Been away for a while, hi yall.
A few weeks back I picked up a pair of Atma-Sphere M60's and plugged them into what has been my standard setup, a 20amp BPT followed by a Bybee Wire conditioner. This combo has worked really well for various SS and tube amps, never had anything but good results. Well, to say I was disappointed with the new amps would be an understatement. I was trying to like them and while they did some things very well they just left me cold in most regards.
Thinking about how much current they draw, about 400W each, I decided to remove the BPT and try just the Bybee conditioner alone. The difference was quite stunning and I went from regretting my purchase to delight in a matter of a few minutes. A friend was over and we were both quite surprised. Not sure why the AS amps didn't like the balanced power but it was not a subtle change. The BPT has a 20amp transformer and should not have limited the current in any way, so perhaps they didn't like balanced power. Not sure but it's all good now.
Full disclosure, I build the Bybee conditioners under contract so I might be a little biased but if it didn't work with the amps I'd say so in a heartbeat. In my personal system it's a matter of what sounds good, nothing else.
IMO the bottom line is that various amps react differently. The balanced power has always worked really well for me with the exception of the M60's and I certainly won't be getting rid of the BPT.
mike