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I'm convinced: my Power Conditioner was ruining...

I'm convinced: my Power Conditioner was ruining my system's acoustics.

I heard it all, but ignored it. I'm in a brown/black out prone area so I've been over cautious using an APC 1500VA powering a Monster HTS 5100 and distributing to my system from there.

Yesterday I was moving things around and I ran the system direct to the APC. F'n AMAZING improvement!!

Within an hour I had it on Craigslist and today it went out the door and I ordered out for Chinese on the new owner.

But for the last 6 hours I've been reading reviews for PS Audio, Richard Gray, Running Springs, etc. Am I nutts? Should I rely on the clean music I'm getting? Why do I feel a conditioner will help when clearly the HTS didn't?

In part I feel it's because I don't understand power enough; I know the APC produces a stepped sine wave. I know that's not good for my use, but does it produce that only when acting as a backup? Short of a regenerator would anything eliminate the square sine?

If you had $600 to spend and you were in my position would you spend it on music and chinese (perhaps Indian next time) or a replacement conditioner?

Thanks All.
kphinney
blueranger's avatar
blueranger
719 posts
 
All of you making things too complicated. This is a simple scenario to explain. He unplugged the equipment and by doing so he deguassed his system. And if any cables were unplugged and plugged back in they got cleaned. Mike
kphinney OP
24 posts
 
Degaussed my system? Now I'm lost. All I know is that with everything plugged in to the Monster it sounds like "A", with the Amp in the APC and everything else in the Monster it sounds like "B", and with everything in the APC it sounds like "C". I mixed and matched a few times, but never ran my amp right into the wall -- I went thru tubes too quickly for my comfort that way.

IMH listening experience the music sounded fuller, less congested, and more full in B than A, and more so yet in C than A or B.

A
So, I'm now running C and my Monster HTS 5100 is S.O.L.
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
"Power conditioners" designed for computer and industrial applications, cheap (<$2k), and even some expensive audio power conditioners use low-quality passive parts and inexpensive power cords and receptacles, all of which are in the AC path to your equipment. Bad for sound, period.

If you cannot/will not spend the $2k++ required to buy a high quality audio-specific power conditioner (and the right one at that), save your money and your sound. Install 20 amp dedicated outlets with 10 gauge Romex and audio-specific quality receptacles and call it a day.

Knownothing,

"I have yet to hear a power conditioner that improved the performance of an even reasonably noise-free AC supply from the wall."

Huh. Ever try a Synergistic Research 10SE? How about a Audience Adept Response AR-6T, a Running Springs Dimitri, or the Nordost Quantum?

If not, how are you qualified to make such a statement?

kphinney OP
24 posts
 
I think my post messed up the HTML. I meant to say A < B < C. Let me see if I can fix this by doing this:

Better?
kphinney OP
24 posts
 
trying to get rid of the bold.
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