Tweakers' Asylum: REVIEW: DIY by Jon Risch AC filter according to JR Power Conditioner/Surge Protector by BobM

I recently tried some Audio Prism Quiet Line filters in my system and was surprised to hear as much of an improvement as I did, given the cost and size of these things. So now I know I can improve on my power. Well, I read and reread Jon's instructions and Lukasz reviews and design changes and made a Jon Rich designed Power Conditioner (JRPC). 4 outlets, each independently "choked". 1 dedicated for the amp (with parallelled inductors for better current handling) and 3 for sources. All parts were specified in Jon's design paper. Internal wire is 12 guage stranded (Home Depot), outlets are Leviton 20 amp industrial hospital grade (orange), power cord is Belden 14 guage shielded.

Initial impression was a bit disappointing. The sound was guarded and veiled. Then about an hour later it "burned in" - not imagined fellows, it truly changed! Possibly flux burning off the soldier connections, chokes & caps burning in? It's got about 30 hours on it now and it is wonderful. Any remaining veils were lifted, the detail is there, added depth, no background noise, blacker blacks as-it-were. I did suspect that the amp's dynamics were more restricted than without the conditioner, but a simple A-B with and without the JRPC proved no difference in dynamics to my ears; just a difference in presence, air, dimensionality, whatever word you use to describe a more discernable soundstage.

Last night some audiophile friends/junkies came over to hear my system for the first time (they truly belong in an asylum, unlike myself :-). Overall system impression = musical and not-solid state sounding at all considering it's a solid state amp. They're both Maggie - tubeophiles and were impressed. See inmate systems for details on my rig.

One brought a Brickwall conditioner (2 outlet version designed for amps). We tried the following scenarios: JRPC, JRPC into Brickwall into wall, Brickwall for amp & CD, no conditioner. Laddering the JRPC into the Brickwall lost all detail and dynamics = terrible. The Brickwall alone also choked the amp noticeably. No conditioner was dynamic but lacked depth, inner detail and blackness after direct comparison with the JRPC. JRPC showed no loss of dynamics, added depth, made the background blacker, brought out more inner detail (i.e. hand on tom-tom skins rather than just another tom-tom sound) while keeping things smooth and musical.

Overall it was pretty obvious the JRPC works as intended and designed. Thanks Jon - another winner (not surprising considering your other accomplishments). Also, thanks Lukasz for your insights and help.

One other interesting aside. The guy who brought the Brickwall also brought a pad of open cell foam. He tried the Brickwall both without and with the foam under it, as a support. Amazing what a piece of foam can do. The results were again obvious and not what you'd expect. The foam under the Brickwall totally closed down the sound even more - choked the life out of it in fact. The Brickwall directly on the floor brought some of it back, but not where it was before. Intersting result, don't you think?

REVIEW: DIY by Jon Risch AC filter according to JR Power Conditioner/Surge Protector Review by BobM at Audio Asylum