Power Conditioner Boards and Cables

[EshDes]

 

Basically...

 

Is this voodoo? Or does it really work? Ive heard arguments for and against. Whats peoples experiences? I was under the impression that aussie currents pretty stable? Also Isotek worth it? Or other such as Thor, Woo Audio, and Black Lion just as good?

 

Cheers

 

E

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by EshDes

[Neo]

Perhaps have a search for this topic on this site. Plenty been discussed already, which will give you food for thought. 
Neo

[EshDes]

Thanks

[POV]

11 hours ago, EshDes said:

 

Basically...

 

Is this voodoo? Or does it really work? Ive heard arguments for and against. Whats peoples experiences? I was under the impression that aussie currents pretty stable? Also Isotek worth it? Or other such as Thor, Woo Audio, and Black Lion just as good?

 

Cheers

 

E

 

Maybe a good place to start is to understand what you are hoping to achieve, what current issues you have (humming, noise etc) that you are trying to solve?

 

What is the system setup in question?

[EshDes]

Hi

Im running a CEC single ended class A amp with EPOS M22 floorstanders sources are a Rega P1 with Ortofon Red MM, and a bluesound N130 to come.

 

Havent noriced a hum per se...just read and have been told there is an improvement to sound through use of power conditioning.

[andyr]

2 hours ago, EshDes said:

Haven't noticed a hum per se...just read and have been told there is an improvement to sound through use of power conditioning.

 

Power conditioning - a la Thor - can be a significant benefit if you happen to have mains voltages which range widely; the Thor (and others like it) would output a constant 230v like our standard says it should be.

 

But if your power isn't that bad (here in Melbourne I would think it generally isn't - unlike the poor people of WA!  ) ... then power conditioning might lead to a decrease in SQ - like, say, a worse handling of transients.

 

[colinm1]

Here in country wa,merredin 

the power seems to be quite good ,

regular 235v

 

yes we get storm related outages,

I usually turn off hi fi at those times anyway,

the introduction of solar and other power in the system ,

is a concern to me ,partly to my ignorance of the integration 

but so far I have had no issues 

I have found many swear on ,

dedicated line from power board to hi fi ,

to be worth the expense,

home earthing is important ,specially in old dwellings ,

a professional would advise on this matter 

I would then think conditioning would be worth investigating 

if it is worth while 

 

[EshDes]

1 hour ago, andyr said:

 

Power conditioning - a la Thor - can be a significant benefit if you happen to have mains voltages which range widely; the Thor (and others like it) would output a constant 230v like our standard says it should be.

 

But if your power isn't that bad (here in Melbourne I would think it generally isn't - unlike the poor people of WA!  ) ... then power conditioning might lead to a decrease in SQ - like, say, a worse handling of transients.

 

Question is how do you know whether your mains voltage is up and down? I was in fact looking at the Thor smartboard as a solution...its the only thing that comes with an equipment gurantee.

[evil c]

A power regenerator, on the other hand will be of benefit more commonly. 

I have a PS Audio Stellar Power plant 3, and it certainly made a big difference. 

Much cleaner and larger separation between instruments l and others noticed.

 

A Nordost QB4 Qbase l also have, is more in the power conditioner camp, and more subtle in improvements it provides.

Spending a few $k might be stretching it for many, so really up to what you can afford or justify.

[bob_m_54]

If your lights go dim and then bright randomly, or your ceiling fan speeds up and slows down randomly, you may have problems....

[muon*]

Voltages vary widely depending on where you live, I used to get a constant 250vac 24/7 here until the last couple of years where it dropped to 240vac give or take a volt or two, have read on here of very high stuff especially over in WA where it can reach and even exceed 260vac.

 

 

[EshDes]

Thanks guys...Im deciding to go woth the Thor smartboard...for now and upgrade power cabling to amp amd streamer later. Regardless of the sound improvements it will at least protect my gear. 

[muon*]

1 minute ago, EshDes said:

Thanks guys...Im deciding to go woth the Thor smartboard...for now and upgrade power cabling to amp amd streamer later. Regardless of the sound improvements it will at least protect my gear. 

Be aware that while the Smart board will be good for source equipment, it might degrade the sound of amplifiers plugged into it, a loss of dynamics and bass is often reported.

[andyr]

16 minutes ago, EshDes said:

Thanks guys...Im deciding to go woth the Thor smartboard...for now and upgrade power cabling to amp amd streamer later. Regardless of the sound improvements it will at least protect my gear. 

 

Just to be clear ... when I referred to 'Thor' in my previous post - I was meaning the PS10 ... not the 'Power Board'.

 

My experience with the Power Boad has been the same as Ian's:

 

15 minutes ago, muon* said:

Be aware that while the Smart board will be good for source equipment, it might degrade the sound of amplifiers plugged into it, a loss of dynamics and bass is often reported.

 

 

[EshDes]

8 minutes ago, andyr said:

 

Just to be clear ... when I referred to 'Thor' in my previous post - I was meaning the PS10 ... not the 'Power Board'.

 

My experience with the Power Boad has been the same as Ian's:

 

 

 

Yeah i read that...the powerboard has filtering and non filtering outlets so plan to put the amp into one of the non filtered outlets.

[Neo]

It will still degrade the sound. Moved away from Thor ps10 along time ago. 
Neo

[andyr]

7 hours ago, Neo said:

It will still degrade the sound. Moved away from Thor ps10 along time ago. 

 

Sure, but if the PS10 can stop you experiencing pathetically high mains voltages ... then that's a good thing, don'tchya think?

 

[muon*]

As far as I understand the PS10 is OK, It's the filtered points on the Smart Board that can be detrimental to the sound of amplifiers, at least that's my understanding.

Edited September 22, 2023 by muon*
typo

[Neo]

1 hour ago, andyr said:

 

Sure, but if the PS10 can stop you experiencing pathetically high mains voltages ... then that's a good thing, don'tchya think?

 

Only if that’s what is being  experienced by the OP. In the interest of sound quality that’s not a good product and there are better options out there. 
Neo

Edited September 22, 2023 by Neo

[Kirby66]

Certainly no voodoo here from my experience. Power supply can vary wildly in AUS, some locations more than others as someone mentioned is the case in some parts of WA. I added a Keces IQRP-1500 into my system a while ago and although it does not regulate the volts delivered it does have LED display of the volts coming through the two 'power banks'. I had an issue with one of my mono blocks blowing fuses when turned on (big bang green flash - very nasty).

 

I was able to see the voltage coming into the circuit was as high as 256 volts - fluctuating between that and about 245 volts. The AUS standard for electrical devices is now 230v. I was running the mono blocks out of the wall and the other devices from the Keces. Energex said that anything above 253 volts was a safety issue and sent someone out within the hour ... he was really good and went to the transformer and took a 'step' 7v out of it.

 

I now run the monos from the Keces and have had no further issues. Solar is a MAJOR issue which was confirmed by both the Energex guy and my very good electrician - the houses around me with solar panels have to push power back into the grid at higher than 240v to get it in there and get their rebate - this effects the power to my place. It's dirty and wildly fluctuating in volts. Overvoltage will reduce the lifetime of TV's and other electrical devices. So anything is better than nothing ... I have a couple of THOR E1/45S boards for protection on my computers and TV's etc and they are good for protection from surges as far as I can tell. However if you're looking for cleaner power to improve your SQ then my experience is that something better (and more expensive !!!) is required

 

Isotek is well regarded as is PS Audio but if you are going to spend this kind of money some research into the various technologies is advised ... Regenration vs Conditioning etc as they are quite different ... my vote currently goes to Keces as that is what I use and have positive experience with - very good value IMHO.

[DDDD1234]

I bought an Isotek as I was living in a 28-unit apartment block and figured the power cleanliness couldn't possibly be that great. The Isotek made a huge difference in that circumstance.

[EshDes]

Ended up buying the new Thor powerboard. It made a bit of a difference. Has a filtered and unfiltered section. Amp is on the unfiltered portion. Wouldnt say it made great gain to SQ. However having a unlimited guarantee on my equipment is really good. Only Thor provides that.

[muon*]

Never heard of any successful claim related to the guarantees that come with any surge protector board.

 

Edit: I'd also be surprise if anything changes in sound quality plugged into a non filtered surge protector. The filtered ones on these did improve the SQ of my sources (DAC & Transport)

Edited October 18, 2023 by muon*