Power Conditioning

[atomicAdam]

Well, seems AR doesn't have a power conditioning forum yet. I'll add that to my list for the forum restructuring.

Anyways.....

Wanted to get some opinions on a cheep ($100-$200) power conditioner for my audio gear.

I have been looking around and so far the best I can seem to find, (has good reviews on sites that sell it) is the Belkin PureAV PF30.

* Level 4 Power Protection
* Phase 3 PureFilter™ Circuitry with video, audio, and HiCurrent™ filters
* Slim console design fits perfectly in your home theater cabinet
* HiCurrent outlet for high-power amplifiers
* Lifetime Warranty
* $350,000 Connected Equipment Warranty
* 8 outlets
* 3245 joules of surge protection
* 165,000-Amp maximum spike current
* 1 pair of gold coaxial connections for coaxial-cable protection
* 8 ft. SD500 HiCurrent™ power cord with right-angle plug
* UL1449 Rated

Curious on what you'll think of this or maybe other suggestions.

On this topic, I can understand about conditioning power for stability and getting ride of spikes and such, but, are we really supposed to believe that conditioned power can change sound? I mean, I can understand how good constant power could help an amp/pre-amp/cd player and the like to perform to the best of their man made abilities, but, do different conditioners really change the sound?

-adam

[Shaolin]

I've heard good things about Power Conditioners, but you have to spend close to $500 or more. Also heard the Monster PC is not bad for the price.

[vlad008]

really - no one has any opinions on power line conditioning?

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yeah vlad008, you tell them. oh wait - vlad008 is me.....

-aA

[Doc Sage]

If your amplifier, CD player and/or turntable is of better quality, you do not need to condition your power source. They have all the proper rectifier built into them.

You may need to isolate your sound system from your refrigerator and fluorescent lighting for they do introduce some noise that MAY flow through. I find that connecting your system on a circuit that does not also have the above will do the trick.

Doc Sage

[hermanv]

really - no one has any opinions on power line conditioning?

Hoo boy and we're off...

A couple of points:
1. Battery powered phono stages get rave reviews in spite of the obvious limitations. I assume it's due to a complete absence of power line noise.
2. A DIY type audiophile on another forum regularly tests new equipment with and without a power line filter. If there is a difference this person adds internal ferrite damping, better bypass caps and fast recovery or soft knee rectifiers. They say that the power line filter will then no longer make a difference.
3. MOV are the most popular surge suppressors, they are cheap and hard to damage. They also generate broad band white noise on sine wave peaks. The transorb type of clamp (zener diode) does not do this but they cost much more, especially the high power varieties.

Noise on AC lines has a very low source impedance, the high frequency parts tend to go right through transformers and show up in the rectified output.

So a power line conditioner may or may not help a given piece of equipment.

[Rich-n-Texas]

I tried for almost an hour yesterday to find a thread that I thought westcott had started or participated in about conditioners but I gave up. Adam, hermanv is an Electronics Engineer (albiet a disgruntled one ) so he knows what he's talking about. OTOH you may not!

[hermanv]

Adam, hermanv is an Electronics Engineer (albiet a disgruntled one ) so he knows what he's talking about.

OK, so where do I send the check?

[Rich-n-Texas]

Send it to the:

"RnT Electronics Upgrade Fund"
c/o...

[E-Stat]

Wanted to get some opinions on a cheep ($100-$200) power conditioner for my audio gear.

As for conditioners in general, I find them useful in my environment. The usually worded canard about aftermarket power cords and conditioners is that the local sub station produces clean power and needs no conditioning. Such ignores the existence of the real villains at work: all sorts of RFI generating devices found in most modern homes which inject noise into the AC. Virtually all digital devices use switching power supplies that pollute the line current. While the component power supplies are intended to filter all the grunge, my experience suggests otherwise. Here again, such is highly system and environment dependent.

I use Monster conditioners on the sources and aftermarket cords on the power amps in two systems. The differences I hear are indeed subtle, but there. With conditioning, the sound is slightly less bright. Initially, it sounds less "detailed", but extended listening reveals that what is removed is a layer of HF grunge which otherwise masks low level resolution.

The Belkin unit seems competent. Tripp-Lite also makes some good models as well. Perhaps the high end Audience unit may be a bit overkill.

rw

[2chAlex]

Well in light of Monster indeed becoming a monster. I just came across a TrippLite HT Power Bar 10 for a great price, If you prefer a in cabnet type look at APC, Vanns has great sale prices on the silver models (also come in black at regular price). Furman is another you could check out

[blackraven]

I use the cyberpower 1030HT. It has 6000 joules of protection. http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/pro...mageI=#tab-box

http://www.provantage.com/cyberpower...t~7CYPR01U.htm

The price has come way down since I bought mine. My only complaint is that the LED's on the front panel really dont tell you much info as your led to believe.

[atomicAdam]

Thanks folks for the suggestions.

[Monkey Mouse]

I have Monster power conditioners (the big rack mount units) in both my HT and home project studio setups. The HT one did improve video quality a tad - enough for my girlfriend to notice. No audio impact.

The one I use in my project studio definitely lowered the noise floor by a noticeable level. It went down even more once I bought a UPS and ran the conditioner off that.

[jams002]

power condition what is that??how does it work like?



___________________
Great thing to know about busby seo test.

[Kevio]

The one I use in my project studio definitely lowered the noise floor by a noticeable level. It went down even more once I bought a UPS and ran the conditioner off that.

What kind of UPS are you using? UPS technologies.

[TheHills44060]

i've used some of the cheaper Panamax units and was satisfied, gave me a piece of mind at least. Now i'm using a couple of Richard Gray units and honestly i don't see/hear much difference...well not enough to justify the price anyway.

[Feanor]

Well, seems AR doesn't have a power conditioning forum yet. I'll add that to my list for the forum restructuring.

Anyways.....

Wanted to get some opinions on a cheep ($100-$200) power conditioner for my audio gear.

I have been looking around and so far the best I can seem to find, (has good reviews on sites that sell it) is the Belkin PureAV PF30.

* Level 4 Power Protection
* Phase 3 PureFilter™ Circuitry with video, audio, and HiCurrent™ filters
* Slim console design fits perfectly in your home theater cabinet
* HiCurrent outlet for high-power amplifiers
* Lifetime Warranty
* $350,000 Connected Equipment Warranty
* 8 outlets
* 3245 joules of surge protection
* 165,000-Amp maximum spike current
* 1 pair of gold coaxial connections for coaxial-cable protection
* 8 ft. SD500 HiCurrent™ power cord with right-angle plug
* UL1449 Rated

Curious on what you'll think of this or maybe other suggestions.
...

-adam

Adam,

I have PureAV PF60 and am pleased with it. BTW, you should be able to find the PV30 closer to $100 than to the MSRP of $199. Nope: I've never heard the least difference in sound but everyone around here knows I'm deaf.

Nevertheless I suspect that E-Stat is right to point out that the thing to look for in units in this price range is the RFI/EMI protection. In that regard it's important to have multiple, mutually isolated banks (or outlet) such that you can separate you RFI-producing components, (e.g. CDPs, DACs, Class D amps), from each other and from the rest of your equipment.

[frenchmon]

Here are a few to consider.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...cuitry-/1.html



http://www.accessories4less.com/make...2-v.2.1/1.html



http://www.accessories4less.com/make...2-v.2.0/1.html



frenchmon

[Monkey Mouse]

What kind of UPS are you using? UPS technologies.

Tripplite I bought at Costco...