power conditioner or voltage regulator

any advise on this is appreciated. i am living in a high rise condo in the middle of the city. Which is more important, a voltage regulator/stabilizer or a power conditioner? thank you.

none. both will kill the sound nicely for you. Unless u like to listen to transistor radio type of sound, then in the 1st place, better to save $$$ and no need to play hifi also.

mugenfoo wrote:none. both will kill the sound nicely for you. Unless u like to listen to transistor radio type of sound, then in the 1st place, better to save $$$ and no need to play hifi also.

What about the Torus Power?

there's another thread talking about the Torus .... u can read on some user feedback/reviews there.

mugenfoo wrote:none. both will kill the sound nicely for you. Unless u like to listen to transistor radio type of sound, then in the 1st place, better to save $$$ and no need to play hifi also.

thank for your reply. but the power system in most high rise building esp condo are noisy and not clean. what will be the best step to take to improve my system and eliminate the noise and fluctuation.

if you think that the noisy & dirty AC mains is affecting your system, then you might want to explore those AC-regeneration systems like PurePower, or Transformer based Isolation systems like the Torus power. But be prepared to dish out the $$$ $$$ $$$.

Or if budget is a concern also, then there are some local solutions called the "PowerTrans" isolation & power reserve system. But you won't get any fancy electronic features like auto voltage regulation, phase correction or the other fancy bells & whistles.

mugenfoo wrote:
Or if budget is a concern also, then there are some local solutions called the "PowerTrans" isolation & power reserve system. But you won't get any fancy electronic features like auto voltage regulation, phase correction or the other fancy bells & whistles.

But it is a big step forward at a reasonable outlay ....

bassraptor wrote:

mugenfoo wrote:
Or if budget is a concern also, then there are some local solutions called the "PowerTrans" isolation & power reserve system. But you won't get any fancy electronic features like auto voltage regulation, phase correction or the other fancy bells & whistles.

But it is a big step forward at a reasonable outlay ....

Of course ....

mugenfoo wrote:if you think that the noisy & dirty AC mains is affecting your system, then you might want to explore those AC-regeneration systems like PurePower, or Transformer based Isolation systems like the Torus power. But be prepared to dish out the $$$ $$$ $$$.

Or if budget is a concern also, then there are some local solutions called the "PowerTrans" isolation & power reserve system. But you won't get any fancy electronic features like auto voltage regulation, phase correction or the other fancy bells & whistles.

what about Richard Gray's RGPC or Shunyata Research hydra PCs. will they make any difference in cleaning my system? tq

If you want to deal with big voltage fluctuations, neither will help. If for cleaner power, you could notice a difference in several areas. May be better, may be not. You haven't listed down your system, it helps with the advice ....

mugenfoo wrote:Or if budget is a concern also, then there are some local solutions called the "PowerTrans" isolation & power reserve system. But you won't get any fancy electronic features like auto voltage regulation, phase correction or the other fancy bells & whistles.

Hi Mugen / Bass...

Another "local " solution , its good to know that there are local solutions to some of these needs. Care to share the build and the areas of improvement for the wider audience in respect to your system setup Images, possible

thanks

Hi Kolabear,

From your quotes, it seems you just assume that you have poor ac supply. Before you look for any ac conditioner solution, it is better to verify the actual quality of your ac.
Like I said before, there are many ac issues to tackle like voltage fluctuation, EMI/RFI interference, DC offset, blackout, surge, harmonics, sags, ground loop, etc, and so far in the market, there is no a single product which could effectively eliminate them.
If your setup already sounds good in your area, can just ignore any conditioners.

wingman wrote:

mugenfoo wrote:Or if budget is a concern also, then there are some local solutions called the "PowerTrans" isolation & power reserve system. But you won't get any fancy electronic features like auto voltage regulation, phase correction or the other fancy bells & whistles.

Hi Mugen / Bass...

Another "local " solution , its good to know that there are local solutions to some of these needs. Care to share the build and the areas of improvement for the wider audience in respect to your system setup Images, possible

thanks

I'm not in the business of promoting any particular brand but if you are keen to explore this local solution, perhaps u can PM Bassraptor (coz he got special connection with the seller or something...) and he can point you in the right direction. I believe he may be using such a device in his system as well, and the audible differences are "night & day" !

mugenfoo wrote:

wingman wrote:

mugenfoo wrote:Or if budget is a concern also, then there are some local solutions called the "PowerTrans" isolation & power reserve system. But you won't get any fancy electronic features like auto voltage regulation, phase correction or the other fancy bells & whistles.

Hi Mugen / Bass...

Another "local " solution , its good to know that there are local solutions to some of these needs. Care to share the build and the areas of improvement for the wider audience in respect to your system setup Images, possible

thanks

I'm not in the business of promoting any particular brand but if you are keen to explore this local solution, perhaps u can PM Bassraptor (coz he got special connection with the seller or something...) and he can point you in the right direction. I believe he may be using such a device in his system as well, and the audible differences are "night & day" !

Hi Mugen...

Understand that you wanting to thread this question on a more neutral path.Not to worry..will not construe your technical input as a means of you promoting these item.

At times, it is good that we "highlight" things that are available locally, so that the general popolution is aware and able to support the local product.

Unless there is a stigma of purchasing something designed and manufactured locally or the seller has specific clientele ?

It's a two sides of the coin view

cheers

Hi Kolabear. I have experienced using only Richard Gray power conditioner. I think it could make my music dynamic higher and the color of film more detail, but one time my infocus projector broken because the RGPC could not handle the voltage fluctuatuion. I have to change the expensive lamp. Now I am using voltage regulator first and the output feeding to RGPC. I think they work fine for me.

Regards
Tim

kolabear wrote:any advise on this is appreciated. i am living in a high rise condo in the middle of the city. Which is more important, a voltage regulator/stabilizer or a power conditioner? thank you.

Hi there,
I'm using a PS audio PPP which is a regeneration unit. It does protection and also regulates the AC voltage which is important to protect and regulate the voltage input to my tube amps. I noticed that when I down regulate my voltage from 240V to 220V I tend to prefer the sound more. It's relaxed and sounds more detailed that way. Also I get the benefit of protecting my tubes from over bias situations and running them slightly cooler helps to lengthen the lifespan too.

cheers.

kolabear,

I agree with mugen that ideally without the regulator/power conditional is better or use isolating transformer if main ac a lot noise.

I face the same problem as i live in apt.

Another suggestion ask people to setup an independ power cable direct from the main supply, meaning that it is only for your hifi (no sharing with other electrical appliance. In most condo/apt the power line is shared! After u do this if u feel that the noise level still high then only consider to use isolating transformer.

sss333 wrote:kolabear,

I agree with mugen that ideally without the regulator/power conditional is better or use isolating transformer if main ac a lot noise.

I face the same problem as i live in apt.

Another suggestion ask people to setup an independ power cable direct from the main supply, meaning that it is only for your hifi (no sharing with other electrical appliance. In most condo/apt the power line is shared! After u do this if u feel that the noise level still high then only consider to use isolating transformer.

thank you for the friendly advice here. i was only able to read the forum today. my power cable is direct from a 16A breaker. its link to 4 wall socket. i dnt use them for anyting else except my AV gears.my music system is Primare CD31 wit furutech pc (2 mths old), Primare I30 (2 mths old) wit tranparent powerlink pc, Sonus toy tower ( 2mths old), audience maestro speaker cables( still new), van del hul the source ICS. I feel the sound is thin and the highs are harsh to my ears esp on certain cds. i change my interconnects from RCA to XLR and the problem still there. i dnt used any absobers, bass trap or reflectors. will room treatment help here?
my power cords and speaker cable and ICS are kind off over lapping each other due to space constrain. I dnt knw if that afffected my sound.

Hi Bear...

My setup in the initial stages were in a similar limbo as well. Over time, by a bit of tweaking, from interconnects' to power cables, isolation feets and lately adding a Power Conditioner into the equation has got the desired results for me.

Word of advice don't fret, as your equipments are good, now its down to getting the right setup, similar to your observation. Take small incremental steps, maybe isolation platforms, or footers.

As for me, broke them down to four quadrants, equipments, Power section , cables ( interconnects ) and isolation ( platforms, footers, spikes ).

A long journey with a mixture of up's and down's with experimenting, making mistakes ( not so costly ones - thank god ) and fun.

Some of the suprises along the way was the placement of squash balls under my CDP was a on how the SQ opened up. Removed the squash balls and the SQ was on a flat response.

There are a few more but thats on my setup and it may differ on your setup.

Suggest you take a step back and relook at where you intent to start.

And you have wonderfull / help full forum members who are able to point you in the right direction through their years of experience.

And trust your judgement and "EARS" for the SQ your are wanting to hear from your setup

Have fun and it will be an enjoyable learning curve.

cheers

Wingman
How do u use the squash balls. Do u cut them in half or used whole. How do u balance them under the equipment....thinking they might roll off....unless maybe its a heavy cdp.

TIA

wingman wrote:Hi Bear...

My setup in the initial stages were in a similar limbo as well. Over time, by a bit of tweaking, from interconnects' to power cables, isolation feets and lately adding a Power Conditioner into the equation has got the desired results for me.

Word of advice don't fret, as your equipments are good, now its down to getting the right setup, similar to your observation. Take small incremental steps, maybe isolation platforms, or footers.

As for me, broke them down to four quadrants, equipments, Power section , cables ( interconnects ) and isolation ( platforms, footers, spikes ).

A long journey with a mixture of up's and down's with experimenting, making mistakes ( not so costly ones - thank god ) and fun.

Some of the suprises along the way was the placement of squash balls under my CDP was a on how the SQ opened up. Removed the squash balls and the SQ was on a flat response.

There are a few more but thats on my setup and it may differ on your setup.

Suggest you take a step back and relook at where you intent to start.

And you have wonderfull / help full forum members who are able to point you in the right direction through their years of experience.

And trust your judgement and "EARS" for the SQ your are wanting to hear from your setup

Have fun and it will be an enjoyable learning curve.

cheers

Hi Wingman on a related question, did you try with different hardness of the ball eg red, double red, yellow dot balls etc? And which gave the best performance? Tq.

Hi....

Using a complete ball and held in place by "cups", "DIY" stuff. Get creative with the cups. ( ex. Ikea - candle holders ) You can use "O" rings to hold the balls in place. ( tried them as well )

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Moderneagle....

On the "Blue dot" ...frankly have not tried the yellow or the red... . Enjoying the music too much but will try the other two. Thanks.

cheers

I have read from WHAT HIFI recommends the use of squash ball but cut into half to place under your equipments.

I use this ceramic from Golden Sound under my CDP, any comments?

mikapoh, what is the difference with and w/o these cones?

Mikapoh wrote:
I use this ceramic from Golden Sound under my CDP, any comments?

I have tried the "ceramic chinese tea cups" and the "ones made from clay" ( dark brown )....can get them from the markets...where lots of "chinese nationals " selling them for a bargain. But nothing beats the "squash ball setup" that's to my preference.

Yeah...the ceramic cones are not hollow as the "tea cups"...so the "SQ" may be better or worst off. What's your take Mika ?

Don't mind sharing the cost ?

cheers

I bought these ceramic cones quite ages ago during my hifi college time in Sea Park, PJ. During their demo, I could felt the low frequency extreme is more tuneful (not kind of loose bass). All these effect is very subtle but appreciable. Maybe it is system dependent too. I think they sell around RM180 that time for 3s.

Recently during my visit at Tong Lee Audio, (Ground flr of Lawyat plaza). They happened to carry this brand. Again the owner tested and I could hear the *decay* has minor improvement with & without during the listening session. If you have spare time, you can drop by and ask the owner to do a demo. I believe all hifi accessories yield different result to different ppl as each individual listening taste is also different.

I believe in squash ball as few renowned mags have recommended the most cost effective method. You can even find *used* balls from squash court, it does not matter. At the moment I use ceramic as they are lying around in my store room, and to temporary isolate my CDP from the wooden rack. I know there are more effective ones like finite elemente ceraball. At the moment, I do not go to the extreme to fiddle around by flipping here and there the ceramic cones. Mostly just enjoy the organic sound from my speakers and even forgot about these things...hehe.

Hi Mika...

Thanks for sharing.

Once you get the desired result....just sit back and enjoy the music and the labour that u put in to get there..... .

Each material has its own signature.....

cheers

I bought the Isonodes spongy rubber like half-balls sometime ago, are these working the same way as the squash balls would anyone know? The comments about these isonode balls are that they make the music more "spongy" i.e. lack tightness and introduce soft artifacts simply because they're softies. I have since more or less stopped using them and gone to harder steel or hard wood spikes. Didn't yet have time (or maybe just lazy) to do a comparo. Anyone has experience with these Isonodes and can compare how the squash balls fare against them?

Hi wingman, you are welcome.

To me, what's more important is our room ambiance and our speakers placement in the room. These can have very critical effect on the final sound. When speakers interact with various room size, this will excites the room mode. I've learned this from a forum member here and a friend of mine who suggests to leave these tweaks at later stage.

Opps, I think we've gone a little out of topic. Can we bring these tweaks to a proper thread. Later the TO comes in & screw our back!

Mikapoh wrote:Hi wingman, you are welcome.

Can we bring these tweaks to a proper thread. Later the TO comes in & screw our back!

Ha Ha ..... ....

Move it to the "DIY" or MODS thread....

cheers

HAs anyone used this type of isolation transformer?

Bear,

Arrangment of cable do affect sound, more on imaging/soundstaging.
If possible not let all the powercable mix in mess, try to separate the cable apart and using something like wood block to float/lift them up, interconnect try not to in contact with power cable. (this may help to improve sound stag/imaging and noise).

vibration treatment also help.
Wall refractor also help.
Room treatment definitely important.

From my point of view, the room is more important than the equipment.
If u got a good room, a decent equipment can sing very well but if u have a poor room condition, even a top class equipment also may not perform well.

For example, the casing/body of the violin/guitar play more important role than the string to give u nice sound. So i assume the body/casing is our room, the string,bow is our equipment.