Power Conditioner/Surge Protector Options

The Furman and Niagra are relatively easy sells. Buy all three, you be the judge. Quality of materials, design not just a few plugs in a box with a “surge suppressor” make a difference. 

they are not only easy sells, they can be purchased with 30 day returns...but then listening tests would be required...

I have not listened to my system with a TrippLite, except for the subwoofer.  Couldn't hear a difference. 

I used to live in a variety of dense apartment complexes though and I can say I could hear if the Furman was out of my system. It never sounded quiet enough or smooth enough without it. I use two now, one for the video stack and AVR, the other for the audio stack.  Maybe I need to be a real loud bass head to hear it but I've never heard any lack of dynamics. 

This is very system and home dependent.  If possible I’d recommend trying a Niagara, Plixir, Audience, and Synergistic unit in your system and given your budget. Read reviews and try those that seem to coincide with your system/sonic preferences.  Buy used, then you can try all of them and re-sell at very little loss.  It’s so system and user specific, that’s the only way I’d go.  Best of luck. 

Thanks for the responses. I should preface my initial comment about  ‘science’ by saying that measurements aren’t everything (at least as far as our science allows today!), but a basis for why an manufacturer explored a particular design should be based on sound principles and not just properties that sound exotic but have little effect in the audio band. I’m not trying to start a war between believers and nonbelievers, but science is at the base of the equipment so explaining it scientifically should be possible. 
Also, where my rig is positioned there is only one outlet so plugging the Amp in directly is possible, but not practical, so having multiple plugin positions is also my challenge which would be solved by a Conditioner/Surge protector.