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In Reply to: For 30 of the 33 conditioners I have tried, I agree posted by Norm on April 12, 2003 at 06:26:34:
Norm, funny you should add the CFX and Combak Reimyo/Harmonix unit. I agree and would have mentioned them but they're even more expensive than the Stealth and Velocitor and, judging from the questioner's tenor, I sensed that money was an issue. I haven't tested nearly as many units as you have but agree that most I have tried fall under the category "he giveth and taketh away at the same time".A friend is currently experimenting with a small ferroresonant transformer that's installed underneath the house between the junction box and outlet. He's only using it for his digital source (which hardly draws current)and reports wonderful results. This unit gets very hot and resonates (that's why it's called ferroresonant, it's how it works) but only cost him $250. It's questionable that its size is useful for anything other than a single low-draw component but it appears to have promise.
Cheers,
Srajan
Follow Ups:
A month of ferroresonant transformer experimenting is proving to be most interesting. Srajan mentioned that I needed to put it under the house to minimize the heat and mechanical noise it generates. Although this makes it cumbersome and definitely not for everyone, I will pass on some initial impressions and hopefully we will hear what others have experienced. The following are just first impressions and not definitive evaluations.The bottom line is that the improvements are, so far, truely impressive. Because of all the changes along the way, it will take living with it for awhile to listen for any drawbacks. So far, enhanced clairity seems to be the key description. From the deepest bass all the way up to very delicate highs and beautiful decays.
An old 500 VA SOLA was rescued from a local surplus dealer, at the suggestion of Jim Weil from Sound Application. He has been a long time proponent of ferroresonant tranformers. Here are some of the purported benefits....... don't hold me responsible I am only repeating what I have heard and others with more technical expertice on this specific subject may want to clairify the details. Anyway, this is supposidly the preferred industrial solution. Commonly one gets around 45 db of transverse and up to double that of common mode noise rejection. There is also both voltage as well as current rejection of 60 cycle harmonics......it is a tank circuit.
Since the old Sola was only 500 VA, it was only hooked up, through a Sound App. line conditioner, to the CD player. There were some very encouraging results, mostly a noticible improvement in the whole foundation for the music. However, the poor CD player developed some mechanical hum, kind of like the transformer itself. Some investigation revealed that this older unit was producing something much closer to a square wave than a sine wave. I understand that it took them awhile to figure out how to get a sine wave. So, off to the internet for a new unit. Found a little company that has been around for a long time -- Electronic Specialists Inc., (800) 225-4876, that will sell just the transformers and the required caps without the case and other stuff I did not need. The units they make are also isolantion transformers as well. Evidently some, but not all, feroresonant transformers have this dual function. Again, got just 500VA --- 27 pounds --- to try out.
A key element to the best sound seems to be having the best bypass cap for the two 60uf 400VAC series connected motor start caps they provide. I tried a fancy 30uf cap but it self destructed after a week, it appears the speced 660VAC rating is necessary. A variety of bypass caps have met a similar fate. They work for two to 8 days and then short out. This does not seem to hurt anything, the transformer just doesn't have any more output until the shorted bypass is eliminated or replaced. Without the bypass, the sound is very good, but just a bit dull in comparison to including the bypass. With a good one, things can get REALLY great. Hovlands, 600v or better yet 1000v, several in series seem to last awhile. Have had anything from an effective 0.023uf to 0.1uf. Have not really been in a position to figure out what is best with burn-in time and the short life span. Solan film and foil were very nice sounding but even three in series only lasted 8 days.
I am very impressed with the results. For this degree of improvement, I had expected to need to run more of the system through the transformer. LOTS of headroom is evidently needed and so that is why only the CD player is on it. I hear that Moblie Fidelity uses something like 5 or is it 20KVA just for recording.
I want to thank Jim Weil for the encouragement to try this experiment.
Would be most interested in what results, good or bad, others have had .
but this sounds different. I suspect that there is much more to be gained in filtering, and I suspected you held back on something as you said I hope this helps. I too never know when I am venturing into no no land with regards to price.I would like to know about your or his further experiments with ferroresonant transformer. As you can see, I am a sucker for these things.
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