Is a power supply beneficial for component SQ if you have a quality power conditioner?


I have a shunyata MPC-12a power conditioner. Would it be beneficial or unnecessary to spend the money to, say, replace the wal wart on my streamer with a power supply to plug into the power conditioner? Thanks folks
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Showing 4 responses by whart

I don't have any digital components in my main system, but I understand that good practice is to feed them from a dedicated line separate from the line(s) powering the rest of the system. (I haven't gotten to your question yet). I know some power conditioners have isolated receptacles that may even be labelled for digital components- I suppose they are isolated in some way from the other receptacles, but my experience with power conditioners is dated and I no longer use any. 
I do have a considerable investment in my AC power set up, including a robust 10kVA isolation transformer and heavy gauge (#4) feeder lines to the audio subpanel, which in turn feed multiple dedicated lines using #10 Romex to hospital grade outlets.
That said, I have two devices that I sometimes play around with that use wall warts of the switching type- one is an Acoustic Revive Schumann generator, the other is a small DSP unit for a pair of 15" subwoofers. For those, I bought a relatively inexpensive bench type multi-channel power supply with a toroidal transformer that allows you to adjust voltage and current. Some older style wall warts are actually transformers, but a lot of modern ones are switching supplies, and potentially create the same kind of noise that I suppose supports the idea of a dedicated line for digital devices. By using the linear power supply, you get rid of the wall wart part of the problem. 
You could conceivably plug the warted device into an outlet that is not shared by the same circuit as your power supply, but who knows what else is on that?
Others who do use digital in their main systems may offer more insight into what they actually experience and the effects of the digital components themselves on system noise. 
I don’t know the answer. The noise from the wall wart may be ameliorated by the Shunyata. I had a bunch of Shunyata gear many years ago but can’t answer your question beyond what I’ve done with the linear supply for the wall warts. What was interesting to me, based solely on the read out of the power supply, was how little current the devices themselves- the Schumann generator and the DSP unit- actually draw. The linear supply was under two hundred dollars- you can make the cable yourself using switchcraft barrel plugs and appropriately gauged wire for the voltage and length- I can point you to the one I use. It offers more flexibility and is cheaper than some of the audiophile ones that are built for a single voltage.
I guess in theory, by keeping the wall warts plugged into the standard household electrical branch rather than the dedicated line, you are already isolating them to a degree. I don’t know how much of that digital noise is carried over a common ground, since even your dedicated line ultimately ties into the same grounding point as your main household system.
I think @erik_squires got it right. The issue with the wall warts isn't so much that they don't supply the necessary power, but whether the switching type are creating a backwash of noise in the rest of your system. 
With the Schumann generator, though most folks that reviewed it favorably seemed to believe it did "more" by using a linear power supply, I didn't hear much difference. In fact, the whole notion of this component is borderline voodoo- nobody can explain why it does what it does. Some can't hear its effect at all.  The first time I turned it on, it made me queasy. I then heard differences in the overall presentation of the system in my previous room/house/set up. In my new house/set up, I haven't found it to have much effect- it is a much bigger room and the placement isn't quite the same relative to the listening position. Perhaps a poor choice as an example, since it isn't a 'component' that is part of the system, but an external tweak. 
Ditto on the difference with the little DSP unit for the subs. It's drawing a few hundredths of an amp, and I can see the voltage fluctuate between 12.0 and 12.1 on the bench supply read out. Maybe with a DAC or streamer that is essentially a source, it might make a difference in sound quality of the component itself, but my impression was that getting rid of the wart was due to potential noise pollution as it affected the rest of your system. Perhaps I'm wrong.....


This may help get you started. My aim was to cover ancillaries, have a decent transformer, and the ability to adjust voltage and current (limiting) while being cheap. I'm sure there are some better grade units out there, but to power the DSP and the Schumann resonator, this is all I needed- it's been working fine for a couple years. @terry9 has recommended lab grade ones used. They aren't much more from the appropriate supply houses. 
At least this gives you some starting criteria: http://www.loneoceans.com/labs/tekpower/