Sub $1k Power Conditioners? Any Assistance Appreciated...


Hey guys,

I’m not new to the hobby but am getting back in after a decade or so hiatus. Two channel guy looking for a sub $1k power conditioner for my system. Have used multiple PS products in the past and loved them but their offerings today are too rich for my blood at the moment.

I’m seeing a lot of positive reviews on the AQ Niagara line and the 1200 falls into my fiduciary wheelhouse. It seems to me there’s much more movement these days towards plugging the amp directly into the wall vs any sort of power conditioner except the top of the line units, presumably to avoid limiting current. I’m using, at the moment, a Krell S-300i integrated and would prefer the peace of mind of surge protection.

I’ve always liked the component style aesthetic but, of course, performance and value first. Any recommendations aside from the Niagara or is that where I should be looking? I’m not at all adverse to buying used.

Thanks!
cjlundberg
Sorry @artemus_5

I sent my reply to the OP and didn’t tag you. I replied on 06-17-2020 2:18pm


The issue with a lot of inexpensive strips (including Furman) is they have 1 set of filters. So:

Wall power = D------ < Filter > ----- (outputs)

The problem is that the output can be polluted by other noise generating devices. That is, on the same strip you may have a linear amp, and a switching wall-wart type power supply. That filter only cleans up power from the wall, not from other devices placed after it.

More advanced power conditioners will offer multiple filter banks, to help reduce this problem.


Does this help??

Is it better .... honestly depends on a lot of things. I mean, yes, you could test it and prove it’s better, but would you hear it?? That’s another story. :)

This just now: In the grocery store down the street and its storming outside. BOOM! grocery store goes dark. I see the registers blink and come back up. I ask how much battery they had for the registers and the response was "about 20 minutes" . I grabbed a gallon of milk and a bag of Chicka Pop and just as I checked out the register goes dark. Headed home in driving rain with all the signal lights either out or flashing red. Fully expected to return home to a darkened home and/or a tripped Furman. Opened the door and I could here the sound system still cranking Radio Paradise. I still amazes me how stable the power is in this 60 year old neighborhood. Even got a fiber trunk at the end of the street :) .
Guys, you are living in the past. Please check out this review:

http://enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0119/Goal_Zero_Yeti_400_Lithium_Portable_Power_Station_Review.htm

The reviewer now uses a Yeti 1200 on his Pass XA250.8 as well for even better sound. The big Yeti has fan noise so he puts it in his closet.

You don’t need to use all in ones......you can use separate low distortion sine wave inverters and batteries......using separate charger, as well. You can buy a 2000 watt inverter (4000 watt peak) for $400 or less, a 100 amp hour battery for $150 and a charger for $75. Will power your whole system for a several hours or longer if you leave the charger on when listening (will degrade the sound when you leave the charger on when listening). Depending you your current demands you can get many hours before recharging or you can up the hours of use by paralleling batteries. You could have one battery bank and run separate inverters for each component....therefore isolating each one for even better sound. Generally the big separate inverters will not turn their cooling fan on unless they are running a lot of current. The all in one units need more cooling as they are self contained and have zero external heatsinks. The separate inverters are all heatsink....therefore they rarely turn the fan on.....and you could always get a super low noise fan and blow some air across the unit to keep it cool enough so the fan will not come on. We have brains...we can use them.

Every person I know who has tried this....either the all in ones or separates has the best sound they have ever had.

We are talking OFF THE GRID here. Glorious sound (better than line conditioners by themselves on the grid) and you have the same sound day and night and you never get a power surge (batteries don’t surge....he he).

Yes, industrial inverters and batteries don’t look cool, but if you are smart (and I know you are) you can figure out a way to cover them/hide them/shelve them, etc....or arrange it so there is good WAF.

Better than power regenerators, better than isolation transformers, better than anything......and cheaper.

You might get even better sound by using a super line conditioner after the inverter (the inverter is not perfectly noiseless....nothing is). My friend is using the Yeti 3000 with a 3000 watt Topaz isolation transformer after it. He already was using the transformer and has super wire and multiple Furutech sockets so he just kept using it. He does not know if it would sound better or worse with out the transformer. He went with the Yeti 3000 because he wants to use it as house power back up when the power goes out (in California....when the wind blows above a certain speed then PG&E shuts off power....too many lawsuits after all the fires a couple of years ago). He puts the fan noisy Yeti 3000 in the room next door and runs a cable through a hole in the wall....therefore eliminating the fan noise......like I said before, if you use an industrial separate inverter than you will have less or no fan noise.