Dedicated line w/ upgraded parts or power cond?

All of the above posts contain valuable info, but as to which approach is beneficial really boils down to YOUR environment and how YOUR system works within it.

Without knowing your environment/setup it is really difficult to assess which is "The Best" option.

One thing for certain - a dedicated power line and good outlets will reap benefits. e.g.

Getting other household appliances/lamps off the line can provide a significant reduction in interference and using a quality outlet provides better clamping of the plugs and hence a better electrical connection.

A good power-conditioner will also eliminate power line noise, but depending on the conditioner and your equipment you may experience some compression if you plug the amps into it - BTW this has supposedly been verified by the guys at Nordost, but then some might consider their opinions "extreme" :-)

Digital equipment (DAC, CD Player etc..) have been known to polute other sources and power-conditioners have been effective in addressing this.

External RF interference from our surroundings can also contribute to system noise. This however can be remedied either by ensuring a good grounding/shielding approach is taken in power cables, components and interconnects.

My personal journey started with a power conditioner, mainly because that was the recommendation at that time.

Once I installed the dedicated line I discovered my environment was not noisy at all, so I removed the power conditioner - today I even use interconnects without any shield - but that is in MY environment.

This may or may not be applicable in your case and as Zd542 says "There's no way to tell until you try it".

If it is relatively cheap to install a dedicated line in your environment then I would start there - even if you still require a power conditioner the benefits of a dedicated line will not be wasted.

Outlets I like - because they work and are reasonably priced are Pass & Seymour MRI grade @ $25/outlet - Take Fiver Audio sells cryo treated if you think that helps.

Cables I like - Furutech and DH Labs Power Plus

Power Connectors I like - Vanguard from Ebay - they are gold on copper and perform extremely well considering their $21 for an IEC and PLUG pair

There are some very good assembled after market power cables out there - some mentioned in this thread as well as many other threads throughout Agon - so do your research

If possible beg or borrow from friends or cosy up to a good hi-fi store and try as many products as you can.

Also - some of the noise you may hear could come from your components - caps do not last forever and can get noisy so consider this in your "quest for silence".

There is no quick answer - It took me two years to determine the root cause of my problems and how to fix them.

Here's a link that adresses some of the power supply issues and talks to available solutions
You Need A Goods Power Supply

Whart - Did you try moving the dedicated line(s) to the other phase? or the same phase?

I keep all my stuff on one phase - just a foible I have - I used to work in a 3 phase environment and it could get a "little tense" at times - one phase is simple and you rarely kill yourself, but it does perk you up :-)

BTW - that's a very nice system

Whart - have you tried a floating shield approach on your power and interconnect cables?

Whart - "floating shield" is not quite the same as "floating ground"

For instance, with floating shield, if you have a power cord with Positive, Neutral and Ground conductors, then all three should be connected at the IEC and mains connector - however, the shield ONLY is connected at the mains connector.

Theory is that any RFI is conducted away from the component connected to it

It works very well with a star grounding scheme

It could be accomplished with XLR using todays multi-shielded balanced connectors, but XLR cables generally are not constructed with a floating shield so I wouldn't consider changing anything with your XLR cables.

The occasional noise interference you attribute to power line anomolies may well be eliminated by the Equi=Tech solution

The explanation on their web site states that the noise on the incoming power line phases are 180 degrees opposed and therefore cancels out when put through their system.

If the noise on the phases are equal in amplitude - they would be correct - but we live in an imperfect world.

However, the differences would probably be so small as to render them innefective

One point of interest, they warn against floating shields - from their web site...

all audio cable shields be grounded at both ends.

Not quite sure as to why they state this - maybe they are assuming there is no seperate ground conductor and the shield is used as ground, by default - which may be true in some cables

Keep us posted on how it works out

Rockdanny - replacing the iec inlets on hi-fi components is not always as easy as it sounds - so before ordering, open up each component to ensure it is something you are prepared to attempt or pay a technician to do.

Also, better quality components may well have perfectly good iec inlets. So you may be changing something that may make little or no perceivable improvement.

Having said that I have replaced iec inlets and the improvement was quite noticeable, but that was in one of my DIY projects where I was certain the one being replaced was pretty crappy.

If you are replacing them with Furutech or Oyaide quality iec's, then at least you are assured of their quality and as Lacee points out - you have no doubts that improvements are due to power cords.

Also, ensure that making these changes does not void any existing warranties or UL certifications

Replacing a power cable - simple - plug it in
Replacing a part in a component - a little more to consider

This type of tweak boils down to how much responsibility YOU are prepared to accept :-)

Whart - I'm in Toronto, but originally from the UK where I completed an apprenticeship in Electrical Engineering.

Floating the shield does not break any codes in Canada as long as the other three wires are connected at both ends - since most power cables are not shielded

I've never read the US codes, so I have no knowledge about them - should be fairly close though? (The Devil is in the details :-)

Not sure if floating the ground is a code violation up here, since the codes I have read only deals with wiring a building and not individual "appliances"

However you can bet that if your insurance company was to discover it they would declare it a coverage violation just to get out of paying.

My house/development is only 26 years old, so the subteranian power supply is pretty stable and not subject to "atmospheric conditions" that can effect overhead supplies.

Good luck with the property hunt and your future plans - sounds exciting. We are in the process of "downsizing", but a dedicated listening room is on the list

Maybe your next location will have a better power supply.

No matter how good it is, from what I've read on their web site I think the Equi=Tech is still a great investment.

Hey - Furutech Fan-Boy
- ME TOO! :-)
- but for me it's their power cables and RCA's that I find are outstanding performers.

Their mains, IEC connectors and receptacles, although extremely good are just too pricey for me - I just can't bring myself to part with that much cash for `a plug`

I guess we all have our limits :-)

Oh - to win that lottery ;-)

Mental - I'm with Whart on this one - electricians of your calibre, who gained extensive knowledge via the industrial/shipyard fields, have been exposed to a much broader experience than Joe-Bloe household electrician.

I worked on 3-phase switchgear design and assembly for a while and my knowledge was totally different to friends in the electronics field

Your experience on the shipyard probably taught you a lot abour the more subtle intricacies of power due the the higher-tech equipment used and the need for a much more stable and balanced power supply throughout the ship.

To someone like yourself, it is second nature, but for those that only came through the housing industry - they may be less informed and those are the people you find via "yellow pages"

So yes, you should be able to sort the wheat from the chaf IF you know what to look for, but many don't.

I don't think for a minute Whart was painting all "lecies" with the same brush - he just had a hard time finding a good one.