WTB : Power Conditioner

OK, another contensious topic.

Any recommendations on Power Conditioners ?
The new listening room is subject to pretty dodgy mains; loads of clicks, pops and now transformer hum from my power amp.

I already have a RA PowerBlock and Silencer (it's useless ).

As much as I'd like a dedicated mains spur, I live in a rented apartment so 'no go' on that front .

UK plugs and if possible 3 inputs and within a reasonable price range (£300max).

If anybody has a Trichord for sale, or anything similar, feel free to drop me a PM.

Cheers,

Steve

 

Hey voodoo,

I'm not sure if a mains conditioner of any description will help you with your problems or not. It's going to be a 50/50 gamble I reckon.

Firstly, the clicks and pops, they may be being transmitted and picked up through the "air" rather than being transmitted directly through the mains wiring. If the former is the case, then a mains conditioner will almost definitely have no effect whatsoever. The RA stuff should be filtering any clicks or pops which have come through the mains wiring. Things which commonly generate pops and clicks which come through and get picked up through the air for example are the arcing which happens when you turn on a light especially with starters from flouresecent lights and central heating thermostat controls. With these you need to supress at source (probably not so easy if the interference is coming from a neighbour's apartment).

You may or may not be able to cure the transformer buzz problem from your component(s) by using a mains conditioner/isolation transformer/etc. Chances are, if you do, the mains conditioner itself could then start buzzing. The transformers in the MJ Acoustics subwoofers I use to own use to buzz, regardless of whether I plugged them straight into the wall or through a 1Kva Trichord PowrBlock main conditoner. The transformer in my Trichord also buzzes periodically sometimes and at random times of the day/week. Luckily, non of the transformers in any of my other (existing) components buzz.

 

Morning Henry, a few interesting comments in there.

With these you need to supress at source (probably not so easy if the interference is coming from a neighbour's apartment).

This is a distinct possibility as the room I now use is right next door to the neighbours apartment. I have 3 wall sockets in the room so I may try the others to see if the problems disappear.

The transformer in my Trichord also buzzes periodically sometimes and at random times of the day/week.

The mains here suffers from that a lot !
As it always seems to happen at the same times of the day and night I reckon it must be linked to something like a thermostat in the apartment block. It sounds like a series of very quiet buzzes coming through the speakers.

....they may be being transmitted and picked up through the "air" rather than being transmitted directly through the mains wiring.

In front of our apartment is a field and on the other side of that is a rather dominant mobile phone mast . Also, the local ground station for the electricty is right next to it. The mutlitude of pylons which feed from it can only be pushing the RFI in crazy directions .

I'll keep on pondering :Quad:.

 

Voodoo, as a recent convert to Ben Duncan conditioners I strongly recommend them. I've ended up with 4 of the bloody things! 1KW for the poweramp, 1KW to CDP (overkill maybe) and 0.5KW for the pre and phono. All that's in the main system where the mains is crap but I have separate spurs. Actually, they don't stop the Densen CDP transformer from buzzing (does anything) or stop the clicks and pops when you fire up the strip lights but the improvement it gives to the music is fundamental.

The 4th (also 1KW) went home where it powers two 4 way blocks (simple Grahams affairs, 1 rewired with DNM cable - off a basic ring main) so that's a lot of audio and visual equipment - Its great! The TV picture is a lot clearer (even my wife noticed that) and so is the sound.

As supplied, the BDs come with a switched double UK socket but its not difficult to change. The 1KW costs about 400 quid, the 0.5 about 300.

Apart from acoustic foam, which was obligatory in my concrete cube of a listening room, I think the BDs are the best upgrade I've ever made.

AFAIK the Ben Duncans are very similar to the Trichords but not identical - others have noted sonic differences anyway.

Alex

 

Cheers Alex, any links to the Ben Duncan equipment ?

 

Try here http://www.britishaudio.co.uk/PPFLY.html

 

Cheers Adam.

Quote fromt he link :

Stops the annoying acoustic buzzing of many power amplifier transformers when this is caused or aggravated by a DC component on the local AC supply.

Does anybody have any examples of a DC based component ?

 

Ditto the Ben Duncans. I have one and it vibrates likes crazy, but now the transformers in my kit just purr quietly to themselves and don't sound like the the equipment is about to jump off the rack!

 

A hairdryer