Dedicated line w/ upgraded parts or power cond?


Which would yield best results? A dedicated power line with upgraded outlet and power cable, or a power conditioner?
rockadanny
Go with a couple of dedicated lines and use good receptacles,the better they are the better the sound.

Then plug your power amp(s)into one line and the rest into the other.
I also like a third line for just the digital stuff.

This will improve your sound.

Next improve your power cords to all gear.
Keep them from the same company or DIY but use connectors and wire from the same manufacturer, and don't scrimp.

Then try a power conditioner,for the front end gear,one that isolates digital from analog as a starting point.

Then try some upgraded fuses, which should be the icing on the cake,but, after all the power upgrades are done before it. You should now be able to hear what they bring to the party.

When you've gotten the power taken care of you can then audition wires,because now you'll hear the differences between them when all the noise has been cleaned up.

In fact you'll be able to hear your system for the first time, and you may not feel the need to replace anything again.

Then go for a power conditioner for your front end gear
Whart - "floating shield" is not quite the same as "floating ground"

For instance, with floating shield, if you have a power cord with Positive, Neutral and Ground conductors, then all three should be connected at the IEC and mains connector - however, the shield ONLY is connected at the mains connector.

Theory is that any RFI is conducted away from the component connected to it

It works very well with a star grounding scheme

It could be accomplished with XLR using todays multi-shielded balanced connectors, but XLR cables generally are not constructed with a floating shield so I wouldn't consider changing anything with your XLR cables.

The occasional noise interference you attribute to power line anomolies may well be eliminated by the Equi=Tech solution

The explanation on their web site states that the noise on the incoming power line phases are 180 degrees opposed and therefore cancels out when put through their system.

If the noise on the phases are equal in amplitude - they would be correct - but we live in an imperfect world.

However, the differences would probably be so small as to render them innefective

One point of interest, they warn against floating shields - from their web site...
all audio cable shields be grounded at both ends.
Not quite sure as to why they state this - maybe they are assuming there is no seperate ground conductor and the shield is used as ground, by default - which may be true in some cables

Keep us posted on how it works out
Thank you all for you input thus far. I will definitely be putting in dedicated lines and upgraded outlets. But before I decide on power cords, it seems that I should first upgrade my IEC inlets. Do you agree?
Yes you should.This will make it easier to judge differences in power cords.
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