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Hi All,
I am still very new to this site and very new to tube equipment.
I have read much regarding the problems some people experience with RFI and EMI. I live in an apartment and am unable to have a dedicated electrical line. I did upgrade the outlet my tube equipment is plugged into though and noticed a clearity improvement. I also purchased a simple Monster Cable HTS 850 surge protector / line conditioner and again did notice an improvement in clearity and depth. Not great but noticable none the less. I have yet to have a problem with power outages( 1 in 5 years) or serious voltage spikes as some others have experienced. But how do i know if i have any RFI EMI problems? Are these improvements i have made even related to addressing RFI & EMI issues? What have i done that has resulted in these small but noticable improvements? Any guidence would be greatly appreciated.
R.E.B.
means that your AC has RF noise on it. While the specific filter inside your power conditioner appears to remove some noise, it also may limit the dynamics of your power amp.
The best thing to do is to listen carefully with it in place, and then with it removed. Try to distinguish true musical dynamic contrasts from the artifacts of the RF noise (a harsh, in-your-face quality).
Many users run their power amps directly from the wall outlet, perhaps with a parallel filter, and use conditioning or regeneration for the source and line stage components.
The basic problem with most RFI/EMI filters is that they use series inductors to block some of the noise. These series inductors also limit the AC current to the power amp.
Your options in an apartment are limited, but you can at least try turning off and unplugging the non-audio appliances in your apartment to see which of them contributes damaging levels of RF noise. Any appliance with more than an on/off switch these days has a little computer inside and is likely generating RF noise as long as it is plugged in. Video gear, computer equipment, microwave ovens, etc., are all likely sources of noise. Adding RFI/EMI filters to these can reduce the amount of the noise that gets back into your audio system.
What has been your experience with quantifying noise introduced into the mains by compact fluorescent lights (CFL)?
A friend brought a Graham-Stetzer meter which supposedly measures microtransients in the electrical system. We measured an outlet using a lamp with a CFL bulb and got a reading of 124. Switching the bulb to an incandescent got a reading of 36.
Any thoughts?
Cogito Ergo Credo
Any fluorescent lamp needs a ballast to function with AC line power. The newer ballasts are electronic and I would expect them to make RF noise at some level. The electric arc inside the tube is also a noise source. However, I've not noticed noise on AM radios near lamps with compact fluorescent bulbs installed.
Your question inspired me to hold a portable AM radio right next to a CFL. I could hear a slight hiss with the lamp on that went away when I switched it off. Other non-audio appliances seem to be worse. The fluorescent display on my Wadia 861 makes about as much noise.
Mike covered a lot in his post. I would only add that "grunge" "garbage" and "crap" has many sources. It is sent to your components along with your AC power. It is in the air for your cables to "pick up" or "receive" as cables can act like an antenna. I regenerate AC for sources (PS Audio P-300), filter (DIY AC Filter) and choke it(Richard Gray) for higher power drawing devices. I use the filter Mike talked about on my speaker wire which you can DIY or buy from a few sources.
Good cables and AC outlets help but perhaps only from improving the ability for the AC to get to your gear. The Oyaide WPC-Z cover weighs a lot and I think it helps as much or more than improving outlets by dampening/reducing vibration.
I always recommmend you try before you buy or buy where you can get a refund after a trial period if not satisfied. Good luck!
ET
Question "Authority", the mainstream media sucks - Go Independent and hold BOTH parties accountable instead of just the other guys!
I need music to help forget the reality of today
interference is EVERYWHERE. Your refrigerator's motor, the cable box, your table radio, everything emits RFI or EMI or both. There's no escaping it. Your cables are superb antennas receiving those signals which distort your musial signals.
You will hear more of what various devices do by REMOVING them than by adding them. When you connect them, the difference is noticeable, when you've listened for awhile and REMOVE them you hear how much of that distortion and grunge is being removed.
The fact you don't have power surges and outages is encouraging as MOV based power conditioners (metal oxide varistors) tend to weaken with every surge. The good thing is that they DO work and do a decent job of filtering out the EMI and RFI. I don't trust them here as we have outages and surges all the time...if an MOV fails, and sooner or later it will under MY conditions, it will take anything attached to it to electronic heaven.
BUT since you seem to have rather stable electrical feed, an MOV based conditioner should be fine.
I've used Walker Links on my speakers for years, a simple resistor that filters out the RFI and EMI that your speaker cables pick up...they are fabulous antennas. I was recently introduced to Awe-d-o-file's Magnifiers
which are similar but cost a shitload less, do a great job and will make you run to reconnect them when you remove them to find out if they really work.
Earl's a friend, I receive no remuneration by telling you of this, just your thanks and his...read about them. The link is below.
There is no such thing as too many records.
There is just too little room for them!
Thank you both for the information. Regarding the magnifiers- should they be attached at the speaker terminal end(Magnapan 1.6QR) or the tube amp end?
Thanks again for your guidence.
R.E.B.
Hi
They work better at the speaker terminals, because the filter will attenuate some of the RFI picked up by the speaker cables.
Have fun!
I have to admit I never tried to put them at the amp end, but I think Earl at Econotweaks states that you can.
There is no such thing as too many records.
There is just too little room for them!
I do state you can as has Al but the first or only pair should go at the speakers. If a second set is used they connect at the amp. I biamp and therefore biwire and use four pairs total.
ET
Question "Authority", the mainstream media sucks - Go Independent and hold BOTH parties accountable instead of just the other guys!
I need music to help forget the reality of today
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