Power conditioning: how did you choose the best approach for your system?

[shtf]

11 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

I use properly designed components and had the electric utility test my power

 

What utter nonsense.  A $5 AC filter inserted by the mfg'er behind the IEC inlet does not constitute sufficient line conditioning for the noisy AC coming in from the street.  And just because some pimple-faced electric co. technician takes a measurement and tell you your AC is clean doesn't make it so.

 

Do yourself, the forum, and the industry a favor and go audition some superior line conditioners.

[shtf]

On 6/22/2019 at 11:56 AM, Ralf11 said:

 

Let's not be stupid.  One and a Half's question (tho inverted) was a better one.  A discussion of power supply design might be useful, as would a discussion of what add-ons really work.

 

Here are some useful tidbits from Audio Research :

• regulator circuits with wideband response
• Ref6 has a tube-regulated power supply

 

 

“Let’s not be stupid.”  I like that.  However, I would have posed it in the form of a question like “When are we going to stop being stupid?”  It’s less offensive, but it also implies that up til now some of us have been.

 

You refuse to experiment yet you’ll quote Nelson Pass and Audio Research, et al all day long (as though they are experts in the field of noisy AC) and take their word for it? 

 

Perhaps now you can see how MQA made such an impression on high-end audio.  Because in an industry filled with untrained ears, experts like Stuart, Harley, and Atkinson claimed MQA was the equivalent of experiencing the birth of a new world and people just like you with mindsets like yours bought it hook, line, and sinker.

 

Did you know that some really fart smellers, I mean really smart fellers explained how on paper it’s impossible for bumble bees to fly?

 

If you’re truly satisfied with what others say on paper about various aspects of high-end audio, why bother owning a playback system in the first place?  Seriously, is this how you wanna’ spend the rest of your audiophile life?  Maybe on your tombstone, the epitaph could read, “Ralf11, an audiophile who listened to music, er, ummmm, others.”

 

Plug in some earbuds and have a listen to the opening moments of this piece and tell me with a straight face that without superior line conditioning your playback system can generate similar or better levels of musicality that includes these pristine, even delicate percussive musical notes.

 

https://youtu.be/5-om8WubOXk

 

 

[shtf]

31 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

 

how pathetic

 

maybe your AC power is so bad it drove you crazy?

 

at any rate, Good luck with your anti-5G and contrails protests

 

Nice comeback.  Just remember, it was you who said, let’s not be stupid.

 

Oh, and by all means, please let me know when or if you ever decide to take this hobby seriously.  There's more to performance than just dropping names. 

[shtf]

2 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

 

 

it is the height of stupidity to assume that an ameuter DIYer can tinker their way into a result better than the best engineers in the business

 

I am sure you're a remarkable individual however

 

Amateur status, eh?  Answer me this.  What qualifies a high-end audio participant to be of amateur status? 

 

Would lacking the ability to discern / interpret what we hear qualify one as an amateur?  If so, I can think of a good majority of enthusiasts that would meet that qualification.  In fact, that may well include a good majority of designers, manufacturers, dealers, distributors, reviewers, and editors too.  Does that include you?

 

How about lacking the ability to at least once assemble a reasonably impressive musical playback system?  Once again, I can think of a majority of enthusiasts, designers, manufacturers, dealers, distributors, reviewers, and editors who would meet that qualification.  And of course we both know this includes you.

 

Or is it just the ones who get paid for their endeavors that determines amateur or professional status? 

 

FWIW, in the past 20 years I’ve owned maybe 10 or 12 preamps ranging from $600 - $10k including 3 PASS Labs preamps and I probably turned around and sold the PASS Labs preamps faster than any other preamp I’ve owned.  They weren’t below par by any means but they certainly weren’t stellar performers either.  So maybe Nelson’s expertise really is with noisy AC after all.

 

Getting back to variations of line conditioning, including superior vs inferior.  I could probably take a reasonably humble but well-thought-out playback system retailing between say $45k and $60k (including superior line conditioners) and have one of the top 5 or even top 3 most musical exhibiting rooms at any given high-end audio show just because of the superior line conditioners.  Oh, that’s right.  I already did that.  Multiple times.  And that was only because I was employing superior line conditioners since my own product takes weeks before the magic even begins to kick in.

 

And yet, here we are 20+ years after the first line conditioner was built and we still have guys just like you with mindsets just like yours who refuse to try anything new.  Simply because some supposed expert said not to bother. 

 

And now you’re going to spend the rest of your life listening to an unmusical playback system, participate in high-end audio forums where your only contribution is to parrot what “experts” say, and even be so dogmatic as to defend your stance without ever having auditioned a superior (as opposed to inferior) line conditioner.  That’s not even amateur status but rather wannabe or groupie status.

 

I’m sorry. What was your definition again about the height of stupidity?

 

Like I said.  Let me know if you ever decide to take this hobby seriously.

[shtf]

On 6/23/2019 at 10:25 PM, fas42 said:

 

Very nice at the beginning there, shtf ... however, and I say this with a long face , I can also hear my old foe in action - as the clip progresses there is a slow decline in the 'purity' of the treble ...

 

This is my nemesis at work, and long and hard have been the battles with him - can you hear this happening?

 

Yeah, I wasn't paying close attention to the in-room volume.  Thanks for the note, Frank.

[shtf]

On 6/23/2019 at 9:57 PM, Ralf11 said:

why not lay out your expertise in power supply design

 

or in electronic circuit design

 

got an engineering degree?  science degree?  pottery major?

 

But why?  According to your power co. we should be good to go, right?   

 

Why do you trust what others say?   Are you that naive?   Or just lazy?