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Power conditioner help

Hi All,

 Posting this here since there is no section devoted to power products. I also posted it in the miscellaneous section. 

If you had a choice between PS Audio P10 power plant and a Transparent Powerisolator Reference, which would you choose and why? Both available at reasonable prices, though P10 is still quite a bit more. I have a pretty high end system with a Musical Fidelity NuVista 800 integrated amp, NuVista CD (the new one), Scoutmaster turntable, SDS/ADS, Herron VTPH2, Wilson Sashas, and all Transparent Ref MM2 cables. System sounds great, but my present Powerbank 8 is quite old now, so I want to upgrade it.

Thanks for your opinions.
arsh
arsh OP
367 posts
 
Thanks auxinput. Have you been able to compare the Hubbell and Furutech outlets? One of the guys at Transparent recommended the Hubbell to me.
falconquest's avatar
falconquest
1,108 posts
 
I did a lot of research into this subject and can't help but feel the the Furman P2400 IT is the way to go. The price point is very competitive.

 http://www.furmansound.com/product.php?div=01&id=P-2400IT 
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

Yes, I have. I actually used to run all Hubbell outlets and Hubbell 20A male plugs for all my home theater equipment. I was experimenting with power connectors on my separate computer audio system and put in a Wattgate male plug. All of a sudden, I said "hey, this sounds just like sound I’m getting out of my theater". It was not a good sound - it was very fast, but very shouty and sterile. Just a single Wattgate plug in the mix caused this problem (I had 4 devices - DAC, preamp, 2 studio monitors). The Wattgate connectors and the Hubbell connectors/outlets all have one thing in common - brass conductors. I have since swapped out all my Hubbell outlets/plugs with Furutech FPX unplated copper outlets and Furutech FI-11 unplated copper male plugs. I use all Rhodium plated Furutech FI-52 and FI-50 IEC connectors for my equipment. All this was a significant improvement.

I have put more comments in this thread:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/furutech-vs-neotech-gold-plated-schuko-sound-quality

Don’t get me wrong, at $20-24 per plug, the Wattgate are "decent" plugs, but they do not compare at all to the Furutech pure-copper stuff. Since your considering several thousand for a power conditioner, a $70 FPX(Cu) outlet is not any big expense and I would say it will significantly improve things.

Be aware, the rhodium plated stuff require 250 hours burn-in.  And they don't fully open up until somewhere between 300-400 hours.

arsh OP
367 posts
 
Thanks again auxinput. I will read about the Furutech outlets and plugs. I wonder how much the interaction between such things and the components determines the sonic outcome, rather than the outlets/plugs in isolation? I don't find the sound I'm getting now shouts or sterile at all.
reynolds853
388 posts
 
Arsh,

I use a Bryston AVR20 isolation transformer and love it.  It's the exact same thing as a Torus AVR20, just branded by Bryston, so any review you read on either can be substituted for the other.  The AVR series has surge protection, power isolation/conditioning, and voltage regulation.  Without voltage regulation it becomes the RM series for Torus or a BIT if carrying the Bryston brand.  I love mine and recommend it without hesitation.  The 20-series are the 20A versions.  Peak current output is 400A for 1/2 second, 200A for 1 second, and 100A for 10 seconds.  The 15-series are the 15A versions and 300/150/75A for the peak current specifications.  Both Torus or Bryston would be very responsive if you were to ask them which series would be most suitable for your amp.

I run my system on a 20A dedicated line with a Wattgate outlet, which was about $135 at the time I got it years ago.  Since we are on the subject of power, I use Kimber PK10 Palladian power cords throughout my system and can recommend them too.

Cheers,

John

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