What power conditioners do you use?

QUAD S-2 Bookshelf Speaker
Indranil Sen said:
@essrand- I am glad that you are thinking about a clean power supply for your audio/video system. This is really one of the fundamental
items which if not built properly will limit audio/video performance regardless of the quality of A/V components that you have in your music/HT room. However it's a vast area and you could easily spend a fortune on different power components yet not be satisfied. I am certainly not an expert in this area but there are few basic steps that one could take before getting into power conditioners...
1. Use dedicate circuit (20 Amp preferable) one or more to power your entire A/V system
- Use 10 gauge wire for these lines
2. Use audiophile quality wall receptacles in your music/HT room
3. Ensure proper grounding at main electricity breaker board/panel. There should be only one ground for the entire house
4. Install a whole-house surge protection device (if available in India) at the main AC panel
5. Use audiophile quality distribution box (use those which internally use star grounding) to power A/V components if you are running short of wall receptacles
6. Use aftermarket quality power cables to feed to all A/V components

Power Conditioners, unlike above list of items, don't always enhance A/V system performance. For example if you have power hungry amplifiers most power conditioners degrade their performance. The rule of thumb here is to use any good quality power conditioner to power components like source, pre-amplifiers, TV/Monitors, etc which require very little power for their operation. For very power hungry components like amplifiers, sub-woofers, etc the easiest approach is to plug them straight to the wall outlet which has least amount of negative impact on the performance of these units. If you really like to take it to the next level then you have to trial different power conditioners in house and pick the one that actually beats the wall receptacle performance.
I don't use any power conditioner in my system but when I am ready I would be auditioning Balanced Power Transformers. I have spoken to few reputed amplifier manufacturers like Parasound and they seem to like these products because these units with adequate power typically don't restrict current to downstream components.
Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Nice info dear.

But Is there a particular reason to use one earth for whole house? We execute projects, with G. I earthing for light loads upto 5KW and Copper earthing computer data related / HT loads respectively. Copper plate earthing is most suited for data and HT applications.

One can use TPYE 2 single phase (1P+N) SPD's ( surge protection device) in branch circuits also and are much cost effective. One can buy a Havells type 2 SPD for Rs 2090/- + GST only.

For cost effective, readily available and somewhat cheaper to maintain solution, the below combinations are also good.

1) Low budget option: automatic or manual voltage stablizer + G. I Earthing, minimum 12 feet deep + SPD type 2 + 4 way or 6 way Single phase double door distribution box ( Double pole MCB optional) = Rs 7 to 8 thousand approx

2) Mid budget option: Servo or CVT stablizer + G. I / Copper Earthing, minimun 12 feet deep + SPD type 2 (optional in case of CVT) + 4 way or 6 way Single phase double door distribution box(optional in case of CVT) ( Double pole MCB optional) = Rs 18 to 20 thousand approximately

3) Premium option: Online UPS + copper Earthing, minimum 12 feet deep + SPD type 2 + 4 way or 6 way Single phase double door distribution box ( Double pole MCB optional) + Type 1, SPD, at the main distribution box, it will be single phase or three phase depending upon your house supply = Rs 30-35 thousand approximately.

All the above can be installed near the equipment rack/ switch box. Normally there is no need for a dedicated single phase power line if there are no major voltage drops and the house load is balanced across all phases. The surges and spikes arising from within the house is taken care of by surge protection device SPD type 2.

P. S : I Have three different setups at home, and i currently use all the above options and have a roughly 1.5kw load for each setup.
For earth there may be need to apply water to the earth pit in case of dry areas or low level of ground water etc, In that case a haudi may be needed which safeguard the wires as well as keeps the earth pit with enough moisture.

PM me for detail of items as per your load.
 
Last edited:
@mandeep- Great information...I think it's ok to have individual or dedicated low impedance ground/ground rods for A/V system in any house but all of them should be inter-connected and finally connected to the main ground such the there are not multiple pathways to ground if lightning or anything like that hits the house. This is what I have read consistently and it is also illegal here in the US to have more than one disconnected ground in any house. But I would go to a professional like you when/if installing dedicated grounds in my house. I don't have any ground loop in my system and hence my focus is on something else. I have an issue with power quality (who doesn't have it) and I am thinking about installing a balanced power transformer in my basement to provide some power isolation to my system.
Thanks.
 
To begin with, anyone have suggestions on what wiring and receptacles to use.

(In India of course).

What are the good wiring (10 gauge or more) brands/models, and good quality wall receptacles, that anyone has tried out or in use.
 
How about using a capacitor bank instead. It allows for better power factor correction. Can also be diy. Any suggestions?
 
There is one more product IFI AC Purifier , it is active noise cancellation device. Even after power conditioner , Devices injects noise to the power line mainly SMPS based power supplies. In that case no conditioner or isolation device works. But in case of active noise cancellation all the issues with power noise can be addressed. People have used it, some got results some not, basically it depends on type of setup one has...with digital equipment it has shown positive results more than analog...
https://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-ac-ipurifier/
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ifi-ac-ipurifier.22919/reviews
Next week it will be in my hand...will tell you the results..
 
I have been using an Old Fridge stabilizer so far and touch wood nothing has burnt out. However, it is now showing its age. What should I replace it with? I cannot have multiple devices sitting there, so what is that one device I should put in? Links to the product on Amazon or elsewhere would be great.

MaSh
 
I m been using a Monster Green Power HDP750 since a year. Dunno if it even makes a difference. Is it worth payign 30-50k for the high end conditioners? I got the monster power for 12k & thought that was over spending lol.


Cheers.
 
essrand said:
Wow!
Thank you, Indranil, for such an amazing writeup.

I will start with #1 and #2 in your basic steps and see where it goes and report back.
Makes sense to start there instead of jumping into conditioners and transformers (and probably cheaper as well).

BTW where are you based in the USA? I used to live in San Francisco for 13 years before moving back to India.
Click to expand...
I live in Amherst, NH.
 
I use Shunyata. Shunyata is the only company that has equipment to measure noise in Power. The others are just theoretical. PS Audio is great but it does restrict current and with my amps they would should down.
 
Most solutions offered above canot be applied to residents of high rise societies . Here you cannot tamper with electric lines etx. One can only work off a 15 amp wall outlet in your music room.
Main problems:
1.surge/voltage fluctuation as frequent load shedding.
2. High electrical noise due to large number of residents in society .

Any suugestions ?
Currntly i have an apc online ups and have hooked up a Furitech diatribution box. Have upgraded all power cords to custom furutech cables and connectors.
 
SaurabhK said:
Most solutions offered above canot be applied to residents of high rise societies . Here you cannot tamper with electric lines etx. One can only work off a 15 amp wall outlet in your music room.
Main problems:
1.surge/voltage fluctuation as frequent load shedding.
2. High electrical noise due to large number of residents in society .

Any suugestions ?
Currntly i have an apc online ups and have hooked up a Furitech diatribution box. Have upgraded all power cords to custom furutech cables and connectors.
Click to expand...
I'm running a weiduka I got from AliE.

I have a grounding issue and a wiring issue in my apartment. Corrective action is cumbersome and expensive and for reasons that I don't want to discuss, not possible right away.

This caused a hum in one channel, which is gone after introducing the power conditioner.

Recently read this write-up on the Audionote site https://www.audionote.in/perfect-power-conditioning. Iirc Jason Stoddard was saying something similar in head-fi when there was a thread on powering Gumby off a battery

Ciao
GR
 
That link has expired. And I can't get anything on search for weiduka. Can u share the model number if possible please, thanks.
 
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