Hi Dave
I am looking at the switching amps using the ICE modules. I have been looking for specific information on your Buss products and don't seem to see any. As far as PF correction- Do the ICE modules have built in PFC. Most switching supplies do have this built in to help with meeting regulatory requirements.
The power requirements of a class D amp are much less then an equally powerful Class AB amp. This and the fact that the switching supplies can work over a large voltage range should make them less sensitive to poorly regulated power. The unknown of course is how the switching noise from the amp will impact on the incoming power and what this will do to the front end components in the system. It seems to me that the class D amp would require a different solution than conventional amps and that isolation between the amp and the rest of the system/power line would be a critical component of any power treatment.
I my own situation I am 3 miles from the main road and have a dedicated transformer on the pole at the end of my driveway. It is 250ft to the house and even with a dedicated TX my regulation is poor with the voltage sagging to below 110v in winter when electric heat is in wide use(Canada). I think the classD amps may have an advantage in that the supply can operate down to 90v and still provide rated output.
What are your thoughts on this and how does the Buss isolate without using any series filter elements?
Thanks
Brian
"Well, let me say this about that" (JFK, in many instances to avoid some direct answers due to not having all of the facts).
I "think" (uh-oh!) that the ICE modules have PFC that is specific to their operation built into the modules. I'll shoot Gary Dodd and Seth Krinsky a link to this discussion. They can answer your question better than I. Most switching supplies do have that PFC to comply with EU type certification.
Switchers are bad for audio, in general, but necessary to meet energy requirements world wide. One of the things that my BUSSes do is to isolate and sink the noise from these power supplies through some parallel band pass filters to and through the EMI brick in them. It is a noise sink, if you will.
The EMI brick is proprietary and I am necessarily not divuldging what it is made of, kind of like the Coca-Cola recipe. It is a trade secret (legal definition). My patent application has hit a snag in the research and discovery phase do to pre-existing art from about 80 years ago that 'may' make my units not patentable. I'm trying to get a ruling on this before I spend any more $$$. Oh, well... that didn't tell you much did it?
What makes my units different is that there is no series inductance to current limit and, equally as important, not make the noise reduction bandwidth bound to the common |AV| = 1 / √((1 - ω2LC)2 + (ωRC)2) low-pass equation. Since this absence of inductance does not effect bandwidth, I can play with the capacitance values to hit the desired low-pass attenuation target. Basically, the EMI brick manages energy states without resorting to inductive reactance and its' attendant limitations.
Often I get asked: "How does it work?" My usual answer is: "Well."
Electric heaters are notorious for imprinting DC on the lines. My units don't help with this. The PS Audio Hunbusters work well.
Dave
