Leave it to Ron. We now have a new audiophile acronym: SWP (silly wire politics!)
It was so interesting to hear that conditioners were the culprit. I personally dislike them A LOT, and from the least to most expensive without naming names, their inherent design can't help but choke power transfer and thus music dynamics -- this is true regardless the size, capacity, or quality of the parts inside.
That's why everyone is always blown away when they (finally) plug their amp(s) into the wall -- but just because you can hear an obvious difference in the case of amplifiers, don't think that other components with more modest power consumption aren't similarly affected. I know this won't please a lot of people, but IMO conditioners are old technology and NOT the way to go anymore. The three best power grooming strategies/devices, both in order of bang for the buck, and in order of implementation are:
1. Dedicated circuits, remembering to: a.) use one wire size larger than code if outlet is more than 20 feet from panel (to avoid possible voltage drop) b.) If you have BIG amp(s) (>100w/ch) give it/them their own circuit. Ditto if you have a LOT of digital gear (i.e. more than just a CDP ;-) except that won't be necessary if you provide all source/control (front end) gear with balanced power (see 3.)
2a/2b. (In either order but NOT both) would be an isolation transformer(s) OR a power re-generator unit. The former is quite effective if you already get decent power from your utility -- meaning voltage fluctuates not more than 2.5% above or below 120V., no brownouts, line noise or truncated sine waves (you'll need an oscilloscope ;-) Power re-generators are now very efficient (Exactpower leads in that category) and can turn even a non-dedicated circuit in an apartment or condo into a source of nice clean power up to 15A/1500W (for the best Exactpower unit) Isolation transformers are unique in that they also provide worry-free lightening strike protection.
3. Balanced power devices such as those from Exactpower or Equi=Tech do for AC power what balanced interconnects do for audio signals: they provide equal but opposite 60 cycle AC between each plug blade and the old "ground" pin (which is now the new "neutral"!) So any noise on the power line is self-canceling, just as in XLR cables. Since this feature "works" in either direction, it cancels digital hash coming out of your digital components just as easily as it cancels noisy AC going into them :thmbsp:
In my own crappy (apartment) situation, I did manage to find ONE unused 20A circuit (thank you Jesus!) which terminated under the kitchen sink (for a non-existent disposal ;-) I ran a 3 conductor 10AWG umbilical about 20 feet to an Exactpower re-generator between the ML electrostat speakers; it powers them along with the McIntosh MC275, a Logan sub, and (through another short umbilical) an Exactpower balanced power unit for all the front end stuff.
With everything powered up and at a significant volume, the whole system, amp and everything, only draws +/_ 550W! And it's as quiet as an unoccupied chair!
