PC or Line Conditioner


Hello,
Quite a few years ago I had a post asking people to chime in on what they would recommend for a good Power Cable. I find it funny because at the time I had the Ayre CX-7xe CD player, V-5xe Amp, and the K-5xe pre-amp. Now I have the V-5xe (in Black), K-5xeMP, and the Oppo UDP-205, using AQ Wind XLR IC's. I still have (2) Richard Gray's Power Company PC's and the RGPC-400 Pro. I find myself in need of more outlets and was looking at a used RGPC off of Ebay, but after talking with Gary, the tech guy, at Ayre he really believes that I should spend the money for the Ayre L-5xe that has (4) outlets. There is one right now on Agon for $1,400 OBO. It is not a conditioner in the normal sense, it is completely passive and there is no voltage regeneration or current limitation.
But I still am a fan of running a better PC than what comes with the component. Like I said I have the (2) RGPC cables and I just bought a Kimber Kable PK-14 Ascent. I would really like to keep the price for the cable under $500 but I also am giving more thought to putting that $500 to the Ayre L-5xe instead. All though I would be looking at more than twice what I would be spending on a Power Cable.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
David
f1wheels
IMO, the first step would be to install dedicated AC lines from your circuit panel, if possible. This would isolate your audio from other circuits and appliances that add noise throughout your AC mains.

Regarding power conditioning, if you have stable voltage coming into your house, you probably don’t need a regenerator. If you have had good results with the Richard Gray 400, then stay with a passive PC.
I’m not familiar with the Ayre PC, but it claims to be non-current limiting which would be a benefit to your amp’s performance. I believe the Gray passive PC’s do limit current, as many passives do, and your amp would be better served by going directly into the wall.

Sorry I can’t be more help, I just tried to point out the pros and cons of reducing the noise floor in your situation.

You’re already using aftermarket PCs, are you asking if you should upgrade? Changing one cable is not going to be all that noticable except for maybe a slightly different sonic signature. It seems like the priority is to add more receptacles while lowering the noise floor.

f1wheels

Much will depend on your locale. Are you living in a major U.S. city? If so, you might consider a dedicated line. Otherwise, keep the 400-Pro and plug the power amp into the wall. I own and use the 400-Pro for over 10 years now. A RGPC 600 will give you more outlets.

Happy Listening!
@f1wheels, First off as others have insinuated, I'd like to know if you have any dedicated AC lines from your electric panel, (and do you use any higher end AC outlets) to your system and if so how many?
Also what size wire and breaker feeds your system?
I realize this does not answer your question but it's important to know first.