28-Jul-2018, 23:41
Damon,
"…I think, based on dim memories, that the conditioner did things the circuit itself did not. It is my impression (and only that) that the conditioner made more difference…" I think your memory is accurate. The dedicated line and the power conditioner do different things and both can be beneficial. Which one is more beneficial is probably going to depend on whether the biggest part of any power problems you have is coming from a dirty mains supply or from noise sources within your own home so the dedicated line may make more of a difference for some people, the power conditioner for others, but I do think the combined benefit of both is greater than the benefit of either on its own.
"… thinking back to rooms and echos. With both products, I heard the detail and impact I felt I was missing, and that meant that I heard more detail and dynamics at a lower volume. Without a AQ or Denali, louder did not yield that detail. In that respect, a power conditioning may be one way to ease the pressure on room acoustics. " I find that lowering the noise floor usually results in my playing things a little less loudly than I previously did. I think we often turn the volume up in order to hear detail a little more clearly but turning the volume up in a small space, and acoustically our listening rooms are usually small spaces, exacerbates a number of room acoustic problems so a power conditioner may help ease the pressure on room acoustic issues as you say if it allows you to play things a little less loudly.
While I like the look of your living room (I've always wanted the Noguchi coffee table but it's always been too big for the space I have in my living room) I cans why you may have some issues with it. My room is acoustically treated but in part that's because it's a dedicated listening room, not a living room. One thing about acoustic treatments is that they tend to visually detract from the room so they definitely tend not to be living room friendly. Can I make one suggestion, however. Is it possible for you to move your speakers forward a little so that the front baffles are level with or slightly in front of the face of the fireplace? Years ago in a different house I had my speakers close to the wall behind them because of space issues. Everyone talks about the bass reinforcement you get when you place your speakers close to the wall. When I moved to my current home I was able to pull them out a lot further from the wall. I expected to lose some bass when I did that and I did, but nowhere near as much as I was expecting. The bass was also a little clearer which was nice but what really surprised me was how much sweeter, less harsh, and more open the high frequencies were. I think you may be able to get a bit more detail and dynamics without having to raise the volume, and perhaps even being able to lower it fractionally, if you move the speakers forward a little bit. I don't know whether you'll feel that's possible given that the room does have to function as a living room but if you feel you can do it I think it's worth the try.
"…I think, based on dim memories, that the conditioner did things the circuit itself did not. It is my impression (and only that) that the conditioner made more difference…" I think your memory is accurate. The dedicated line and the power conditioner do different things and both can be beneficial. Which one is more beneficial is probably going to depend on whether the biggest part of any power problems you have is coming from a dirty mains supply or from noise sources within your own home so the dedicated line may make more of a difference for some people, the power conditioner for others, but I do think the combined benefit of both is greater than the benefit of either on its own.
"… thinking back to rooms and echos. With both products, I heard the detail and impact I felt I was missing, and that meant that I heard more detail and dynamics at a lower volume. Without a AQ or Denali, louder did not yield that detail. In that respect, a power conditioning may be one way to ease the pressure on room acoustics. " I find that lowering the noise floor usually results in my playing things a little less loudly than I previously did. I think we often turn the volume up in order to hear detail a little more clearly but turning the volume up in a small space, and acoustically our listening rooms are usually small spaces, exacerbates a number of room acoustic problems so a power conditioner may help ease the pressure on room acoustic issues as you say if it allows you to play things a little less loudly.
While I like the look of your living room (I've always wanted the Noguchi coffee table but it's always been too big for the space I have in my living room) I cans why you may have some issues with it. My room is acoustically treated but in part that's because it's a dedicated listening room, not a living room. One thing about acoustic treatments is that they tend to visually detract from the room so they definitely tend not to be living room friendly. Can I make one suggestion, however. Is it possible for you to move your speakers forward a little so that the front baffles are level with or slightly in front of the face of the fireplace? Years ago in a different house I had my speakers close to the wall behind them because of space issues. Everyone talks about the bass reinforcement you get when you place your speakers close to the wall. When I moved to my current home I was able to pull them out a lot further from the wall. I expected to lose some bass when I did that and I did, but nowhere near as much as I was expecting. The bass was also a little clearer which was nice but what really surprised me was how much sweeter, less harsh, and more open the high frequencies were. I think you may be able to get a bit more detail and dynamics without having to raise the volume, and perhaps even being able to lower it fractionally, if you move the speakers forward a little bit. I don't know whether you'll feel that's possible given that the room does have to function as a living room but if you feel you can do it I think it's worth the try.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
