Sweet Juice: Four Power Conditioners Compared

IN the last issue I reported on the sound of my system using the XS Technologies Strata 1000. I’ve wanted my system to sound that good again. The only thing stopping me from buying the XS was my desire to hear the PS Audio P300, about which so many have been raving (Jason Serinus in the July/August 1999 issue, included). So, I got my hands on a P300, as it can be purchased with a 30 day money back guarantee. Then, by coincidence, Tara Labs offered a review sample of their ISM Power Screen AC Line Conditioner. It was becoming a real party. How would the newbie XS Tech stand up to the established likes of PS Audio, Tara, and Panamax (my reference)? Based on what I’d heard I wasn’t concerned, but, of course, you never know until you try.

All of these units provide surge protection. While surge protection provides no audible benefit, it’s smart insurance. Equipment does get baked from voltage surges, and the owner of said equipment pays a nasty price (e.g. expensive repair bills or replacement costs). Also, all of these units offer several outlets, which most of us need anyway. Still, with prices ranging from $500 to $1,000, and people liking their dollars the way people do, one wants to know which conditioner gives the sweetest juice.

Why Condition?

Power can be dirty a thing, as we all know. It’s no different with the electrical variety. Common household items such as refrigerators, computers, audio/video equipment, fluorescent lights, and light dimmers, each do their part to contaminate the power in your home. Contaminated power gives one’s system an artificial, electronic sound. A haze of noise permeates the presentation across the entire frequency spectrum. This is noise that rides along with the signal, rather than being background noise, and is often not noticed until it’s removed. (Line conditioners may reduce the constant background noise in a system, though I’ve never heard this.) Ridding the system of noise enhances just about every aspect of the reproduced sound. Of course, it would, as one can now hear more of the signal. In my experience, power line conditioning of even the most basic sort (i.e. a $30 Radio Shack power strip) has made a worthwhile sonic improvement over plugging equipment straight into the wall. Of course, depending on the power supplied by any given outlet, results should vary. Indeed, I know some respected ears that haven’t heard the benefits of conditioning at all, suggesting that for those systems conditioning was unnecessary.

Off to the Races

Eager to hear what all the fuss is about, and to see how it compared to my memory of the XS Technology’s sound, I started with the PS Audio P300. As I would later do with the Tara and the XS, I initially compared the P300 to the Panamax 1500—my reference of two years. Suzanne Vega’s “Song of Sand” from 99.9F° sounder better through the P300. With the Panamax, the acoustic guitar in the right speaker sounded more artificial and the bass wasn’t as fleshed out. Imaging was also a bit improved with the PS Audio. Bass, such as the low wallops at fifty seconds into the song, resonated more. The metallic sound that starts the song had better harmonics. The overall sound had more depth. On “Stolen Moments” from Oliver Nelson’s The Blues and The Abstract Truth, I heard more swing and body using the P300. With the Panamax, the stand up bass didn’t have the same snap in the strings nor the same mass. I didn’t hear this instrument’s body cavity as well, either.

My next musical selection made me forget all about reviewing. It was “My Problems Got Problems” from Merl Saunders And The Rainforest Band—Live. I’ve no idea why I grabbed this disc, aside from an attempt to mix it up. I probably hadn’t listened to this since it was released in ‘91. The sound was reminiscent of so many bands that I heard during my college days (i.e. based in blues or soul and very positive). I was part of the Deadhead crowd, and this was one of those bands that attracted that type of crowd. The quality was as I’d have gotten from an experienced taper, letting me hear all of the enthusiastic 20 year old howls and shouts resonating off the relatively confined walls of some bar. I may as well have been transported to 1989, my head poking through a wide open window looking onto the show: truly the magic of recorded music!

I returned to my senses with the next song and resumed critical listening. And once again, I heard more information using the PS Audio. I heard all of the above mentioned improvements, plus I realized that the ambiance of the venue was coming through better. For most every song I played, I preferred the PS Audio over the Panamax 1500; at it’s worst, P300 was at least as good.

While the level of improvement I was hearing from the P300 was significant, I would not say not it was as large as going from a good $50 interconnect (e.g. Kimber PBJ) to a good $150 interconnect (e.g. Tara Prime), in my system. (Perhaps with a better overall sound system the difference would have been greater.) As the P300 provides for a variable power frequency, from 50hz to 120hz, I decided to start playing around with it to try and optimize the sound. I heard no difference as I varied the frequency and stood in front of one speaker. I would need to get someone to vary the frequency while I was in the sweet spot. This is how the frequency effect was demonstrated for me at CES, where I did hear a difference. What I remember hearing was an opening up of the sound; that is, more air appeared to be surrounding the instruments. In my system I wasn’t hearing squat. Later on, I got my wife to vary the frequency while I sat in the sweet spot and I still could not detect any difference. For the rest of my review I left the P300 at 60hz.

I introduced the Tara Labs Power Screen to my system, now comparing all three conditioners. To test bass depth and bloom, among other things, I played “Brokedown Palace” from the Grateful Dead’s Dead Set. Both the Tara and the PS Audio cleaned up the mids and highs compared with the Panamax. To a small degree, the sound got sweeter and more musical. Other songs showed the Tara to be worthy competition for the PS Audio, and superior to the Panamax, it doing more of the same. Interestingly, playing at loud levels so that the bass would resonate in my belly, both of these units watered down the effect. That in your gut vibration was better served with the Panamax.

I added the XS Technologies into the mix. Neither the PS Audio nor the Tara wowed me as I remembered the XS doing. As I’d been comparing each piece initially to the Panamax, I did the same with the XS. Playing “Blues for Michael,” from Country Joe McDonald’s Superstitious Blues, the XS demonstrated a sweeter, more realistic sounding acoustic rhythm guitar. The rhythm guitar on this track also seemed to move closer to me, while the lead guitar, on the left, was now noticeably recessed. These improvements were readily apparent, and greater than the improvements wrought by either the Tara or the PS Audio. Similarly, “Lost in A Crowd” from Rusted Root’s When I Woke sounded like it was lost behind an electronic haze when I switched from the XS to the Panamax.

For a sanity check, I went back to comparing the Tara with the Panamax. The Tara did clean up the sound as compared with the Panamax, giving more immediacy and less grunge. And, initial transient attacks were sharper and the following waveform was richer. “Southland in the Springtime,” from the Indigo Girls’ Nomads.Indians.Saints showed these differences quite plainly. But, putting the Tara and the XS head to head showed the Tara in a less flattering light. Playing “Seamus” from Pink Floyd’s Meddle, the XS did it’s magic again. Everything through this device sounds one generation closer to the master tape, making the Tara’s improvement subtle by comparison. Through the XS, performers take on a greater presence. Comparisons between the XS and the PS Audio then ensued, with similar results. The PS Audio and Tara were remarkably similar, in my system anyway, while the XS handily bettered them both.

Given the relative pricing of these units and their performance, I most recommend the XS Technology Strata 1000. At $900 it’s worth the price. Sonically it took my system to another level. I would say it’s improvement was equal to or better than when I switched from Kimber 4VS speaker cable ($3/ft) to my current 13’ double run of Tara Air 2 ($3,800). PS Audio’s and Tara’s line treatments offer performance a bit more refined than the Panamax 1500’s, and with commensurately more expensive price tags. With advantages over the XS, unrelated to sound quality, these pieces are worth your consideration.

PS Audio offers a 30 day money back policy—a significant plus. As for the Panamax, it’s priced lowest of all and offers the greatest number of outlets. The Tara, falling in the middle price wise, gives good performance. Also, it’s the only one of the bunch that doesn’t require it’s own shelf—it’s quite small. Certainly, as far as resale value, both the PS Audio and the Tara are likely superior to the XS Technologies or the Panamax. Panamax carries little weight among audiophiles, while Pro Video Solutions, the distributor for XS Technologies, seems as oblivious to the audio community as the audio community is to it. In their defense, Pro Video solutions sells the bulk of their product to the professional audio and end-user computer industries.

As a matter of fact, my attempts to get any insight into the scientific principles behind this piece have failed. Does the battery act as a buffer when this piece is plugged in? Is that why, when I tried using it unplugged (see my full review in the last issue), it sounded the same? Pro Video Solutions didn’t know, but one very helpful representative did answer whatever questions he could. He told me that he sells replacement batteries for about $25, or that one could shop around among battery suppliers. Though, he did warn that most suppliers would have to order it. While replacing the battery is fairly easy, Pro Video does offer this service, and you’ll know that the old battery is being disposed of properly. Pro Video estimated the shelf life of the battery at about 4 years. This was enough information for me. I bought one.

DENNIS’ REVIEW SYSTEM:

Panamax MAX1500 power line conditioner >> Marantz DV-18 DVD/CD Transport >> Monster Cable M1000V coaxial cable>> Meridian 568 digital surround processor (D/A conversion & preamp only) >> Tara Master XLR interconnect >> Krell KAV500i integrated amplifier >> Tara Air 2 speaker cable >> Mirage M3si speakers. All of the above electronics sit on a Salamander Synergy equipment rack.

Power Cables Used:

Custom House Power Cord, TARA Labs Prism AC, TARA Standard Power Cord

This comparison belongs to the March–April 2000 issue; its discussion of system noise also provides period context for our other cable and interconnect listening.