Stabilizer - Which one to buy

afj

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hi guys
am sure there must be something around on this forum but couldnt (was too lazy:)). i've just moved back to india and i need a stabilizer for my system. my current set up would be

nad c272 power amp
nad t163 pre amp
nad dvd player
cambridge cdp
42" plasma tv

i estimated that i would require a 2kva stabilizer. could someone pl help me with brands/ prices / stores in secunderabad - hyderabady area
thanks
 
Hi Afj,
ARGO 2 KVA servo with under/over voltage cut off should be about 8K in bombay. They will ship anywhere in india.
I will highly recommend this brand as we have been using similar for over a decade. UITs are available too though they are costlier. Loads of others that are sold as 2KVA are actually not able to handle 2 KVA load so beware.
Rgds
 
HI guys,

Me too facing same issue in Bangalore, here voltage fluctuations are more. I had my HT Onkyo 609 with 40"Plasma plugged in. I bought Vguard VG50 stabilizer which is 0.5kva where my HT guy told me i should use only servo stabiliser which I know will cost me a bomb.

My Onkyo AVR is rated at 640W. Where as Vguard(VG50) is at 0.5kva. I'm using spike buster so that I can get few more sockets to connect my TV, STB, sub woofer, DVD player. I have looked at Vguard crystal plus(0.6kva), but I know it will not be safe to handle this load.

can I go for Vguard Digi 200 which is 1320 watts rating?
 
if you not looking for something fancy to look at but give u the best stability with the right price...then simply go and buy a Vguard stabilizer used for 2 tons split ACs. they are the best. look at my signature and i drive more then half of that stuff through the stabilizer. the cost is almost 40% less then the other fancy ones.
 
Thanks denzong, I will go for v-guard Digi 200 which is 4600Rs in bangalore.

I have the following setup which I hope this v-guard can withstand
Pana plasma, Onkyo 609(640W), DVDP, BDP, STB, Wharf 9.6 & laptop, SW(150W)

I will connect the AVR to extension box which is connected to stabiliser. I don't know if the stabiliser comes with volt meter, else I'm planning to connect a voltmeter. I can see at low volumes of my AVR, the voltmeter is stable but at high volumes I can see some fluctuations in voltage/current.

if you not looking for something fancy to look at but give u the best stability with the right price...then simply go and buy a Vguard stabilizer used for 2 tons split ACs. they are the best. look at my signature and i drive more then half of that stuff through the stabilizer. the cost is almost 40% less then the other fancy ones.
 
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just use a spike guard along with the stab.
i am running the following on mine: 50in plasma, sansui integrated amp, yamaha avr, pioneer dvd, stb, wahrf 9.5, media player, 2tb seagate, cosmic tt and the 5.1 speakers for the yamaha avr
so now u can see what i am talking about
 
vguard etc are ok for cheap tvs and fridges.

for a home theater setup IMHO the best equipment available for us in India is from APC. log onto their site and u will get full info for what u need to protect ur HT.

Ideally u will need Voltage Regulation, Surge Protection for all equipment on ac supply side, Surge protectors for Settop Box receiving the antenna cable, and for any phone lines connected.
 
if you not looking for something fancy to look at but give u the best stability with the right price...then simply go and buy a Vguard stabilizer used for 2 tons split ACs. they are the best. look at my signature and i drive more then half of that stuff through the stabilizer. the cost is almost 40% less then the other fancy ones.

Absolutely on the dot ....... I do the same. My stabilizer is meant for a 2 TR A.C ..... but is running the HT which is using less (far less) than half its rated load.
 
A couple of points,

1) A UPS will give you the perfect power supply for critical components. The output voltage will be rock steady (220 or 230) and it will take care of spikes too. Its a bit costlier than a simple stabilizer. You can use a UPS without batteries to cut cost. It will still give you clean power but without backup. These days UPS has 90% efficiency so your power bills won't be that much higher either.

2) When you convert between KVA of a UPS and KWatts of your load requirement, a conversion factor of 0.7-0.8 has to be applied. Ie, KVA x 0.7 (or 0.8 as per manufacturer specs) = KWatts you can use. This is because UPS/Stabilizer manufacturers may specify in KVA, but the audio equipment will specify power requirement in Watts.

3) You need to give a head room of about 30% above the actual load requirement.

So for a load of 1 KWatts, you need around 1.6 KVA UPS.

regards,
Dovin
 
if you not looking for something fancy to look at but give u the best stability with the right price...then simply go and buy a Vguard stabilizer used for 2 tons split ACs. they are the best. look at my signature and i drive more then half of that stuff through the stabilizer. the cost is almost 40% less then the other fancy ones.

If one goes for V-Guard, then why not the Digi 200 ?
Stabilizer - Volt Stabilizer | Voltage Stabilizers :: V-Guard
Would the stab used for a 2 ton split AC be better or worse than this ?
Can you enligten me please ?
 
hi jagadish,
Are you using digi 200 or another model from vguard. how much did you pay for it.
Thanks,
Antony
 
Even these stabilizers won't be able to provide a constant voltage if your mains voltage fluctuates continuously, like the one happened at my place today. The voltage was rapidly changing and I can view it on a volt meter and my servo stabilizer was trying hard to make the voltage constant. I finally switched off my AV systems. Now I'm thinking of an online sinewave ups which will give me peace of mind.
 
An online UPS is the only way to ensure a constant voltage output. Even CVTs (Constant Voltage Transformers) have a problem of output voltage fluctuation with fluctuation in frequency.

With a costly system, one should always go in for an online UPS.

For my system (2 amps and 3 powered electrostatic speakers) I use a 3 KVA UPS connected to an isolation transformer (to get 120 volts). It works very well. Also in case of a power outage, a UPS gives you time to shut down properly.

Dovin
 
hi i purchased new LED tv, which stabilizer i have to purchase, i have voltage fluctuationin my place. i think 500VA is enough because only for led tv.pls help me
 
A couple of points,

1) A UPS will give you the perfect power supply for critical components. The output voltage will be rock steady (220 or 230) and it will take care of spikes too. Its a bit costlier than a simple stabilizer. You can use a UPS without batteries to cut cost. ........
regards,
Dovin

Would the UPS continue to condition the power when it is on "Mains" mode? I was under the impression that current bypasses the UPS circuits when on Mains-power (hence spikes and fluctuations pass through to the systems).

Your solution just may help me save on a servo stabiliser I'm planning to get. :cool:

And how about if the system is running off an inverter (serving the home): Would I need a stabiliser?
 
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Would the UPS continue to condition the power when it is on "Mains" mode? I was under the impression that current bypasses the UPS circuits when on Mains-power (hence spikes and fluctuations pass through to the systems).

Your solution just may help me save on a servo stabiliser I'm planning to get. :cool:

And how about if the system is running off an inverter (serving the home): Would I need a stabiliser?

Unlike ordinary UPSs and invertors, an Online UPS is always powering the output. So there is no voltage fluctuations. For your use consider an online UPS and stay away from the ordinary line interactive UPSs and inverters.
 
Would the UPS continue to condition the power when it is on "Mains" mode? I was under the impression that current bypasses the UPS circuits when on Mains-power (hence spikes and fluctuations pass through to the systems).

Your solution just may help me save on a servo stabiliser I'm planning to get. :cool:

And how about if the system is running off an inverter (serving the home): Would I need a stabiliser?

An Inverter will directly send mains power when available and switch to battery when mains go off. This means all fluctuations etc in the mains will pass through. Also, there will be a tiny delay in the switchover so your DVD player may restart while in the middle of a movie.

A UPS (online UPS) always sends mains power to battery (converts to DC) and DC back to AC at the outlet. So there is automatic conditioning and surge protection. These days the efficiency is above 90% so the losses are minimum. Also, there will not be any restart of equipment if power goes.

In case you do not want long backup, only conditioning, you can get a UPS with an in-built battery which will still let you do a graceful shutdown of all devices rather than a sudden power out.

I strongly recommend an online UPS for costly electronic equipment.

In my case I have an inverter for the whole house including AC etc, and a UPS connected to the inverter for AV equipment and computer desk. It works very well.
 
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