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Power Conditioners - do you use them and do you have a recommendation?

shelly_d said:
As a side issue, does noisey or distorted power generate additional heat in the power supply components?
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Significant sine-wave distortion -- expressed as harmonics -- or DC offset can warm up the power transformer, but won't cause any other heating. It's a thing, but unlikely to be significant enough to cause damage in typical consumer audio gear. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonics_(electrical_power) and https://reuterhanney.com/harmonics-can-cause-overheating-damage-transformers-motors/
 
DaveVoorhis said:
It's a joke. BUT DON'T GOOGLE IT unless you're ok with something quite rude.

I assumed folks would be familiar with the reference, given it was a source of many jokes on the 'net a few years ago.
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I guess, that I live a sheltered life, and don`t go wandering around the internet, and stay away from knowingly using Google anything, in fact BLOCK, & seek out and delete all Google references that I seek and find in all 12 of my computers, and if any site that thwarts/ blocks me because, of my directly aggressive blocking them or their whores(affiliates) in bed with them, well then, I walk away, and don`t use their site, and that will, and does include A/K, as no loss, being I`m not a subscriber..

Does your earlier reference of "fleshlight" affect/pertain to the female gender, as well, since you made a non-gender specific post : as all "anyone" needs are a transistor radio & a "Fleshlight" !! As Spock might say: "Most Curious, or interesting ! :dunno:

You are starting to intrigue me, Sir ? o_O Is this a UK specific kind of humor ?
 
I use surge protectors but that's about it. When my 25,000 btu air conditioner kicks on there is a very slight loss of power or flicker, will a power conditioner prevent it?
 
Bill Ferris said:
I guess, that I live a sheltered life, and don`t go wandering around the internet, and stay away from knowingly using Google anything, in fact BLOCK, & seek out and delete all Google references that I seek and find in all 12 of my computers, and if any site that thwarts/ blocks me because, of my directly aggressive blocking them or their whores(affiliates) in bed with them, well then, I walk away, and don`t use their site, and that will, and does include A/K, as no loss, being I`m not a subscriber..
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There are search alternatives to Google. Is Bing still a thing?

I recommend https://duckduckgo.com/, which emphasises privacy.
Bill Ferris said:
Does your earlier reference of "fleshlight" affect/pertain to the female gender, as well, since you made a non-gender specific post : as all "anyone" needs are a transistor radio & a "Fleshlight" !! As Spock might say: "Most Curious, or interesting ! :dunno:

You are starting to intrigue me, Sir ? o_O Is this a UK specific kind of humor ?
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Humour around bottoms, body functions, sex and dangly bits amuses 12-year-olds everywhere, but keeps Brits (and Canadians) giggling well into adulthood and at a level that thoroughly offends a certain type of prudish American. Of course, the fact that it does offend a certain type of prudish American only makes it funnier.

But that doesn't apply to all Americans, many of whom are just as gloriously puerile as Brits.

There are prudish Brits and Canadians too, but there seems -- percentagewise -- to be fewer of them, or at least they don't as obviously seem horrified or openly embarrassed when someone mentions farts, willies, fannies (US vs UK meaning differs here; look it up), bums, titties, arseholes, poop, burps, wanking or screwing.

I expect a few will officially report this post for being offensive, which proves my point. For convenience, here's the 'Report' link if you're feeling offended: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?posts/13427497/report
 
+1 on duckduckgo search. Same results but no snooping around.

+1 on power conditioners. Living in Florida our local power company does an amazing job keeping the lights on when a hurricane comes calling, the noise in the power lines is something that they don't have time for.

Australians have their own sets of colorful expressions as we discovered in High School when we got a pair of transfer students. Then there was the girl from New Zealand ...

Mark Gosdin
 
DMLBES said:
I use surge protectors but that's about it. When my 25,000 btu air conditioner kicks on there is a very slight loss of power or flicker, will a power conditioner prevent it?
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But a well current rated(meaning 20%, or more, higher capacity) then your audio equipment`s power requirement needs, then a quality AVR(Automatic Voltage regulator) might be helpful, if you hear any clicks, or any perceptible change in the sound in the sound system/s when it occurs..

On all, critical to me, A/V systems in my house`s various rooms have quality 15/20 amp rated 120v AVR/conditioners/surge/spike protection, in some cases/systems, I use individual separate daisy chained units, but when it comes to my A/V power input cleanliness.

I`m OCD, + here in NE. FL. I have been known to be on my whole house 25kw generator for extended periods of many days during, and post hurricane related area power outages, and the generator`s voltage not as stiff as the power companies when my 3.5 Ton HVAC cycles on, especially when my water heater is pulling serious amps at the same time.

I like to listen to my stereo systems all day, so I try to protect and take care of them, so they perform their desired task..

Your ears, money, & your choice, so try before you buy, if you can.
 
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DaveVoorhis said:
There are search alternatives to Google. Is Bing still a thing?

I recommend https://duckduckgo.com/, which emphasises privacy.

Humour around bottoms, body functions, sex and dangly bits amuses 12-year-olds everywhere, but keeps Brits (and Canadians) giggling well into adulthood and at a level that thoroughly offends a certain type of prudish American. Of course, the fact that it does offend a certain type of prudish American only makes it funnier.

But that doesn't apply to all Americans, many of whom are just as gloriously puerile as Brits.

There are prudish Brits and Canadians too, but there seems -- percentagewise -- to be fewer of them, or at least they don't as obviously seem horrified or openly embarrassed when someone mentions farts, willies, fannies (US vs UK meaning differs here; look it up), bums, titties, arseholes, poop, burps, wanking or screwing.

I expect a few will officially report this post for being offensive, which proves my point. For convenience, here's the 'Report' link if you're feeling offended: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?posts/13427497/report
Click to expand...

No Dave, I`m not easily offended, as I`ve been told, that`s it`s usually difficult to offend a offensive person(ME !), by various friends over decades ! HA !

Though this "Flesh Light" thing must be a very sensitive subject, as you haven`t directly explained it to me yet, but if your uncomfortable, as you seem to be, well then, I`ll make no more inquires about it to you..
 
Well I have a proper mains hum in this old apartment building. Hell, i get a shock when i unplug my phone, so there's clearly something wrong in the wiring in this building. Is there anything in the like $200-300 region that's known to work for that sort of thing? I'm certainly not searching for some sort of nerd level resolution booster, I just want it quiet when there's no sound playing.
 
FreaK said:
Well I have a proper mains hum in this old apartment building. Hell, i get a shock when i unplug my phone, so there's clearly something wrong in the wiring in this building. Is there anything in the like $200-300 region that's known to work for that sort of thing? I'm certainly not searching for some sort of nerd level resolution booster, I just want it quiet when there's no sound playing.
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First: Get one these and test your outlets. It will show any issues with how those outlets are wired up. Once you have those results contact the landlord and demand that the issues identified (if any) be corrected. They will be safety issues and he/she is obligated to fix them. Having lived in NY apartments and dealt with those landlords I know just how big a battle that can turn out to be, but there is not only shock hazard to faulty wiring but also fire hazard. Do yourself a favor and test the outlets and find the faults you are having. This could be a dangerous situation you have.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-Outlet-Tester-OT-112R/206029154

Shelly_D
 
I have Tripp Lites for all my electronics . Stereo ,Amps , computers and Tvs . Plus a whole home protector in my main Panel . You can never be to safe . Plus a dedicated 20 Amp breaker for my main rig .
 
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Hello,
I have three Furman Power 'Conditioners'. Two IT Ref 20i's and one 2400-IT, all output balanced power. I installed these to lessen ground loop hum and protect my equipment.

I live in a house with several dedicated 20 amp lines and was built two years ago in a new community with apparently "clean" electrical supply.

One IT Ref 20i makes an audible hum from the unit itself heard easily in a room from 10-15 ft away. This occurs whether or not there is a load. I checked the DC offset from the wall with my multi-meter, it was extremely low. I then tried using the Emotiva CMX-2 before the Furman and this made no difference. I plugged it into a dedicated 20amp line feet from the circuit panel. It still hummed/buzzed. When I plugged in speakers, I did NOT hear any additional buzz/hum and I did NOT hear any buzz/hum through the speakers with my ear to the driver.

I decided to move the Furman Ref 20i from this location where it was not in a cabinet to one in which it was in a cabinet to decrease my ability to hear the hum/noise. The Furman continued to hum/buzz in the cabinet but could not be heard with the doors closed. So, I plugged in my preamp and amplifier and fired them up. Low and behold, I know had a buzz/hum from the speakers as well as the unit itself. I then unplugged the amplifier (Parasound halo 5 channel) and left the preamp (Marantz 7703), and plugged the amp directly into the wall (same circuit as the furman) and the hum stopped from the speakers.

Can anyone explain what is going on? I presume it is a problem with this unit (but have not substituted the other Furman's in to test this theory since each is mounted and 90lbs).

I have tried to contact Furman (Nortek) several times and they are non-responsive and recently included the sentence on their website that says (I am paraphrasing) 'we no longer accept/perform out of warranty repairs and recommend replacing non-functioning units). This policy seems ridiculous to not support your 3-4k equipment, but that is for another place to discuss.

I would appreciate any thoughts on what could be happening with the unit and how to fix it.

Thanks
 
Are the Marantz and Parasound in the cabinet with the Furman?

Perhaps when you moved the Furman into the cabinet, the new arrangement of power cords relative to interconnects resulted in the new hum-- and the cord for the Parasound was the most likely culprit, as re-routing it may have fixed the problem.

I would look at cord placement carefully, and make sure to keep ICs as far away from power cords as possible, and to only cross paths at 90 degrees if that is necessary.

Regarding the hum from the Furman itself, it seems that this may be separate issue. Perhaps you can find a tech that is willing to take a look at it.

I'm not sure myself that I'd continue to use a power conditioner that has developed a new buzz or hum.

Good luck!
 
Hifiler said:
Are the Marantz and Parasound in the cabinet with the Furman?

Perhaps when you moved the Furman into the cabinet, the new arrangement of power cords relative to interconnects resulted in the new hum-- and the cord for the Parasound was the most likely culprit, as re-routing it may have fixed the problem.

I would look at cord placement carefully, and make sure to keep ICs as far away from power cords as possible, and to only cross paths at 90 degrees if that is necessary.

Regarding the hum from the Furman itself, it seems that this may be separate issue. Perhaps you can find a tech that is willing to take a look at it.

I'm not sure myself that I'd continue to use a power conditioner that has developed a new buzz or hum.

Good luck!
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Thanks, tried moving cables around without any luck.

If anyone has ideas on where I can find someone to look at this thing (in North Carolina), I would appreciate it.
 
Noob2019 said:
Thanks, tried moving cables around without any luck.

If anyone has ideas on where I can find someone to look at this thing (in North Carolina), I would appreciate it.
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If simply changing the outlet where your amp is plugged in gets rid of the hum, then it seems more likely to be an unusual ground loop issue, rather than a problem with the conditioner itself (as there was no hum with both the Marantz and the Parasound before you moved it into the cabinet).

Can you use a cheater plug on the Parasound cord when it is plugged into the Furman in the cabinet, to rule out a ground loop?
 
I personally don't need one where I live. Not an issue because my system runs crystal clear. I wish people would stop giving stuff bad reviews on equipment that are noisy or hiss and all that. If you have dirty electrical issues in your area, clog up one outlet with everything and use cheap audio connectors you'll probably have many issues going on
 
@ Jcbluesman - I think you misunderstand - this is not a review, it is a question about a piece of equipment that is not working as designed (I own two of the exact same thing - one operates normally and one does not). It could be the electrical input, however, that would not explain one piece working and one not using the same electricity...

@ motorstereo - Yes, the dedicated lines I am referring to are on the same 120 leg/panel.

@Hiflier - I will try the cheater plug and see.

Thanks
 
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