Any suggestions for Power Equipment for HT Setup

[rajivaryan1984]

Hi,

Currently all my HT and Stereo Equipment's (TV / AVR / Power AMP / IA / DAC / CD Player / Network Player / Apple TV / Game Consoles / Fire Stick and everything) is connected to an online UPS from APC and I am pretty happy with the same with only one challenge that it makes a lot of sound while in operation.

Does any one have some recommendations using any other equipment to manage Power Fluctuations and while Power goes in and out to safeguard the HT Equipment ?

 

[sud98]

Try and keep the online UPS outside the room. Online UPS is significantly better than Servo Stabs or any other stabilizing/protecting solution for AV but much more noisier as they are constantly running. If you want better quality power without protection, use a power conditioner as they are significantly quieter.

 

[rajivaryan1984]

Any suggestions for Power Conditioners and will they protect the equipments from Fluctuations

 

[sud98]

Search the forum, people have posted their experiences with Furman/Monarch...

 

[raghupb]

Any suggestions for Power Conditioners and will they protect the equipments from Fluctuations

No power conditioners do not correct voltage fluctuations.
You will need a stabilizer, preferably servo kind or similar.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[zero7]

After looking in to the available stabilizers and how they function, I prefer online UPS with automatic voltage regulator feature.
Servo stabilizer is good but not the regular multi tap transformer based ones. CVT based ones are ideal.

 

[Analogous]

Rajiv,
I had this issue with my UPS fan noise.
I put my APC double conversion UPS outside my room and connect it with a longish (3 m) power cord to a power distribution box (Barracuda) from Sound Foundations (Mumbai). Just need to make sure the UPS is protected from Rain.
SF says the box has RFI emi filters and 15Amp surge protection.
Check here: https://soundfoundations.in/products/power-cables-distribution/

 

[Chulbulee]

I am pretty happy with the same with only one challenge that it makes a lot of sound while in operation.

Electrical equipment have two type of noises: Hum from the transformer which cannot be avoided, however you can loosely wrap it in cotton wool padded sheet etc. Second if it generates square wave, then everything like fans etc. make noise while running and sometimes even other equipment connected to it misbehave.

 

[mbhangui]

Others have already given the answers.
1. Put the UPS outside the listening room (this is what I have done)
2. Take a longish cord from the UPS to your listening room. Additionally I have used this from sound foundation. Excellent construction and comes with an EMI filter + surge protection + resettable fulse https://hifimart.com/product/sound-foundations-powerbase-power-filter-and-protection-unit-html/
3. Put a stabilizer before the UPS. The standards for voltage regulation in our country has been lowered since 2014 to help few private power companies to install cheaper equipment with lower tolerances. It is now 240 +- 10%. So the stabilizer is the most important equipment as the voltage can be as high as 264 volts. The reason stated is "economic reason" Here is the link https://www.myelectrical2015.com/2019/04/standard-alternating-voltage-and.html
4. The so called power conditioners are just EMI filters. You will get that filter with point 2 above.

 

[Analogous]

Others have already given the answers.
1. Put the UPS outside the listening room (this is what I have done)
2. Take a longish cord from the UPS to your listening room. Additionally I have used this from sound foundation. Excellent construction and comes with an EMI filter + surge protection + resettable fulse https://hifimart.com/product/sound-foundations-powerbase-power-filter-and-protection-unit-html/
3. Put a stabilizer before the UPS. The standards for voltage regulation in our country has been lowered since 2014 to help few private power companies to install cheaper equipment with lower tolerances. It is now 240 +- 10%. So the stabilizer is the most important equipment as the voltage can be as high as 264 volts. The reason stated is "economic reason" Here is the link https://www.myelectrical2015.com/2019/04/standard-alternating-voltage-and.html
4. The so called power conditioners are just EMI filters. You will get that filter with point 2 above.

@mbhangui is this a fact?
(Ref: your mention above that The standards for voltage regulation in our country has been officially lowered to tolerances of 240 +- 10%)
I just want to know if this can be verified. Not to start a political discussion here.

 

[zero7]

verything) is connected to an online UPS from APC and I am pretty happy with the same with only one challenge that it makes a lot of sound while in operation.

Can you please share the model number as I am too looking for one to buy. Can avoid if it makes too much of noise.

 

[mbhangui]

@mbhangui is this a fact?
(Ref: your mention above that The standards for voltage regulation in our country has been officially lowered to tolerances of 240 +- 10%)
I just want to know if this can be verified. Not to start a political discussion here.

The earlier tolerance of IE rules of 1956 did not allow voltage to exceed 250v. This was changed in 2010 and probably implemented in 2019 somewhere in the lockdown period. The reason may not be political (there are two govts involved here) but to ramp up the country's energy requirements for the future at lower cost.

I have voltmeter in my av room since 2012. The voltages always used to be around 230 v. Since the lockdown in 2019, I have been seeing voltages above 240 and going as high as 248 - 251 volts. People in my complex have been regularly losing the tv sets. My computer SMPS went burst during this period. The so called long lasting led tube lights and bulbs have been regularly going burst. My building association complained to the EB and the guys came, measured the voltages and say there is nothing wrong with the voltages. Even in hifivsion forum I'm regularly seening people having the audio equipment power supplies getting damaged recently. I have installed voltage stabilizer in every room of my house. Even my washing machine, microwave oven now runs on stabilizers.

As per the (erstwhile) Indian Electricity Rules, 1956, vide Rule 2(av), the following were the limits:

-Low Voltage: Not exceeding 250 V.
-Medium Voltage: Not exceeding 650 V.
-High Voltage: Not exceeding 33000 V.
-Extra High Voltage: Exceeding 33000 V

However, it may be noted that the IE Rules have now been superseded by the Central Electricity Authority (Measures Relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations, 2010 and the above definition is removed in the CEA Regulations, 2010. The below text has been taken from the IEC rules. It clearly says that the tolerances have been changed for "economic advantage"

Standard Alternating Voltage in India​

The standard voltage ( in India ) for low and medium line distribution was 230 V for single phase and 230 / 400 V for three phase system but due to economic advantage IEC recommended 240 V for single phase and 240 / 415 V for three phase system voltage with ± 6% voltage variation.

• The IEC decided ± 10% voltage variation allowed for 240 V for single phase and 240 / 415 V for three phase system voltage in the year 2009.
• The 110 kV is not standard transmission voltage but it is included due to sake of equipment which are already used for 110 kV.
• The standard DC distribution voltage is 220 / 440 V.

Standard Alternating voltage Line to Line​

• 240 V ( Line to Neutral )
• 415 V

 

[mbhangui]

@mbhangui is this a fact?
(Ref: your mention above that The standards for voltage regulation in our country has been officially lowered to tolerances of 240 +- 10%)
I just want to know if this can be verified. Not to start a political discussion here.

Located the original National Electric code 2011. It seems that the domestic voltage is to be transitioned to 230 +- 10% by 31st Dec 2009.
See page 25 of the document https://law.resource.org/pub/in/bis/S05/is.sp.30.2011.pdf

NOTES 1 However, in view of the latest international developments, it was decided to align Indian Standards nominal system voltages with IEC recommendations and accordingly revise the values of a.c. nominal system voltages from 240/415 to 230/400 with the tolerance of ± 10 percent and it was also decided to effect the complete transition by 31 December 2009, as given in IS 12360 2 These voltages refer to the line-to-line voltage.

 

[Analogous]

Located the original National Electric code 2011. It seems that the domestic voltage is to be transitioned to 230 +- 10% by 31st Dec 2009.
See page 25 of the document https://law.resource.org/pub/in/bis/S05/is.sp.30.2011.pdf

Thank you for this.
I don’t know when, but I do hope we can someday get assured quality power without interruptions and fluctuations. A steady voltage and current!!! Imagine…no need of UPS, generators and no worries about equipment fry.
If other countries can do it, why not India?
At the moment the EB rules supreme doing what they can/want as most people are happy getting some supply.
Sorry to distract from the subject of the thread.

 

[warrior047]

Others have already given the answers.
1. Put the UPS outside the listening room (this is what I have done)
2. Take a longish cord from the UPS to your listening room. Additionally I have used this from sound foundation. Excellent construction and comes with an EMI filter + surge protection + resettable fulse https://hifimart.com/product/sound-foundations-powerbase-power-filter-and-protection-unit-html/
3. Put a stabilizer before the UPS. The standards for voltage regulation in our country has been lowered since 2014 to help few private power companies to install cheaper equipment with lower tolerances. It is now 240 +- 10%. So the stabilizer is the most important equipment as the voltage can be as high as 264 volts. The reason stated is "economic reason" Here is the link https://www.myelectrical2015.com/2019/04/standard-alternating-voltage-and.html
4. The so called power conditioners are just EMI filters. You will get that filter with point 2 above.

When you say UPS, is it Online UPS? Also do we need that EMI filter/Surge from Sound foundations if we are going with static stabilizer that comes with inbuilt filters? I understand Servo wont have one by itself unless we ask for.

 

[mbhangui]

When you say UPS, is it Online UPS? Also do we need that EMI filter/Surge from Sound foundations if we are going with static stabilizer that comes with inbuilt filters? I understand Servo wont have one by itself unless we ask for.

1. Yes online UPS and hence it will have some noise all the time and that's the reason I have put it outside the listening room. But I use the UPS only for powering my hard disk and PC. I don't power any of my audio equipment with the UPS to avoid noise pollution. I'm protecting all my equipment with a high voltage cut off switch and surge protectors.
2. I don't trust the static stabilizers as far as noise is concerned. I see only local unknown manufacturers making them and funny thing is all of them operate beween 18 kHz to 20 kHz switching frequency. This is too low. I myself can hear 20 kHz and almost all cell phone chargers making high pitch faint high frequency noise. I don't see a single manufacturer with the output waveform.
3. The sound foundation thingy is well constructed and I use it mainly for the resettable fuse and the large excellent voltage display.