AC Conditioners: Must Have Tweak or More Voodo

Sounds like your wiring could be dangerously out of code. I'd get it fixed before even thinking about a power conditioner. After that, I suggest getting a power conditioner that offers spike protection, component isolation (from each other), and power line noise suppression. There are lots of good ones to choose from. Check out the "Power strips" thread that was started on 2/5/02. Good luck.

Many conditioners use the ground on a 3 way plug to get rid of the noise from the digital components. I agree with others that you would need to ground the cheater plug to get the best results.

Fixing the wiring first sounds like good advise. -- As to AC accessories, my guess is they all have their own character. As an example, I've tried the PS Audio P300, Ultimate Outlet, and Juice Bar (and still own and use all three) with a single brand of upgrade power cord (Silver Audio Power Burst). The Power Burst gave tighter bass and more clear mids. The Ultimate Outlet improved the blackness around notes with a 'mellow' presentation, the P300 also improved blackness but resulted in a very refined high end. Since I feel most systems overemphasize the high end, I nearly discarded it, but upon further listening concluded it did not exaggerate but rather 'revealed' the high end (just an impression without factual basis). I'm using the UO in a dedicated headphone setup and the P300 in my main system (but I've read that you can use them together). The P300 didn't have enough outlets, so I used a relatively inexpensive power strip that allowed use of your own power cord. After having cords loosen in this strip I bought the $200 Juice Bar on a 30 day trial. No contest, immediate improvement. -- I neither have the time nor money to compare all or even many of the different power cords, conditioners, outlets, etc but from this limited experience believe that for a given system they will all have an impact in different ways in much the same way that different interconnects and speaker cables give different results. Good luck.

I am using an Audio Tekne power tranformer and I plug everything into it including 2 amps. Works better than the ps300, titan power block. Since I couldn't put dedicated lines in without ripping the house apart this was definitely the way to go. Audio Tekne is a relative obscure company in the U.S. but has great products. The voltage changes where I live are common and this tranformer cured that problem.

i've not yet tried ANY power conditioner in my system that failed to degrade the sound in one way or another. as sean and others have suggested, an up to-date and code electrical wiring upgrade should be your first priority, not just for your nascent audio system, but your overall sense of safety and wellbeing. once you've got the proper wires going to your rooms, have high grade outlets installed, at least in your "sound room" (lots of threads on these). from there, all you should need are good power cords (more threads on these) and, perhaps, a secondary surge protector (yet further threads on these). BTW, wouldn't it be proper to change your moniker to, say, "cwusetabelondon." :o) -kelly