Power conditioner needed

kck · « **on:** 9 May 2005, 04:07 pm »

Hi, I posted this over in Audiogon the other day:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1115068778&read&keyw&zzhaley

Upshot is I need a one-box solution that conditions as well as regulates. My home voltage goes too high in the evenings, sometimes shutting down my amp. (about 130v). During the day it stays around 127. Now granted this is in spring with very little Airconditioning being used, and I have already noticed it go down a bit, but still, one can't have an amp shutting down at various times of the year!

Any recommendations? Need to be about $1K, and one box solution. A dealer on the thread recommended Running Springs Audio Haley. Any experience?

Jon L · « **Reply #1 on:** 9 May 2005, 04:21 pm »

I've heard the Running Springs products in several sytems, but never in A-B comparisons. You might find this article/comparison helpful about Haley: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/rsa/haley.html

Sounds like it works with capacitor-based filtering and a inductor-like circuit (a la Richard Grey Powerstations?). It also has voltage regulation, which is what you are after, but it does not use active/DSP type of regulation, but that means it's using huge capacitor to passively regulate the voltage similar to ferro-resonant power conditioners like Topaz, which is a good thing IMO.

zybar · « **Reply #2 on:** 9 May 2005, 05:54 pm »

Quote from: Jon L

I've heard the Running Springs products in several sytems, but never in A-B comparisons. You might find this article/comparison helpful about Haley: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/rsa/haley.html

Sounds like it works with capacitor-based filtering and a inductor-like circuit (a la Richard Grey Powerstations?). It also has voltage regulation, which is what you are after, but it does not use active/DSP type of regulation, but that means it's using huge capacitor to passively regulate the voltage similar to ferro-resonant power conditioners like Topaz, which is a good thing IMO.

I have replaced my BPT 3.5 Sig with RSA gear (I currently have a Duke and two Haleys) and have had some nice benefots doing so (which is of course the reason I made the change

).

Look for a post in the near future with the details...

George

clubmyke · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 May 2005, 03:10 pm »

have you changed out your power cords yet ????

Jason1 · « **Reply #4 on:** 13 May 2005, 05:22 pm »

Anyone ever used one of these Tripplite line conditioners?

Looks like it does everything for very cheap.

Quote

have you changed out your power cords yet ????

Not to be rude, but how can that stabilize the voltage?

kck · « **Reply #5 on:** 13 May 2005, 05:25 pm »

Jason1, that Tripplite looks very interesting. Curious if others have tried it... have you?

I do have VH Audio power cords on everything btw. Not for this reason of course.

Jason1 · « **Reply #6 on:** 13 May 2005, 05:30 pm »

No, but I'm thinking about buying one because its so cheap.

tvad4 · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 May 2005, 05:53 pm »

Powervar ABC-1200-11 is an option. Inexpensive, too.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?accspowr&1120947212

It's an isolation transformer...I don't know if it regulates voltage. Here's a link to the Powervar website:

http://www.powervar.com/English/Solutions/prod_spc_na_st.asp

PhilNYC · « **Reply #8 on:** 13 May 2005, 06:01 pm »

A question...130v seems to be pretty high; I've heard that most appliances are built to tolerate changes of +/- 10% voltage swings around 110-115v (my house goes up to about 125v, and I find that I blow lightbulbs pretty frequently). Maybe its something that an electrician should look at? It would suck if your house voltage was slowly destroying all the electrical appliances in the house...

Occam · « **Reply #9 on:** 13 May 2005, 07:46 pm »

kck,

Would you describe your components? The solution for a system for a pair of monobloc 1kw Krells might be very different for one using a 25wpc tube amp.....

OT: Are you in the Service?

ooheadsoo · « **Reply #10 on:** 13 May 2005, 08:37 pm »

What makes these voltage regulators better than the proaudio variant for half the price?

PhilNYC · « **Reply #11 on:** 13 May 2005, 08:49 pm »

Quote from: ooheadsoo

What makes these voltage regulators better than the proaudio variant for half the price?

Probably the same thing that makes the more expensive pro audio variants more expensive than the ones half their price...

ooheadsoo · « **Reply #12 on:** 13 May 2005, 09:01 pm »

But you can get those that are twice as expensive for half the price on ebay

PhilNYC · « **Reply #13 on:** 13 May 2005, 09:04 pm »

Quote from: ooheadsoo

But you can get those that are twice as expensive for half the price on ebay

So I guess you're saying that the pro audio variants don't hold their value as well?

ooheadsoo · « **Reply #14 on:** 13 May 2005, 09:16 pm »

You could say that for audio stuff in general

Most of it's there for close to half retail.

doug s. · « **Reply #15 on:** 14 May 2005, 05:57 am »

Quote from: kck

Jason1, that Tripplite looks very interesting. Curious if others have tried it... have you?

I do have VH Audio power cords on everything btw. Not for this reason of course.

i have used the lc-2400 - a unit that you can get for about the same price as the lc-1800 adwertised on partsexpress - yust do a websearch; several dealers will come up. here's one that's actually a few dollars cheaper - *and* free shipping.:

http://www.buy.com/retail/Product.asp?sku=10031134

here's one price comparison website
:
http://shopping.msn.com/search/detail.aspx?pcId=15865&prodId=1824323

that said, i wouldn't plug amps into it - my experience was that it sucked the life & dynamics outta them. it's ok for source gear - it won't affect the sound one way or the other, imo, it *will* help w/power fluctuations, it & will offer protection some for your gear. but, they're not 100% effective. don't know if *anything* is, for that matter, but i am pretty sure there's other gear that's better than these particular tripp lites. an electrical storm blew a diode in my ase z-man tubed buffer stage that was plugged into it. but, to be fair, z-man corp told me they'd had a couple isolated problems w/that specific diode, (they sent me an upsized replacement, which was an easy install), and none of my other gear was affected...

even *this* tripp lite likely offers better surge protection, but it won't regulate woltage like the lc-series, afaik:

http://www.tripplite.com/products/product.cfm?productID=705
http://www.epinions.com/pr-Trippe_Lite_Isolator_Hospital_Grade_IS1800HG_Surge_Suppressor

and, another thing about this type of gear. (the tripp lite "lc" series; i am not sure about theire isolation transformers) - the way it's designed, w/mov's, they become less & less effective against over time, w/big jolts from, say, electrical storms. read all about the way the lc-1800 operates here. (the lc-2400 is similar, yust greater capacity):

http://www.shopping.com/xPR-Trippe_Lite_Line_Conditioner_1800_LC1800~RD-76536188548

doug s.