Clive Meakins tries a second Powerblock 1000 and surprises himself with the results.
OK, curiosity finally got the better of me. Just what difference could a second power conditioner make? The impact of the first conditioner was so fundamental I was dubious that introducing a second could provide so much bang for my bucks. How wrong I was.
I hooked up my CD / DAC and Orca pre-amp to one 1000W power conditioner. My two Alecto monoblocks and two REL Storm subwoofers were coupled up to a second 1000W conditioner. I played a mixture of REM, The Corrs, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Chris Rea. Improvements were consistent throughout. Bass was cleaner, an occasional woollyness in the lower bass had always been put down to being a characteristic of my listening room. It vanished, cleaner and most importantly, more tuneful bass was the result. Vocals were more textured and lifelike. Chris Rea's vocals on Texas now resonated wonderfully. Subtle nuances deep in the mix now became more open and perfectly clear. Vocals and the top end in general became even smoother. The entire effect was really quite beguiling. More tuneful, more natural, somehow so refreshing. Funny really, I had been so happy with my single conditioner setup. I hadn't felt the need to tinker with the system. It was only due to a friend wanting to hear the effect of two conditioners that I tried this new setup.
I always ask myself if an improvement I hear is of lasting benefit. An improvement that can be identified in an A/B comparison is interesting but, is only of real value if it improves musical enjoyment. Compared to most electronic upgrades (e.g. a new DAC), these power conditioners thrive on delivering musicality. Improvements are in many traditional areas but, my lasting impression is one of greatly enhanced musicality.
The effect of the first power conditioner was so massive I had believed a second conditioner, whilst delivering a further improvement, could not be so significant. It is. I now worry that I'm going to want to try a third conditioner, one for source and pre-amp and one each per power amp channel. Heck, why not four! One for CD/DAC (keeping digital separate seems smart), another for the pre-amp then, two for the power amps. I'm now wondering whether daisy chaining the source conditioner from a power amp conditioner might even be a further improvement. What about additional conditioner for my subwoofers? This could get very silly. My bank balance needs there to be a law of diminishing returns at some point..... The key point for me is that the level of improvement versus the cost of a conditioner is so much better value than upgrading the electronics. I'm assuming here that the existing electronics are at least reasonably competent.
Anyway, conditioner number two is now on order. When I'm brave enough to try a third I'll write up the results.
