2. misc-audio
  3. 1182655649

Power conditioners

Hi,

Need your advise on the following questions;

What is the difference between a power conditioner, power conditioner with isolated transformer, voltage stabilizer and an AC regenerator?

If I am looking at having something that will give my equipment a consistent 120v with no spikes, have a noise filter and surge protection, what brands should I look for? I saw the Powervar, the BPT and the ONEAC and they all seem different. Does one of them meet my needs?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated! My budget is around the Powervar and BPT (less than $300) and do they really improve on the sound?

Tks

HL
hlgoh2006

Showing 2 responses by shadorne

shadorne's avatar
shadorne
7,477 posts
 
APC make a reasonably proced unit specifically for AV applications too.

A power conditioner reduces noise by filtering the power. These also include surge protection.

A stabilizer will step up or down the power to keep the voltage closer to 120 Volts. If you have severe swings in power then a stabilizer is a good idea, it will help protect your equipment - so it will last longer.

Generally you should not use a power conditioner with a power amp, however, some devices are designed and tested to work with power amps.
shadorne's avatar
shadorne
7,477 posts
 
Is there a reason why power conditioners should not be used with a power amp?

Yes...power amps need to store and draw on high instantaneous power (big capicitors and big power supply).....therefore any device that may "choke" power could affect the dynamic headroom. Think of a river flowing to fill up a dam at a power station....normally the dam has enough energy stored behind the dam to handle things. Also a big dam is very very expensive just like a power amp power supply. Therefore manufacturers will skimp on the power supply to reach a price point (this may not influence the amp performance until the amp is driven hard or with a difficult load). So when the system is really pushed it may help if the "river" flows unrestricted into the dam (especially true if the power supply is modest).
More to discover