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AC Power

I have a relatively nice system, but have done nothing with my AC power, with the exception of upgraded PC’s and a cheap iFi plug in power conditioner. My question is multi fold… do I need to do something, and if so what? Dedicated line (15A or 20?)? Quality power conditioner? Both? Which one first? How do you tell?

My system is a combination of HT & 2 channel & I tend to use both simultaneously as I like to watch sports while listening to music.
My amp is (I think) a relatively low draw… Moon 330A, Rythmik sub, BHK pre, Aurender, Qutest w/Sbooster, R11’s. No high power amps are in my future & never listen above 75db. I do currently plug my amp directly into the wall. All my wall warts are gone. For my HT, add a 75” Sony TV, Marantz 7015 AVR & a Klipsch sub (although at zero volume the AVR & sub should not come into play).

I am considering buying the Furman IT-Reference 15i or 20i first as they are well reviewed & are priced very well on Amazon ($1,400 / $1,900). Before I pull the trigger, should I go dedicated power & at what amperage (my nephew, an EE & audiophile thinks I am drawing no more than 5 amps) as that will dictate the Furman model?

Interesting, my nephew thinks neither are worth the investment. His statement: “Do you have appliances on the circuit now? What kind of interference can they inject?...voltage drops would come from current draws...which trip breakers.
Not steady 60hz a good power supply handles. So it all comes back to was the power supply engineer dropped on his head as a child.”

”Personally I think it’s something audio people do when they have run out of gear to buy.”

Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

signaforce
erik_squires
16,554 posts
 

In looking for other voltage reglating "conditioners" I looked at the Furman P-2400 and the specs say that it regulates voltage to 120V +/- 5V.  

5 volts is not real regulation in my opinion.  is the voltage regulation realy that bad?

Yes, it IS real voltage regulation.  I've been in several situations where it greatly improved my AC line compared to what was coming in, from under voltage to over voltages I get very narrow band of AC voltage, day in, day out and in every season or it shuts off.

As I mentioned, it's a cost effective compromise.  Your alternatives are PS Audio Power Plants, which yes, they do regulate the voltage more tightly for a lot more money. 

The Power Plant 15 MSRP is $8k and limited to 1200 VA.  The OP is getting 2400 VA for $900 along with best in class surge protection.   An 1800VA unit goes for ~ $600.  A real bargain with exceptional capabilities.

erik_squires
16,554 posts
 

The "dirt" in AC is higher frequencies than 60 Hz.

True, which makes series mode protection so good.  They are effectively low pass filters which start working around 3kHz.  That's a lot lower than EMI/RFI filters which usually start around 100kHz or so, far above the audible band.

 

Many power supplies convert the AC to a higher frequency to make capacitor and inductor filters more effective, particularly in phono preamps and DAC's. 

@drbarney1  I've never seen this in a piece of linear audio gear, but I'm not a repair technician.  Could you point me to a couple of examples of manufacturers who do this?

signaforce's avatar
signaforce OP
305 posts
 

OK, I have had 2 days with my new Furman P-2400;AR. A couple observations:

1. It is heavy. Carrying it up the stairs in its box was a chore for this 72 year old.
2. it fit very nicely on its side behind my low long rack between my speaker cables and interconnects. Other than a low level hum (now gone) when I first turned it on, it is absolutely quiet with no interference. Outstanding
3. I had bought some oak to make stand which turned out to be unnecessary as it will stand on its own with PC’s connected.
4. I am using all 12 rear outlets, 6 for analog, 6 for digital. There is space for wall warts and large audiophile power cords. The connections are tight.
5. To make it compatible with my 15A circuit, I installed a Leviton 20A outlet… not to code, but absolutely safe. As most suspected, I am drawing no more than 6A with everything running.
6. My voltage tends to be slightly high 121-122V during the day. Last night (my wife lights our house up like a Christmas tree, and I have 60 IOT’s installed), it dropped to 115V & was immediately adjusted to 120V. I always wondered why my system sounded best during the day. Outstanding

7. I had previously plugged my amp directly into the wall. I currently have it plugged into the Furman & can detect no loss in dynamics.

Sound: Everything sounds better. Clearer, darker, more robust yet delicate during soft passages. Significant improvement in low volume listening. While both improved, digital improved more than analog, which I find interesting. Apparently my Aurender and Qutest w/Sbooster Ultra like clean full power. I may never listen to vinyl again… probably will but no longer need to for the best sound.
It is an excellent purchase & I could not be happier. As Eric stated, price performance is fantastic. Thank you to everyone but especially @erik_squires ​​& @jea48 for your outstanding guidance and knowledge. I am much closer to my audio nirvana. 😃

revdoc's avatar
revdoc
5 posts
 

I have a PS AUDIO regenerator 1200 on a stand alone 20 A... It  made a wonderful difference and also made my TV picture better... Well worth the trip...

erik_squires
16,554 posts
 

OP,

Glad it's working out as well as it did!!

Yes, your observations of daily voltage variances are exactly why I recommend voltage regulation over a dedicated circuit OR balanced conditioner.  Installing a 10 gauge, 30 Amp circuit is just not going to make up for those daily, seasonal or appliance based variations.

Also, yes, in some places I could definitely hear when the Furman was missing.  Not sure what noise components were present but it sounded better with Furman than without it.

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