entry level power solutions

Start off by picking up some Audioprism Quiet Lines. These will benefit the entire system and work regardless of any other filtering / changes that you make to the system. These are both cheap and highly effective at removing grundge coming in through the AC line.

Sugar will probably recommend the Blue Circle Noise Hounds. Not personally familiar with them them, but they are probably pretty similar in benefits and mode of operation. They are bigger and more costly though, so do what your budget allows.

Someday, i'd like to do an electrical comparison between the noise hounds, quiet lines, Magnan filters, etc... and see just how effective each one is. Sean
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The other "standard" recommendations, in addition to the ones Sean made, are to replace your wall plugs with hospital grade units (I didn't find this made much difference in my system, but other people swear by them), and using a line conditioner power strip, such as Monster Power's HTS2000 (I have two of these, and they DO make a difference in my system). The hospital-grade wall plugs can be purchased for around $25-30 each, and the HTS 2000 units can often be bought at discount prices for about $140-150.

Hey Sean, your right!! The Blue Circle BC86 are now only $110. Since you need at least 4 Audioprisms to make a noticeable difference, they cost about the same. I recommend two BC86s and/or 8 Prisms for best performance.

I find the BC86 works better for audio, but the Audioprisms do a great job of sharpening the color and picture of the Television.

It depends on how easily you could have a couple dedicated circuits run to your setup - if it's easy, it would only be a few hundred dollars and would be highly beneficial. -Kirk

Good point Kirk. Sometimes we overlook the most obvious things. I tend to like "gadgets" and the Quiet Lines will benefit any system without directly interfering with power delivery.

Dorin and others that may be interested, while running dedicated lines may sound like a major undertaking, it typically isn't. I would suggest combing the archives here and doing some reading on it. While there are a few "bugs" that you might run into ( grounding, what phase to connect to, etc... ) doing your homework by reading what others have gone through should minimize any potential headache. Sean
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Thanks for the tips. What do you think about those 50 bucks or so PCs? My wife had some problems to understand why a speaker cable costs a couple of hundreds, with PCs will be even harder to negotiate...

If your gear comes with those 18AWG (18-3) black cords like the ones that come with your computer, you can always go to the hardware store and get the same kind of cord in 14AWG (14-3) for about $7 each. While not like a high end PC, these will make some difference for a very small cost.

You might want to checkout the Mapleshade records website. They offer inexpensive powercords, IC's and speaker cables that are excellent for the money.

Most of the budget power cords ( at least in my experience ) won't get you too far. The best bang for the buck is going to be the Belden made Volex line. These are heavier gauge ( better for amps especially ) and offer one layer of foil shielding. Best thing about them is that they will set you back somewhere around $10 - $15 apiece. If you do a search on the Cable Asylum, you should find a good source for them.

If you wanna get "funky" with these cords, you can always cut off the molded ends and put some higher grade connectors on them. This would give you the equivalent of a more expensive cord at probably way less than 50% of retail.

If looking for used cords on a budget, look for the Tiffany's, Kimber's, etc... These are both good cords for what they show up for on the used market. Sean
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Look into Virtual Dynamics power cords, you can purchase their power 3 cords for $50. Good stuff!