Tuning With Chokes:
Each circuit location vs. the audio circuit, type of in-wall wiring geometry, circuit breaker quality, number of duplex outlets per circuit, and even the number of staples used to rough in the wiring during construction, all play a role in the ringing quality of a circuit. Harmonic interaction from appliances, lighting, and type of lighting also inject noise in the form of odd harmonics. The number one culprit for noise in the home is the circuit panel. All of the elements listed feed back to the panel and branch the noise throughout the home via the neutral and earth ground.
The original Power Enhancer was designed to deal with this sort of problem. Later I discovered the filter benefit was not isolated to the treated circuit and could travel freely, without harmonic loss, throughout the entire phase. The Hammond choke provides a similar electrical interaction that can be easily heard on circuits installed on the same phase. As I mentioned, not all circuits ring at the same frequency and some ring higher in frequency and db than others. The choke primary function is to lower the loudest of the circuits installed on the same phase.
Getting Started:
I want everyone to take a look at their circuit panel and write down the purpose and location of each circuit. Next, remove all filtering from the electrical service throughout the home. Allow the electrical phase 24 hours to readjust. Now you are ready to start playing with chokes. Put on your favorite reference recording and sit back and get a good feel for the sound of your non-filtered home. I suggest you repeat one song over and over for this exercise. Now that you have your list of circuits and locations in hand, I want you to use a standard PE and plug the filter into the first circuit on your list, as a note, the stereo circuit should not be on the list for this exercise. Allow the PE 20 minutes to set up on the circuit and take notes while listening to your selected repeated song once. Unplug the PE and wait 15 minutes before plugging the filter into the next circuit on your list. Repeat exercise for each circuit in the home excluding the stereo circuit. Compare your notes, you should find that a couple circuits sound brighter and stood out more than a few of the other circuits tested. On the brighter sounding circuits plug in a Hammond 193M, only one choke per circuit is required for this exercise.
Allow your newly installed Hammond 193M chokes a good 72 hours to set up before testing the 193L chokes on the remaining circuits. Some circuits will sound good with a 193L installed and others will not. Allow each choke a good 20 to 30 minutes to set up on the circuit before taking and comparing notes on the install.
When installing the chokes on the circuits try to address noise at the source. For instance you may find placing a choke on the kitchen circuit at the refrigerator lowers the circuit noise and also lowers the mechanical noise/vibration of the refrigerator. The idea of circuit tuning is to lower noise but also provide power factor correction where it is needed. PFC is where the proper form of filtering becomes tricky, because the choke might lower the mechanical noise of the refrigerator, but it might not provide power factor correction, you will have to experiment between the choke and PE to see which offers better efficiency for the refrigerator. You will know by the internal temperature of the refrigerator and freezer. If you notice the temp is colder at the same setting that is when you are experiencing proper power factor correction. You might discover that both filtering methods provide PFC for the refrigerator, in that case go with the best method to lower all forms of noise including mechanical, because mechanical vibration creates added harmonics on the circuit that is fed back to the circuit panel.
I would like if everyone gave a brief write up on the sound and video quality after 2 or 3 days of allowing the chokes to set up. I don’t expect toe tapping results, because we are trying to lower circuit ringing feed back with this exercise. Toe tapping results will return after we start tuning with the PE.
Do we have any Shakti Stone or Audio Magic Quantum Disrupter owners in the audience? We will cover circuit panel tweaking in my next write up.
