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Adcom ACE-515: What does it do?

Redboy

Redboy

a few good watts
I picked one up today. Is it simply a surge protector, or does it do more than that? Will this thing filter some of the hash from my AC line?

And what's up with two power cords?

I feel like I should be smarter than the thing, but the thing's got me stumped! :withstpd:
 
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It's a power conditioner.

A good one, years ago.

I'd pop the hood and make sure there aren't any signs of heavy spikes, as in burned components.
 
Redboy said:
I picked one up today at the thrift. Is it simply a surge protector, or does it do more than that? Will this thing filter some of the hash from my AC line?
Click to expand...

My very first line conditioner many moons ago was an ACE-515. It employs a single balun (coil) to filter line noise and MOVs for surge/spike protection. Considering the unit's age, its MOVs have taken a great many hits and probably need to be replaced. The ACE-515 does not do a whole lot by way of filtration and IMHO is more like a fancy power strip than anything else. There is not even any kind of isolation between the outlets.

Redboy said:
And what's up with two power cords?
Click to expand...

The power cord with two-prong plug is a sensor cord that is meant to be plugged into a switched outlet of a controlling device like a preamp, CD player etc. When the controlling device is turned on, power is sent to the sensor cord which in turn triggers the switched outlets of the ACE-515. This way you can power up an entire system by turning on a single component.

You can download a copy of the ACE-515 owner's manual here: http://www.retrevo.com/search/v2/js...e0642a7cd534213c304931f79b2f1&q=Adcom+ACE-515
 
The best these units offer is a delayed response for the powering up/off of certain components- mainly the power amp of a separate power-pre unit.

They are best used for people who run separates, in my opinion, to get any real value-investment out of them.

The other possible benefit is less wear and tear on the power buttons of a rare unit. Problem is, if I recall correctly, it turns on ALL of your gear, even if you only want the tuner and amp and pre-amp on. So if the CD player, DAC, TT, R2R and Cassette are also switched on, you need to still shut them down via their own power button, thus defeating the purpose.

Otherwise, a modern power strip on close-out (I've bought a few for $12 and $18, from an original $79+ price) is a smarter financial investment.



Now, personal disclosure- these sell for $50 to $75 often, and I'm still personally somewhat tempted to get one for my gear- my separates setup- to reduce wear and tear on the power switches. But I'm still not overly convinced it will be worth the effort. I'm just unsure if it's worth the investment or trouble, or if I should just use the rocker on my power strip.

I did recently pick up a computer-made power strip "platform" as well, however, with 6 or 7 rocker switches and a cord as thick as my pinky. It was used to power up an old desktop's printer, modem, monitor, CPU, scanner, and other elements via front-mounted rocker switches. Acts as a platform to sit under a CRT monitor or desktop flat CPU. Got it as surplus that was headed for trash as updates were being installed in the office.

I'm interested in trying it out to see if it introduces noise to the system.

Try the 515 out- see if it introduces any noise to your setup. If it does, it's an easy sell on the 'Bay for $50 to $75.

If it doesn't, I imagine it set you back less than $20, and that could be neat for a "control" center of your gear.
 
They were a well regarded budget surge protector when they came out. I remember reading about them at the time. Not sure about its line conditioning capibilities although it was reported to have some "skills" in that area.

Line conditioners an be good and bad. Sometimes the ones that really work can suck the life out of the music.

I have tried a few, Tice, Audio Power and Monster but not the Adcom Ace.


Hey, are you going to be around today? I could get the Eico back to ya if you were going to be around. :thmbsp:

RC
 
I have one of these that I got recently, but never got to hook up. I was
under the impression that it cleaned up incoming AC quite nicely. I'll have
to give it a try.
 
Turns out it works just fine! I'm moving a bunch of stuff around in the system some things in, and some things out. My amp got moved to a higher shelf which makes reaching the power switch on the back tricky, so I figured it was time to try this gadget...

Slick! As deli mentioned, the time delay features are probably the nicest part - it powers up the "accessories" first, then the power amp 10 seconds later. When you switch it off, it immediately powers the amp off, then 30 seconds later the accessories.

Any "line conditioning" it's doing is not immediately apparent - I don't hear a difference.
 
Redboy,

Here's a "stab from the past" (old thread resurrected). I just picked up one of these Adcom ACE-515s at Goodwill for $3.99. Any thoughts on whether it is worth installing in my system?
 
Robie, I really liked it as a "master switch" for my system, so try it for that alone, if nothing else.
 
I bought Redboy's ACE 515 and use it in one of my three setups.

Line noise isn't an issue at my place (freshly re-wired a few years ago) unless you run the toaster oven- then all kinds of hash!

What it does do for me is allow simple turn on of gear with one button, protection against lightning, and a note here- there's a delay in turning on amps and sources- both at start-up and shut-off, so it reduces any amp thump or improper sequencing.
 
Thanks, Deli. I was hoping it had some line conditioning aspect but will give it a go myself and report if I hear anything.
 
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