Power conditioner help

@jay23 What is behind my attitude is the disconnect between my experiences, the experiences of those I know and in contrast what a few posts here stated. Taken together they do not agree: Hence the question — what gear, what circumstances?

I asked that because I do think it possible to get different results, but clean power is clean power and an abundance of clean power to draw-down (buffered/stored) in a transformer during dynamic passages is power you did not otherwise have on tap through the wall. So, what were the circumstances? Unless the answer is just opinion or hand waving, it’s an answer to be mentally plotted in a space of appropriate/inappropriate uses for power regenerators.

To date, no negative experience I have read of rises above "opinion", I’m looking for more than just "good", "bad", made my music "sound green"... I can’t process those in a meaningful way because I have come to fear opinions as completely subjective.

[Subjective isn’t bad, it’s just "thin" unless it comes with an abundance of descriptors such that the reader can relate to the opinion as a substantial one rather than someone at the end of a keyboard just being ...social and saying "it’s bad for music listening" ...the question remains: why? ...After all, it is just clean and abundant power. These discussions sometimes remind me of politics, a nasty topic that is light on fact, ignores fact, or builds on fact: the three are quite different. Sorry for bringing it up, but it is just an example.]

Given the wealth of technical material I have read on the topic over several years, and given the experiences I pointed to: How is it possible that the addition of an appropriately-sized power regenerator can generate a negative music listening experience? (I am open to any answer that informs, rather than a brush-back answer.)

Inna....I've never had any success with power conditioners....yes, they all change the sound of the system, but all of them (and I tried many) created warts I wasn't prepared to live with.  You will never know what one of these things do unless you put it in your own system and listen.  If you can't do that....simply save your money.   (I surmise you have good power cords which DO make a difference...but too you have to hear one that works well with your own system).

Vic & Jay,

From my experience I’d say you are both correct in your comments. I was in the shop one day and saw a couple of Tripp Lite isolation transformers laying around. One was an IS1000 (8.3 Amp rating) and the other was an IS500 (4.2 Amp rating). I figured I’d see what they’d do since the current readout on my Panamax 5500 usually read 3.4 Amps when playing both components in my system. I put the amp through the IS1000 and the media player through the IS500. The noise floor of the system dropped significantly but it was also obvious the system was being choked. The PRAT suffered terribly, as did the sound stage, dynamics, etc. But hearing what it did with the noise floor was certainly enough to make me want to investigate a unit appropriate for my system. In conversations with Bryston I learned that as a result of their testing in order to avoid the detrimental results I had experienced with the undersized isolation transformers they actually use a 30 Amp transformer in the 15-series units and a 40 Amp in the 20-series units. So, from my experience, I can attest to the ill effects from an undersized power conditioning piece, but likewise, when the unit was right-sized for my system (actually a bit of overkill I’d say) the results have only been very positive.

Cheers,

John

I'm have also heard power conditioners choke systems.  The audioquest niagara (I mentioned I became a dealer for) can actually deliver 90 amps for short bursts, which I can hear has helped dynamics.  (As well as noise floor)There are some great videos on YouTube where Garth Powell explains his philosophy and history of power conditioners he developed at furman and now audioquest.   Pretty fascinating and you can hear the demo system's improvement even over the Web.  Which seems crazy but I had a friend confirm it.   

A properly functioning power conditioner does not choke anything. The manufacturers typically will or will not state whether or not their conditioner limits current. Regardless, current can be checked before and after the conditioner with a simple meter.