Is an isolation transformer better than a power conditioner?

I agree with latik. With all conditioners I have tried it was always a 2 steps forward and 2 steps back scenario. The harmonic content of the music always seemed to suffer but the blackness of the background seemed to improve. Only with the isolation transformer did I get only a blacker background with no downside. 

So you have used the Niagara 7000 in your system?

ozzy

I will add that my BPT 3'5 Signature plus unit is silent in my room. As @sns mentioned, this is likely a reflection of stable AC voltage coming into my home. It has been one of my best audio equipment purchases over the years.

Charles

The cleaner the power the better the sound, hence start with a separate spur and cleaning up your fusebox.There are passive conditioners from Akiko, Acoustic Revive and Furutech which achieve great results without the side effects of active conditioners and transformers. And by the bye…Small power supplies in a high efficiency system have a much easier job than giant torroidals driving transistor amps (EFI et al). In other words: horses for courses rather than simply asking what’s better…

And for the adventuresome among you: try power modulation à la Add Powr or Nordost as well as grounding devices as further useful ways of improving power.

Power conditioners come into their own where there are major voltage variations on the grid, in most other instances they tend to be overkill.

The problem I have with evaluating PC's is the subjective impressions of improvement relative to what they had before adding such gear. The responses would suggest (at least to a laymen) that what you had before wasn't really that good, and by adding a PC all of a sudden the sound was so improved that you can't imagine how you lived without it! I understand that there must be some excitement to any improvements that one makes to a system, but a little truth in advertising would help put things in proper perspective. If your system was quite good before, additions/upgrades should yield incremental and subtle changes, not watershed changes!