IsoTek Mini Sub

[Arcam_boy]

Once I've got my new amp and cd player I'm going to look at sorting out my power supplies I know this is a love it or hate it subject but for anyone who has used an IsoTek mini sub or very similar did they notice a big difference in sound/picture quality? If I do get the Musical Fidelity A5 amp it seems to draw huge power so I'm guessing it'll need something like the mini sub to help it on its way!

http://www.isoteksystems.com/minisub.asp

[harv]

Dunno about picture quality, sound quality wise I noticed a small but noticable improvement. Without being cheesy, silence was more silent, bass a tiny bit cleaner as was the treble.

Not all components react in the same way. My previous tag amps were much improved by power cables and isotek, but my Krell doesn't care posh power cable or crappy kettle lead or Isotek makes no difference. Some components can actually sound worse, eg my old Naim CD3.5.

IMO they tend to be items you have to try, as someone with exactly the same setup as you may not notice any difference as they have a cleaner starting power supply.

[Cable Monkey]

I would get one on trial before you commit. A dealer worth his salt should let you try one. General rule of thumb is the better your mains, the smaller the improvement. Some will even suggest reduction in quality (reduced soundstage etc). After that the amps improvement might be limited by its own PSU design amongst others. Finally the ability to isolate and reject digital hash introduced by other components is important. Despite all of that it may not make a jot of difference to your enjoyment.

[Pat Marcus]

Definitely had a bad effect on my meridian amps - everything from the mini-sub up to the Titan. Noise and hash were reduced but all the dynamic punch got sucked out, too. I DO use a mini-sub for my screen and it improves the noise level on freeview.
Id strongly recommend you to invest the money first in having a dedicated spur to your AV or Hifi system. This isnt at all complicated - Ive had it done twice now and know nothing about mains wiring. Your average electrician can do it.
It costs about £300 to have two separate runs of 6mm cable to two separate unswitched sockets. The first thing you'll notice is the improvement in bass power.
PM me if you want more details.