I have a similar system with the compressor outside my listening room. The one thing I regret is not having insulators put between the compressor and the concrete pad on which it sits. That said, when I am listening critically I turn the fan to auto and turn the temp up/down so the ac/heat stays off for a couple of hours. I do most of my listening in early morning with my coffee, so often times the compressor isn’t on anyway. If it s on and I’m listening g to jazz or rock it’s generally ok, but for classical or critical listening it has to be off.
New split AC System impact on sound.
I need to purchase a New split ac System (ie air handler in attic, Compressor outside). As with anything in this world so many complexities and my focus is to make things quiet when I’m listening to things.
Unfortunately, the compressor will be located outside of the room of my equipment. And I could choose a one stage or a variable stage heat pump that might be quieter. Anyone have recent experience and thoughts on how best to proceed for a moderately humid Area in the north east.
The problem with newer systems that I see is that the cooling coils don’t get as cold as they used to. Older R22 freon Systems which I currently have were more favorable toward reducing humidity in the home and the newer more environmentally friendly Freon varieties such as 410 and the newest 454b keep the coolant coil a little warmer which isn’t the greatest.
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You are not getting a heat pump? New heat pumps are an order of magnitude quieter than they used to be. Also, you can put sound absorption panels either outside or inside. I use a variable speed air handler with variable heat pump... so much of the time it is on really low. All this makes sense. Look at specs when you choose your system. There is a lot of difference in how much sound they make. |
Actually I’m looking at a bosch heat pump three tons. Concern I have is the complexity of future maintenance and ability to eliminate humidity when it’s on lower speeds. Although a lot depends upon the installation which can make or break the outcome. I do hear the freon cooling point can be adjusted lower to mitigate this problem so that fan speed can be reduced which enhances dehumidification effectiveness. But I have heard these units do have issues with humidity although the settings might be able to overcome this.
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I’ve had heat pumps for at least 35 years. The heat pumps have been very reliable. The condenser on my last one not so much (the external radiator core).. only lasted 11 years. I simply have a maintenance contract with the company that installed it. They charge ~$20 / month and come out once a year (pre summer) and spend several hours and check everything. I like outside Portland Oregon… so high humidity in winter… but never a problem. The variability of the air handler and pump… is great… much overall less noise. I research the highest reliable unit… buy it, then don’t worry about it. I’m retired… I try not to worry about anything. can you have the outside unit moved a little ways away from being right outside your listening room? Also, I got the thermostat that I can control from my Iphone. So I can shut it off during a listening session. Also, when on a trip and having forgotten to put it in the “away” state… I can do that from anywhere… and warm up the house before returning. |
I’ve had a basic one stage AC since 1992, tempstar, and I’ve had no maintenance except to change out a few fuses which I did myself, no annual visits for fear freon would gradually be released. Capacitors never been changed out. Only thing I’ve done is to change out the filters which are exceptionally important to not interfere with airflow as a clogged filter could lead to freezing of coils which could lead to the death of a system via leaks, etc. 10 years ago I added 3 pounds of Freon and since then everything has cooled really well but after a lot of cycling last year cooling robustness has diminished and at this point decided to replace it I think outcome of selling the house Will improve with a new AC otherwise I’d have a mark down to the closing cost. |
OP, That is great. Congratulations on such a great long run. We sold our last house with an ancient heat pump.
You are in for a treat. The new heat pumps are unbelievably quiet and efficient in comparison to older technology. Out exterior unit is right off our porch... as in I could drop something on it from my porch. Generally I can’t hear it in lower cooling modes... we can talk easily at full on. Now the neighbor’s unit is about thirty years old and on the other side of the wood fence thirty five feet away and that is MUCH noisier. |
I think the main problem with oversizing your AC/heat pump is if it’s bigger than the house requires, it cools your home too quickly and cycles on and off too much instead of running for a longer duration. It’s the cycling on and off that wears it out faster. I believe the rule of thumb is one ton per 1000 square feet. |
the bosch heat pump can be set to become a 2 ton unit from a 3 ton and from a five to 4 ton via dip switch but I think there's some automatic features that automatically adjust capacity between the Compressor and the air handler. And the air handler comes with two speeds so it's not fixed so that's a good thing. It seems it's a lot of simple things going on with a lot of fancy words they sprinkle on. Like super cooling and suction and saturation points - my favorite is liquid slogging. When I initially sought out a replacement thought I could just get a one stage and call it a day but then temptation grows and you learn about this new stuff on the market and it sounds compelling. Further if I enable the heating side of the heat pump it can be supportive to my existing heating system which might be ideal on those not so cold days but I don't get ventilation into my basement but still it's kind of a neat feature. |
I have the Mitsubishi HyperHeat HVAC and it is very quiet. https://www.mitsubishicomfort.com/products/heat-pumps Paul McGowan of PS Audio complains about how loud his HVAC is.... https://www.psaudio.com/blogs/ask-paul/what-are-the-best-air-conditioners-for-music-rooms Ron |
Do yourself a favor and look into a Mitusubishi mini split system, I have one in my garage, when it is running you can not hear any noise coming from the inside unit or the outside unit. When I am outside with the system running there is virtually no noise coming from the unit when I am standing right next to it. |
One benefit of variable speed systems is to address the very issue that you are concerned about, humidity. Those systems will run longer but, at a reduced (varying) capacity to have more time to wring moisture out of the air. I suggest that you put your contracter on the grill to get them to fully explain all of the pros and cons of these systems to help you make the best choice for you. Yes indeed, oversizing an a/c system will result in reduced comfort meaning you will have cold but, damp air. After 40 plus years in the a/c business I at least learned that the above is true. |
Im a builder for 35 yrs.. The new compressors with heat pumps will have zero impact on your system. Get the variable stage. The most important factor on your audio system, sound wise, would be to have a dedicated 20amp circuit directly to your panel. You then avoid any possible high voltage surges like when a compressor kicks on. Cheers. |
Forgot to address the power issues. Major appliances plus seasonal variability cause your AC to fluctuate in ways a dedicated line won't solve. I've been watching my incoming AC for at least a decade, in apartments, condos and now a detached home. I'm also paranoid about surge damage. For these two reasons I recommend the Furman units with built in voltage regulation like this 15A unit or this 20A unit. I also have a mostly dedicated AC line, with the exception of an attached internet camera. The voltage sags and variability are NOT caused by my gear but by my HVAC especially in the summer. Worth shopping around as some pro stores sometimes run amazing sales. |
Right, and these short cooling cycles are not long enough to run enough air through the radiator that captures the moisture. I think. And yes to the long term wear and tear. Trouble for me is that the size needed for my home has just changed over the past 5 years I've lived here. My risk assessment has gone from primarily flood and water to heat and wind. |
A couple of years ago, I bought a Mitsubishi mini split for our “TV room” and Mud room. The outside unit is maybe five feet from my left speaker and the ceiling air mover is maybe ten feet away. Maybe because it’s only a one ton unit, it doesn’t affect anything. While I can sometimes hear the outside unit when it’s on, I can never hear the blower part and I do most of my listening at lower levels. |
Installing anything but an heat pump, except in the most extreme climates, given the performance of modern heat pump technology, is simply wasteful. Our combined gas and electric bills in our new house, annualized, are almost half our previous house. December and January are higher, due to low temps requiring the use of the inline electric booster, but the rest of the year far lower and we have cooling, which our previous house in the Searrle area lacked. As for noise, the heat pump is located outside and away from both the living room and theater as well as being mounted on a resilient base and ducted with a flexible coupling, is minimal. By avoiding flex tubing and hard coupling the ductwork to the structure, air handler noise is minimized. Older heat pumps were quite noisy. A previous neighbor located their heat pump about 30 ft from our master bedroom, and it sounded like a box of rocks in a washing machine. Just not the case anymore. Heat pumps have to meet strict noise requirements. Our new one is unobjectionable even when I'm standing next to it. The final advantage is up-front cost. Our heat pump total cost, installed was only 75% of the cost of a conventional furnace and A/C. No regrets, none. |
I live in the humid Northeast (Hudson Valley of NY State, ~60 miles NE of NYC). Just as COVID hit us I tossed the air conditioners and installed split systems throughout our fairly large and intricate house (~3,400 sq. ft). That meant 2 compressors and a total of 6 interior splits. A 3rd compressor and 7th split will be installed 2 weeks from now. One of the smaller splits is in my home office, located above my head and ~7-8 feet from my head. One of the two extant compressors is located on the outside wall of the office, maybe 15’ from my chair. So, what effect have this nearby split and compressor had on my listening room, which is the home office, with 2 separate audio systems, one including amps, speakers and sub? Answer: nearly no effect all. Compared to how it was when a 6,000 BTU AC unit was in the side window of this office vs now w/a split, nothing I can think of. No distortion, new ground loops, anything electrical (I’ve had the same ground loop issues here for ~25 years--it has been unaffected by the presence of the split). The split is definitely quieter than any in-window AC unit, very low dB. The split also cools way better than a window AC unit. Honestly, the only minor complaint I could make is one that kinda/sorta applied to the window AC unit: it’s rather difficult to not feel a cold breeze from either type of technology in a space constrained space like this. Both designs move some air, and without a large volume of interior space in this room, I tend to feel the air movement. Don’t be afraid of splits. Compared to AC units or the more expensive to operate whole house AC, I think they’re way better. They also do 3 critical things whole house units can’t: 1 - Each split is effective its own cooling zone. So I know have 6 cooling zones, each independently operable. I turn this one/that one and and off as needed. Difficult or impossible to do this with a whole house AC system. 2 - Each split can also produce heat, in the unlikely event my propone fired house heating system fails. I only used one of the larger splits for heat once: it worked perfectly. 3 - .Depending on the splits you buy, they are way more efficient than window AC and also cheaper to run than whole house (reason is #1).. |
@thecarpathian, I'm in Goshen, NY, about 50 miles NE of there. Why do you ask? |
You can have the company move the outside condenser further away from your window. Just let them know ahead of time so that they can buy the correct length line set. The line sets come in different lengths, and are precharged with the refrigerant. Saves them time having to pull a vacuum on the system before charging it. They can also extend the power wires and disconnect box to where the condenser ends up. You can buy a rubber pad, or some rubber hockey puck size pads to put under the condenser. There will be enough slack in the line set and power wires to lift the condenser an inch and slide something under it. |
