This video is on point. The only reason I bought my conditioner because of clicking and popping in my speakers. Damn powerline network adapters. HF RF Filtering power strip reduced it by, subjectively, 80%, but only a conditioner with a fat toroidal isolation power transformer removed it completely.
This is an interesting topic. As a 30+ year audiophile I know a little bit about this area. Power conditioners are generally broken down to 2 areas. Power conditioners that generally use transformers and capacitors to filter the AC. And then there are AC regenerators that will take the wall AC and convert the wall AC convert it to DC then back to AC. This approach will generally yield the most noticeable results as it produces AC with less harmonic distortion and that is where recording equipment/playback equipment really benefit. PS Audio makes these regenerators. Have been doing it for years. In fact they record their own music using the regenerators that they make. Another big name in the power conditioning game is Audioquest. They make units that fit in the first category I mentioned. They are cheaper than some of the PS Audio regenerators. They too do a nice job of cleaning up the AC coming form the wall. Any power conditioner worth its "salt" will stop spikes and surges. The question is can the unit recover from these events. If they are sacrificial you then have to decide if it's worth the purchase price. The companies I mentioned make equipment that will survive these events. I suppose you could make a whole series of videos using different power conditioners and put them through the same exact testing you did with the 2 Monster units and the Furman. I would be curious to see how other units compare.
The only power conditioners that do anything useful are transformer-based and can be had pretty cheaply used on ebay etc. OneAC makes some nice big heavy ones. Double-check how many VA (subtly different from watts) you need for your application. The 1000+ VA models can be boat anchors larger than shoe boxes so really consider if you need that much or can get away with a 300-600VA model. They’re just large transformers that filter out noise and DC by having the input and output electromagnetically coupled instead of physically with wires and components.
A lightning strike isn't a power surge. Lightning comes in through the ground. A surge suppressor can't stop it. And yes, I know most of them say they do, but you have to read the fine print. Its not what you think.
If you live where there are wide swings in the grid voltage, some form of surge suppression and voltage regulation is highly advisable - particularly if you are running expensive and/or hard to replace equipment. Fried gear never sounds good.
What do you consider a wide swing? Where I am, in bc Canada, our voltage is usually between 115-119. Voltage fluctuations like this won’t effect sound quality, or noise floor, it just has a small effect on the headroom.
I really love your channel. Here is a question for you.... maybe a video.... what do you think about summing mixers? I am considering purchasing a Rupert Neve 5057..... I just don't know if its worth it.... are they just boxes with transformers and that's it.... let the debate begin. 🙂
I’ve used analog summing quite a bit. I used to swear by it, but now I’m 100% in the box. I still have by summing box hooked up and ready to go, but I don’t use it anymore. It adds a little bit to the noise floor, as the audio passes through a bunch of stuff then gets amplified. I found there’s a slight loss of fidelity in exchange for a certain style of sound.
I got the Furman AC-210 A E Power Conditioner for my HEDD Type 07 speakers. Mainly for the protection. They’re pretty expensive so I want them to work for as long as possible
Sometimes a cleaner way for cable plugs in the open room is more important than a claim as this. Plus one should test their power 1st and see if they need a conditioner.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings it's galvanic isolation so it might work. I know it's a bad idea to use it with high powered amps & speakers but it's supposed to be great for other components like DACs, preamps and headphone amps.
I doubt any of the devices shown will make any real world difference for people who don't crank their volume controls to max and hold their ears up close to their speakers, on MUSIC, at a specific setting that doesn't clip the amp when the music comes into the picture. Thanks for testing though.
Some Issues need to be present for there to be a difference. Sometimes it's that the issue may not exist, isn't changable at that stage or needs a different approch. Nice video though.
Thanks for your video. I was wondering if it is helpful to have a power conditioner in a home theater A/V system? Does it give me better audio quality with it? I have purchased a WattBox Power WB-200-9HTR power conditioner. It says "provides clean, safe power and protects up to nine components from harmful power spikes and surges. Seven AC outlets on the rear panel are divided into three isolated banks to help prevent cross-interference between your components - and it includes a high-current outlet for your amplifier and subwoofer" Do you think this is worth buying in a home theater and just listening to music? If you havnt tested for this purpose can you ewcommend another quality youtube channel I could visit to see their input on power conditioners for audio quality? Thank you.
I haven’t tested the power conditioner you mentioned, so I can’t say for sure, it yes, a home theatre can benefit from good quality power conditioning.
My computer keyboard for typing is Bluetooth wireless…. So it’s not plugged in, and the piano keyboard under the desk is plugged into the computer with USB. Thanks for commenting:)
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings I know the video was well intentioned, but you can't expect accurate results. You need to do a lot more testing before you come to any conclusions. Power products don't perform in a consistent manner. The audible differences between the same components can be big, small or none. If there is a difference, it may or may not be an improvement. People that review products like this typically have years of experience working with them. For example, a surge protector can't protect against a lightning strike. In the video you say it does. If someone takes your advice and gets a surge protector in case of a lightning strike, they now have zero protection. They were probably unplugging all their gear during a storm, and now they're not. There are other issues, as well, but my post can only be so long. If you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer them.
You are 100% correct. I am a power company engineer. The conditioner wpill clean rf and spikes at many frequencies and you are on point if lightning hits the system a piwer conditioner can attenuate or stop the lightning surge
Yes… I guess I didn’t talk much about the surge protection aspect of these, which is definitely a justifiable reason to get one. I’m sorry about your Apollo. Was any other gear harmed when that surge happened?
Great video, did it means that my furman m -10xE is just BS ? i have my RME UFX 2 and my speakers on it. BTW. whish cool looking Mic do you have there ?
Poor incomplete review and apparently no experience with good quality high end audio equipment. It’s not just about the “hiss”, but also clarity of instrument and voice details that come out when listening to music when a good power conditioner is used. Not everyone is into high end audio (and that’s ok) but proper awareness of what’s out there and what is possible is important
i dont know about expensive ones but i got Black Lion Audio 89$ and i can hear the difference because my sub was clipping out there are many companies that will improve costumers and they give quality for good price like JBL Black Lion Mackie yamaha on hs monitors thas been taking the technology of NS10 price at 3600$ for piece JBL released on Namm 2020 or 19 MK series beating the genelec price over 3000$ JBL mk series have the technologie of JBL professional studio monitors JBL - LSR series are costing around 2500$ are a lot of companies that want a name and they do their best
