POWER GAMES:Servo Stabilizer,CVT or Online UPS?

[Thad E Ginathom]

With Linux, I do not have the same facility to accurately and instantly interact with the UPS as with APC's own Windows software, but with that, I frequently saw voltages of 170.

Then, of course, there are the periods with no voltage at all!

 

[srinisundar]

I can saw in the inverter it is swinging to 170 to 230..

 

[anm]

congrats Ajay!

So will this provide complete isolation from mains or just voltage regulation with delta filled in from the battery?

How much is the backup time? Maybe you can give it a try by switching off the mains to see how complete isolation sounds.

 

[ajay124]

congrats Ajay!

So will this provide complete isolation from mains or just voltage regulation with delta filled in from the battery?

How much is the backup time? Maybe you can give it a try by switching off the mains to see how complete isolation sounds.

@anm
Thanks.
I am getting crystal clear reproduction.Current satisfaction level with the entire set up is 100%.Why tweak around with a system that sounds perfect?
I have close to 200 new cds of classical music to listen to.I've done the hard work on the HiFi end.I would like to sit back and explore the music I have bought.In recent months I have had the time and the inclination to focus entirely on music.A minimum of 10-12 hours of classical music everyday,mostly works I have not heard before.Plus surfing and reading up on these works from diverse sources on the internet.I believe the time devoted,coupled with the great SQ which I am experiencing for the first time, has opened a new window on western classical music.I can appreciate and understand the music far better than I ever could in the past 20 years.
As far as the online ups is concerned,I think it does everything which is required ....constant 230 Volts,surge protection,10-15 minutes back up to switch of the system when power fails,keeps the music flowing during momentary blips in voltage which earlier used to cause the cdp or amp or both to switch off,improved dynamics,airy,sweet,pure and transparent sound.In essence the whole system is seeming trouble free,relaxed and in great form.

 

[hifiashok]

heartiest congratulations on carefully researching, finally closing the decision and finding it makes such a serious difference.

gr8 going!

 

[ajay124]

Good Ajay, you could achieve a very good results in your trial to satisfy your need and of course all can be benefited with this. Please post some photos of day two setup to understand very clearly for a layman to know how the setup was placed.

@srisundar
The set up is very simple.The output from the mcb becomes the input for the ups and the output from the ups becomes the input for the cables leading up to the audio/video system.I can post pictures,but it would simply show a jumble of cables.In any case the company engineers will come and do the instalation.I got it done from my electrician as I wanted some customisation.But I ensured that the electrician had a lengthy chat with the distributor's engineer before he got busy.I did not switch on the amps or cdp until the engineer returned and after checks stated that everything was in order.

 

[arj]

@srisundar
The set up is very simple.The output from the mcb becomes the input for the ups and the output from the ups becomes the input for the cables leading up to the audio/video system.I can post pictures,but it would simply show a jumble of cables.In any case the company engineers will come and do the instalation.I got it done from my electrician as I wanted some customisation.But I ensured that the electrician had a lengthy chat with the distributor's engineer before he got busy.I did not switch on the amps or cdp until the engineer returned and after checks stated that everything was in order.

Ajay. its really great to hear !. if you go through the posts, this is what was recommended in the first few posts in this thread But then this has been a very informative journey all the same and well worth the time.
Good Power is perhaps the most misunderstood and under appreciated "tweak". if you have a resolving system, then the improvement with power is very well noticed and can take the system to a completely different level

Enjoy the Music

 

[ajay124]

Ajay. its really great to hear !. if you go through the posts, this is what was recommended in the first few posts in this thread But then this has been a very informative journey all the same and well worth the time.
Good Power is perhaps the most misunderstood and under appreciated "tweak". if you have a resolving system, then the improvement with power is very well noticed and can take the system to a completely different level

Enjoy the Music

Before finalising I re-read all the posts on this thread.It was a stroke of luck that the distributor installed a brand new ups at my place for the weekend with no strings attached.I wish there were more HiFi dealers willing to provide home auditions.IMO,audition at a dealers shop is a very flawed concept.Good for satisfying one's curiosity but wrong for making a buying decision on.An accurate audition would require the complete chain of clean power,cdp,amp,speakers,cables in the correct placement in one's room,with familiar well recorded music.Auditioning a single unit which one intends to buy with other units which are not being bought is misleading and meaningless.
After auditioning the ups with my equipment in my room I was convinced that an online ups with adequate output to handle peak loads is all the power conditioning one needs.In my case the peak power consumption would be roughly 2kva which with my present speakers would probably never be required.The power consumption of my cdp/pre/power would hover in the 1-1.5 kva band and the 2.4 kva output of the model I have bought comfortably handles the load.Apart from isolation,I believe most thing are taken care off.Since I have a dedicated phase and external power cables exclusively for my system,I feel an isolation transformer is not required.An isolation transformer would finally be a trade off where power output may be a little cleaner but dynamics may be a little less exciting.Not worth it IMO.

 

[ajay124]

Day 5
The online UPS has become an integral part of my system.Can't imagine how I survived without it in the past
Average voltage flucuates between 245-260V.With the UPS the whole experience of using my HiFi set up has become smoother,more reliable.The SQ is so good that I quickly finish of all the chores I have to do and spend the rest of the day listening to music.Out of all my HiFi pursuits on the internet,interaction on the forum,threads and posts,I feel this thread has taught me the most!
It has given me more results in terms of an audiophile experience than anything else I have done.And all for 27K for the UPS + 5K for installing new cables,mcb's,sockets....and a month's research.
I am really grateful to Borg,Arj,Hifiashok,Prem and others who actively participated and to iaudio who gave me the idea of starting it in the first place.

 

[grubyhalo]

Thanks for your constant updates and impressions. They have been pretty insightful...

 

[prem]

Hi Ajay124


Great to know it all worked out. Next try replace existing wall outlets with Oyaide. It will be another great jump in sound quality.

 

[ajay124]

Hi Ajay124


Great to know it all worked out. Next try replace existing wall outlets with Oyaide. It will be another great jump in sound quality.

And a great jump in cash outlay
I do intend to change the 3 Wal-Wart power cables I am using.
Maybe it's time to start a power cables/connector's thread

 

[prem]

The cash outlay is very small compared to what one pays for electronics.

 

[ajay124]

The cash outlay is very small compared to what one pays for electronics.

For cables I will be looking at XLO,Cardas,VDH,Supra.For connector's Oyaide,Furutech and Wattgate.Have you used any of them?Which brands can be sourced in India and at what kind of pricing.Has anybody used the iChord available at HiFimart?
The 5 amp crabtree sockets are universal,the 15 amp one which I am using for the power amp is a standard India/UK version.Minimum length required would be half-a-meter each.Would like to keep the cables as short as possible.

 

[prem]

For connectors i would recommend Oyaide. I ordered mine from US. I like the gold plated. Ditto for receptacle also. I prefer the Oyaide gold plated over the R1, Rhodium plated and the Palladium plated. Have tried all of them in my set up. If you end up using Oyaide connector you need to upgrade your Crabtree socket to at least Hubbell 5362 or better still, the Oyaide.

Have tried Cardas and VDH Mainstream long back. Between the two preferred Cardas.

 

[Asit]

Ajay,
I use Furutech IEC and male sockets for power cords of my amp and CDP (the Naka RX505 deck does not have a removable power cord). The particular model I use is Furutech FI-11G. They cost approx USD 50 each. So for each power cord, it's about USD 100. I use them with Audio Art power cords (designed by DH Labs, and made probably in Thailand). Both the cord and the connectors are available with ARN Systems Bangalore. The Oyaides as suggested by Prem are also very good, for similar models perhaps cost a bit more. The Wattgates are perhaps worse than these two in performance (based on my impression gathered from reading users' reactions worldwide). BTW the Furutechs go into international-type Crabtree sockets (easily available with Havels dealers) which sit in an extension box that I got made in a star configuration with Finolex cabling.

I am a physicist, and I never believed the last meter of the power supply to your electronics can have any significance. But I was clearly wrong. They made a HUGE difference, so much so that I had to reconfigure my set-up a bit, especially had to change CDP-to-amp cable, otherwise there was a bass boom. If you want me to summarize the effect, I'd say the signal to noise ratio increased noticeably, and as a result there was more clarity and transparency, more dynamics, more slam, and yes better and more bass.

I like also to add that good cables make perhaps some difference (but I do not have much experience in switching a lot of power cables), but what I felt was that the connectors really made a bigger difference.

I still wonder at times how is this true (PratimBayal who is now experimenting with similar power cords borrowed from myriad is also reporting exactly similar effects, that power cord has the same Furutech connectors as mine, but the cable is from Siltech). I feel perhaps with a DC main power supply, the effect would be insignificant, but with AC, current is flowing into the equipment as well as flowing out of it and perhaps the first meters (as opposed to calling them the last meters) are important. I would not blame the non-believers, because as I said I did not believe it myself.

BTW, I have a few questions related to earlier posts in this thread. I'll ask them whenever I have more time.

Regards.

 

[ajay124]

@prem
What power cables are you using with the Oyaide's?

 

[prem]

At present i use Yarbo connectors with Acoustic System Liveline powercord. Earlier i had the Lessloss powercord with Oyaide gold connectors and before that Blacksand Violet with Oyaide gold connectors.

 

[prem]

The Iego connectors are also very very good. So are their power cords. These cords are made in Taiwan. You can get a pre terminated 1.5 m Iego powercord for about $60-$70 on ebay. Its a fabulous deal.

 

[prem]

The pre terminated 2m Volex 17604 for $11 are killer cords. IMO outclass most audiophile power cords. Try these before you spend much more.