[aimlink]

Available on the market are power conditioners for audio equipment with multiple power outlets. These, of course, range in quality, power rating etc.

For each very good amp and DAC, one is often offered a separate power supply unit that offers better voltage regulation etc. than the standard power supplies offered with the units. This is especially the case with the more compact and competitively priced amps and dacs.

If I were to get a power conditioning unit and then plug the standard power supply adapter in it, wouldn't I end up with the same result as if I were to get the better power supply being offered?

Take for example, I already have a power conditioner of very high quality that I paid $700 for. I get a home desktop amp. If I plug the standard issue brick power supply unit in the power conditioner, wouldn't I get better results and likely as good results as the PSU sold by HeadRoom?

I'm currently not warming to purchasing a 6 outlet unit to use only one of them and not being able to take advantage of the power conditioning for other applications or devices I have.

 

[moogoob]

Doesn't the power conditioner only affects the AC waveform?. IIRC the main benefit of the Astrodyne/Desktop Power Supply is in how well it supplies DC to the components.

 

[kboe]

As I understand it the power conditioner is only used to clean the power before supplying it to the Power Supply for each of your components. Basically it only acts as a glorified outlet. Then your (theoretical) DPS would take the clean energy and turn it into something you micro-stack can use. I believe thats how the process works. I wish I could afford one but there are about three other components on my list before that one, the DPS being the first one.
Kevin

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogoob /img/forum/go_quote.gif Doesn't the power conditioner only affects the AC waveform?. IIRC the main benefit of the Astrodyne/Desktop Power Supply is in how well it supplies DC to the components.

Sure, but my thinking is that these power supplies have two functions.

1. To convert the AC to DC at the required voltage.

2. To clean up the fluctuating AC current to prevent voltage spikes and brown outs that can affect sound.

If there's a power conditioner already doing the cleaning up of the AC current, then the power supply doesn't have to be as sophisticated as when it's plugged directly into a lousy AC supply.

 

[Acrog]

If you just need one port, just use the astrodyne power supply.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acrog /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you just need one port, just use the astrodyne power supply.

... and if I wish to get a Graham Slee Solo, what do I do? Go for their stock power supply and plug it in my power conditioner, or do I buy the beefier power supply unit that has a separate cost? Oh, I wish to try another DAC and a tube amplifier. Those come with optional separate upgrade PSU's for cleaner sound.

See what I'm getting at now?

If it were only about HeadRoom, it would be a no brainer.

 

[mrarroyo]

aimlink, the two power supplies that are sold w/ Graham's amps are very different. The Green is a switching psu which can be used anywhere in the world and it comes w/ various wall plugs. It saves a lot of energy and thus the name Green. However due to the way it converts the power (at very high frequencies so it can save in the transformer losses and size/cost) it can have residuals which can be felt if you run your finger softly over the amp, basically you feel a vibration/tingling sensation. In order to get rid of them you have to ground the amp using the grounding plug provided on the back of the unit.

You do not have to worry about grounding w/ the PSU1.

I connect all my psu's and cables to the back of my power conditioner.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Power supplies are designed to clean up AC. The transformer helps somewhat, then the power goes through diodes or tubes for rectification, then through a series of capacitors and/or chokes to filter it into pure DC. If you look at the DC output of a good power supply, the power is clean. You can see it on an oscilloscope. "Cleaning" the power beforehand is like taking a shower before your shower so you won't be dirty before your shower.

I use a surge suppressor and put RF filters in my power supplies. I've thought about putting a DC blocker in front of my transformers, too. Sometimes, there's a little DC on the power line, too, and that can cause transformers to run hotter than they should. Heat is the enemy of all things electronic, so I might work in a DC filter made from cheap capacitors.

 

[Jolida302]

The best is one power filter per device, with double filtering for digital. Small filters for digital, and big filters for amps.
The best is to use dedicated lines, so one (or more) power filter(s) per device.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jolida302 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The best is one power filter per device, with double filtering for digital. Small filters for digital, and big filters for amps. The best is to use dedicated lines, so one (or more) power filter(s) per device.

Ok. Thanks.

So it seems like my setup is OK, i.e., an APC UPS that my power supplies per unit are plugged in.