Smart power supplies for turntable


I've read a number of threads on Audiogon that address the importance of having an appropriate power source to maintain turntable speed. I live in an area with terrible power stability, at the end of a utility company's service area. We have lots of little blips, evidenced by audio equipment, tv's, etc. shutting off. I have a power conditioner (Niagra 1000) to deal with noise in the dedicated circuit for my turntable and other audio gear and a conditioner/UPS for my computer equipment.

My question is whether devices like the Clearaudio Smart Power 12v and 24v battery power supplies are a good approach to maintain turntable speed stability. Are there other conditioners or devices that can be used for a broader range of brands that perform a similar function?

Your feedback is sincerely appreciated.

sameyers1

Showing 4 responses by sameyers1

Thx to @cindyment for describing issues not well addressed on Clearaudio’s website or in their documentation. I am not interested in spending $1200 for their battery power supply unless I can try it and return if there is little or no improvement or if there are better, more cost effective alternatives. I know the voltage in my house bounces around unpredictably. Even had an electrician attach a device to my panel to graph the voltage over 24 hours. The graph was relatively stable for periods of time and then would show a precipitous drop to around 113v and then move around over time, trending back to 120v. Trying to time my turntable use with voltage variations to find out if I can hear a difference is almost a fool’s errand. Seems to be time of day oriented to only some extent - summer air conditioning season when people come home from work, but other times seemingly random. I will see if I can audition a regenerator at the time of year when voltage is most likely to vary to find out if I notice any improvement to the table’s sound quality. 
 

Thx to all for your responses. 

@lewm Same as my conclusion. Absent knowledge of how my CA table regulates incoming power, better to try a regenerator and get clean, constant power for multiple devices. While I’m not averse to trying a DIY solution, I’m not interested in damaging the turntable by using what turns out to be an inappropriate power source. And if I did end up with damage to the table, the repair could cost as much as CA’s battery supply. I will stick with my plan to audition a regenerator at home to determine if it brings an audible improvement that both my wife and I find worth the investment. We both play instruments and know how they should sound. Our two sets of ears have helped us make other equipment purchase decisions, as when we got the Audioquest Niagara 1000. 

@millercarbon ​​​​@lewm Thanks to you both for your responses, which confirm I am on the right track. 
 

To clarify, I have a Clearaudio turntable with a 12v DC motor. Clearaudio indicates  that their DC power supply is voltage stabilized, yet they sell a separate 12v battery power supply. This suggests the stock power supply has some limitations. 
 

My APC S-20 power conditioner and UPS which I use for computer and video gear has a voltage display that clearly indicates variations from 120 to as low as 113 volts, with changes at seemingly random times. I suspect this may have an effect on the turntable speed, but haven’t checked with a strobe or other device. If I can confirm that is the case, then the question is whether to get a battery power supply like the Clearaudio or a regenerator or similar device that can power multiple devices. The Farad LPS suggested by @millercarbon is for a single device, but is a lower cost alternative to the battery supply. Will it work as well?

As to EMI/RFI, I am confident the Niagara 1000 is doing a good job there, as my wife and I both can discern a very noticeable improvement in resolution and detail with the digital sources, pre-amp and amp plugged into that unit. 

Any further thoughts you may have are sincerely appreciated. 

@millercarbon I will not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Just looking for a reasonable solution. 
 

@lewm I will look for the thread on the CA battery supply. Its relative cost to serve just one device is why I started this thread. The power regenerator seems like a better option given its ability to run multiple devices. 
 

Thx again for the advice.