Everyone’s experience is going to differ. I had this same experience however. The rule of thumb is that the more power hungry the device, especially high current amps, the more they’ll benefit from a power cable. DACs don’t suck up a lot of juice but I’m still putting a much better than decent power cable on mine despite not having heard a clear difference.
Richard Gray’s Power station. There are a number of brands out there that just do this. You can find them used regularly for under $0.50 on the dollar.
On your original question, the powerplants clearly help some, they don’t do as much for others. Everyone’s power situation is different. The worse your starting point the more noticeable the benefit I’m sure. There’s a lot of power filtering that some components bring to the table to begin with but they can only do so much. My guess would be is after a certain point of clean enough power, the power section of the given components takes care of the rest. I don’t know, just a guess but I’m fortunate to have a dedicated line to my system and the building I live in is modern with up to code build as it was constructed in 2008.
I have not been able to hear a difference between this and direct to my outlets.
What I needed was a bit of protection and the extra outlets though so as a matter of safety I use zero surge with the isolated outlets to prevent crosstalk. I’m happy and they did not break the bank considering I needed 2 units.
There are many fancier pieces in the market but they also cost thousands more. This product has sufficed for protection thus far with power going out during storms etc. in my neighborhood YMMV
I assume since Zero Surge doesn’t use MOV’s they probably use GDT’s (Gas Discharge Tubes), they might be audible if they discharge.
Basically think of it like a fluorescent tube that requires say 130V to light up, no current flows until it reaches that voltage, once it does, the current is basically redirected to ground, protecting the equipment from the surge. The act of the discharge starting might make an audible noise.
MOV’s are SS devices, you get a bang if one commits suicide in protecting a piece of equipment (don’t ask me how I know) but otherwise silent. The only other none MOV technology I’m aware of is avalanche diodes, and my understanding they aren’t really suited to higher voltage AC.
You could pretty easily get small surges that frequently, something as simple as a fridge compressor turning on/off could be enough to do it. What’s causing it, might not even be in your house.
This makes sense as the purpose of them is to inject an opposite (noise cancelling) signal. I can see why a meter would see this as “additional” noise, because it is really.
Indeed any noise cancelling tech will fail at high enough frequency, there has to be some latency involved, and since the meter basically only picks up HF noise, there is a good chance it will measure worse.
So i am trying to source one of those meters you all have been using to measure your outlets. I am the furthest from my main breaker but the upstairs has its own sub box, and my room’s outlets are seperate from the wall switches. This floor was added on in the late 80’s so i may be in decent shape power wise.
My main aim here is protection without sacrificing what I have built sonically. Any dc/emi/rf filtering that may help or improvement the chain is welcome but unless i find something else wrong, is not the main aim.
Also outlet management. Right now i unplug things to plug in my amp only when i need it (which will not change, the DAC is straight into the wall (i rather not since it is on 24/7) and the antipodes is on a computer grade surge protector with my pc, tv, and router (want to change this, but there is an outlet shortage).
I want to keep it to $500 or under, used is always ok. Reading through here Zero Surge looks interesting. I heard good things about Isotek polaris and sirius, and i know Puritan Audio was mentioned here and on the Antipodes forums.
Any thoughts from everyone here? I am trying to not go overboard here and ideally would like it to fit in my keyboard pull out tray so it is nicely hidden.
@Souldriver ,
I use 3 of the Zero Surge protectors because I worry about sudden loss of power in storms etc. I do have a decently upgraded 200 Amp electrical service with dedicated 20 amp circuit breakers to my main 2 channel and HT room.
I also plug subwoofers directly into their own wall outlets.
I use 3 Furman brand power conditioners, 2 from their Elite series and one from their Pro A/V series. Again, more for fear of sudden surges and drops of power rather than to condition my electricity.
I have always been fortunate, no damage has occurred yet. Do they actually make a difference, either positive or negative? I don’t know for I have not been able to tell the difference from going direct into the wall when I can and from using the protective devices. If they do make a difference in sound, I personally would assume it is negligible, at least with my equipment and my own ability to discern the difference
Honest answer.
If you want something that can be rack-mounted, a audiophile friend of mine swears by SurgeX, which uses the same technology as Zero Surge. He buys used models of either the SX1115-RT (15 amp) or SX1120-RT (20 amp) on eBay.
As far as zero surge products go, i have never noticed any heat issues. Not that i monitor my units or regularly lay hands on them mine are all simply located in open air areas behind my equipment which are accessible for me to power down when necessary. It’s a set and forget piece that i simply own because i need the outlets and surge protection. I have not found any negative reviews on the internet about them
If you’re going to put it in an enclosed space, bear in mind that the 8R15W models have a “box shape” and the 6 foot power cable is hard-wired, whereas the SurgeX SX1115-RT is designed to go on a shelf and the power cable is detachable.
Edit: And I’m talking about the SurgeX which can be found in quantity on eBay for approx $150, not the new models for $850. From what my friend told me, they get used in offices, and turned over every few years, and since the suppression is non-sacrificial, they’re essentially as good as new.
mine are all simply located in open air areas behind my equipment which are accessible for me to power down when necessary. It’s a set and forget piece that i simply own because i need the outlets and surge protection. I have not found any negative reviews on the internet about them