Least Expensive Power Conditioner/Surge Protector That Won't Worsen Sound

Yes, @lowrider57, that's my hope.

I think it's generally been in agreement that for power and integrated amps, the sound is best when plugged directly into the wall. Whether that's smart for the ultimate health of the piece of equipment may be another argument. Is it worth the gamble?

My question, though,  is more related to the use of a PLC with non-power amp equipment. Ostensibly, a PLC cleans the electricity of noise, and some units may help provide consistent voltage. My question is whether some units/designs might actually worsen the sound from source equipment. Theoretically, reducing noise in the electricity would improve blackness of background, exposing finer detail, as well as improve dynamics. Might it also color (or discolor) the sound in some way, i.e., brighten, gray, dull, or flatten the 3-dimensionality of the sound?

Again, I'm just asking about source equipment, including phono preamplifiers.

If not, is the spending money on the better PLCs mainly for the purpose of better protection and being able to use them with power amps?

I was looking at a Panamax provided chart of their PLCs, and saw that their models reduce noise anywhere from 50dB to 80 dB depending on model. Okay, I can potentially understand the benefits of greater noise reduction, but are there other factors which contribute to how well a PLC will affect the sound?

I've only had the Panamax m5400-pm for a couple of days. I imagine that it will need a break-in period, as most equipment seems to need. But compared to the obviously well-broken in Shunyata Research Hydra 6 (which is on its way back to the factory for refreshing), individual instruments and voices are not as well individually defined in space. They're a bit muddled together. The Pathos Classic Remax integrated, which is plugged into the wall,  that I have been auditioning, renders a terrific sense of air and space, and well as individual definition. I'm missing that having swapped the Hydra 6 out for the Panamax.

Hello!  For most of my life, I’ve been involved in the medical imaging (think x-ray, CT, MRI, etc.) world…first as a user/operator, now in sales.  One thing I learned from being in those environments is that Tripp-Lite makes a damn fine, no non-sense product; a lot of imaging systems came with their stuff to protect computer consoles, servers, etc.  

I’ve been using a Tripp-Lite LCR2400 for the past 7 years and have been very happy with it.  It provides voltage regulation, monitoring and line protection…nothing more, nothing less.  I haven’t noticed any sound difference between having it in my system versus direct into the outlets (a good thing!), but feel much better knowing it’s there protection-wise.  It gets great reviews, is pretty much bullet-proof and just plain does what it’s supposed to.  The other thing going for it is it’s very cost effective…I bought mine from Office Depot for under $400.  

Only negative for me is that this unit is known to have a very faint buzz to it…in a totally quiet room, you can barely hear it, but it is there.  Obviously, once the music plays, one doesn’t hear it.

If I ever get the itch, I may get a true-audiophile unit from Shunyata, PS Audio, AudioQuest, etc…but, really, the Tripp-Lite meets my needs perfectly.

https://www.tripplite.com/2400w-120v-3u-rack-mount-power-conditioner-automatic-voltage-regulation-avr-ac-surge-protection-14-outlets~LCR2400/

Good luck…Happy listening!

Arvin

My question is whether some units/designs might actually worsen the sound from source equipment. Theoretically, reducing noise in the electricity would improve blackness of background, exposing finer detail, as well as improve dynamics. Might it also color (or discolor) the sound in some way, i.e., brighten, gray, dull, or flatten the 3-dimensionality of the sound?

Again, I'm just asking about source equipment, including phono preamplifiers.

@analogj , your question has merit. I've tried a couple passive conditioners for my sources that coloured the sound: eg, added warmth instead of remaining neutral, restricted dynamics, removed that sense of "air" and sense of space. They lowered the noise-floor, but at too great a cost.

These were name-brand products, but used too much filtering which affected sonics. I found many more conditioners at the same price-point which used different technology to achieve better results. I now use balanced power for the majority of my sources and a Brick Wall for a couple digital devices.

@buddyboy1, oh god yes, I immediately noticed an improvement in sound quality when I got on board the Garth Powell from AudioQuest’s clean power train. Powell designs all of the power conditioners and higher end power cables at AudioQuest. I noticed a much crisper and more clear sound from my system, with a much blacker sonic floor and greater detail and instrument separation in the music that I listen to. I use an AudioQuest Thunder power cable to go from the Niagara to the wall socket. Honestly if I had more money I would’ve spent at least twice as much on the power cable and conditioner because I feel that they quantitatively improved the SQ in my setup by at least 20%.