Power conditioner/protection question

I don't believe its the worth of your system as a ratio to the worth of your power conditioner. The power conditioner should be good enough to do its job, period. I use a PS Audio Quintet (Duet's big brother). This is a non-limiting unit, which means you can plug your entire system into it w/o sound quality degradation. I used to own a Monster conditioner.

There may be a lot of intangible 'peace of mind' associated with this gear, though if you lived in a place w/frequent storms and/or with inconsistent or bad power I believe there would be some real benefit.

For the price of the Duet, however, I think it's worth it for the things mentioned above, and I would think that's all you really need to step into the realm of real power conditioning and protection (i noticed an improved difference with PS products vs cheaper alternatives, like Monster) w/o it being ridiculously expensive. The couple hundred bucks is worth it in my mind.

If your amp or any other unit has a fuse, technically you can plug it directly into the wall and be safe. In my experience, however, plugging into the wall vs the PS actually sounded worse.

If you want the peace of mind that surge protection brings and/or cannot install dedicated lines, then you could do a lot worse than a Duet.

In my situation moving one of the outlets closer to the system is not an option, so some kind of "extension cord" is required. I've tried a few alternatives and several years ago bought a VansEvers Clean Line (VECL) that has been in service since.

Recent system improvements brought to the forefront a previously subdued sharpness to "S" sounds on vocals. The character of this sibilance varied with each duplex of the VECL, but it was always there. Replacing the VECL with a Duet removed the sibilance with no loss of detail. If anything the Duet has added nuances of clarity and certainly hasn't subtracted anything.

BTW, my Duet only has a CD Player and tuner plugged into it. The amp is plugged into the wall. I do not know firsthand how it works with higher voltage equipment.

Stringreen, I've never had a harsh word with anyone on this forum, but for Pete's sake, that You've never had a power incident doesn't mean much.
I was leaving on vacation, years ago. That morning, with pretty much 1 foot out the door, the power sagged/browned.
Stereo went OFF. OOPS. When I got back from vacaction and trouble shot, the amp was DEAD. Power company ended up sending me a check for the repair....I was able to tell them EXACTLY what/when/where so they were satisfied. No protection at all was installed.
1. It happens...
2. Surge protection helps
3. Consider unplugging during storms.
4. Try it and see if it really is a compromise FOR YOU.

My original power amp liked the conditioner. Really 'black' background, almost made me 'pop' my ears. New amp, a Rotel, HATED the conditioner and was constricted. New-new amp, on its own circuit / Soloist is fine again.

Synergy between conditioners and your gear is a reality. They also will affect the sound. you can compensate for this some by chosing the right power cord.

However, my statements are about direct comparisons between a few different conditioners. some limit bandwidth, some current, or so they say. None of my gear has failed due to current limitations imposed by a passive filter/conditioner. Some do 'sound' better than others, depending on your ears and gear.

never having had something like a Duet, and for $200 new? I'd say go for it. PSA has a trial period... like it? Keep it. Simple.

The power cord attahced to a conditioner sure makes all the diff too. Right out of the box though, things will sound good... with PSA products though, even they need to run in a few hundred hours first. The ckt breakers worked on mine for me... saving my gear from lesser and greater current spikes. So I can atest to that aspect first hand.

When a failure to one or both, in my case did happen... PSA SHIPPED ME OUT TWO NEW ONES POST HASTE... AND PRIOR TO THE RECEIPT OF MY OWN FAULTY ONES.

more $$$ will do you better in many areas power conds affect. A Duet however should be the ticket for your systems needs though. A Quintet just has more outlets. But at that price, I'm looking towards a Running Springs Haley.

Hi Magfan.... Evidently peace of mind is valuable to you. By all means use anything you like. I have never had any trouble with gear blowing up. I've had lots of stuff in the past 30 years or so. I maintain that I personally have never heard a protection device that bettered the sound of my system...always did something to make it worse. Yes...changed the sound, but.... I never did this, but during an electrical storm, or before going away on a trip, you could always pull the plugs for safekeeping..