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In the Forum: Audio Discussions
In the Thread: It’s mad, mad, mad... electricity.
Post Subject: Constant voltage transformers and supplementary stabilizersPosted by Romy the Cat on: 12/6/2007

 Antonio J. wrote:
The electrical supply in my building (I live in an 11th story of a 13th stories building) is very bad, as is in the whole area, which in spite of being residential, has 2 big hospitals around that probably have huge consumption. I have a dedicated line from breaker to the outlet, but I can't have it made from the building's input. In spite of this, I suffer huge voltage swings ranging from 210 to 224V.

Which is not really a big deal. The slow voltage fluctuation is NOT something that screw up sound. Sure, if your circuits do not use stabilization (most of SS lo voltage front-end do) then it would offset bias of you tubes moving then in different operation point. I do not recognize is as a big problem.

 Antonio J. wrote:
This caused problems with some gear, not only "sound" ones, but also some devices having big DC offset at its output.

Also, not a big problem as well. If you use EI transformer and the transformer with oversized current then they do absorb DC offset.

 Antonio J wrote:
I fixed this using a quite big industrial grade voltage stabilization unit, which uses two transformers and a voltage stabilization circuit. It can deliver 1000VA continous and can be delivering up to 4000VA for several minutes before shutting off. This changed the situation and now I have way more stable voltage from 228 to 232V at any moment I measure. The whole system runs through this device. This is just a voltage stabilizator, but not a full new sinewave regenerator, and for sure it doesn't decouple the system from the electrical grid as the APS or the Kemp would do.

Hmmmm, it is controversial and all depends of what kind voltage stabilization circuit your voltage stabilization unit has. If it is SS voltage stabilization then it is one mater. If it is resonance stabilizer (most likely) then it is a total different story. The resonance stabilizers have transformer and cap in the secondary where inductance and capacitance create a 50Hz resonance that actually re-generate a new sine-wave. Those transformers (they call constant voltage transformers) not only generate voltage but they also hugely defeat all line noise and so on. I had 3 large industrial resonance re-generators, including 2 of Sola transformer. They surely do “work”, the quality of sound they produce is totally different story.

 Antonio J. wrote:
Soundwise I found this device very transparent, I mean that I wasn't able to determine if it changed a bit the sound performance of the system on good electricity days.

Congratulations, can you name the brand and model of this unit.

 Antonio J. wrote:
  On the other hand, this stabilizator of mine seems to be sensitive to the type of load,
It is what I have with Sola transformers. when you plug then in scope then you see the wave shape change VERY dramatically not only when you add another component but when my Cat walks around my room.

 Antonio J. wrote:
  Of course I could remove the stabilizator from the system and just trying the Kemp as you suggest on a "good day", but then I fear I'd get back to the swinging voltages and DC offset on the units which weren't receiving their feed through the Kemp. Even on "good days" the voltage is swinging

If you use a devise like Kemp, APS, PS Audio, Acuphase  or any other true regenerator and the regenerators do work proporly then you do not need to use any supplementary stabilizers.

The caT

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