General Asylum: REVIEW: Balanced Power Technologies BP-2 Power Conditioner/Surge Protector by Todd R

I have been in the market for a new power line conditioner that uses "Balanced Power", however products from Equi=Tech and Furman were much too expensive for me to consider.

A fellow inmate suggested "Balanced Power Technologies" "Balanced Power Isolators." http://www.b-p-t.com/
See the BPT web page for an explanation of "Balanced Power".

I E mailed the company and they suggested the $599 BP-2 model. The company offers a 30 day money back policy so I decided to order one.
They paid the shipping charges too, good thing, as this unit weighs about 40 lbs.!

From the web page:
"The model BP-2 features a huge 2000VA transformer that provides over 17 amps of balanced 120VAC. The ultimate clean power source for larger high-end audio and video systems. Eight high current balanced outlets are provided." 12"W X 11"D X 4-1/2"H.
There are no other switches, lights, bells or whistles. Just a very basic no-nonsense black box.

After hooking up the BP-2 I didn't hear much difference at first, but after about an hour the sound started to blossom.
The biggest difference was in the soundstage. It had gotten much more front to back depth and somewhat wider. The sound also became more relaxed, richer and easy sounding. Small details were easier to hear, echoes lasted longer.

Even though this unit had more than enough capacity to run all my equipment I hadn't plugged my amp into it yet. The 3/8 diameter power cord just seemed to small to pass all that current. I E mailed Chris at BPT and he said,
"Don't let the size of the power cord fool you. It's just that we don't spend money making it look bigger than it really is (like everyone else does). It is made of 10 gauge silver plated copper with a Teflon dielectric. Other companies charge $150 just for a power cord that size. Yours is included. Also the power cord is direct connected (actually soldered with silver solder) so you get a much higher current connection than a removable power cord can provide."

I decided to compare the difference between plugging my amp into the BP-2 vs. plugging it straight into the wall. I got out some bass heavy "Nine Inch Nails" and cranked it up as loud as I dare. I noticed no loss of punch or bass when running the amp though the BP-2 and in fact the sound was cleaner and images better defined than when it was plugged into the wall directly.

The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of an isolated digital outlet, however BPT does sell a "Jr." model with 2 outlets that can be used to isolate your digital gear. There are also BP-3 & BP-4 models that have multiple isolation transformers within a single unit, but at a lower capacity that the BP-2.

All in all I think this is a pretty solid investment at a decent price.

REVIEW: Balanced Power Technologies BP-2 Power Conditioner/Surge Protector Review by Todd R at Audio Asylum