What should I plug my system into?

You were better off when you had no idea they existed. A good surge protector is good insurance. APC is a quality brand. As for the other stuff, if you want to spend the money and you think you can hear the difference, go for it. If you'd rather not spend the money, just keeping repeating, "Snake oil. Snake oil."

I have a high quality system capable of high resolution and have tried many different power strips including the $5-10. variety-- they generally sound terrible. If you must use a power strip for its many outlets, look for a good one, ie I now use a Monster HTS 1000 ($100.) for accessories, and short term have used it for components. It does not seem to color or degrade music quality/character.

That said, I use Synergistic Research Master Couplers (power cords) plugged into Hubbell Audio grade outlets that are the end of my dedicated AC system. All of this promotes a very low noise floor, quickness, deep tight bass, a pristine mid-range and smooth grain-free treble. You probably need a high quality system to take advantage of cleaned up AC system though. But it ALL contributes to final sound quality. Take it one step at a time, and listen, listen, listen. Good Luck, and Cheers. Craig

Bomarc; Where do you get this "snake oil I keep hearing about? I assume it's a stereo "tweak" of some kind;>). Is it expensive enough to be suitable for audiophiles? Actually, in my youth, some friends and I ate a rattlesnake and found it to be, smooth, and sweet with a delicate flavor-- no oil, or oily taste either. Audiophile food I think;>). Cheers. Craig

NAIM recommends something called the Wiremold power strip. There's an interesting piece about power conditioning etc. on their website. See http://www.naimusa.com/power.html.

Check out Equitech products. They are the best company for balanced power sources. Balanced power is anything but "snake oil." Equitech's web site can explain it to you in detail. However, the first step (and I believe it the most important) is to make sure your audio system is on its own dedicated circuit(s). Adding a circuit or two is fairly cheap (and not very hard to do if your at all handy and have a basic understanding of electrical systems). You can go as far as you like with other things like UPS's (uninterruptable power supplies), surge protectors, voltage regulators, etc. but for most home systems (other than those for the obscenely rich audio perfectionists with a lot of time to listen on their hands) dedicated circuits are probably all you need. The second step would be balanced power (which usually also includes surge protection, and noise filters). The third step would be voltage regulation. THe fourth step... well after that who cares, at that point you've already gone extremely far. Why not spend whatever you have left on upgrading your system. You'll get more "bang for your buck." Good luck... hope it helps.