But what I recommended was:
"For most folks, something like an Isobar is enough for the typical system"
What exactly is a "Furman"?
I'm honestly not sure what you mean by "superior conditioning" in low end systems. Are you talking about PSU topology? Because I've been into enough of them to know that many of the cheaper instruments have the bare minimum supply capacitance, and with very low quality parts that sometimes do not even meet spec when you measure them. And none offer adequate transient protection over the long-term. I've seen six-month old $79 DVD players blow out their DAC and display stages when someone flipped on an air conditioner in the room from the transient. Too cheap to fix. Good equipment doesn't do that. Cheaper digital instruments are the worst, and many are not tightly regulated or adequately filtered at their supplies. Besides being especially intolerant of line voltage fluctuations, they occasionally are noise generators in their own right. That was the problem I encountered with that Squeezebox (it was blowing HF switching harmonics into outlets ten feet away), and it took a custom-built regulated supply (with about 22,000uf of capacitance) to fully settle it down. They can benefit from extra filtration in some instances, but it's ultimately a case-by-case bench review for each.
They can ALL benefit from extra TVSS protection, which IMO you can never have enough of with today's mains quality.
Not the snake oil kind of product, but a sensible, well engineered product used in industry. An Isobar has been a mainstay in computer and IT applications for decades and has a well-earned reputation as a sturdy, dependable TVSS. You won't find one at the high end salon, and audiophiles don't normally buy them (or the price would quadruple). But they work.
Something has to erode and sacrifice to transients. Better the TVSS and other transient controls than an expensive instrument. Or even a cheap one.
Building durable, robust power supplies is expensive. On quality equipment, the designer will have a little more freedom to do it right. But manufacturers at the margins cut corners on them first to save the most money. Unfortunately, most consumer home electronics is designed closer to the margins these days.
"For most folks, something like an Isobar is enough for the typical system"
What exactly is a "Furman"?
I'm honestly not sure what you mean by "superior conditioning" in low end systems. Are you talking about PSU topology? Because I've been into enough of them to know that many of the cheaper instruments have the bare minimum supply capacitance, and with very low quality parts that sometimes do not even meet spec when you measure them. And none offer adequate transient protection over the long-term. I've seen six-month old $79 DVD players blow out their DAC and display stages when someone flipped on an air conditioner in the room from the transient. Too cheap to fix. Good equipment doesn't do that. Cheaper digital instruments are the worst, and many are not tightly regulated or adequately filtered at their supplies. Besides being especially intolerant of line voltage fluctuations, they occasionally are noise generators in their own right. That was the problem I encountered with that Squeezebox (it was blowing HF switching harmonics into outlets ten feet away), and it took a custom-built regulated supply (with about 22,000uf of capacitance) to fully settle it down. They can benefit from extra filtration in some instances, but it's ultimately a case-by-case bench review for each.
They can ALL benefit from extra TVSS protection, which IMO you can never have enough of with today's mains quality.
Not the snake oil kind of product, but a sensible, well engineered product used in industry. An Isobar has been a mainstay in computer and IT applications for decades and has a well-earned reputation as a sturdy, dependable TVSS. You won't find one at the high end salon, and audiophiles don't normally buy them (or the price would quadruple). But they work.
Something has to erode and sacrifice to transients. Better the TVSS and other transient controls than an expensive instrument. Or even a cheap one.
Building durable, robust power supplies is expensive. On quality equipment, the designer will have a little more freedom to do it right. But manufacturers at the margins cut corners on them first to save the most money. Unfortunately, most consumer home electronics is designed closer to the margins these days.
