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I have a pair of Bel Canto eOne Ref1000 (MK I) mono blocs. I am told they (like many Class D amps) throw a lot of noise back in to the power lines and thus the system. I am not technically proficient so would appreciate advice. Specifically
---What kind of "noise" is this?
---What budget solutions are there for this (if any)? By budget I mean I would ideally like to keep it under $300.
---Any head to head comparisions of the the following: PS Audio Noise Harvester vs Isotek IsoPlug vs Isotek GeoPlug vs Russ Andrews Silencer (All of these will fit my budget)
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The Bel Canto's are based on the same B&O ICE modules as the PS amps are. These amps use a SMPS (Switch Mode Power Supply) that works by chopping the sine wave up into little bits at high speed. This chopping of the input AC sine wave is what causes higher frequency noise to be put back onto the power line. A Harvester (or multiple Harvesters) will reduce this, but probably something like a Duet power center would be best from us.
I have not compared the others you refer to, sorry.
Thanks for the advice PaulMC.
I did a little bit of research on Class D amp noise and understand that it is RFI & EMI that they put out. Or am I wrong and its a lot other stuff as well? I have been able to borrow a Furutech e-TP609 (above my budget) from a friend which provides RFI/EMI absorbtion but no active power conditioning/filtration or surge protection, to see how it works. I believe that active power conditioning/filtration or surge protection always comes at a price, either by constricting dynamics or upsetting the tonal balance. So to finally get to my question, is there something you can recommend that will take care of all of the noise but without the power conditioning/filtration?
A question regarding the Duet; will the standard US version (120 VAC) work as is for 230VAC or does it need to be modified in any way? I ask this because I live in a 230VAC region but all my audio system power cables are terminated with USA (NEMA) plugs which I find better (and better value) than UK plugs which have a fuse built in (and are the standard in my region).
The Duet needs a different power cartidge to run at different voltages.
As Paul says, class D amps work by switching power on and off at very high frequencies. The more power you need the more time the power is "on." This is in contrast to a normal amp where the power is always on but the amount used varies. You can't magically get rid of the switching noise they add to the power line. Shielding will help, but it's still going to be feeding back into other components and as far as I know there is no economically feasible way to stop that completely. I believe even a power conditioner will be limited in its ability to help since all of your equipment is on the output side of the conditioner unless you put different pieces of equipment on different conditioners. Otherwise I think only benefit would come from the limited isolation between outlets on something like a Duet or above.
"I believe that active power conditioning/filtration or surge protection always comes at a price,"
Well, I hate to break this to you, but if you lose that equipment due to spikes and surges in your power the price will be quite high. And the damage doesn't have to be done all at once. Small spikes and surges can damage your equipment over time even if you never experience a big surge such as lightning can produce. I wouldn't even think about not using some form of surge protection on my electronics. In fact, I have a whole house surge protector installed on the panel box. We get a lot of lightning here, but surges and spikes can originate from a variety of sources. I've seen my voltage rise for no apparent reason and I've seen it drop enough to dim lights and necessitate unplugging my Quintessence to reset it.
"either by constricting dynamics or upsetting the tonal balance."
Some people probably swear by this, but personally I just don't buy it. The power coming out of your wall is far from perfect. A good power conditioner will output better power than it received. I have a Quintessence and I've never noticed any negative issues at all. The cleaning and protection it offers more than compensate for anything I might be losing.
Just my $0.02.
Thanks skytag
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