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Re: Vintage audio power supply

Posted by Bold Eagle (A) on December 31, 2003 at 11:43:37

In Reply to: Vintage audio power supply posted by JWPATE on December 31, 2003 at 08:33:47:

What you need depends to a significant degree where you live. In a major city, the power is pretty "dirty" and there are huge currents flowing in the ground returns. But if you're in a smaller town or a bedroom community, you don't need as much.

I personally think that most of the power conditioning and expensive cord sets are pure marketing hype. What does fixing the last 6 feet of wire do for you when there's hundreds of feet in the walls that is just plain wire?

I'd try a good power strip such as you describe as the first step. If you feel you might be getting some digital or RF noise coming in on the power lines, add some ferrite clip on thingy's to each power cord. They cost a few bucks each and Radio Shack has them.

If the contacts in your wall outlet are loose or sloppy, you might want to consider a new receptacle. Hospital grade buys you little except an isolated ground, requiring a separate ground lead to the receptacle. You can't use the box as the ground path. But that does no good unless all the outlets and switches, and lights on that branch circuit are also hopital grade and a separate ground wire is run all the way back to the main box, ideally a separate ground wire for each outlet! As you can see, most guys who fool with this stuff just make themselves feel good without really doing anything useful.

"It sounds so much better!" The old Placebo Effect at work once more. I'd bet you could replace their power cords with cheap stuff without telling them, and they'd never know.

Jeez, I can feel the flames already. But then I used to specify the wiring for, and work in, instrumentation labs, so I know what it really takes.

Jerry

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