Power cords or power conditioner


I’m at a cross roads and I’m looking for some advice from those have have gone down this road. I recently added a 2 channel integrated amplifier to improve my 2 channel performance. I had been using my Datasat LS-10 for music and while it sounded really nice, it was missing the depth and clarity that I know my speakers are capable of. My speakers are KEF Reference 3s, rest of my 2 channel set is is as follows:

Luxman L 509x

Luxman D-03x

Roon Nucleus Plus

Lumin U2 Mini

Transparent Audio Super speaker cables

Nordorst Red Dawn XLR, Blue Heaven USB

Wire World Platinum USB

All power cables are DYI using Oyaide Tsunami V2 cable

So what I feel I am missing is that 3D holographic sound stage. It was there with the Luxman 509 when I demo’d it, but I am unable to get that experience at my house. I feel that majority of equipment is up to the task but I am curious if I should ad a top shelf power condtioner like a Shunyata Triton or Torus AVR20 into the system or replace my Intergrated’s power cord with a Shunyata Alpha NC? I’m getting tapped out, so for now it can only be one or the other.

Or should I skip the above and focus on room treatments?

wheelndeal1099

Most likely positioning and room treatments should get you the results if it is possible in your venue.

 

It would be very helpful to see photos of your system and venue.
 

The placement and room are really critical. You need space and dampening. Of course power conditioning will help… but after you get your system setup. Mine has great imaging… see my system. I have five feet behind my speakers and ten or more feet on either side… no central obstruction.

Most likely positioning and room treatments should get you the results if it is possible in your venue.

I’ll have to agree with @ghdprentice here.

Cables and power conditioners can theoretically only help with noise. And all the stuff you are talking about is from room bounce and interactions.

Only reason I am asking about power cords and conditioners is I keep reading about guys claiming about the change in sound stage depth and width with the change of power cords and conditioners.  To me it doesn't make since, hence why I asked.  

With my current set up the Luxman D-03 goes straight to my integrated amp. For music I 100% bypass the Datasat.  My Kefs are 8' apart and I sit 8' from them, they are around 2.5' from the wall behind them and I have about 6' from where I sit to the back wall. .  I do have bass traps in the corners but that is it so far.   

Thanks for the advise.  I'm going to work on cleaning up my rooms acoustics next. 

In my direct experience, the addition of a good power conditioner/regenerator can and probably will increase the dimensionality of your system.  My PS Audio P600 died a couple years ago and NOBODY wanted to fix it.  I plugged my amps, sources, and crossover into a distribution block for a few months using the same cord I'd used on the P600 and damn!  The sound quality was quite diminished.  The soundstage was flattened with a depressing loss of inner detail, especially decays.   I didn't want to pay for one of the newer PS Audio power regenerators so I bought a Core Power Technologies  Equi-Core 1800 (the original) based on reviews.  It's much better than the distribution block but not quite the sonic improvement the P600 offered.  So yes, in my experience, and I'll assume your choice would be for a newer, even better power conditioner, such an addition could bring you a more 3d sound.

 

And, there's no doubt that a good power cord can and will get you closer to that sound as well.  I've been going the DIY route on power cords for years so can't offer any current recommendations specifically. I'm using some very heavy gauge silver clad copper solid core wires with either Oyaide 046 or 004 plugs to good effect.   I find my sound to be quite detailed with fairly good front to back depth, excellent lateral image placement and completely satisfactory image height.  Images have a nice roundness or fullness.  They usually occupy a decently carved out 3d space.   To validate my recommendation that power cords can/will improve the holographic imaging ability of a system, I pulled out all of my DIY power cords and replaced them with suitable stock cords (larger gauge on the power conditioner and amps).   And the results......flat, cardboard images not to mention the obvious reduction in detail.  Al in all, I wouldn't want to listen to it.  

 

Maybe getting a single high quality high current power cord and a good distribution block (make your own---its pretty simple and good outlets aren't expensive) would allow you to hear the improvements across all your components, not just the amp, until you get a good power conditioner as well.