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Quality of electricity

post #1 of 6
9/20/09 at 10:20am
Thread Starter 
If live in a pretty old house (it's heritage listed actually) and as such the electricity isn't so good, it's uneven and there are a lot of power surges - I don't know how big they are, but I'm always replacing light bulbs.

Is this very bad for hifi gear? What does it do?
Assuming it is a problem (which I am considering it's delicate gear) what can I do to help this problem. Is a good surge protecting power board enough?

Keeping in mind I'm looking spending about 3 grand on gear, so I don't want it damaged, but also it's not practical to go to extreme measures.
I really don't know much about electricity.
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post #2 of 6
9/20/09 at 11:03am

Several options

Monster has a voltage regulator (it is a mechanical rheostat that is adjusted for the change in voltage), many companies offer various power conditioners, and PS Audio has power regenerators. The power conditioners may help, and are the least expensive route. Most power conditoners have voltage protection, ie suppresses surges and protects equipment from voltage spikes. One can even get voltage protection in inexpensive power strips with insurance that covers the equipment if it fails to protect. Be cautious of most of these insurance protections in as they require very specific condtions (usually special grounding schemes etc) to be met before they would cover any thing. Most power conditioners will only do so much if you have wild voltage swings. The PS Audio power regeneration scheme actually converts the house AC into DC, then again back to a regenerated AC signal that is very stable. The Wave option lets you change to multiple waves, change voltage, and the ac rate. It also protects against surges as well. Hope this info helps.
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post #3 of 6
9/20/09 at 11:21am
Thread Starter 
Is a scenario where the problem is just a power surge damaging the equipment, or would the dirty electricity also cause problems to the regular playing of equipment?
I couldn't afford to get that PS Audio power regeneration thing. I guess a good quality surge protector would be my best thing.

How do you guys have your gear connected to the grid?
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post #4 of 6
9/20/09 at 12:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bohemianism View Post
Is a scenario where the problem is just a power surge damaging the equipment, or would the dirty electricity also cause problems to the regular playing of equipment?
I couldn't afford to get that PS Audio power regeneration thing. I guess a good quality surge protector would be my best thing.

How do you guys have your gear connected to the grid?
I have the PS Audio Power Plant Premier, plugged into the Power Port Premier. It works, I just plugged my television into it and the difference good power makes is amazing. Works on my gear too.
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post #5 of 6
9/20/09 at 3:08pm
Bohemianism is this a house you own? If so you may gain more by hiring an electrician and rewiring the house w/ a new service panel. Expensive but you would also be protecting the rest of your electrical appliances. I would also have the electrician install a good ground system and perhaps a whole house surge protector. Good luck.
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post #6 of 6
9/20/09 at 4:11pm
It depends on the power supply inside your equipment. The better the power supply, the fewer problems the equipment will have from poor power.

People seem completely oblivious to the fact that the power supply is designed and engineered to clean up power and turn ragged AC into clean, smooth DC. Depending on how well the power supply is built, you do not need special conditioners, etc. etc. to make it better. Conditioning is built into a power supply. Further, this is the kind of conditioning that is actually there and can be measured with an oscilloscope and standard test gear. It's not the kind of conditioning where it's "Oh, just trust me that the power cable makes a difference, and give me $800."

One thing that I've found to make a difference - and with real world usefulness - is an isolation transformer. They kill ground loops and provide other real, demonstrable benefits. Occasionally, you'll find gear with isolation transformers built into them. You can get a used isolation transformer on eBay for $10 and up.

I'd had an isolation transformer around because I work on old radios. They're also helpful for keeping you from frying yourself if you work on electronics. I've since started plugging my gear into it, and it provides a small measure of help.
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