How much should a person spend to get a decent power conditioner?

I must say you folks are very well versed and articulate with what are the potential benefits of a good power condition, to use the vernacular.  I am going to look into several items brought out in these discussions.  I noticed a couple references to not having your amp plugged into a power conditioner.  That seems counter intuitive to me.  I would think that it's one of the two most important devices (the pre/pro being the other) to have plugged in to a conditioner.  Can someone please expound on this?

The reason not to plug a powe amp int a conditioner is if it is current limiting. Of course they all claim that there will be no ill effects but many people find their power amps sound best plugged straight into the wall. As I noted there are some brands that I’ve found this doesn’t apply to but based on my past experience of never use a Nordost conditioner with powe amps for example, even though I liked them with my sources 

For grins last eve I decided to test ( double blind of course - hard to see out of both eyes after a few Reds ) the theory and well accepted claim that the power amp should not be plugged into the conditioner...

yup

front end into an Isotek, amp into a Furman PF15i

not as good as amp MC240 ( heavily modified by Mike Samra ) direct to wall

test CD - David Gilmour Solo
test wine : DAVIS Family Vineyards, Healdsburg CA

your voltage may vary

Just to make sure....
repeating test
with:

Crooked Still - Shaken by a Low Sound.....

folkfreak: curious to know why you say balanced power is more trouble than it is worth. I have 4 systems all using EquiTech balanced power and have had no trouble at all. ET lowers noise floor 16dB on average so it allows you to really hear the music. I liken it to the clarity you get when listening to music in your car and you turn the engine off. Lower the noise floor and all of a sudden you can really hear the music. I started a thread a while back with a novice power conditioner question and got a variety of interesting responses. Decided to opt for balanced power and glad I did. Unfortunately good power conditioners are not inexpensive. I’d like to try an AudioQuest Niagara 7000 for $7999 :) But the 1000 for $999 might be a better choice on a budget.