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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
viggen
838 posts
 
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.
flemke
596 posts
 
Yes they do work. Get a dedicated 20 amp ciruit first and then look into balanced power. I also made my own powercords,very cheep and fun to do.
Tim
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Flemke and Cornfed are right in my opinion. Try to get the old type screw in ceramic fuses instead of circuit breakers. These things are reported as noisy.
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
The dedicated line is the first line of defense. If you can install one, go for it.

Since you are using a receiver, pretty much any power conditioner will constrict dynamics. That's why the dedicated line should be the first step. Then I'd go for the Tice Video SOLO...
bishopwill
369 posts
 
I dunno, cfb. I'm rather skeptical of tweaks but it is so easy for me to demonstrate that my Monster 5000 makes a huge difference in video and audio that even the most hardened objectivists end up saying "Yup, yup." I put in my power conditioner first, then added my dedicated circuits. I didn't really see any difference when the new power cut in. Now, if I turned off the Monster, the new power was better than the old power, but the Monster made a much greater change than the new wiring, fuses, etc. I suspect it has to do with individual circumstances of power quality.

I'd say do both.

Will
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