Do power conditioners really help?


I am a thinking about a purchasing a power conditioner for my system but really don't know much about power conditioners. I have a Denon AVR 5800 home THX with B&W Nautilus speaker set up. I'm also thinking about purchasing a power cable. I am currently using the Denon factory cable. If I buy a good power cable do I need a power conditioner? I'm clueless and wondering if I will hear any sound improvements. Prices I've looked at range from $30 to $2000. If I purchase, used or new, I only am willing to spend $300-$500. Comments welcome.
donald_pollock
The improvement (or degradation) in sound depends on how dirty your AC is. In many urban areas (most probably), the AC is likely to be sorely polluted by the high density of appliances, machinery, RF interference, etc, that tend to degrade the sound of your audio system pretty significantly. In these cases, even an inexpensive (yet decent) power conditioner will have a noticeable impact. In areas where the AC is relatively clean, adding in filtering where its not needed simply puts one more sink between your equipment and the power it needs. You'll need to make the call relative to your area.

I put a Monster HTS-2500 in line with my system and the improvement was pretty dramatic. You might want to see if you can borrow one of these units (or the smaller HTS-2000) from a dealer (it seems as though everyone carries Monster these days) and see if you notice any improvements. If you do, then you might want to consider auditioning PC units and find the one that suits you best. If you don't notice any immediate changes, then its unlikely that any of the lower priced power conditioners will offer much value (other than surge protection, but that's another thread).

-- Ken
Some of the members and I have had some luck with Virtual Dynamics Power cords. They remove mechanical distortions from the AC. Go to www.virtualdynamics.ca and call Rick for more info. Check the threads here for more info on the cords.
mr. pollock: spend your $$ on dedicated circuits and forget about "power conditioners," for now. i can virtually guarantee you, you'll be happier for having made this choice. -cfb
No Doubt in my mind. with your system, TICE SOLO VIDEO will help audio and video. Monster less dramatic, but still what proved to me they helped. I do have a HTS3000 very cheap as I upgrade to Tice. Audio improvement not as dramatic as video improvement (both units).
Yup, I am using VD powercord to "filter" the ac going into my PS Audio Juicebar. Works decent in clearing up hiss, static and pops (my system is sensitive to voltage shifts since my alpha dac hooks straight into the amp). However, components like my trans sounds much better when the VD powercord is directly connected to it.