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Objective Studies?

There seem to be endless debates across the internet whether a "power conditioner" (I always conjure a soapy head image when I say that) is a genuine need or just so much snake oil for the gullible in the audiophile community.  There appears to be at least some consistency that concerns about power conditioners should be near the bottom of the audiophile's to-do list.  Yet there are some who claim, vociferously, that power conditions make a huge difference in sound quality.  And so the debate rages on....

What would seem to be helpful is an objective/scientific study regarding measurable differences they can make, if any.  Surely someone has done a valid study of the issue?  I'm hoping to avoid yet another power conditioner turf battle on Audiogon by focusing this post just on whether objective/scientific studies have been done.  If you know of any please share!
kellen
helomech
1,749 posts
 
Don’t know of any credible studies. I do know for a fact that DC blockers can work to reduce DC-offset which is a common power quality problem. Some power providers are willing to conduct a quality audit if you have legitimate concerns, like wonky appliance behavior or buzzing transformers. That would at least give you an idea of whether power conditioning is worth pursuing. I find that if the gear is well-designed, the quality of the mains power is not as critical. A high quality power supply will largely filter out the incoming garbage.

 You definitely want to stay away from amps with cheap toroids though it can be difficult to identify which brands are using quality ones.


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cleeds
6,051 posts
 
There are units that will show distortion levels both before and after power treatment, such as some from PS Audio. Of course many units will also stabilize voltage, which is easily measurable.

Are those differences audible? As with so many things in audio, it’s usually best to listen for yourself.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
I use one mainly for the aesthetic looks, nicer than a power strip in my rack and it has enough outlets. Is also has surge protection, whether it improves sound I have no idea.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
5,167 posts
 
As someone who just built a system, I decided to consult folks here. The smarter ones indicated that (above and beyond surge protection) it could make a sonic difference, but so much depends on (a) the electrical on that line, (b) at that breaker, (c) in that house, (d) in that neighborhood. 

Given all that, the question becomes, what are the objective criteria with which *you* could measure *your* particular electrical situation?

And then, what results would indicate something which could, in theory, be noticeable?

And assuming you figured all that out -- and let's say for argument that you found something which could be noticed -- the next question for you would be, "Is this the next most necessary thing I need to do to improve sound in my system?"
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 
There have been some patchy tests done with various noise sniffer devices, which of course depend in part on the quality and accuracy of the noise sniffer itself.  But the before and after demos I've seen were pretty good.
What we really need is a company like iFixit to purchase a bunch of different units, and get a team of qualified electrical/electronic engineers to tear them down and at least identify what kinds of components are inside and what they are there to do.  At least that would be something.
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