The Add Power stuff aren't power conditioners in the way we've all come to understand them.
what kind of power conditioner for front end?
for many years, I used an isolation transformer, plugged into another large isolation transformer, both Soundtrappers, for all my front-end equipment. That was Stereophiles top recommendation c. 1985, but many power conditioners have come to market since then, many of which are considered very good. Got rid of the large iso, it hummed too much to tolerate in the same room with the audio equipment. Amp clearly sounds best plugged into the wall with a good cord.
I tried a ZeroSurge (which is, I believe, non-destructive, and it shouldn't have limited power, but would protect the equipment from surges), but when I play records, it caused the light above the turntable (plugged into the ZS) to dim and flicker. The power draw from the phono stage (a Rogers PA-2) somehow affected the other outlets. I'm not sure why, but if the power to the phono pre is sagging through the ZS, that's not good.
Plugged everything bck into the not-so-large isolation transformer, turntable light remains steady, Seems to reduce noise. Plugged everything into an unfiltered power bar (a PS Audio), no light flickering. It seemed to have clearer and lower bass, possibly not quite as clear and quiet in the top end. But that is effectively like plugging things into the wall, so there's no protection at all.
So I'm puzzled. Does "everyone" use some power conditioning on the front-end equipment? Is there a type of conditioner that is better than others? How do you know what size conditioner you will need? I do not want something that hums or makes noise of its own (I understand an AQ Niagra would) - noise is what I'm trying to eliminate, along with some surge protection. I won't spend $10k unless I heard one that knocked me flat, which seems unlikely. I've never tried a regenerator.
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@juanmanuelfangioli, the Add-Power products are most typically deployed by plugging them into an outlet that is near your equipment. The Electra-Clear could be plugged right into a power conditioner and everything that gets plugged into that conditioner would benefit. The Symphony Pro, the Wizard, the Sorcer could be plugged straight into an outlet and impact everything else in the room. The Symphony I/O resonator is designed for your ethernet connection. I would recommend calling Bill and discussing, then choosing a product to audition. Leave it in your system for a few weeks and then take it out. If you don't miss it, send it back for a refund. Wait for the sales on Agon, you can find discounts up to 60% on brand new products if you are patient. |
@juanmanuelfangioii That’s mood lighting for when "Kind of Blue" is in rotation. It’s actually a camera artifact. The blue is overtly exaggerated. For example, the TV screen jellyfish image is actually black and white. The blue carpeting doesn’t help. I didn’t bother rectifying it, via editing. Perhaps I should. : ) I believe @kota1 answered your questions. I’ll add the following: ADD-Powr "conditions" the power line(s) directly and the components around it (indirectly); depending on the product used. I have the Sorcer X4 which is plugged into the same set of outlet banks (for common ground reasons) as my other components and power conditioner [a SR Galileo SX PowerCell]. It can also be plugged in at a ’distance’ [or on other lines] away from your audio system. Either way, it is easy to trial as the affect / effect is, for all practical purposes, immediately noticeable. |
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