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"But it sounds better at night...."

A well-traveled topic that I raise yet again.  On the "are power regenerators snake oil" question, the response that has made most sense to me is: No, if you have some material issue with the power supply coming into your home.  If you live in an area with what I will call normal modern power infrastructure, and have quality components, you will probably not notice a difference.

But I live in a city, do not suspect any power problems, and feel with a pretty high degree of certainty that my system sounds better at night.  This is a common sentiment, attributed to more activity on the electrical grid during the day.  Can these two positions be reconciled?  Why DOES the system sound better at night to me and many others?


Is our perception straight-up wrong, and the result of some bias or non-auditory reason why listening at night is a better experience?

Maybe when listening at night, one average for most people, the system will have been on longer, and therefore be more warmed up?

Is our perception real, and supports the proposition that baseline electrical system usage does materially affect many systems, and you don't need a clear power "problem" to benefit from a regenerator? 

Let's rehash it all again gentlemen!
 

mathiasmingus
christianb5s4
237 posts
 

Another consideration I was thinking about is at night, I personally have a chance to listen for longer periods of time so there could be a factor of your ears settling in / adjusting during a longer listening session. 

 

But I do concur, I do feel there's a difference listening at night even if it's just a perception.

carlsbad2's avatar
carlsbad2
1,623 posts
 

alcohol.

knotscott
931 posts
 

alcohol.

I was just about to type that I’m far more likely to have a beer at night, and looked up and saw your reply! It’s the best $5 improvement you can make. 😁

I also wonder if a darker room can contribute....the system usually sounds better when I close my eyes, as it helps me focus on the sound rather than the birds flying by.

 

edcyn
1,876 posts
 

Less ambient noise, thanks to less traffic in the neighborhood and up above.

tony1954's avatar
tony1954
1,051 posts
 

1. Less going on on the power grid.

2. Less vibration from outside sources.

3. Less cosmic debris.

4. And most importantly. Less going on in my own head. Sitting alone in a darkened room with a nice glass of wine, listening to Linda Ronstadt sing about "Faithless Love". How can it not be better?

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