A number of questions to ask:
1. How much am I willing to spend? (Something to re-evauluate several times over this process.)
2. Is my budget determined by X% of the total cost of my current system, or, X% of the total cost of my imagined system 10 years down the road? Some folks recommend this approach (i.e., taking a certain percentage of the total cost of your system. I prefer to listen to how much of a difference the product appears to make in the overall sound, and let that guide the purchase -- to each his own).
3. Does the power conditioner use caps or coils? (such power conditioning methods have a reputation for restricting dynamic performance).
4. Am I going to try/compare 2, or 3, different products? (I"d investigate several brands, first, to narrow it down to the ones you'd actually try: never hurts to look for the "why" or "how" in the product, rather than just the "it does 'this' to the sound..." sort of presentation.
Power conditioning in the form of power cords is seriously worth considering too (or instead). By using power cords designed to condition the power, as a means of power conditioning, you'll be less likely to want to replace the power cords in the future, or purchase a stand-alone power conditioning unit, and therefore save money in the long run. There's also the added benefit that by using power conditioning power cords to condition the powerÂdepending on the power cordÂthe conditioning will take place at the most vital location: immediately before the power enters the powered equipment (instead of X number of feet prior to it when using a stand alone power conditioning unit).
I'm wondering how long it will take now for the "power cords make no difference" crowd to chime in :)
Best wishes,
Aaron Knock
AK
1. How much am I willing to spend? (Something to re-evauluate several times over this process.)
2. Is my budget determined by X% of the total cost of my current system, or, X% of the total cost of my imagined system 10 years down the road? Some folks recommend this approach (i.e., taking a certain percentage of the total cost of your system. I prefer to listen to how much of a difference the product appears to make in the overall sound, and let that guide the purchase -- to each his own).
3. Does the power conditioner use caps or coils? (such power conditioning methods have a reputation for restricting dynamic performance).
4. Am I going to try/compare 2, or 3, different products? (I"d investigate several brands, first, to narrow it down to the ones you'd actually try: never hurts to look for the "why" or "how" in the product, rather than just the "it does 'this' to the sound..." sort of presentation.
Power conditioning in the form of power cords is seriously worth considering too (or instead). By using power cords designed to condition the power, as a means of power conditioning, you'll be less likely to want to replace the power cords in the future, or purchase a stand-alone power conditioning unit, and therefore save money in the long run. There's also the added benefit that by using power conditioning power cords to condition the powerÂdepending on the power cordÂthe conditioning will take place at the most vital location: immediately before the power enters the powered equipment (instead of X number of feet prior to it when using a stand alone power conditioning unit).
I'm wondering how long it will take now for the "power cords make no difference" crowd to chime in :)
Best wishes,
Aaron Knock
AK