Interesting story. I assume you are in a large metropolitan area? I have also found what you say about the grid to be true. There are compensations, though - the power supplies in large metropolitan areas are usually much more consistent, so one does not need expensive power conditioners. In fact, the couple I have tried made the system sound quite a bit worse. All I use is a surge protector that eliminates the RF noise, and does not have any effect on the sound otherwise. This is a very necessary article, though - it has saved my system more than once already from a bad storm (it fries itself to save what is plugged into it), and those happen all the time in my area.
An unusual phenomenon verified.As is my custom, I
As is my custom, I turned on the music when I went to bed Christmas night. Immediately, I noticed the music sounded better. Was I in a better mood? "No". Did I feel better? "No". Something or everything I had eaten was disagreeing with my digestive system. Had I done something recently to improve the bedroom audio? No, not in years had I made any changes. Then why was the music sounding "distinctly" better.
Today was "Sunday". People who didn't even know what an audiophile was, have stated that music sounded best on Sunday afternoon. Audiophiles have said that music sounds best on Sunday because of the "power grid".
Almost all of your components have a power supply that turns AC to DC. Much of the cost of high end components is a result of this "power supply". Not only must it change AC to DC, but it also has to contend with all the extraneous noise that exists on the "power grid". Most noise is caused by business activity on the grid, we accept it as normal; it results in something less than a "black silent" background when we listen to music. We are only aware of it by it's absence. Rich people pay a fortune to get their audio off the public grid.
The more I listened to music on this night, the better it sounded. Since the lights were out and I couldn't see the walls, they disappeared; the soundstage was deeper and wider than the room. Not only was this Sunday night, but it was Christmas night; this meant that the business activity on the grid was close to 0.
Record after record, CD after CD yielded spectacular results; the music was glorious. Since I have my entire collection on a computer "playlist", I can listen in the inky darkness of the bedroom and never turn on a light. When I listened to female vocalists who became famous in their early 20's, I could hear that youthful femininity in their voices. While their voices remained beautiful throughout their careers, that youthful femininity was long gone as time went by.
Were the "Audiophile angels" smiling on me? Whatever was happening, I was not about to let one minute go to waste. Each record or CD displayed a new revelation. When daylight started coming through the windows, I couldn't believe it. After I had breakfast and returned to the bedroom, my magic chariot had turned back into a pumpkin.
Was that night some kind of a delusion? You be the judge.
Today was "Sunday". People who didn't even know what an audiophile was, have stated that music sounded best on Sunday afternoon. Audiophiles have said that music sounds best on Sunday because of the "power grid".
Almost all of your components have a power supply that turns AC to DC. Much of the cost of high end components is a result of this "power supply". Not only must it change AC to DC, but it also has to contend with all the extraneous noise that exists on the "power grid". Most noise is caused by business activity on the grid, we accept it as normal; it results in something less than a "black silent" background when we listen to music. We are only aware of it by it's absence. Rich people pay a fortune to get their audio off the public grid.
The more I listened to music on this night, the better it sounded. Since the lights were out and I couldn't see the walls, they disappeared; the soundstage was deeper and wider than the room. Not only was this Sunday night, but it was Christmas night; this meant that the business activity on the grid was close to 0.
Record after record, CD after CD yielded spectacular results; the music was glorious. Since I have my entire collection on a computer "playlist", I can listen in the inky darkness of the bedroom and never turn on a light. When I listened to female vocalists who became famous in their early 20's, I could hear that youthful femininity in their voices. While their voices remained beautiful throughout their careers, that youthful femininity was long gone as time went by.
Were the "Audiophile angels" smiling on me? Whatever was happening, I was not about to let one minute go to waste. Each record or CD displayed a new revelation. When daylight started coming through the windows, I couldn't believe it. After I had breakfast and returned to the bedroom, my magic chariot had turned back into a pumpkin.
Was that night some kind of a delusion? You be the judge.