Does power conditioning really matter?

I would not have a problem using a descent conditioner on that system. Pretty safe way to go. OTOH, as you start to build a hi rez system the conditioner can get in the way of transient speed. Budget conditioners can kill the music.
A crappy surge protector more than likely will be worse. At that point I would plug directly into the wall.

Mykesinger, I have had fairly expensive power cords and yes they do make a nice improvement on the t.v. This being said I have found some power cords that are made by Vintage Audio Labs to be what a lot of us our looking for. Bang for the buck is an understatement. I found these cables on ebay and they are not built or do they sound like something you would find there.

Mlc75, you say " It is the power transformers job to condition the power" YES! so this is why I use a couple of Kleen Line transformers. These transformers have power regulation and surge protection. They do not kill transient speed on amps either. High frequencies are very clean and detailed, not tizzy or metalic. With the panamax conditioners I would get compression and if an amp was plugged into it I would lose weight and texture. This is another form of power conditioning and it does matter.

Jamesw20,no advertisement. Look at my feedback and you will see a couple of cords I have used. Go to ebay and find this guy and you will clearly see we live thousands of miles away. I know the guys name is Kevin but that is about it. Also, as stated earlier Isolation transformers or even voltage converter transformers do a great job of cleaning the power without robbing detail. Not audiophile looking at all so they really need a good hiding place.

Ozzy, did you get one of those PowerCells? They did it right. The acrylic casing was very smart too. However, a little over the poster's budget. Tripp Lite hospital grade isolation transformer is very affordable and effective as well.