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

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%. 

@adasdad How was the PQ2, and what was the SQ leap from that to the Niagara? Both are designed by Garth, right? I've read mixed things thus far about the PQ2 and PQ3 in terms of sound.  

@analogj, the PowerQuest2 to my understanding was not designed by Garth Powell. For me it acted as a really good surge protector with some adequate noise filtering that made it a much better choice for an audio or home entertainment system than your average hardware store power strips. There really is no comparing it to the AQ Niagara series of power conditioners because the Niagara’s are audiophile grade units for dedicated hifi systems. The price of the PQ2 makes it a good place to start as you build your system or if you just want to have piece of mind protecting your audio gear.