Well, I tried a power conditioner...

If you didn't hear any difference, save your cash.
In retrospect, with a dedicated line, why even consider a power conditioner?
what do you feel is lacking in your system that would prompt an urge to buy a conditioner?

 

I purchased this based on your recommendation and it was also a dramatic improvement in my system.

I have a secondary system in my basement that has basically been a landing spot for overflow equipment and I was using a $30 power strip I bought at Lowe’s. In my defense, it was the nicest one they had and designed for HT or stereo equipment. One thing led to another and I wound up with a very expensive stereo (for me) going into that power strip, including a 250 wpc dual mono block amplifier (one chassis and two power cords), a pre amp, a phono stage, a dac and a turntable.


The improvement the audio quest made was in fact jaw dropping.

For that system I have a dedicated line but only two outlets. The reality is more outlets are needed and I’m sure I’m not alone. What you choose to solve that problem does in fact make a very big difference.

One thing to note about this product is only one of the outlets is designed for a high current amp. I use signal cable power cords and a bout one of their power strips that match my power cables. So the two power cables from the amp goes into that signal cable power strip and that directly to the power outlet. Everything else goes into the audio quest.

My bar for improvement was admittedly very low.

 

So glad it worked out for you, Dennis!

Could you do me a small favor and test it with your amp bypassing the AudioQuest just to see if using the AQ power supply for the rest of your components still makes a dramatic difference or if it's really the amp using it that makes it sound so much better?

My amp is using a 240V plug so I wouldn't be able to use the AQ for anything but my phono preamp, really. But if it makes a big difference with that, I'm willing to spend the 200 smackers for it.

 

My amp is bypassing the audioquest, it’s going into the wall.

 

I have an Audioquest Niagara 1200 power conditioner set to arrive today. Instead of just hoping it creates a sonic improvement where otherwise no problem had otherwise existed, I am trying to address a couple of issues. First I had noticed (through much trial and error) that my Brick Wall surge protection unit was adding some noise to my system. The 1200 should provide all the protection of the Brick Wall but without the noise. Secondly I've had some line noise issues since day 1 due to DC offset resulting in transformer hum in my tube amp. Through use of an Emotiva CMX-2 I have reduced the hum by 95% and I can only hear it with my ear 6 inches or less from the speakers - however I'd love to remove it 100% and I'm hoping the 1200 will do the trick. Lastly, as my system has become more resolving through better components and higher sensitivity/efficiency speakers I am finding that small changes in cabling, tubes, and isolation equipment are quite noticeable. I suspect the by lowering the noise floor through the AC conditioning and improving the dynamic range that I will hear a more-than-subtle difference.

If anyone is interested I can post my findings in a separate thread.

 

Very very interesting. Which phono preamp are you using on that system? The Puffin, VTL, or MF? Might have to look into buying one if merely plugging the phono preamp in is enough to cause that big of a jump in SQ.

 

Right Now I have the vtl phono, bat vk-30 and vk 500, VPI classic with a kotesu rosewood in that system. I’m likely to pull the analog and put it back with my vintage system later this week. I was just testing it out, it sounded amazing and I’ve been slow to tear it apart. I may buy a second audio quest for my main system.

 

Play more music, don't sweat the (expensive) little things

 

That seals it for me. I'll give it a go once I get my amp back on its feet. Thanks for the feedback!

 

If you are a bit deaf or have ears full of wax you will hear no differences. Or if the power is so bad no equipment can fix it you might not hear any differences. Or if your system is such low resolution everything sounds like an AM radio or your room is poorly treated or improperly set up then you may not hear any differences. Or if you have other noise entering the room like A/C units, noisy neighbors, yappy spouses you might not hear any improvements. Or if what you bought to improve things was really cheap but not very good, you might not hear much difference. Lots of reasons but just because they apply to one person doesn't mean they apply to everyone. But yeah if you don't hear improvements, agree that you should save your money.

 

Speaking of which, electrical noise radiates through your home's wiring like an antenna and causes interference which be picked up on an AM radio. In fact some companies sell a battery-powered AM radio rebranded as an "Electrosmog Detector". But if your AM reception is fine, even with the radio held close to a wall outlet, you do not have "dirty" AC power.

 

Give it a shot, you can always send it back. Like I said before, most of us are in a spot where we have to use something just to get power to all of our equipment. Turns out that’s a spot that can work against you if you don’t work at it a little.

 

About the Power Quest 2, here's what one Amazon review stated.

"As a power noise filter
I have a wicked ground loop hum in my office, where I have my secondary stereo system. Some equipment isn't affected at all, but on some equipment it's a constant hiss, hum, and digital gurgling. I tested the Powerquest with the noisy equipment and it didn't suppress anything: all the noise was there, same as before. In contrast, my Hum X device gets rid of 95% of it. Maybe it isn't designed for ground loops.

As an audio enhancer
This is a tricky one: does a power outlet improve your sound? Some people say no, it's impossible, and others swear by it. I bought the Powerquest for my main stereo system (not the office system with the ground loop hum). On a first listen, it sounded about the same as it had before, plugged into a standard office surge protector/power outlet. But after a while, my impression was that the bass was deeper and more responsive, the treble slightly more extended, and the overall sound more realistic and responsive. My amplifier uses a rare push-pull Darlington transistor drive stage, similar to tube amplifiers, and it's always been very dynamic and realistic: I felt it was more so with the Powerquest."



And another interesting tidbit from another review...

"AudioQuest has commented on this review and kindly pointed out there is another significant difference between these two units than just the additional plugs I noted above. The PQ3 provides "Ultra-Linear" filtering, while the PQ2 offers just "Linear" filtering. This means that the PQ3 offers both Common-Mode AND Differential-Mode filters. Theoretically, the PQ3 should offer better performance than the 2."

 

Picked up my PS Audio Dectect Power Center to replace my Ultralink power conditioner, which went down last month. Plus two Noise Harvesters.

This is how it comes in the box (well, without the Noise Harvesters, which are sold separately):



Nicely packaged and held down tightly with a sheet of plastic.

With the plastic cut away:



Seems built to a high standard. Will hook it up this week.

 

So here is a question for the group. Although I have my stereo on a dedicated circuit, it is impacted when the ac kicks on. Kind of makes it bog down for a second. I had hoped the audio quest would help that. Would a proper power conditioner eliminate that? That big dual mono block amp is quite the draw on power, my other systems that are lower powered tube amps don’t seem to be impacted.

 

A waste of time and money

 

I buy these things mostly for the surge protection they offer. If they can reduce some line noise then that's a bonus. A lower noise floor is always welcome.

I don't consider a few hundred bucks to protect what I've spent thousands on to be a waste of time and money. I understand their protection only goes so far and that's cool. Better than nothing in my books.

 

Not that you had much credibility but its all gone now.

 

Depending on where you live, you can have a nice clean AC signal or a very dirty one.

Power companies generate electricity to run appliances and businesses, not to power audiophile equipment.

Nothing wrong with assuring cleaner power and protection to your expensive gear.

I live in Florida and we are one of the lightning capitals of the world. Being on the Beach area of Fort Lauderdale, the quality of the electricity was not good at all.

Even with a surge protector, it took out a processor of mine.

After it took out a second processor, I added a second surge protector after the first one.

As you say, if it keeps some of the crap out of the gear that might have an effect on audio quality, all the better for it.

I personally have not noted any change of audio quality from line conditioners, but that is just me.

 

Like everything in audio it is not a simple "yes / no" type thing - although that is how many deal with many topics.

My first question to the OP would be WHY were you expecting your system to sound better? Just curious as to the source, link, person, ad that was able to pry $2k out of your pocket on the guise your system was going to sound better - and you would hear an audible SQ difference! Please share. It's the $2000 part that really has my curiosity piqued!

Next -- "Power conditioner" -- First off, a lot of products are called "power conditioners". Some are $20, some are thousands of dollars. Some of the really cheap ones are just power strips with the phrase "power conditioner" attached. I don't think there is a "standard" or test a product has to pass to utilize the phrase "power conditioner" in its name. So there's that............

Then, so if spending up over a cheap power strip or plugging into the wall -- so if not for SQ improvements, is it worth it?

Well, for some with dirty power, or ground loop issues, it can provide some benefit or relief. Then, for some (like me) who have an external antenna mounted, and the coax to it feeding into my system --- and living in an area where lightning strikes can happen -- I appreciate a power source that has some sort of protection -- and for my the $80 power conditioner ($150 retail - I got it on promo) I own protects that. (I actually own four power conditioners around the house in the $40 - $80 range ---- note I got all mine for discounted prices as they retailed for higher).

I too have a dedicated 20 amp line feeding my audio system - and I did not buy a power conditioner expecting sound quality improvements, there were other benefits that led me to spend an extra $40 over a good power strip........... what is interesting, I used to have a $1.99 outlet between my power condition and the dedicated line -- and replacing that DID yield a subtle improvement in SQ. But that was a weak link I believe now after replacing........ and that was why in that case.

Anyway, carry on.......... a high quality power strip (or "conditioner"), can have other benefits, though I can see those purchasing one expecting to be floored by SQ improvements probably should have more realistic expectations going in and not be too gullible and easily swayed by all the marketing hype. (which, unfortunately in audio, is everywhere).

 

If you have more than a couple of components, everybody needs some sort of power conditioner to distribute electricity and protect your gear. I've wondered if using one with my power amps actually hurts the performance compared to directly into the wall though..

 

That is entirely possible, but not in all cases of course --- depends on quality of component like anything else!

 

Just midrange Adcom and Parasound Amps. I have one of the Furman units..approx $130. No dedicated outlet but the two outlets near my rack are on separate circuits/breakers. My thinking is plugging the power amps into their own wall outlet opposite the Furman outlet.

 

I meant by "component" the quality of the strip you are plugging into! I think it goes without saying there is a potential difference in power quality if you compare plugging one component into a high quality outlet directly into the wall, feeding your dedicated 20 amp line to the panel VERSUS plugging six or seven components into a $4 power strip from Home Depot!

Do you have the PST-8 or PST-8D, or did you get the Merit 8x? (the furman). Just curious.

 

Merit 8-lx. It's really meant for a musicians rack/stack. Replaced an Adcom ace-515 I had for years.