Has a Power Conditioner Improved Your Sound?

My experience with a Furman PST-8D and an Audioquest Niagara 1200 is that one had a negative effect on sound quality and one had a positive effect:

 

Furman PST-8D Power Conditioner

 

My initial impression was that plugging my system into the Furman made music sound calmer. After several more minutes of listening, it seemed like the Furman was taking some life out of the music in comparison to both the cheap computer surge protector and the AQ Niagara. The muted dynamics and overall flatness of the sound wasn’t nearly as dramatic as with the Topaz Ultra-Isolator in place, but it was noticeable especially in comparison to when my system was plugged into both the cheap computer surge protector and the AQ Niagara. 

Furman PST-8D Power Conditioner with amplifier plugged into the wall

Plugging my amplifier into the wall with remaining components into the Furman MIGHT have resulted in a slight improvement in dynamics, but any difference was so slight that I don’t think I could tell the difference in an A/B test.

 

Audioquest Niagara 1200

I have to say that I’m impressed with the effect that the AQ Niagara 1200 has had on sound quality of my system. My immediate reaction was that the quality of the sound seemed calmer, but without any loss of pace or tonal richness. The overall character of the sound remains the same. Upbeat music still remains upbeat, but calmer music feels even more calm.

There is slightly less edginess to the quality of the sound but to a perceptible degree. My system was already pretty good in terms of not sounding harsh or edgy, but the AQ Niagara tones it down a bit more. With the AQ Niagara 1200 in place, listening fatigue seems to have gone away altogether for me.

I’m better able to follow individual instruments and voices when they are layered together in music. In complex music passages in some tracks, I’m used to voices and instruments sounding mixed together. The AQ Niagara 1200 seems to provide better separation and more defined placement of individual voices and instruments.  

More "air" around instruments & voices. Better able to hear the acoustics of the recording space: On the Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Session

• Highs seem sweeter: 

• Better flow.

• Tonal quality sounds more evident: 

• No loss of pace or timing.

• Bass seems fuller.

My notes on experimenting with power cables on the Niagara 1200:

 

Shunyata Venom: Sound seems more muted than with the AQ NRG-Z3 or maybe even the Tripp-Lite Heavy Duty cable

AQ Blizzard vs AQ NRG-Z3:

- There is at least no more listening fatigue than with the NRG-Z3 power cable. Unfortunately, that meant that I did more listening to music than doing work yesterday afternoon. Perhaps a good problem to have. :D

- Bass sounds more solid with more presence

- More of a spotlight effect on Jennifer Warnes' voice in the 'Ballad of the Runaway Horse' track from her Famous Blue Raincoat album. Perhaps with imaging  becoming more solid, it is increasing the perceived separation between voices and the background.

- Low level details are more evident and easier to follow

- Leading edge of notes are better defined

- Voices seem to float even more, but also sound more substantial on the 'Love Song' track from Melody Gardot's 'Sunset in the Blue' album.

- I'm hearing more detail in music. In the  'Pay It no Mind' track  from Sarah Jarosz' World on the Ground album, I didn't previously realize there was an electric guitar playing in the background from about 0:48 seconds in.

- Better separation of instruments in the intro of 'Smells like Teen Spirit' from Nirvana's Nevermind album. I know this part of that track sounds like a big mess of instruments playing over one another on a lower resolution system. I was able to follow individual instruments.

 

So something kind of humorous about my listening session with the Niagara 1200 plugged in with the AQ Blizzard power cable. I was listening at home with everyone else gone. While listening to the 'Come as you are' track from Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York album, I turned off the music several times because I wasn't sure if what I was hearing was from the music or from someone in my family coming home downstairs.

 

My impressions of the AQ Blizzard power cable vs the NRG-Z3 are:

1. There is at least no more listening fatigue than with the NRG-Z3 power cable. Unfortunately, that meant that I did more listening to music than doing work yesterday afternoon. Perhaps a good problem to have. 

2. Bass sounds more solid with more presence

3. More of a spotlight effect on Jennifer Warnes' voice in the 'Ballad of the Runaway Horse' track from her Famous Blue Raincoat album. Perhaps with imaging becoming more solid, it is increasing the perceived separation between voices and the background.

4. Leading edge of notes are better defined

5. Voices seem to float even more, but also sound more substantial on the 'Love Song' track from Melody Gardot's 'Sunset in the Blue' album.

6. Low level details are more evident and easier to follow. In the 'Pay It no Mind' track from Sarah Jarosz' World on the Ground album, I didn't previously realize there was an electric guitar playing in the background from about 0:48 seconds in.

7. Better separation of instruments in the intro of 'Smells like Teen Spirit' from Nirvana's Nevermind album. I know this part of that track sounds like a big mess of instruments playing over one another on a lower resolution system. I was able to follow individual instruments.

 

Looks like the AQ Blizzard power cable is staying. I think this is the end of trying more expensive power cables. Trying out power conditioners has been an interesting and useful exercise. Total cost has been around $850 ($550 for the AQ Niagara 1200 and $300 for the AQ Blizzard power cable) so about 1/2 of the new retail street price of about $1000 for the AQ Niagara and $695 for the AQ Blizzard power cable. The addition of the power conditioner didn't change the nature of the sound from my system, but lifted at least several levels of veiling from the music and improved resolution from my digital source much more than I expected.

 

This is my perception of the degree of improvement generated by each component in my power conditioning setup (if Audioquest Niagara 1200 and AQ Blizzard power cable represents 100% of the improvement)

 

AQ Niagara 1200 with Tripp-Lite Heavy Duty power cable: 60% of total improvement

+ AQ NRG-Z3 power cable (in place of the Tripp-Lite power cable): 20% of total improvement

+ AQ Blizzard power cable (in place of the AQ NRG-Z3 power cable): 20% of total improvement

 

In summary, the AQ Blizzard produced a more significant benefit in reducing the noise floor and improving resolution than I expected. Using the percentages above, I expected perhaps that the AQ Blizzard would have contributed perhaps 10% of the total improvement over the NRG-Z3, but it actually contributed a perceived 20%

As the OP I wanted to let you know that I have been using a Shunyata Gemini 8 Passive Power Conditioner with a Gamma Power Cable since last year. I also compared it to the Denali but preferred the Gemini. I think this is because the Denali was an older design and the Gemini is newer and has some of the latest Shunyata technology. In fact Shunyata just introduced a new Denali. 
 

The Shunyata Gemini 8 immediately improved the overall sound by lowering the noise floor, calming the sound and opening up the soundstage. Every aspect of the presentation improved. However I did not like the amp plugged into the Gemini. It gave a smooth and clean sound but at the expense of tonal weight so the amp is in the wall.  Also I tried a Theta power cable with the Gemini but preferred the less expensive Gamma. Found the Theta added some brightness I did not like. Another advantage is that since this is a passive device it is very light weight compared to the active units and is more compact. Also no heat. Stays cool always. Great product. Very well built with quality components. The price unfortunately increased. I paid $2500 and it’s now $2995. 
One other feature it has is the Shunyata grounding capability with 4 grounding connections allowing you to run grounding cables to your other components. Haven’t tried that yet.