Does a good power conditioner reduce need for power supply upgrade?


Would like to hear Agoner’s opinion on this topic.  It appears to me that power conditioning as a part of power distribution role for your whole system, and high end external power supplies designed to either replace and beef up internal linear supplies (e.g. Naim approach) or to replace cheap switching wall warts or internal supplies supporting a single piece of equipment have a similar function, that being to reduce noise without restricting current.

Interested in what you think.

kn

Ag insider logo xs@2xknownothing

Years ago I bought an Audience AR-6 power conditioner.  I lived in a big city, the house was built in the early fifties and it really made a difference in in the sound quality. A few years later, I moved to the country in a new house that was built on what was a cow pasture. When I set up my hifi, I didn’t put the AR-6 in and I really didn’t hear anything bad. After a week-ten days, I reintroduced the AR-6 and heard NO difference, but I I kept it in for the magnetic breaker in it. Six years ago, I moved back to the big city, into a home built in 1962 and had to but the AR-6 In pretty quick. 
So I guess what I’m saying is can depend on where you’re living, how your house is wired, how your subdivision is wired and how many people you’re in your immediate area you are sharing with and for me now, I have a six story office building less than a thousand feet from me.

PC and equipment internal power supplies do have the common purpose of filtering out noise. Internal power supplies are entirely responsible for converting AC to DC and providing continuous voltage and adequate current, this affects dynamic capabilities of individual components.

I am a little confused.  By an external power supply, do you mean an audiophile quality power regenerator?  Let’s assume you do mean a regenerator like a Furman, PS Audio, Etc.  A power regenerator is designed to produce pure sine wave AC without the electrical and RF noise contaminating a mains supply and house electrical distribution lines.   A power conditioner is designed to filter electrical and RF noise from the mains and house distribution lines.  Putting a power conditioner after a power regenerator is redundant since a regenerator is theoretically producing pure power.  It will not physically harm equipment but theoretically not give improvement and possibly degrade SQ if there interference between filtering stages in the regenerator and conditioner.  I can only say experiment and determine yourself if there is an improvement.  I only use a conditioner that offers significant improvement in SQ.  
 

However, if you use power supply to mean your mains and house distribution lines, then improvements using dedicated breaker panels, panel surge protection, dedicated lines, and/or better outlets before a conditioner will improve SQ because you are providing cleaner power that will challenge the conditioner less.  Output after the conditioner will be cleaner.  

@knownothing

A great question about power supply. you have an interesting system with a very strong emphasis on Power supply all kinds of stuff you’ve got.

Comfortable room.

I had a blue sound streaming Device and upgrading that made a lot of difference and I would strongly recommend replacing it given all the other things you’ve done which I believe are weighed down by this one piece . I agree it may be easy to use but a lot of other things are just as easy to deal with.