Dedicated line questions...

@erik_squires I just pulled out my ifi 5v wall wort power supply to power an spdif jitter reducer. Initially had it plugged into my bp3.5 ultra balanced power conditioner with the rest of my digital and soon noticed some hash in the system while listening to my main source. Moved it to the power strip that's on a standard house line (w tv, modem, etc.) and things cleaned up a bit.

Could be an issue with balanced power, or poor isolation within the conditioner, but noticeable whatever the reason.

Thanks @cal3713 , I appreciate the update. The very serious testing done over at Audio Science Review only measured the DC output, not the noise they could put back into the line.

This answers my question about that!

I do recommend keeping wall warts out of your "clean" power zone, whether by using multiple strips, or by using conditioners with separate zones.

https://inatinear.blogspot.com/2019/04/power-management-for-frugal-audiophiles.html

I guess now we know we need to stick to linear supplies otherwise.

I'd be curious to hear what a benchmark smps does. They strongly argue that their switching supply is actually better than a linear one. Like you I have my doubts, but would love to learn otherwise. Who wants to devote an entire line to switching supplies??

I’m going to try a Decware ZLC in my setup and see how it sounds. Part of my issue is living in CO, thunderstorms are a very real deal. I asked Steve a few questions about his ZLC and it seems to be a very nice, well thought out product, that will handle potential spikes. I am also going to install a whole house surge protector. I just think that is a smart idea. It will be a few weeks before I get the ZLC. It will be interesting. I am also auditioning a couple of Sutherland engineering battery phonostages, the DC concept intrigues me and seems like an excellent isolation solution.

Congrats. Please do report back!