What it does
The alternating current that reaches your wall outlet carries noise picked up from everything else on the line: switching power supplies, dimmers, appliances, the neighbors. Audio and video components turn that current into the signals you hear and see, and the noise riding on it can lower the resolution of the whole system in ways that are easy to overlook until they are removed. Power products address that noise, protect against surges and, in some cases, give high-current amplifiers a more stable supply than the wall can.
The options
Surge protection
The simplest job is to stop a lightning strike or a utility fault from destroying equipment. Good surge protection is non-sacrificial, meaning it does not wear out after a single event, and it does not restrict current to amplifiers. Many power strips sold as protectors do both of those things badly.
Conditioning
Conditioners filter noise from the line, often with separate banks of outlets for low-current sources and high-current amplifiers so that one does not pollute the other. The AudioQuest Niagara series and the Burmester 948 take this approach. A well-designed conditioner lowers the noise floor without choking dynamics; a poorly designed one does the opposite, which is why we audition them like any other component.
Regeneration
A regenerator takes the incoming current and builds a new, clean sine wave from it, isolating the system from the line entirely. It is the most thorough solution and the most expensive, and it is best suited to source components and preamplifiers rather than large power amplifiers.
Power controllers
The McIntosh MPC500 and MPC1500 combine conditioning and surge protection with switched outlets that bring the system up and down in the right order, which protects loudspeakers from turn-on thumps and simplifies daily use.
Dedicated circuits
The least glamorous and often the most effective step is a dedicated 20-amp circuit from the breaker panel to the listening room, with nothing else on it. If you are building or remodeling, this is where to begin, and we can talk with your electrician about what to ask for.
When it matters and when it does not
In a quiet house on good utility power, with efficient loudspeakers and a modest amplifier, a conditioner may make a small difference. In an apartment, a house full of electronics or a system with a highly resolving front end, the same product can be one of the most cost-effective upgrades available. The only way to know is to try one in your own room, and we are glad to talk about how to arrange that.
How we think about it at Pearl
We treat power as part of the system design, not an afterthought. We carry AudioQuest Niagara conditioners, the Burmester 948 and the McIntosh power controllers, and we will tell you plainly when we think your money is better spent elsewhere.
Where to start
Tell us where you live, how many components you have and whether any of them are large power amplifiers. Count the outlets you need. From there we can recommend a starting point and talk about how to hear it in your own system before you decide.
