Power Conditioning on the Cheap
This is my first post here after a bit of lurking, so please be gentle. I realize this subject must come up a fair amount and I've read erik_squires blog posts on the subject, but I was hoping to get the community's opinion on the relative merits of a few relatively basic power conditioners. I've narrowed my list down to a few options at a range of (fairly modest) price points. From low to high they are:
Furman PST-8D
ifi Power Station
Furman Elite-15 PF I
Shunyata PS10 w/ Venom Defender
Audioquest Niagara 1200
In a perfect world where I didn't have a limited budget I would probably buy something higher up the line from Shunyata, but since we live in a decidedly imperfect world, these are my options, although I would welcome other suggestions that fit within this price range.
I should also probably mention that while I value subjective reports on the sound quality of various products, generally speaking I give more weight to objective measurements or at least arguments based in sound science. More embarrassingly, I also place a certain amount of value on aesthetics. Aesthetic taste being inherently subjective, (a debatable point, but for the sake of argument lets just assume that it's true) lets just say that when I lust after completely unobtainable equipment it tends to be from companies like Soulution or Pilium rather than Dan D'Agostino or darTZeel.
carlsbad I only meant, if you suspected your service was bad, low, high, spikes of voltage, you could find out by watching the meter, it shows voltage fluctuations in real time. my 2 controllers for my sump pumps also monitor and show voltage in real time. I already knew from them that my voltage is very consistent 121-122v. weirdness will not be revealed, but will be filtered and kept on the incoming side, not the outgoing side, of the capacitors. |
@incorporeus, as you well know, having clean power running through your mains is critical to getting the best sound out of any hifi system. To that end I use an AudioQuest Niagara 1200 power conditioner in conjunction with an AQ Thunder power cable in my dedicated headphone setup. The Niagara takes inputs from three LPSU’s, my hp amplifier, an iFi iPower DC power supply for my network switch, and from my CAT6 router. I chose AudioQuest because my audio dealer of over 40yrs is a big retailer of AQ products, and also because he gives me a very generous discount. When there is no music playing between tracks, or even within a recording, the background is absolutely pitch black. As the designer of power equipment at AudioQuest, and formerly at Furman, Garth Powell explains that power cables and conditioners do not add anything to the SQ of any system. All they do is take things away. If I had known how critical clean power was when I started my audio journey I definitely would’ve spent even more money. |
Although I don't have a dedicated 20 amp spur I agree with the posts above that is a solid investment. I've witnessed before and after results. That being said I've had a whole house surge protector for 15 + years. It has never tripped during any storms or power outages. I personally don’t like any filtration between my A/C outlets and my gear. I also don’t like fuses, switches, lights, capasitors etc. anything that gets in the way of the incoming A/C. I’ve used the Naim Wiremold power strip for 20 + years. 9 quality outlets, captive cord. Why captive? Because some high dollar power conditioning units use a $5. cheap EC connections that does more harm than good. Captive also means no breaks in the A/C connection > direction > Wire to wire. The Wiremold is Star Grounded sharing only one common ground. All outlets are tied to the main incoming power line. Non current limiting and all aluminum construction. Now they come Cryogenicly Treated as well.
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Holographic Open Soundstage and purify the music for only $200. It's awsome in my 12K system....better than my 600 dollar PS Audio conditioner...What is it ....AudioQuest POWER QUEST 2...6 outlets with 3 Linear power outlets and 2 Hi Gain outlets...No Sacrificial surge protection 7 ft ac cable Unlimited Joule protection. The best $200 I ever spent . Forget all those overpriced units. This one is just as good and you can save a bundle. Audio Advisor. Try it for 30 days. |
