Power Conditioning

Tonedef

Does anybody here use any sort of UPS/SPS or line filtering to improve the quality of the power reaching your equipment?

If so, what do you use and what sort of benefits are your reaping from it?

AlanRatcliffe

It's essential to keep dirty power from introducing noise into your audio gear (especially if you are recording) and also to protect your gear from power fluctuations which strain them more than we realise.

Tonedef

I anticipate you can easily make it worse, though. Many cheaper units, specifically upses, dont provide a perfectly smooth sine wave (they arent noisy per se, but the sine wave is approximated and has a stair-step profile). If this is particularly bad it can even damage your kit over the long term.

Manfred-Klose

Look at the Samson PS10 (i think ?) its not that expensive either.

Gearhead

I have a Samson PS10 in my rack and used to think I could not hear the difference between with or without. That is, until I realised that it does take out the electric fence 'tic' completely... Good work and for few rands. Would be slightly awkward if owner not in possession of a rack, though.

BTW I think I saw the back of Mark Lee's pedalboard (audience side) is a small 19" rack and the front is a normal case. Idea?

Riaan

I have a Samson PB10 (220 volt) and a ART PB 4X4 (110 volt), the latter was an Ebay bargain for $40, it runs off a stepdown transformer and is used for a couple of 110 volt things I have. Power conditioners are well worth it in my opinion. I realised the need for this when I got my first valva amp. It was very, very quiet after getting the Samson and it's only then that I realised how "dirty" the power was. In addition, we're prone to power surges especially in stormy wheather, and this was my main reason for getting them.

Fingerpicker

At TJs the facility has just had a major refurb done. Part of this was replacing some of the light dimmers. Since the refurb we now hava an iritating hum which comes through the PA. Would the power conditioners discussed above sort out this type of problem?

Thanks,
FP

Gearhead

I knew a guy who had a >100kg transformer in his hifi cabinet and he had the most incredible clarity and separation from a not-so-really-expensive amp. If I ran a venue I would put such a big 1:1 transformer between the mains and the stage/desk power supply and then a power conditioner over the rack+desk. But then again, I don't own a venue...
I think just the conditioner would help but not as much as a transformer based system.

AlanRatcliffe

Fingerpicker wrote: At TJs the facility has just had a major refurb done. Part of this was replacing some of the light dimmers. Since the refurb we now hava an iritating hum which comes through the PA. Would the power conditioners discussed above sort out this type of problem?

Yes, almost certainly. Dimmers are the most common cause of dirty power at venues. You should also try educate the venue owners and persuade them to have isolated power installed for the stage area (you get conditioners for permanent installation and they aren't that expensive) - it'll improve the sound quality of all the musos playing there.

Fingerpicker

Thanks guys.
I think that the Furman importers are Wild and Marr (gulp ☹), does anyone know a supplier of Samson products in JHB?

Manfred-Klose

does anyone know a supplier of Samson products in JHB?

audioshure