Power

[Welder]

Ohhh err :eyebrows:

I’ve been trying to sort out a dedicated mains supply.
Getting the power from the consumer unit to a dedicated medical grade socket isn’t too much of a problem.

To do the job properly I need to run an earth cable from the socket to a ground not on the national grid.
I live in a flat, in a city and a bit of earth (the stuff you can dig and grow plants in) is in short supply and in my case, in my next door neighbor’s garden :stalks:

I cant really blame them and the fact is they don’t want a 1metre copper rod with a thick cable attached driven into their vegetable patch, especially when they heard it may have electricity rushing down it……kids, pets, you know all the stuff that f***s up the audiophiles dream :rolleyes:

When I had finished sniveling on my mates shirt sleeve, going on about the injustices of the world he said he may just have a possible solution and said “I’ll be back”.
Well, being my mate from years back of biking and general misbehavior I was knda expecting him to return with one of his WW11 German machine gun collection and pop next door to discuss my neighbors inconsiderate attitude
:sofa:

Well, marriage, kids and all that must have softened the silly git up coz what he brought round was one of these.

http://www.airlinktransformers.com/transformer/bp1500-bp1500-balanced-power-supply.asp


Well, I’ve got the cables running from the main fuse box now (with a bit of luck the landlord wont even notice) and after the other occupants of the adjacent flats had finished shouting at us bout no telly, stuck in shower covered in soap (must do that again, she looked a lot better in that towel than she has in her clothes ;)) and I had scrubbed the burn marks off the walls in the fusebox cupboard I connected it to my distribution/filter box, threw the switch and played some music :mental:

Apparently I should be able to dispense with any filtering when using one of these?
Apparently I can expect up to 16db less mains noise?
Given its less than £200 and some of the esoteric conditioning kit I’ve seen runs over £1000 for not much more than a fancy filter in a smart box this seems like a bargain :scratch:

It’s definitely better than the APC UPC 700 I’ve got which is supposed to regenerate a square wave.
http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SU700INET&CFID=33246551&CFTOKEN=24922650

I was wondering if only having 230V instead of 240V is likely to cause any problems?

[Techno Commander]

Having 230v as opposed to 240v isnt a problem. 230v is actually the Eu approved and specified voltage anyway. I notice the transformer is also 230v input rated and I therefore think it probably has 1:1 windings, so your output voltage is going to be the same as the input voltage.

[Welder]

Hmm, I have a few concerns concerning this bit of kit.

There doesn’t seem to be a fuse arrangement on both power legs.
Theoretically speaking if my amp pops a fuse, the neutral leg will still be live.
Gonna have to check the insides of this thing :(

[Reid Malenfant]

It'd be handy if that first link worked, even copying it & pasting into a new browser window results in a long wait for nothing to load :scratch:

[Ali Tait]

It may be the approved voltage but it isn't what we get. Our grid was designed to deliver 240 and that is what you get, or thereabouts. Has anyone here measued 230 on their mains? Passing legislation does not alter reality.

[Ali Tait]

Hmm, I have a few concerns concerning this bit of kit.

There doesn’t seem to be a fuse arrangement on both power legs.
Theoretically speaking if my amp pops a fuse, the neutral leg will still be live.
Gonna have to check the insides of this thing :(

I would have thought it would be fused John, but I guess it won't be too difficult to do if not.

[Ali Tait]

It'd be handy if that first link worked, even copying it & pasting into a new browser window results in a long wait for nothing to load :scratch:

Took a while, but did load for me eventually.

[Ali Tait]

John, let us know how you get on with it, I've been thinking about doing this for a while.

[MCRU]

Voltage tolerance of 230 V +10%/−6% (216.2 V to 253 V), widened to 230 V ±10% (207 V to 253 V) in 2008. The system supply voltage remains centred on 240 V.[18] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mains_power_around_the_world#cite_note-17) A "shaver socket" (similar to Type C) is sometimes found in bathrooms that will provide low current to some other plug types. These sometimes have a ~110 V socket and a ~240 V socket in the same unit, or a switch to select voltage for a single socket. The G type socket usually has an on-off switch. IEC 60309 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_60309) plugs and connectors are used in industrial and construction locations as well as for outdoor use in domestic and other business premises. Plug types D and M were used until the 1960s and are still in preferred use for theatre and TV stage lighting applications due to lack of internal fuse.

[MartinT]

No-one actually gets 230VAC, it was a convenience concocted by the EU to please all countries. The spec is 230VAC +/- 10% or so, which allows the UK to keep 240VAC and the rest of the continent to keep 220VAC.

[MartinT]

Ah - thanks, David, you have the exact numbers.

My Powerplant reads 250V input and I set it for exactly 240V output.

[MCRU]

We all should know that today we could get 207V and tomorrow it could be 253V and there is not a damn thing anyone can do about it! That is why hi-fi sounds better late at nightl when 10 million kettle are off!

[MartinT]

Not with my regenerator. I always get exactly 240V.

<smug>

[Reid Malenfant]

We all should know that today we could get 207V and tomorrow it could be 253V and there is not a damn thing anyone can do about it! That is why hi-fi sounds better late at nightl when 10 million kettle are off!
David, it's nothing to do with the voltage we receive & everything to do with lots of SMPS & TVs & computers being switched off that put interference onto the mains. Yes, the voltage will increase a tad but it's the crap on the mains that does the damage!

A Kettle is a pure resistive load (barring a tad of inductance) & this won't cause interference. Anything that rectifies the mains in one shape or form will though ;)

[Welder]

The problem is Ali I’ve done a few things recently; linear regulated 19.5V power supply to laptop. New 5V 1 amp linear regulated power supply to USB hub, dedicated mains after a fashion, and this balanced power box thingy. It’s going to take a bit of listening time and messing about to work out which makes a difference.

I can say this much now; the dedicated mains and balanced power combo do make a positive difference compared to the UPS feeding the newly modded kit.

I’m going to have to disconnect the dedicated mains later coz it really has to be checked over by a sparks. I’ll be in the shit if I burn the flats down :doh:

[MCRU]

I used up to a while ago an APC Line-R for mains duties and it worked just fine for £40 as a voltage regulator, then I got a couple of Belkin PF30 and 40's to play with, I have gone back to the Isotek Aquarius now as its just so damn good IMO of course and it looks cool in my shelf underneath my Roksan gear.

So may people ask for advice on a dedicated mains spur which TBH is dangerous in some respects as the electrician who is doing the work won't fit something he is not familiar with as he is responsible if your house or flats burn down!

Many have wired their own not realizing or choosing to ignore the fact that if any mishaps occur the insurance won't pay out if you have done the wiring up yourself.

[Ali Tait]

I
The problem is Ali I’ve done a few things recently; linear regulated 19.5V power supply to laptop. New 5V 1 amp linear regulated power supply to USB hub, dedicated mains after a fashion, and this balanced power box thingy. It’s going to take a bit of listening time and messing about to work out which makes a difference.

I can say this much now; the dedicated mains and balanced power combo do make a positive difference compared to the UPS feeding the newly modded kit.

I’m going to have to disconnect the dedicated mains later coz it really has to be checked over by a sparks. I’ll be in the shit if I burn the flats down :doh:

Ok cheers John, I'll be interested in your conclusions.

[Ali Tait]

No-one actually gets 230VAC, it was a convenience concocted by the EU to please all countries. The spec is 230VAC +/- 10% or so, which allows the UK to keep 240VAC and the rest of the continent to keep 220VAC.

Just so.

[Welder]

“So may people ask for advice on a dedicated mains spur which TBH is dangerous in some respects as the electrician who is doing the work won't fit something he is not familiar with as he is responsible if your house or flats burn down!”

Oh rly :stalks:

Not much of an electrician if he/she cant verify a single cable run from the consumer unit to a wall socket is safe and then connect it up to the grid.

The only bit that’s at all complicated is possibly moving other feeds so the dedicated feed is closest to the incoming main and sorting out the right RCD for the current.

[Ali Tait]

The supply here is surprisingly constant. It's usually bang on 240, and I've never measured it more than a couple of volts either side of that.

[Techno Commander]

I wasnt planning on starting a voltage arguement.:) I m also aware that 230V is just a number and that the UK will differ from this. What I was getting at is the 230 in and 230 out is due to the 1:1 transformer windings, but it could just as easily be 253 in and 253 out.

[Ali Tait]

AFAIK, it's fine to do the wiring yourself, as long as it is tested by a suitably qualified person, who will provide you with a certificate.

[Reid Malenfant]

I wasnt planning on starting a voltage arguement.:) I m also aware that 230V is just a number and that the UK will differ from this. What I was getting at is the 230 in and 230 out is due to the 1:1 transformer windings, but it could just as easily be 253 in and 253 out.
Andy, you are forgetting about transformer regulation ;) On a 1.5KVA transformer i'd expect that to be about 3% so at full load it'll be lower. Not a biggy imo :)

[Techno Commander]

:doh:

[The Grand Wazoo]

This is just a reminder to anyone who might be thinking of messing about with mains power: Despite what anyone here might say, if you don't know EXACTLY what you're doing, then DON'T DO ANYTHING with mains electricity - DO NOT EVEN TEST IT

[Techno Commander]

Well said.

[Welder]

Oh Yeah, what The Grand Wazoo said.

However, if you are a bit suicidal............

Landlord’s tame electrician has been round and I’m good to go apparently :)
£50 cash :eek:, he was only here for half an hour and most of that was spent drinking my coffee and listening to my stereo!
Shame about the grid earth :( but on the plus side, the supply is on its own board with its own RCD. (
I used 4 core (1.5mm per core) shielded fire alarm cable for live and negative (2 cores for each) and a separate earth in flexible 25 mm steel conduit, Crabtree fully insulated 2 way consumer RCD unit, all of which I had “liberated” over the years ;)
I have discovered one advantage to plasterboard on stud though; it’s easy to feed cable through.
It took me about a day to fit it all and I only had to cut one hole in the plasterboard to feed the cable. Fortunately I’m right above the main consumer unit.
Oh well, if the landlords happy and the sparks has signed it off, that will do.

It has to be better than the flat ring which runs from the grid, through a meter, then an RCD, then up to another consumer unit in the flat with RCD’s and then its split to the rings with central heating, electric oven, fridge freezer, PC and various other appliances plugged in :eyebrows:

I’ve disconnected the swampy filter. I’m still checking out the balanced supply for safety so that’s not connected and I’ve cleaned all the plugs and sockets with a green pad soaked in ethyl alcohol ;)
Just from a casual listen I can hear an improvement. It’s hard to explain how something can sound quieter when you’ve got 85db of music emanating from some speakers, but that’s how it sounds, quieter.

[MCRU]

Green pad, was that one of those scouring pads, I heard about doing that so tried it years ago and it scratched all the plugs, does putting alcohol stop it scratching the plug then?

[Welder]

http://www.vikingtapes.co.uk/Abrasives/3M_Scotch_Brite_Non_Woven_Abrasives/3M_Scotch_Brite_Hand_Pads/3m_7496_scotch_brite_hand_pads.htm

I use these for cleaning work surfaces etc and when they’re knackered I save them for metal cleaning. If you then soak them and don’t rub too hard they don’t scratch the crap out of brass.
Not a good idea to use any dry abrasive on metal :eek:

[MCRU]

I use these for cleaning work surfaces etc

so you do the cleaning at home then.....:eek:

[Reid Malenfant]

I use these for cleaning work surfaces etc

so you do the cleaning at home then.....:eek:
I think the word work isn't refering to kitchen tops or things like that David ;)

More like where things are being constructed..

[MCRU]

only joking bud

[Welder]

Well, in fact I do do the cleaning at home David, along with the cooking, decorating, house alterations, wiring, amp building, speaker building, sewing, project restoration (bikes, cars and various interesting bits and pieces) etc etc; In fact all the stuff I wouldn’t let a women do.
Women have skills much better suited to other activities in my experience and I can’t afford hired help ;)

[keiths]

Women have skills much better suited to other activities...
Have you ever considered a career on Sky Sports, John? ;)

:)

[Welder]

Tbh Keith I have never seen sky sport so I have no idea what interesting opportunities may be available :scratch:
I spose having listed some of what I do do, I better say some of what I don’t;
Television, alcohol (except for a few special occasions) cars (unless I’m fixing them up for someone) football, cheap shoes and child and wife beating.
On the other hand I like dancing ;)

[Welder]

A couple of things to bear in mind.
All my ac leads are foil and braid shielded, all internal plug connections are to crimped terminals rather than bare wire and all my interconnects are now fully balanced.
My distribution block uses round pin plugs and the internal connections are all crimped (no solder) and distributed within the box using
http://www.m-99.co.uk/Car_Audio/Distribution_Blocks/distribution_blocks.html

Dedicated mains only.

This has made a noticeable difference. Low level detail has improved. The sound is cleaner and there seems to be slight improvement in dynamics.

The flats are recent conversions and the mains supply and attached rings are obviously new as well. There are a few flats connected to the main consumer unit and I assume all the electrical noise they generate returned to the same consumer unit my supply came from.
My dedicated supply has its own consumer unit direct to the incoming mains bar a meter (shame bout that) and I feel this is the way to do it rather than just running a spur from an existing consumer unit. Hopefully using shielded cable inside steel conduit wasn’t overkill; may as well do the job properly.
I asked a couple of electricians how much it would cost to carry out the same work including the material costs and around £400 seems to be the going rate.
I spent less than £100 on materials and getting the work signed off.
The question is, do you get £400 worth of sonic improvement if you can’t do the work yourself?
Judging from my recent Dac comparison sessions I would say yes.
If you do it yourself then it’s a very cost effective upgrade and of course any future system changes will also benefit. Bear in mind my setup is grounded to the incoming supply and not to a separate ground.
Some interesting reading.
http://www.acoustica.org.uk/t/mains.html
http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/ground_force_zero_e.html
http://www.equitech.com/articles/bpng.html
There’s lots more if you search.

Dedicated mains and balanced power.

Not quite so straightforward this one.
For a start, the balanced power unit emits an audible hum.
The 500kVA unit I have has no line conditioning which may or may not be a good thing.
Despite having a relatively small power demand (150 Watt max, 75 Watt amp, laptop, Linear 5V USB supply, ac powered remote hard drive) I wasn’t confident that the 500kVA unit supplied enough peak power.
A bit of research suggest headroom of x6 to x10. I don’t have the equipment to adequately measure peak output or demand but accepting the x6 this means buying a balanced supply from my original link to cater for this pushes the price up to around £350 for a 3KVA to 5kVA supply. Stick a couple of power hungry 100 Watt amps and other assorted kit on the end of this and you may still not have adequate headroom.
It all sounds a bit silly until you take one of these;
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/21482/Electrical-Supplies/Industrial/Site-Distribution/Portable-Transformer-with-3-Output-Sockets-5kVA
and try to run a 1000 Watt drill and say a 9inch angle grinder off the one supply, something I have some experience of, so no conclusion on the balanced supply.
Balanced power does in theory provide great benefits in common mode noise rejection and may be a worthwhile alternative to a dedicated mains at a similar cost if you can provide sufficient headroom. You really need to be able to calculate the peak demand of all the equipment you will plug into such a supply and then see whether you can cater for that at a reasonable price. I couldn’t be arsed and I only have a 500kVA to play with.

What I’ve ended up with is the dedicated mains with no line conditioning and this to my ears sound best. It’s the simplest solution, it’s probably the cheapest and I can add to the supply without wondering if I’m running into problems with power demand.

[MCRU]

A couple of things to bear in mind.
All my ac leads are foil and braid shielded, all internal plug connections are to crimped terminals rather than bare wire and all my interconnects are now fully balanced.
My distribution block uses round pin plugs and the internal connections are all crimped (no solder) and distributed within the box using
http://www.m-99.co.uk/Car_Audio/Distribution_Blocks/distribution_blocks.html

Dedicated mains only.

This has made a noticeable difference. Low level detail has improved. The sound is cleaner and there seems to be slight improvement in dynamics.

The flats are recent conversions and the mains supply and attached rings are obviously new as well. There are a few flats connected to the main consumer unit and I assume all the electrical noise they generate returned to the same consumer unit my supply came from.
My dedicated supply has its own consumer unit direct to the incoming mains bar a meter (shame bout that) and I feel this is the way to do it rather than just running a spur from an existing consumer unit. Hopefully using shielded cable inside steel conduit wasn’t overkill; may as well do the job properly.
I asked a couple of electricians how much it would cost to carry out the same work including the material costs and around £400 seems to be the going rate.
I spent less than £100 on materials and getting the work signed off.
The question is, do you get £400 worth of sonic improvement if you can’t do the work yourself?
Judging from my recent Dac comparison sessions I would say yes.
If you do it yourself then it’s a very cost effective upgrade and of course any future system changes will also benefit. Bear in mind my setup is grounded to the incoming supply and not to a separate ground.
Some interesting reading.
http://www.acoustica.org.uk/t/mains.html
http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/ground_force_zero_e.html
http://www.equitech.com/articles/bpng.html
There’s lots more if you search.

Dedicated mains and balanced power.

Not quite so straightforward this one.
For a start, the balanced power unit emits an audible hum.
The 500kVA unit I have has no line conditioning which may or may not be a good thing.
Despite having a relatively small power demand (150 Watt max, 75 Watt amp, laptop, Linear 5V USB supply, ac powered remote hard drive) I wasn’t confident that the 500kVA unit supplied enough peak power.
A bit of research suggest headroom of x6 to x10. I don’t have the equipment to adequately measure peak output or demand but accepting the x6 this means buying a balanced supply from my original link to cater for this pushes the price up to around £350 for a 3KVA to 5kVA supply. Stick a couple of power hungry 100 Watt amps and other assorted kit on the end of this and you may still not have adequate headroom.
It all sounds a bit silly until you take one of these;
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/21482/Electrical-Supplies/Industrial/Site-Distribution/Portable-Transformer-with-3-Output-Sockets-5kVA
and try to run a 1000 Watt drill and say a 9inch angle grinder off the one supply, something I have some experience of, so no conclusion on the balanced supply.
Balanced power does in theory provide great benefits in common mode noise rejection and may be a worthwhile alternative to a dedicated mains at a similar cost if you can provide sufficient headroom. You really need to be able to calculate the peak demand of all the equipment you will plug into such a supply and then see whether you can cater for that at a reasonable price. I couldn’t be arsed and I only have a 500kVA to play with.

What I’ve ended up with is the dedicated mains with no line conditioning and this to my ears sound best. It’s the simplest solution, it’s probably the cheapest and I can add to the supply without wondering if I’m running into problems with power demand.

Very interesting and very comprehensive mate, well done.

[Ali Tait]

So do you find an improvement using the balanced supply John?

[Welder]

“so no conclusion on the balanced supply.”

I couldn’t make my mind up about it Ali. Sometimes it seemed to be doing the business and other times not. I think a 3kVA model may sort it but I don’t have one to test out.
I still have concerns about the way the unit is fused and the effect on my Hi Fi should an equipment fuse fail which are all on the positive leg.

When it gets to the point I cant easily tell a difference I just put it down to no difference and move on.

[colinB]

If you dont mind me asking, anyone have an opinion on a Isotek substation as there is one at a decent price on ebay.
I share a consumer box with the neighbours and have wondered what i can do to improve things. I also have a halogen circuit in my listning room which probably doesnt help.

[Reid Malenfant]

Yeah the problem as i see it is you are getting a benefit in one way but losing out in another. While you may well have a reduction in mains born noise the transformer is adding the primary & secondary impedances into the mixture, so it's a little like running through cable that's just thick enough & effectively stuffing up the dedicated spur (on the low impedance side - not noise reduction).

[Welder]

Yep, I think you may be right Mark. Unfortunately I don’t have a bigger balanced power unit to test this out.
I’m happy with the dedicated mains atm, it’s a considerable improvement and given my current stereo further improvements may well be wasted on my kit and my ears :eyebrows:

[MCRU]

If you dont mind me asking, anyone have an opinion on a Isotek substation as there is one at a decent price on ebay.
I share a consumer box with the neighbours and have wondered what i can do to improve things. I also have a halogen circuit in my listning room which probably doesnt help.

If its a good price get it is my advice, the aquarius does wonders in my system and I am hearing very good reports about their new syncro mains lead (well it ought to be good at nearly 900 nikker!!!).

BTW anyone who owns a Titan needs to listen to a special mains lead I have for it.

[Welder]

Earlier in this thread I wrote that I wasn't convinced that the balanced mains transformer I borrowed (1.5 VA 6.5amp) made a significant difference in addition to my recently sorted dedicated mains.

Anyway, I did get myself a 3000 VA 13 amp unfiltered transfomer, sorted out the buzzing noise by remounting the transformer in the case, got rid of the not so satisfactory terminal block connectors, wired it up and stuck it away behind the sofa and basically forgot about it.

Last week I lent it out to a friend. Nothing sounded quite right without it. :scratch:
I got it back yesterday and just thought I would mention that this rather unattractive very non Hi Fi bit of industrial hardware makes a lot of difference.:eyebrows:

[MartinT]

Nice discovery, John.

I keep repeating myself, but power IS very important. When I saw some of the lash-ups at the WigWam show, using B&Q £4.99 power strips plugged in a chain, I just shook my head. Wire your system like that and you will never yield the sound quality it is capable of.

[Welder]

I should know better Martin but I forgot the golden rule about going returning to the old set up before finally deciding on the new. :doh:

Seems there may some truth in the saying "you dont know what you've got till its gone". ;)

[MCRU]

Nice discovery, John.

I keep repeating myself, but power IS very important. When I saw some of the lash-ups at the WigWam show, using B&Q £4.99 power strips plugged in a chain, I just shook my head. Wire your system like that and you will never yield the sound quality it is capable of.

I was shall we say highly amused by some of the set ups. Scalford was one of the best days of my life. The Wam are not big fans of cables (or cable sellers for that matter), but as you pointed out Martin mains is THE most important area in HI-Fi. :)

[ursus262]

I have an Airlink balanced mains transformer, and it has made a massive difference to the sound of my system and I'm very pleased with it. I am planning on upgrading it to the three socket version with additional filtering when I get my power amp, so that should be fun!

[Welder]

My recommendation would be to avoid the models with built in filtering.
If you need to filter for source components for example my suggestion would be to filter just a couple of sockets in a distribution block.

[ursus262]

My recommendation would be to avoid the models with built in filtering.
If you need to filter for source components for example my suggestion would be to filter just a couple of sockets in a distribution block.

Actually, that makes sense to me. Any filtering will increase the impedance of the line to a certain extent.

[Reid Malenfant]

Actually, that makes sense to me. Any filtering will increase the impedance of the line to a certain extent.
Indeed, I thought about a bit of filtering recently & I might still go ahead with it :) The thing is though I'd make my own filter so as not to reduce the mains impedance by very much. The inductor I was looking at was 250 x 250 x 380mm size (10" x 10" x 15") & capable of over 120 Amps continuous & weighed in at 40Kg...

Then of course there are the capacitors to consider :eyebrows:

[John]

Glad the balanced mains worked for you John
Good thread guys some interesting reading

[electric beach]

I have an Airlink balanced mains transformer, and it has made a massive difference to the sound of my system and I'm very pleased with it. I am planning on upgrading it to the three socket version with additional filtering when I get my power amp, so that should be fun!

That's what I wanted to hear! :lol:

I've been considering this for months and the time's close. I've done the dedicated ring thing in another house and was seriously disappointed in the result; an improvement of course but not to the degree implied.

Love my Sunday night sound but do get frustrated that my system can't always deliver what it's capable of.

[ursus262]

Well, it does make a difference. Dedicated mains spurs are the most ideal, but it's not always practical and can cost a packet. A transformer gives all the benefits of this for a fraction of the cost.... I think. I'm sure someone, somewhere will issue a bullshit alert :D

[MartinT]

The point is: dedicated spur, unswitched sockets, good power cables, balanced transformer, regenerator - whatever it takes and whatever your budget, do something positive to feed your trusty components with clean mains and you will reap rewards.

[electric beach]

I should know better Martin but I forgot the golden rule about going returning to the old set up before finally deciding on the new. :doh:

Seems there may some truth in the saying "you dont know what you've got till its gone". ;)

That's become my maxim - make a change then forget it, it's become too confusing. Live with it then take it away and see if you can live without it, not with it. :doh:

[Chops]

Thinking of installing one of these myself and some advice would be most welcome.

I feel that Airlink would be a simpler option (include case, protection etc). On a previous thred, JMS was mentioned (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3769, http://www.jmsonline.co.uk/index.php?cPath=22) but they're not so much of a turnkey solution and I can't find any evidence of them being used on this forum. An advantage they were considered as having were E/I transformers but I don't know how significant that would be. Other options seem pretty expensive in comparison and to go cheaper would mean a self build :mental:.

Anyway, the two Airlinks I'm looking at are the 3KVa (http://www.airlinktransformers.com/conditioning_balanced_power_supply/46-BPS3120.html) and 5KVa (http://www.airlinktransformers.com/conditioning_balanced_power_supply/46-BPS5120.html) models. There's quite a price difference between them (£382 vs £546 delivered), but besides having a higher rating, the 5KVa model appears to have additional 'Secondary' protection ("RCBO 20A 2P Type C") and an electrostatic screen as a small cost option.

Note: I would use an electrician to install the transformer on my existing hi-fi spur (between consumer unit and sockets **), so all my equipment would run from the balanced feed.

My question is which one to go for. I guess that 3KVa should be sufficient (power amp is EAR 890 70W, pre is EAR 868, Chord QBD76 DAC and SBT most of the time), including headroom. However, antonyTD (on the above thread) suggested the lower impedance of a higher rating would be beneficial; Ali Tait got some number from Airlink - 2kva (not sure if this was a filtered model) is 0.46 ohms,and the 5kva is 0.16 ohms. Plus, the 5KVa has the additional protection. Is this worth the extra £164? Would a 2KVa do the job?

A few other notes.


The Airlink prices do seem to be rising rapidly.:rolleyes:
I have some Russ Andrews Silencers. Could I still use them or should I move them elsewhere in the house?

Cheers...Chris

Edit: ** Should have mentioned that the hi-fi spur is actually a small ring, uses 6mm2 T+E cable and the sockets are connected to an earth rod in the garden. Also, the consumer unit was installed by an electrician 2 years ago and the hi-fi spur is not RCD protected.

[Marco]

That's become my maxim - make a change then forget it, it's become too confusing. Live with it then take it away and see if you can live without it, not with it. :doh:

It's the ONLY method of analysing anything to do with audio, the results of which are WAY more reliable than any fatally flawed double-blind testing! :exactly:

Marco.

[Chops]

Thinking of installing one of these myself and some advice would be most welcome.

I feel that Airlink would be a simpler option (include case, protection etc). On a previous thred, JMS was mentioned (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3769, http://www.jmsonline.co.uk/index.php?cPath=22) but they're not so much of a turnkey solution and I can't find any evidence of them being used on this forum. An advantage they were considered as having were E/I transformers but I don't know how significant that would be. Other options seem pretty expensive in comparison and to go cheaper would mean a self build :mental:.

Anyway, the two Airlinks I'm looking at are the 3KVa (http://www.airlinktransformers.com/conditioning_balanced_power_supply/46-BPS3120.html) and 5KVa (http://www.airlinktransformers.com/conditioning_balanced_power_supply/46-BPS5120.html) models. There's quite a price difference between them (£382 vs £546 delivered), but besides having a higher rating, the 5KVa model appears to have additional 'Secondary' protection ("RCBO 20A 2P Type C") and an electrostatic screen as a small cost option.

Note: I would use an electrician to install the transformer on my existing hi-fi spur (between consumer unit and sockets **), so all my equipment would run from the balanced feed.

My question is which one to go for. I guess that 3KVa should be sufficient (power amp is EAR 890 70W, pre is EAR 868, Chord QBD76 DAC and SBT most of the time), including headroom. However, antonyTD (on the above thread) suggested the lower impedance of a higher rating would be beneficial; Ali Tait got some number from Airlink - 2kva (not sure if this was a filtered model) is 0.46 ohms,and the 5kva is 0.16 ohms. Plus, the 5KVa has the additional protection. Is this worth the extra £164? Would a 2KVa do the job?

A few other notes.


The Airlink prices do seem to be rising rapidly.:rolleyes:
I have some Russ Andrews Silencers. Could I still use them or should I move them elsewhere in the house?

Cheers...Chris

Edit: ** Should have mentioned that the hi-fi spur is actually a small ring, uses 6mm2 T+E cable and the sockets are connected to an earth rod in the garden. Also, the consumer unit was installed by an electrician 2 years ago and the hi-fi spur is not RCD protected.

Anyone?:scratch:

[ursus262]

Anyone?:scratch:

Well, I use an Airlink transformer with excellent results and I would definitely recommend using one. It's balanced mains which incudes common-mode noise rejection. They are well-made and are great value for money too.

I noticed that the improvement in sound quality was immense, as the noise floor dropped quite a lot. I wouldn't be without it.

[Chops]

Well, I use an Airlink transformer with excellent results and I would definitely recommend using one. It's balanced mains which incudes common-mode noise rejection. They are well-made and are great value for money too.

Thanks Dave. What rating did you go for and what does it power?

Cheers...Chris

[Reid Malenfant]

Chris, get the biggest you can afford fella :) The higher rating the transformer is the lower the output regulation. In other words the output voltage will stay nearer the input voltage or it'll have a lower impedance :)

Besides which you don't know what you might be running in the future, always pays to think ahead if possible :cool:

[Chops]

Thanks Mark. Agreed. Guess I was looking for more justification for the 5kva. Also, I suppose it's still cheaper than a PS Audio regenerator.

Btw, N Cambs? I grew up in P'boro.

Cheers...Chris

[Reid Malenfant]

Btw, N Cambs? I grew up in P'boro.
That is precisely where I am :cool:

[ursus262]

I actually got the basic version:

http://www.airlinktransformers.com/conditioning_balanced_power_supply/46-BPS1500.html

I only run my Naim Uniti and Naim NAP200 off it and it's very good. As Mark said, the bigger the better. I stuck to the smallest one on the basis of price, but it seems to work very well.

[Chops]

I only run my Naim Uniti and Naim NAP200 off it and it's very good.

70wpc as well. You power requirements can't be highly different to mine. Guess 3kva should be plenty but 5kva is a safer bet and may just give a little more SQ.

Chris