Alan Maher's Power Enhancer

denjo · « **Reply #60 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 01:41 pm »

Hi Alan

Welcome to AudioCircle! Jen has been wonderful in trying to sort out our myriad queries! For simple minds like me, I think diagrams would help to show the many permutations that your excellent power enhancer can take.

From what I gather, most are confused with: (1) difference between series and parallell, that is, the difference between "prior to your system" (after ~) from "same outlet as the component"; (2) orientation of the PE (newer version with only 2 pins).

Many thanks,

Best Regards
Dennis

Huck · « **Reply #61 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 02:02 pm »

Quote from: alanmaher on 12 Nov 2007, 01:02 pm

The wife asked me to stop by....WOW....11 pages??? What's up with that??? Does anyone have any questions on the product?

Regards,
Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

Hi: There were probably 13 pages, but I deleted all my posts, as my "dumb" questions, inquiries, were, I thought confusing the whole thing. I still have a few questions that I still am not sure of the answers...so here goes a couple!
1. I have 3 PE's on order, before I start, should I check to see which way my duplex receptacles are wired... that being "hot" going to the bottom "brass" screw and also the "neutral" going to the bottom "silver" screw? If o.k. I would plug the PE(s) in the bottom and my a/v component in the top?
2. Let's say that I want to use all 3 of my PE's in my audio room and let's say I have three separate duplex recepticles spaced fron right to left. Lets call the far right one "A",middle one "B" and left "C". The middle outlet (B) is where I want to plug one PE, which will share this duplex with my Furman power conditioner, which is full with integrated, c.d. player,satellite receiver,a/v receiver,etc, ( one PE will go to the bottom, Furman on top.. correct?). The other PE, I would place at "A" which I think is "before" The duplex at "B" (I think the power comes that way from the breaker, from right to left A>B>C. I would place the last PE on the duplex at "C", being this is "after" All three ABC duplexes are on the same circuit!
3. Let's say on of my intended duplexes is wired "wrong"...that being "hot going to top screw and "neutral" also going to top screw, do I need to change this first?! What if the hot is going to the bottom and the neutral is going to the top, should this be changed also!
4. Is there any harm done to the PE's if say, the power should go out, and since the PE has already been "charged", will the extra boost, when the power comes back on hurt anything?
I'm sure there will be more questions coming!! Thanks,Huck

Huck · « **Reply #62 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 03:00 pm »

Quote from: denjo on 12 Nov 2007, 01:41 pm

Hi Alan

Welcome to AudioCircle! Jen has been wonderful in trying to sort out our myriad queries! For simple minds like me, I think diagrams would help to show the many permutations that your excellent power enhancer can take.

From what I gather, most are confused with: (1) difference between series and parallell, that is, the difference between "prior to your system" (after ~) from "same outlet as the component"; (2) orientation of the PE (newer version with only 2 pins).

Many thanks,

Best Regards
Dennis

Yes! I second that! Huck

alanmaher · « **Reply #63 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 05:03 pm »

Hi Dennis

"From what I gather, most are confused with: (1) difference between series and parallel, that is, the difference between "prior to your system" (after ~) from "same outlet as the component"; (2) orientation of the PE (newer version with only 2 pins)."

1. Series and parallel is the difference in how the duplex outlet is wired in reference to the filter and component. US spec outlets use a straight buss between the top and bottom receptacle to pass electricity. The buss that is located on the side of the duplex causes the series vs parallel dilemma. What we would like to see is the following:

All in wall wire enters the duplex via the bottom receptacle. The PE plugs into the bottom receptacle. This arrangement places the PE in series with the top receptacle. With that said, the side H/N buss passes the PE filtered a/c to the top receptacle. Plug the component into the top receptacle. This description is what I consider to be series filtering. Series filtering removes stray inductance prior to the PE on the circuit and injects our filter bandwidth (ringing frequency) into the component which is placed after the PE on the circuit. Parallel filtering is just the opposite, the in-wall wiring enters the top receptacle. The component is plugged into the top receptacle, and the PE is plugged into the bottom. In this situation the PE will increase the magnetic build up (increased inductance) inside the outlet. Series provides a bright/more dynamic sound and parallel provides a warmer tonal balance.

Series also provides power factor correction, circuit isolation, and rfi / emi reduction. Parallel only provides rfi / emi reduction.

2. The PE has NEVER been designed with 3 prongs. It has always been a 2 prong filter. We use the case vendors stock photo on the web site because Jen's digital camera sucks. The pictures always come out dark and fuzzy. If anyone would like to take a picture of the filter I would be greatly appreciated. Send the pic to my e-mail account: [email protected]

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

alanmaher · « **Reply #64 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 05:06 pm »

Dennis

I forgot to mention that Japanese outlets are designed using a T buss. This type of outlet will only place the PE in parallel no matter what you do to wire the duplex. If you want series filtering it is best to plug the PE over one outlet on a shared circuit. Find the outlet that offers the brightest sound quality after the PE is plugged in and call it a day.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

Huck · « **Reply #65 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 05:59 pm »

Quote from: alanmaher on 12 Nov 2007, 05:03 pm

Hi Dennis

"From what I gather, most are confused with: (1) difference between series and parallel, that is, the difference between "prior to your system" (after ~) from "same outlet as the component"; (2) orientation of the PE (newer version with only 2 pins)."

1. Series and parallel is the difference in how the duplex outlet is wired in reference to the filter and component. US spec outlets use a straight buss between the top and bottom receptacle to pass electricity. The buss that is located on the side of the duplex causes the series vs parallel dilemma. What we would like to see is the following:

All in wall wire enters the duplex via the bottom receptacle. The PE plugs into the bottom receptacle. This arrangement places the PE in series with the top receptacle. With that said, the side H/N buss passes the PE filtered a/c to the top receptacle. Plug the component into the top receptacle. This description is what I consider to be series filtering. Series filtering removes stray inductance prior to the PE on the circuit and injects our filter bandwidth (ringing frequency) into the component which is placed after the PE on the circuit. Parallel filtering is just the opposite, the in-wall wiring enters the top receptacle. The component is plugged into the top receptacle, and the PE is plugged into the bottom. In this situation the PE will increase the magnetic build up (increased inductance) inside the outlet. Series provides a bright/more dynamic sound and parallel provides a warmer tonal balance.

Series also provides power factor correction, circuit isolation, and rfi / emi reduction. Parallel only provides rfi / emi reduction.

2. The PE has NEVER been designed with 3 prongs. It has always been a 2 prong filter. We use the case vendors stock photo on the web site because Jen's digital camera sucks. The pictures always come out dark and fuzzy. If anyone would like to take a picture of the filter I would be greatly appreciated. Send the pic to my e-mail account: [email protected]

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

Hi Alan : Just so I am clear on this you said: "All in wall wire enters the duplex via the bottom receptacle".
I guess that's obvious that you mean BOTH the "hot" and "neutral"
go to the bottom screws?! This wiring scheme shouldn't change cause I'm in Canada, should it? Thanks,Huck. p.s. maybe you can go over my long post previous and answer some things for me? Thanks again!

alanmaher · « **Reply #66 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 06:10 pm »

Huck

"1. I have 3 PE's on order, before I start, should I check to see which way my duplex receptacles are wired... that being "hot" going to the bottom "brass" screw and also the "neutral" going to the bottom "silver" screw?"

Yes...all wiring should be wired into the bottom screws.

"If o.k. I would plug the PE(s) in the bottom and my a/v component in the top?"

Yes

"2. Let's say that I want to use all 3 of my PE's in my audio room and let's say I have three separate duplex receptacles spaced from right to left. Lets call the far right one "A",middle one "B" and left "C". The middle outlet (B) is where I want to plug one PE, which will share this duplex with my Furman power conditioner, which is full with integrated, c.d. player,satellite receiver,a/v receiver,etc, ( one PE will go to the bottom, Furman on top.. correct?). The other PE, I would place at "A" which I think is "before" The duplex at "B" (I think the power comes that way from the breaker, from right to left A>B>C. I would place the last PE on the duplex at "C", being this is "after" All three ABC duplexes are on the same circuit!"

Plug one PE into outlet A. Check the polarity of the outlet to make sure the wiring is not crossed. Plug the PE into the bottom receptacle.

Check the wiring of outlet B. Make sure all wiring is wired into the bottom screws. On a shared circuit you will have 4 wired (2 hot and 2 neutral) and a ground. Both sets of hot and neutral wires must be installed into the bottom screws. Check the polarity of the outlet. Plug the PE into the bottom receptacle and the Furman into the top.

Plug the PE into outlet C. Check the polarity of the outlet.

Suggestion: I highly recommend adding 1 PE to the Furman. The Furman power cord will add a little stray inductance (EMI) to the circuit via it's internal wire geometry. A forth PE added directly to the Furman will eliminate the remaining EMI residue from the circuit.

"3. Let's say on of my intended duplexes is wired "wrong"...that being "hot going to top screw and "neutral" also going to top screw, do I need to change this first?! What if the hot is going to the bottom and the neutral is going to the top, should this be changed also!"

All wiring must be installed in the bottom screws if you want to achieve series filtering.

"4. Is there any harm done to the PE's if say, the power should go out, and since the PE has already been "charged", will the extra boost, when the power comes back on hurt anything?"

The PE's main job on the electrical phase is to reduce and eliminate stray inductance (EMI). Surge, spikes, and arc's are a form of stray inductance (RFI/EMI). These interferences are caused by magnetic build up on the electrical phase. The PE should be used to treat each circuit that shares the same phase as the a/v system. Let me give you an example of how noise travels. A lightning surge is considered noise in the form of EMI. Lightning strikes outside and can travel up to 1000 sq ft from the strike point. Any metal what so ever dug into the ground will become magnetized by the EMI field created by the strike. All homes use a ground rod in the yard to help deal with surge problems. The ground rod only works if it's tapped into the water table. In most cases the surge travels into the home via the earth ground. Inside the breaker box the earth ground is split with the neutral wire. All surges enter components either by the neutral, earth, or both. The hot (in coming service) is protected twice by two breakers. Of coarse some breakers are better than others, I usually recommend thermal magnetic breakers,,,they have the best response time. As I mentioned before, the PE's main job is to reduce stray inductance / EMI that is circulating on the phase. In order to deal with larger surges I would recommend 2 to 3 PE's to be used on non-a/v circuits throughout the home. Unless your Furman is a IT Ref model (balanced ac), the other models are all passive parallel units with a simple MOV circuit. The MOV does zippy do da to prevent electrical surges from passing via the neutral or earth ground. The PE can greatly reduce the magnetic build up on the hot and neutral wire with 1 pico second respose time. As I mentioned more than 3 are required to deal with the entire breaker box, but it is a very good investment.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

alanmaher · « **Reply #67 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 06:31 pm »

Robin

How ya doin'? Jen said you are going for the record

Be forwarned...I still have not received any parts in the mail toward the pre-orders. I expect them to show up some time this week, but military mail has been a little slow (still waiting for the budget to be passed) since the beginning of October. Hopefully everything comes in before I take off, if not, I have a guy that I use to fill the orders when I go on the road. I will be hooking up with Springsteen in Madrid on the 23rd and won't be back until Dec 21. No need for anyone to be concern, all orders will be filled as soon as the parts arrive...worse case scenario I don't sign the case

Steven does superb work. Anyone who has received a filter from me in the past few weeks should be familiar with his craft manship.

"Awesome product Alan, congratulations!"

Thank you.

"I'm anxious to get more into my circuits, just to see how my system can be more tamed but as it is now with 1 PE in my dedicated outlet being shared with my BPT and 2 PE's in the back of the BPT duplex's that are being shared with my Sunfire processor & HTPC music source have allowed me to listen to hard drive stored music at much louder volumes w/o listening fatigue than I've ever been able to before."

How do you connect the HTPC to the Sunfire? I use a AES/EBU out on my HTPC into a Lavry DA10...of coarse I'm not big on surround sound formats and listen via 2 channel. My Bohlender Graebener 520dx ribbons do a nice job...don't miss the old EAD / Paradigm set up.

"Quite a useful product at a real world price for me, in my system, to my ears. Can't wait to receive more."

That is what she was designed to do...offer good performance at a good price.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

alanmaher · « **Reply #68 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 06:32 pm »

Huck

"This wiring scheme shouldn't change cause I'm in Canada, should it?"

No.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

doug s. · « **Reply #69 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 06:41 pm »

Quote from: alanmaher on 12 Nov 2007, 06:10 pm

...In order to deal with larger surges I would recommend 2 to 3 PE's to be used on non-a/v circuits throughout the home. Unless your Furman is a IT Ref model (balanced ac), the other models are all passive parallel units with a simple MOV circuit. The MOV does zippy do da to prevent electrical surges from passing via the neutral or earth ground. The PE can greatly reduce the magnetic build up on the hot and neutral wire with 1 pico second respose time. As I mentioned more than 3 are required to deal with the entire breaker box, but it is a very good investment...

what about those of us who have everything plugged into furman it's or other similar, like cinepro & equi=tech? how should we use these devices for best results?

thanks,

doug s.

Huck · « **Reply #70 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 06:59 pm »

Quote from: alanmaher on 12 Nov 2007, 06:10 pm

Huck

"1. I have 3 PE's on order, before I start, should I check to see which way my duplex receptacles are wired... that being "hot" going to the bottom "brass" screw and also the "neutral" going to the bottom "silver" screw?"

Yes...all wiring should be wired into the bottom screws.

"If o.k. I would plug the PE(s) in the bottom and my a/v component in the top?"

Yes

"2. Let's say that I want to use all 3 of my PE's in my audio room and let's say I have three separate duplex receptacles spaced from right to left. Lets call the far right one "A",middle one "B" and left "C". The middle outlet (B) is where I want to plug one PE, which will share this duplex with my Furman power conditioner, which is full with integrated, c.d. player,satellite receiver,a/v receiver,etc, ( one PE will go to the bottom, Furman on top.. correct?). The other PE, I would place at "A" which I think is "before" The duplex at "B" (I think the power comes that way from the breaker, from right to left A>B>C. I would place the last PE on the duplex at "C", being this is "after" All three ABC duplexes are on the same circuit!"

Plug one PE into outlet A. Check the polarity of the outlet to make sure the wiring is not crossed. Plug the PE into the bottom receptacle.

Check the wiring of outlet B. Make sure all wiring is wired into the bottom screws. On a shared circuit you will have 4 wired (2 hot and 2 neutral) and a ground. Both sets of hot and neutral wires must be installed into the bottom screws. Check the polarity of the outlet. Plug the PE into the bottom receptacle and the Furman into the top.

Plug the PE into outlet C. Check the polarity of the outlet.

Suggestion: I highly recommend adding 1 PE to the Furman. The Furman power cord will add a little stray inductance (EMI) to the circuit via it's internal wire geometry. A forth PE added directly to the Furman will eliminate the remaining EMI residue from the circuit.

"3. Let's say on of my intended duplexes is wired "wrong"...that being "hot going to top screw and "neutral" also going to top screw, do I need to change this first?! What if the hot is going to the bottom and the neutral is going to the top, should this be changed also!"

All wiring must be installed in the bottom screws if you want to achieve series filtering.

"4. Is there any harm done to the PE's if say, the power should go out, and since the PE has already been "charged", will the extra boost, when the power comes back on hurt anything?"

The PE's main job on the electrical phase is to reduce and eliminate stray inductance (EMI). Surge, spikes, and arc's are a form of stray inductance (RFI/EMI). These interferences are caused by magnetic build up on the electrical phase. The PE should be used to treat each circuit that shares the same phase as the a/v system. Let me give you an example of how noise travels. A lightning surge is considered noise in the form of EMI. Lightning strikes outside and can travel up to 1000 sq ft from the strike point. Any metal what so ever dug into the ground will become magnetized by the EMI field created by the strike. All homes use a ground rod in the yard to help deal with surge problems. The ground rod only works if it's tapped into the water table. In most cases the surge travels into the home via the earth ground. Inside the breaker box the earth ground is split with the neutral wire. All surges enter components either by the neutral, earth, or both. The hot (in coming service) is protected twice by two breakers. Of coarse some breakers are better than others, I usually recommend thermal magnetic breakers,,,they have the best response time. As I mentioned before, the PE's main job is to reduce stray inductance / EMI that is circulating on the phase. In order to deal with larger surges I would recommend 2 to 3 PE's to be used on non-a/v circuits throughout the home. Unless your Furman is a IT Ref model (balanced ac), the other models are all passive parallel units with a simple MOV circuit. The MOV does zippy do da to prevent electrical surges from passing via the neutral or earth ground. The PE can greatly reduce the magnetic build up on the hot and neutral wire with 1 pico second respose time. As I mentioned more than 3 are required to deal with the entire breaker box, but it is a very good investment.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

Thanks! You suggested I place one PE into my Furman,but unfortunately all 8 outlets are full! Maybe a "non-filtered" power-bar? Huck

alanmaher · « **Reply #71 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 07:03 pm »

Doug

Balanced ac is easy....the minimum should be 1 PE at the wall with the main power cord and another plugged into the balanced output. This is the basic model for any type of transformer based PLC. Additional can be added if further induced filtering is required. The size of the transformer will dictate the number of PE's. I usually add 1 PE per duplex outlet on the rear when I custom design units. I will also include 1 PE on the primary side of the transformer. Others can be added (1 or 2) to the circuit to deal with stray inductance of the in-wall geometry. Each non-a/v circuit is treated with 1 to 3 PE's...pending the amount and type of appliance on each circuit.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

alanmaher · « **Reply #72 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 07:07 pm »

Huck

Do you have any component that has rear outlets? Receiver, cable box, etc? The PE can be installed into the component unswitched outlet and do the same thing...the PE will also provide additional isolation for the selected component.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

Phil · « **Reply #73 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 07:17 pm »

Hi Alan,

Since I only have my source plugged into the equi=tech, one PE shares the same equi=tech duplex as the source is plugged into (and 1 PE in the duplex the equi=tech is plugged into).

Since nothing else is plugged into the equi=tech, is there a benefit to adding a PE to another (empty) duplex?

Thanks,

Phil

Huck · « **Reply #74 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 07:25 pm »

Quote from: alanmaher on 12 Nov 2007, 07:07 pm

Huck

Do you have any component that has rear outlets? Receiver, cable box, etc? The PE can be installed into the component unswitched outlet and do the same thing...the PE will also provide additional isolation for the selected component.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

Hi Alan: Unfortunately I don't have any "unswitched" outlets. Now what? Thanks, Huck

HChi · « **Reply #75 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 07:33 pm »

Quote from: JenMaher on 9 Nov 2007, 10:58 pm

Howard-
It depends on what you considered star wired. We have seen many applications over the years labeled as "star wired" and it's not. Star wiring means you have 5 wires per duplex outlet. 1 wire is earth, 2 wires are hot (1 wired to the bottom screw and 1 wired to the top screw), and 2 wires are neutral (same wire design). We have seen many descriptions of star wiring, one example is to run one pair to duplex 1 and another pair to duplex 2. This design is for isolation, not star wiring. Star wiring is used to lower the ringing of the duplex.

The PE cancels out stray inductance. The PE will change the sound to reflect a neutral (flat) presentation.

I believe you are asking about the sonic difference with a star wire, well that is the best of both worlds, the PE will be placed in series and parallel. This will offer a little more neutral presentation with very good bass extension and punch. When Alan does professional installs he uses star wire geometries. Highly recommended to lower impedance.

Hello Alan,
Welcome to AC. I have tried reaching you a couple times, but Jen informed that you were on the road. I have a few questions. The first question is kind of off topic. If I plan to re-wire the duplex outlet in the future in the star wire fashion mentioned by Jen, which brand and gauge of wire do you recommend, as the star wiring requires 5 inner wire threads in every dedicated line?

Second, in Huck's scenario, if 2 hot and 2 neutral are recommended to be wired to the bottom screws, according to Jen's reply, won't putting one wire to each screw of star wiring yielding better result?

Third, I ordered 2x PE and 1x PE II to try out first. I am running the whole rig off a dedicated line. PLC's I have include Tice PBIII HP, Outline UPS, and should have Isotek Titan coming by the year end. Currently two mono battery amps are plugged into Tice PBIII HP circuit duplexes, each on the separate duplexes. The rest of tube pre and source players are plugged into a 4-outlet isolated circuit wired, passive filtered extension, which is plugged into an online-UPS going into a downstream wall duplex after where Tice is plugged in. Where would be your recommendations of putting the PE's and PEII?

Thanks,
Howard

alanmaher · « **Reply #76 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 07:43 pm »

Phil

Add PE's will provide additional RFI/EMI filtering. Don't go overboard...maybe one or two more. I would concentrate more on the non-a/v circuits if I was you.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

alanmaher · « **Reply #77 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 07:49 pm »

Huck

A power strip is the way to go. I noticed Jen posted the Hammond strip a couple pages back. We use the Hammond as the base for our new PE filtered strip coming out early next year.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher Designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

alanmaher · « **Reply #78 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 08:03 pm »

Howard

"I have tried reaching you a couple times, but Jen informed that you were on the road. I have a few questions. The first question is kind of off topic. If I plan to re-wire the duplex outlet in the future in the star wire fashion mentioned by Jen, which brand and gauge of wire do you recommend, as the star wiring requires 5 inner wire threads in every dedicated line?"

I use star wiring in my commercial designs. Don't buy anything fancy. Pick up 12GA stranded THHN wire from the local Home Depot/Low es style of hardware store. Three colors are needed. What you want to do is take a single pair of hot and neutral and twist them together using a power drill. Repeat for the 2ND pair and run the ground in parallel. Do not twist the pairs together...just run them in parallel. The geometry takes about 60 hours to set up using 24/7 component power up.

"Second, in Huck's scenario, if 2 hot and 2 neutral are recommended to be wired to the bottom screws, according to Jen's reply, won't putting one wire to each screw of star wiring yielding better result?"

A normal star wire is to put one pair of wires per wire terminal. I would advise placing both sets of wires into the bottom and allowing the PE to provide series filtering. The geometry up top will provide similar sound quality as a $400 to $500 high-end power cord....combined with the PE the combination jumps into the $750 range.

"Third, I ordered 2x PE and 1x PE II to try out first. I am running the whole rig off a dedicated line. PLC's I have include Tice PBIII HP, Outline UPS, and should have Isotek Titan coming by the year end. Currently two mono battery amps are plugged into Tice PBIII HP circuit duplexes, each on the separate duplexes. The rest of tube pre and source players are plugged into a 4-outlet isolated circuit wired, passive filtered extension, which is plugged into an online-UPS going into a downstream wall duplex after where Tice is plugged in. Where would be your recommendations of putting the PE's and PEII?"

Place one PE at the wall with the Tice power cords (total of two PE's). Plug the PE II into the Tice. Pick up another pair of PE's for the UPS. Plug one at the wall and the other into the UPS. You could also use one PE II pre tube component.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

alanmaher · « **Reply #79 on:** 12 Nov 2007, 10:47 pm »

gme109

The answer to your question is 14K gold wire is expensive. I pay out of pocket $104 to wire the PE III with gold....and don't forget the added cost of the internal parts and the case.

Alan Maher

Alan Maher designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com