I have been a stickler about keeping power cables away from signal cables...on equipment ?


What I am finding very interesting, and to some extent, disturbing, is how close the power IEC inlet or power cable, is designed so close to the speaker or input / output terminals of amplifiers / gear. Many of my Hafler, Bryston and Citation amplifiers had / have this arrangement, and many of these newer and smaller chassis class d amplifiers have this arrangement. I have actually rewired ( or had rewired by a tech ) a different path separating the power line to the audio line within the chassis, and hearing a cleaner background when listening to music through these products afterwards. I am finding this to be the case, looking at photos of some other gear as well. I also believe, power switches and it's wiring, should be designed at the rear of a component, for the reduction of ac related noise, even though it might be an inconvenience with it's daily operation. Just as an aside.....I keep my gear on 24 / 7, unless I am on an out of town trip. Your thought ? Enjoy, be well and stay safe. Always, MrD.
mrdecibel

Showing 3 responses by optimize

I have found that at the end of the day their is somhow a lot of cables in a snake nest behind the system. 
Therefore when it is hard to keep them all a part. I of just that reason keep all of my cables shielded. Both power and signal cables (and speaker cables also).
I think like this that a shielded power cable is not only hindering some noise going into the cable but more important it is also hindering the power cable to make electromagnetic field and disturbing the signal cables in the snake nest when the shield is making it to not radiate that much.
And of course the signal cables is also shielded so all the cables possibility to interfering into each one of the other ones is minimized. 
So that is another reason to use shielded power cables, not that it by it self is doing some magic maybe, it also have some benefit to the whole system indirectly it is another angle that is not discussed so much when often it is the cable it self that is studied and zoomed into, that it will not GET interference. But not what the cable GIVES for electromagnetic field to the environment. And guess what is near in their natural habitat in practice. Yes as we know the snake nest.
But if this has any practical benefit more than a  piece of mind I do not relly known. :D
Yes some people have problems..
I have this year built a new upper floor on a new house (2012). (So new wires)
Have installed proper fuzes and so on.
My power amps is off grid and driven by a 12v car battery.
I use a passive preamp (do not need power)
Beside that the TT motor get power from the wall the RIAA preamp is the ONLY thing that in the signal chain that is connected to the wall/mains.

And of course I get all the clicks and pops when someone is turning off/on the lights or appliances somewhere in the house if they are on the same phase. As my system.

And a vinyl rig do not need additional clicks/pops!

So I am thinking of how to get the RIAA stage offline somehow.. (?).. But the PCB wants ±15v.
@hshifi thanks for the tip.
Need to see what i could do abut it I am little bit of a DIY:er. But there is some other projects in the pipe.