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Power conditioner some say yes and some say no.

Depending on who I ask a power transformer conditioner can have a good effect on the sound while others claim they inhibit the dynamics of an amp. I don’t have serious power problems as far as I know but I enjoy my sound most of the time. I currently use a Hydra 6 for my entire system except for my amp where I use a Hydra 2. Would it make sense to invest thousands on a power transformer conditioner or would my Hydras be enough by isolating the components from each other. I was waiting for a Keces IQRP 3600 to try but the dealer I was to get it from died from Covid-19 before arranging my Keces to be shipped. I am out $4000 and am not so fast to drop another $4000 on the Keces. Perhaps in the future if it makes sense. I find that not many use transformer conditioners due to the dynamics limitations of the amp. Any help would be appreciated.
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douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
I have never found any power conditioner to be wondrous. The ones I have used - and they ALL claim not to harm the signal - are as deleterious as beneficial. I don't find the idea of a whole system conditioner too appealing. I have found upgraded individual power supplies for each component to be highly efficacious. YMMV 

Consider; the thousands put into a conditioner could be put to work in, say, better speakers, and no one can tell you whether you would prefer that to the highly conditioned, lesser speakers. ONLY a direct comparison would tell. All manner of unsupported claims are made, with very little sensibility and real world experience applied to the claims. :(
ghdprentice
7,197 posts
 
Power conditioners are one of the devices that are highly dependent on your situation. Your exact house. Most of the time they are beneficial for most people. I replaced mine with a high end power distribution strip (Cardas I think). The experiment lasted about 30 seconds. No question the power conditioner improved the sound. Mine is a 25 year old Cinepro… a very good one for it’s time). My power amp goes right into the wall. We have buried power lines in our neighborhood, and I have half a dozen or so Quietline filters around the house.

Occasionally I read about someone who has clean power and does not benefit from them (and could tell… not people that religiously do not “believe” in them.
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Depends on your power and the line conditioner used. I'm using VIBEX PLATINIUM which does mot limit output and improves the sound with better stage, dynamics bass detail and quietness.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Impossible question to answer because there is no way of knowing what "a" power conditioner is. They are not all the same you know. If you get a good one it will be better. If you don't it won't. Yes it really is that simple.
clio09
3,360 posts
 
I worked for Roger Modjeski for several years. He was always of the opinion that if you designed the power supply of a component properly then additional power conditioning would not be needed. In his system he used an inexpensive power strip, mainly just to have the ability to power on/off all his components simultaneously. However, Roger did tell me that he felt the best type of power conditioning was to use balanced isolation transformers. Equitech is a company that makes these, and Torus makes unbalanced versions.

If you want a real bargain check out the link. It says DIY but Chris will build it for you for a nominal fee. These are essentially the same Balanced Power Technology units that were offered years ago when Chris was still in business. I bought two of them and am very satisfied:

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=172708.0
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