PS - Worth checking your conditioner's voltage display with a reliable meter. While I trust them to be relatively accurate, in absolute terms I've seen them be 2-3V off. This is not usually a problem unless you are seeing values at the edges of the range and are not sure if the voltage is still OK.
When using a power conditioner, why is it advised to run amps directly to the wall?
I have seen it recommended that power for amplifiers should be run directly from the wall outlet vs through the power conditioner. Why?
I have a 5.1 HT setup with all McIntosh electronics including three monoblocks and one stereo amp. I have everything running power from the MOC1500 Power Control Center.
Look forward to learning.
Showing 5 responses by erik_squires
Well, that IS what they do. They are essentially Class D amplifiers that provide a new AC signal without dependence on the incoming waveform, so long as the incoming power is at least good enough to keep it on.
Debateable. I think you get a very stable AC voltage and waveform in schange for some Class D switching noise.
You definitely don't need to fix a problem you don't have!! I can only talk to my own experiences living across coasts in the USA. I've observed 110 to 130VAC, and last year my house voltage varied a lot more than it has this year. Despite that my regulator kept my equipment fed with solid 118 to 123VAC or shut it down. I have absolutely no idea why the power is more stable here in South Carolina this year than before. It still goes out 2x a month in the summer, at least, but my regulator isn't working as hard as it used to.
Yeah, exactly. Those units are often on a big sale. I spoke to an A'goner recently who felt it was so cheap he got the 20A version just because it had more outlets. |
It may help audiophiles understand that while line level devices (DAC, preamps, etc.) are usually fully regulated, linear amplifiers almost never are. That is, your preamp has little regulators which, combined with the power supply keep the working DC voltages very stable within a wide tolerance of incoming voltages. Common IC regulators are 5V, 12V and 15V for instance. They are good, small, cheap and relatively low current. Think 1A or less. Definitely too small and heat producing to include in most amps. Linear amplifiers however, with linear supplies are almost never regulated at all. Rare exceptions are the Krell FPB and Sanders Magtech. As a result of not being regulated the DC rails move in proportion to the wall voltage. Not something that happens with your DAC at all. Your DAC probably gets solid DC rails at anything over 100 VAC out of the wall. As a result, having a high current voltage regulator not only keeps your equipment safe and functioning it also ensures your amplifier can perform consistently in much worse power situations than it would otherwise. I wrote more about this here. |
I wanted to add more to this discussion, if I may. If current is restricted voltage will drop. That’s it. If the voltage remains stable then the amp is drawing as much current as it can. After YEARS of watching AC power fluctuate in apartments and my home the biggest problems I have seen are NOT the amount of power your amp draws. The biggest problems are daily / seasonal variations in AC voltage and what your big appliances like your HVAC and electric range or hot water heater are doing. The device in your system that’s going to be most susceptible to this is a linear amplifier. For this reason I take two approaches. One is I use a cheap ($12-20) voltage meter or conditioner with a voltage meter. Plug it in and watch your voltage sag or not. Especially useful with these is to watch the N-E voltage as it may indicate voltage restrictions due to wiring length. The other thing is I use an actual voltage regulator and surge protector at the front of all my home entertainment systems. The most expensive versions are from PS Audio, which regenerate power. For that reason and that I live in a lightning prone area I use Furmans with series mode protection (SMP) and voltage regulation like this one (yes, this is an affiliate link). It’s ridiculously less expensive than a PS Audio unit with similar power rating. I know some surge strips offer damage warranties, but my amp is 60 lbs I do NOT want to pull out and ship and wait for repairs. Also storms sometimes pop up without warning. While it is good advice to unplug equipment, half the time things happen I am out of the home or don't have time to react before it's happened. |
You’ll see this advice from a number of fire departments as well. Don’t daisy chain power cords/strips and in some cases like space heaters or wall AC units, don’t use an extension at all. The main reason for that is fire safety. Lots of cheap extension cords don’t have a fuse at all, and are only good for a few hundred watts so it’s quite possible to overload it and the first you’ll know is the fire caused by melting wire. You actually can do this safely but ONLY if your multiple extensions have built-in breakers or you are sure the wire gauge is greater than needed for the AC breaker in the panel. Steps most casual home dwellers never pay attention to. They need heat near their desk or dinning room table, out comes the $4.95 power cord and a few hours later they are homeless.
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