Power Conditioners
Printed From: Graham Slee Hifi System Components
Category: And the rest
Forum Name: Power Sources
Forum Description: Where the power comes from has always been a hot topic - even more so now with new World legislation
URL: https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1630
Printed Date: 27 Mar 2026 at 4:02am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Power Conditioners
Posted By: OA1
Subject: Power Conditioners
Date Posted: 11 Dec 2012 at 3:18am
| I'm wondering if anyone uses/has used a power conditioner in their system? Out of all the brands on the market the only one I have found to get consistent positive reviews is Shunyata Research. Does anyone have experience with Shunyata power conditioners or power cables? This is an upgrade that I have been thinking about for a while as it is supposed to improve the performance of all components, especially amplifiers... |
Replies:
Posted By: suede
Date Posted: 11 Dec 2012 at 7:47pm
|
I too would find it very interesting if anyone here in the forum has any experience with power conditioners. I find the results from my system often varying from slightly disappointing (given what I'm used to nowadays) one day to truly magical the next and I'm quite certain it's not all to do with change in perception and mood but could in fact very well be due to varying quality in the mains electricity. I find that unplugging equipment like cell-phone chargers or even some lamps from mains connected to the same fuse as my stereo improves the sound quality quite a lot so there's definitely some potential for cleaner power supply at least there. |
Posted By: mrarroyo
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2012 at 12:58am
|
For some of my components I use a regenerator, specifically: http://www.monarchyaudio.com/AC_Regen_frm_Main.htm I believe it has improve the overall sound from the units attached to it much better than a regular Monster Power HTS 3500 MkII. ------------- Miguel |
Posted By: Jog3004
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2012 at 7:55am
|
I have purchased many power conditioners over the years & still have a v well known "power block" with other plug in units to reduce noise in electric supply. I would say they made a difference, more notably in some equipment than others, my tv & CD player mainly, but for the cost of the block, it could be argued that the improvement vs cost is subjective, it has never made me go "wow", but if you can absorb the cost, I'd argue it can give you slight improvements. An electrician I know & my wife who is Neurophysiologist, who works with all sorts of machines & has a strong understanding of physics, agree that electric supplies can have bearing on working of your equipment, & the electrician made reference to busting dirty petrol in your car. Don't get me wrong, I think there are a number of manufacturers out there (one v big one in this area) who constantly seem to come up with different products that magically clean up your electrics but differently to all the others who I think are taking the mick, but I would stand by my opinion that power conditioners do have a slight benefit to my system. However, the biggest improvement I had was going on eBay, buying a double socket with earth connector & using the earth connector on my block, earthing this, I was genuinely shocked what a difference this made. ------------- James |
Posted By: Suggs
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2012 at 10:48am
|
Like Miguel, having tried a few "conditioners" over the years which all seemed to improve some aspects of the system performance at the cost of others, I finally opted for a power "re-generator", from probably the largest manufacturer of these. I was very impressed by the improvements that this brought about and have subsequently upgraded to the current model, again with noticable and consistent improvements. I no longer get any feeling of the system performing better late at night or inconsistently during evening/daytime listening. Interestingly, my wife commented on the improvement to the quality of our TV picture when I put the older redundant unit into the home cinema system, without her knowing it was there! Having said that, I believe that the biggest improvement of the lot was installing a dedicated mains supply (and separate fuse board and earth) for the hi-fi, with no connection to any other wiring in the house. Hope that helps ------------- Derek |
Posted By: gaz
Date Posted: 26 Dec 2012 at 11:15pm
i would totally agree with the above my brother done the same well worth doing, he done most of the work himself then got a sparks to commission it the sparks thought he was mad for doing it until he heard the difference
|
Suggs wrote:Posted By: digital man
Date Posted: 02 Jan 2013 at 10:59pm
|
I learned through trial and error that power conditioning is an important part of my system that I need to have. I want my system to sound like it does late at night no matter what time of day it is. I think that is the real goal here, no matter what gear you have it will sound better very late at night. The best thing to do when trying different conditioners is to be really honest with yourself - does it sound better with it or with out it? I like to live with a new piece of gear for a while, then remove it. I will either have a "put it back!" reaction or I won't really care. This is my acid test. Here's what I have right now that makes my system sound like it's late at night all day long : A single 15 amp dedicated AC line from the breaker box to my room. A Wattgate AC duplex outlet on that dedicated line. A BPT balanced power transformer is plugged into the top outlet of the Wattgate dedicated line. A Richard Gray Power Company 600S (inductor) is plugged into the bottom outlet of the Wattgate dedicated line. All audio components including the power amplifiers are plugged into the BPT balanced power transformer. The turntable motor power supply is plugged into the Richard Gray RG600. Everyone's situation is different. What works for me with my AC power and my gear may or may not work for you. |
Posted By: kgilroy
Date Posted: 04 Jan 2013 at 11:51am
|
I feed all my equipment from an earlier generation of the PS
Audio Power Plant 5, AC regenerator with separate lines for analogue and digital. It’s pricey but I was able to find one used
with not too many hours on it. One of the possible benefits of frequency and voltage
control is the ability to provide a stable supply to the turntable motor in addition
to clean power for everything else. I admit to a bit of potential overkill here since I also have a dedicated electrical supply from the mains. This was not planned but a fortunate artefact of the design of my house. |
Posted By: shellac0778
Date Posted: 26 Jan 2013 at 12:54pm
|
I did use a dedicated circuit and power conditioner but have recently relocated my system to a different room used only for music listening and reading. My intention was to reroute the cable from the dedicated circuit to the new room but I haven't bothered as my system sounds better in the new room using a normal ring circuit. I think placement/room setup is far more important. Kevin ------------- www.firestopsafety.co.uk |
Posted By: mrarroyo
Date Posted: 26 Jan 2013 at 11:49pm
|
I find that a house with a good ground to earth is paramount to blacker backgrounds and a more enjoyable listening experience. ------------- Miguel |
Posted By: Suggs
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2015 at 7:07am
|
I remember reading recently in a thread on the forum about an AC power re-generator that was recommended but can't find the link. Anybody out there can tell me where it is...thanks ------------- Derek |
Posted By: DaveG
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2015 at 7:44am
|
Not sure where I saw the thread, but it could be the Powerinspired one? ------------- Dave Michell Gorbe + HR PSU -> Cadenza Bronze -> SME V -> Elevator -> Accession -> Proprius -> B&W CM6 s2 | Cusat 50 & Spatia cables -> 
|
Posted By: RichW
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2015 at 10:59am
|
Yes, AG1500 regenerator at www.powerinspired.com. ------------- Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC. |
Posted By: Suggs
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2015 at 3:48pm
Thanks guys  ------------- Derek |
Posted By: garygillespie
Date Posted: 04 May 2015 at 8:09pm
|
Right now I only have a Monster PRO 1000 with Clean Power Stage 2 power strip. I finally broke my piggy bank open and bought Reflex M /PSU1, so I think I need something better to plug it into to. I'm probably the worlds poorest audiophiles, so the next piece of gear I'm saving up for is a Rega TT, so I don't have a lot of money to spend on a power conditioner or regenerator. So I was thinking about buying a used PS Audio UPC-200, or some used gear for around $300. So does anyone have any suggestions on what used gear for around $300 I can plug the PSU1 into? Also I read the two popular Power Conditions are Passive & Active. I've read active tend to change the sound to much, so it's better to go with passive. Is that really true, or just it just depend on the Brand and Model? |
Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 04 May 2015 at 9:40pm
The power socket - you already bought it  ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: garygillespie
Date Posted: 04 May 2015 at 11:24pm
Thank you, that's a relieve to hear.
|
Posted By: garygillespie
Date Posted: 06 May 2015 at 7:40pm
|
So I'm going to upgrade my receptacle, and these are the ones I'm considering: VooDoo-Hubbell IG 8300, Oyaide R1, Shunyata Research SR-Z1, Furutech FPX (R), Furutech GTX-D, Synergistic Research Tesla Plex SE. So most of these are rated at 15 or 20 amp. So would it be ok to plug the PSU1 into one outlet, and plug my monster cable power strip into the other outlet, then connect my computer, turntables, ect into the monster cable? I just want to make sure the outlet wouldn't damage anything. |
Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 06 May 2015 at 10:07pm
|
I only ever tried one power conditioner which was supposed to be "the bees knees". It didn't do anything for me. I spent the equivalent on more music - which did. Just my opinion. ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: garygillespie
Date Posted: 06 May 2015 at 11:17pm
|
I'm not going to get a power conditioner now, but I do want to upgrade my wall socket. Since those outlets I'm looking into have both 15 & 20 amps, I have no experience with an out let that has two types of amps. I just want to make sure when I plug my devices into them, they are going to be ok. |
Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 07 May 2015 at 3:42am
|
Found here:
http://www.homedepot.com/c/electrical_outlets_factors_to_consider_when_selecting_electrical_outlets_HT_BG_EL "20-amp outlets – If you are installing a receptacle where you will have high-current devices, such as small appliances in a kitchen, 20-amp receptacles are essential. Use 20-amp outlets only on 20-amp circuits, which can be identified by looking at your circuit breakers. Twenty-amp outlets have a horizontal slot connected to one of the vertical slots in the outlet." The cable size in your wall back to the circuit breaker should be 12 to 10 gauge and the circuit breaker should be rated at 20A. 20 amp outlets will take the conventional US two pin and 3 pin plugs, and also high powered products having a 20 amp plug. The "fatter" 12 to 10 gauge cable provides a lower impedance path for the line supply to the outlets, but for high frequency noise (which is the big culprit) the impedance may as well be the same as 14 gauge. At high frequency, impedance simply doesn't obey the rules. That's where the filtering of the power supply and that inside the product's DC input comes into action to polish-off high frequency noise. That is also a possible reason why I don't hear a difference with mains conditioners. ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: BAK
Date Posted: 07 May 2015 at 7:20am
|
The current rating of an outlet does not relate to the quality of the supplied power or to the quality of the electrical connection. Only use 20amp outlets on a 20amp circuit-breaker - supplied circuit with 12guage copper wire under 70 feet long. To determine how much current you need on an outlet to supply your equipment, add up all units' individual current needed; for those units with power ratings only, on 120volts power... add 1amp for every 100 watts, that will be close enough. Do not plug in more than 15amps worth of equipment on a 15amp circuit... NOTE that many outlets may be connected to 1 circuit breaker, up to 8 outlets but usually no more than 4 duplex outlets. This means that a total of 15amps must be shared by all the outlets on the same 15amp circuit-breaker. For safety, never use push-in-the-back wire connection types, they can fail with a high resistance contact on the supply wire and can start fires when high currents are present. And make sure the ground wire is securely connected to the outlet and metal box if a metal outlet box is present. Look for outlets with either wire-wrap-arround-screw or wire-binded-under-screw-clamp connections. In the US, I prefer to use 15amp, industrial grade or hospital grade, outlets on my critical power circuits. Industrial grade outlets are 1/2 the cost of hospital grade. Here is a brake-down: Consumer grade: about $1 to $2, not as low of a low resistance connection, plugs go in and out easy. Industrial grade: about $3 to $8, very good low resistance connection, plugs go in and out tighter. Hospital grade: about $10 to $20, excellent low resistance connection, plugs go in and out very tight. ------------- Bruce AT-14SA, Pickering XV-15, Hana EL, Technics SL-1600MK2, Lautus, Majestic DAC, Technics SH-8055 spectrum analyzer, Eminence Beta8A custom cabs; Proprius & Reflex M or C, Enjoy Life your way! |
Posted By: garygillespie
Date Posted: 07 May 2015 at 5:57pm
| Thanks for all the valuable feedback Granam & Bruce. |
Posted By: Robnpg
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2020 at 12:03pm
| a very timely topic. I was at a music dealer yesterday purchasing speakers. We were talking about the upgrade path. The guys said over cables or anything else, he says my first priority should be a power conditioner. I did some general browsing and found devices from $180 on Amazon to those costing in the thousands (especially) in the music stores. I have no idea where to begin.... |
Posted By: Robnpg
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2020 at 12:29pm
|
found this article on AVS: https://www.avsforum.com/wordpress/ask-editors-whats-difference-surge-protector-power-conditioner-ups/?amp - https://www.avsforum.com/wordpress/ask-editors-whats-difference-surge-protector-power-conditioner-ups/?amp
|
Posted By: mdnicke2
Date Posted: 01 Sep 2020 at 12:50am
| I have a Furman PST-8 Power Conditioner and I cannot say that I have noticed a positive change in the sound. I definitely don’t hear a degradation that some people hear with power conditioners. I wanted a a nice surge protector as I live in the lightning capital of the world and I obviously care deeply about my hi-fi setup. I figured it was worth a few extra bucks to try out a power conditioner. The electrical system in my house is a bit wonky as well, so I figured I didn’t have much to lose. |