Power conditioning / surge protection

"For Drr and Tbromgard - what are the benefits of plugging your power amps directly into the wall??"

I plug my amps into the wall, as well. I'm not an expert on line conditioners, but the biggest reason for most people is to not limit the power output of the amp in any way. Sometimes conditioners can make an amp sound a bit slower or not as dynamic.

Another reason, is that amps are less likely to be damaged by AC than other types of components. In fact, amps are very similar to power regenerators. Heres some examples of what I'm talking about. The PS audio 1000 regenerator is pretty much the same as the PS audio Classic 250. Same thing with the PS 500 and the HCA. When Monster came out with their regenerators, they came out with a line of amps based on them.

I'm sure that some of the other posters will have a lot more to share on this topic as well.

+1 re Truman's comment on the BrickWall surge protectors/line filters. I use this model, into which I connect my entire system, including the amplifier.

I have not sensed it causing any adverse impact on dynamics or anything else. I should add, though, that my amp is Class A, and therefore its current draw is essentially constant and independent of the dynamics of the music. That would not be true of Class AB or Class D amps.

Regards,
-- Al

+2 Brickwall.

I agree with Stringreen that I have never heard a power conditioner that didn't do damage to the sound, especially analog. Perhaps I am lucky with the power in my area, though, as in my brother's area, a power conditioner results in a distinct improvement.

However, a surge protector is a must if you live in an area with frequent storms, as I do. I like the Monster ones, that basically don't do anything at all to the sound, yet protect the equipment. Basically, they fry themselves in the storm, protecting your equipment. This has happened twice to me, and both times it worked exactly as it was supposed to. You can get them very cheaply on Amazon.

By plugging a power amp directly into the wall you prevent possible current limiting, by a conditioner, to that specific piece of equipment. Many conditioners, including mine, claim not to limit current, though I still feel that is a small possibility and the power amp is what could be negatively affected. I originally plugged the amp into to the Audience conditioner prior to installing dedicated lines to my system and feel it is slightly improved as it is presently configured. Certainly worth trying both ways.