

I have all solid state. I unplugged everything. I may have heard some difference, but not so much. Are tubes more affected by appliances then SS?

I do use a couple of line conditioners.

[coopmv]

I did a search and didn't find an answer. Tom Port of DCC Blowout talks about unplugging all his appliances before he sits down to listen. He also has tube electronics.

I have all solid state. I unplugged everything. I may have heard some difference, but not so much. Are tubes more affected by appliances then SS?

I do use a couple of line conditioners.

I have always wondered if those line conditioners are really worth the money. For me, they fall into the same category as those interconnects that cost $800/meter.

[vinyl anachronist]

Dedicated AC outlets, hospital grade plugs, line conditioners, and power cords can all make a huge difference, but it's honestly going to differ from house to house. Do you live in an older house where the electrical circuitry has not been upgraded since the house was built? Do you live in an area that experiences a lot of thunderstorms? Do you use audio equipment that draws a lot of current? Do you leave your equipment turned on all of the time?

These are just some of the things you have to consider before you decide if all of this is going to be worth it.

[Gregory Earl]

This was a good thread. Lots of compassionate opinions.:)

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=80969&highlight=power

[andyinstal]

I try to install a Richard Gray's on any upper level systems I sell. I can't tell you it makes the system sound better, but it keeps me from having to troubleshoot noise in the audio or video. It is always super clean.

[Dave]

I try to install a Richard Gray's on any upper level systems I sell. I can't tell you it makes the system sound better, but it keeps me from having to troubleshoot noise in the audio or video. It is always super clean.
:thumbsup: Another Richard Gray fan here and I've tried a few different line conditioners in my day.

[ress4279]

Thanks for the replies and the link, but no one has answered the question I asked. I mentioned power conditioners so there'd be a clear idea about how I'm handling AC.

So once again, into the breech: Tom Port of DCC Blowout talks about unplugging all his appliances. He has tube eqpt. I have solid state.

Are tubes more affected by appliances being left plugged in, (not necessarily being operated ) then SS? :confused:

[Steve Hoffman]

Turn on your stereo. Insert record, tape or CD. Play. Adjust volume.

Life is too short.

[Tony Plachy]

FWIW, I think these guys wrote the book on clean electricity.

http://www.psaudio.com/

[MonkeyMan]

As long as your gear has well-designed and built power supplies, there shouldn't be a problem.

If you do want to do something with your power, running dedicated lines is very inexpensive and easy. I ran a dedicated 20A line to my SACD player, and a second dedicated 20A line to my headphone amplifier. It's tremendous overkill, but cost only ~50 bucks and a couple of hours.

[westcoasting]

I use a Tripp Lite Line Conditioner Voltage Stabilizer. I like it. Pretty Cheap. Plug it in and forget about it. Not gonna unplug the fridge when listening to music... although I moved the TV out of the room.

[Gary]

Are tubes more affected by appliances being left plugged in, (not necessarily being operated ) then SS? :confused:

I don't know. I suppose I can pull out my SS amp from deep storage and hook everything up to it but that'll take way too much time. As Vinyl Anachronist says, it depends on a lot of other factors, too. Perhaps it could depend on what SS amp you are using, too! One amp may be more shielded than another.... and it's probably the same with tube amps.

For me, I first noticed the "dirty power" when the W. started up the washing machine!

Why don't you try an experiment? Play music. Run the washing machine while listening (or have your wife drop in a load). Do you hear any difference?

Then unplug a few things? Is there a difference?

Sorry I could not be of more help.

[ress4279]

I don't know. I suppose I can pull out my SS amp from deep storage and hook everything up to it but that'll take way too much time. As Vinyl Anachronist says, it depends on a lot of other factors, too. Perhaps it could depend on what SS amp you are using, too! One amp may be more shielded than another.... and it's probably the same with tube amps.

For me, I first noticed the "dirty power" when the W. started up the washing machine!

Why don't you try an experiment? Play music. Run the washing machine while listening (or have your wife drop in a load). Do you hear any difference?

Then unplug a few things? Is there a difference?

Sorry I could not be of more help.



Thanks Gary, and funnily enough, I did hear a diference when the washer started up, but not so much when the refrigerator kicked in. I realize the question seemed academic, but I have toyed with the idea of tubes instead of ss.

[Tony Plachy]

Thanks Gary, and funnily enough, I did hear a diference when the washer started up, but not so much when the refrigerator kicked in. I realize the question seemed academic, but I have toyed with the idea of tubes instead of ss.

Lance, GO TUBES :righton:

[TONEPUB]

My suggestion-the Running Springs Jaco. Not going to bore you with why I think it's better. Almost all RSA dealers will give you a 15-30 day home trial. If you don't scratch it (or drool on it, like SH likes to say) and don't want it, the dealer will refund your credit card.

It's a lot of dough ($2300 for the Jaco or about $1500 for the Haley) but best, cleanest, least coloring sound and I've tried almost all of them. Shunyata, BPT, PS, Richard Grey and quite a few more. This was the best sounding and the ONLY one that didn't change the tonality of my system.

If you have a modest system, it will still make a huge difference, but it's just harder to justify a 1200-2000 upgrade at that level.

However, if you do get one home for a listen, be ready to pull the trigger...

You be the judge. I liked it so much I bought another for my main system and one each for my other two systems, but Im a bit OC.

[rpd]

Turn on your stereo. Insert record, tape or CD. Play. Adjust volume.

Life is too short.


Amen!!!!

[motorcitydave]

Turn on your stereo. Insert record, tape or CD. Play. Adjust volume.

Life is too short.

Exactly.

[Surfin Jesus]

it never matters to me unless I'm recording vinyl - then I try and keep the extra AC usage to a minimum (which sometimes involves unplugging things)

[Joe Nino-Hernes]

My suggestion-the Running Springs Jaco. Not going to bore you with why I think it's better. Almost all RSA dealers will give you a 15-30 day home trial. If you don't scratch it (or drool on it, like SH likes to say) and don't want it, the dealer will refund your credit card.

It's a lot of dough ($2300 for the Jaco or about $1500 for the Haley) but best, cleanest, least coloring sound and I've tried almost all of them. Shunyata, BPT, PS, Richard Grey and quite a few more. This was the best sounding and the ONLY one that didn't change the tonality of my system.

If you have a modest system, it will still make a huge difference, but it's just harder to justify a 1200-2000 upgrade at that level.

However, if you do get one home for a listen, be ready to pull the trigger...

You be the judge. I liked it so much I bought another for my main system and one each for my other two systems, but Im a bit OC.

I second the Running Springs stuff, its GREAT!!! :agree: Even in those god awful hotels, the Running Springs room always sounds great!

[Oyama]

It's a lot of dough ($2300 for the Jaco or about $1500 for the Haley) but best, cleanest, least coloring sound and I've tried almost all of them. Shunyata, BPT, PS, Richard Grey and quite a few more.

Jeff, which version of BPT conditioners did you audition? I was thinking of getting the BP-10.5 Signature PLUS for my system.

[Tony Plachy]

My suggestion-the Running Springs Jaco. Not going to bore you with why I think it's better. Almost all RSA dealers will give you a 15-30 day home trial. If you don't scratch it (or drool on it, like SH likes to say) and don't want it, the dealer will refund your credit card.

It's a lot of dough ($2300 for the Jaco or about $1500 for the Haley) but best, cleanest, least coloring sound and I've tried almost all of them. Shunyata, BPT, PS, Richard Grey and quite a few more. This was the best sounding and the ONLY one that didn't change the tonality of my system.

If you have a modest system, it will still make a huge difference, but it's just harder to justify a 1200-2000 upgrade at that level.

However, if you do get one home for a listen, be ready to pull the trigger...

You be the judge. I liked it so much I bought another for my main system and one each for my other two systems, but Im a bit OC.

Jeff, Which PS Audio products did you compare them to?

[Paul Chang]

FWIW, I think these guys wrote the book on clean electricity.

http://www.psaudio.com/

PS Audio just released a DVD, Coal to Coltrane: a Brief History of Power. For a Limited Time, Music Direct is offering it for free.
http://www.musicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?sku=APSCOAL2COLTRANE

[Kayaker]

Check your manufacturers recomendation. Some caution strongly against power conditioners. I have several dedicated 20 amp lines, a whole house circuit breaker that sits in the electrical panel as a breaker. I don't use power conditioners - never heard a difference on my system - YMMV.

[coopmv]

Check your manufacturers recomendation. Some caution strongly against power conditioners. I have several dedicated 20 amp lines, a whole house circuit breaker that sits in the electrical panel as a breaker. I don't use power conditioners - never heard a difference on my system - YMMV.

I put in a 200-volt electrical panel when I had the 30K BTU AC compressor installed a number of years ago, but I am always leery of driving my CJ amp hard when that AC is going.

[Kayaker]

I put in a 200-volt electrical panel when I had the 30K BTU AC compressor installed a number of years ago, but I am always leery of driving my CJ amp hard when that AC is going.

Got the same situation. Upgraded to 200 amp (think you mean amp..) panel. Have the same size a/c unit. No problems driving my amp hard - I need to to drown out the blowing of the a/c.