My experience is that the Monsters, especially for the money, do just fine! They make a quieter background, for better contrast of sound, and a quieter picture in my experience. In fact, I've had lots of different "higher end" conditioners and power-stations in my system, and it's usually system/area dependent, at best! Basically, results vary with this stuff. I've yet to EVER read one review on any conditioner, variac, power supply, whatever, that says "this product is the end-all-be-all, and does EVERYTHING perfect!...er, basically, "greatest line conditioner ever created!", basically. They all do something different. They all seam to offer pluses and minuses (show me ONE REVIEW, where some super well regarded and respected, long time audiophile review expert, has found the Valhala of conditioners! Yeah, the product doesn't exist basically.)
All that to say, not only have I used and do use/recommend the monster conditioners, but my experience is they do add benefits (if for nothing else, a big warranty coverage for your stuff if it gets fried), and better than most for the money overall, for little investment. And still, the ONLY way to find out of something works, is to try some and compare! But, if you don't have the time, I think you'll find the Monster, dollar per dollar, to offer good results, yes. (sold em in 5 audio stores over the years, plus custom, plus my systems).
Actually, I like the cheapo's for basic receiver systems (HTS1000/1100, whatever).
