With a Power Conditioner in tow, is it still worth it to upgrade external PSUs? Or is the gain much smaller?
I have a friend considering an external PSU and I’m wondering if the Power Conditioner may just be a better once-and-for-all solution, or if they’re more complementary than replacements.
I think that the effects are cumulative. Think of it in terms that a better power supply will always provide its particular improvements to the sound. The power conditioner will help/allow it to do an even better job, and while the power conditioner may improve a mediocre power supply, it cannot make it match an excellent power supply being fed the same clean power.
J.P.
Agree with JP. Sounds like he already has a power conditioner and the power supplies will still add their effect, positive and negative, to the signal. I would think tat a good power conditioner will be more likely to have a greater effect on the sound whereas the power supply replacements are more of a crapshoot. You are never really sure of the quality of the supplies that already exist in most cases.
+1 to JP and wglenn. Everything helps but a power conditioner would help everything that’s plugged into it so that’s where I’d start too.