Help! Power question

ghosthouse

I’m wondering if power draw when the A/C kicks on is causing a temporary sag in overall house voltage/current.

That is certainly possible, and something the electric utility could remedy after a "beast of burden" test to establish current delivery. But that kind of test is usually made at the service entrance, so it won’t reveal problems elsewhere in the system. That’s why it’s a good idea to check that first.

Current delivery (ampacity) is something audiophiles often overlook. For example, it’s a common assumption that if you have a 200A service panel, then you have 200A of current to distribute. But that is mistaken. The 200A rating only means that the panel can safely distribute that much current; it is no assurance that the utility is able to deliver that much current. In practice, a utility will often fall far short of being able to deliver that much current on demand.

Try to find a small regenerator to plug that stuff into.

How many amps is your electric panel rated for? It should be at least 200 amps!

yogiboy

How many amps is your electric panel rated for? It should be at least 200 amps!

Irrelevant. There's no inherent correlation between the rating of a service panel and the utlity's ability to deliver current. Please see my previous post, which is three above this one.

As Cleeds alluded to, it may be helpful to indicate which specific Furman model you are using.

And if it is one of their models which provides "current reserve" at some of its outlets, that are intended for connection to amplifiers and subwoofers, a simple experiment that may be worthwhile would be to plug the computer into one of those specific outlets, if you are not already doing so.

It seems possible that when the a/c kicks on a brief dropdown in the AC voltage is just affecting the computer, and the resulting effect on its output is what is causing the DAC to freeze. And if so perhaps connecting the computer to one of the outlets providing "current reserve" would help.

Another possibility that I wouldn’t rule out at this point, btw, is that if the audio system and the a/c unit happen to be located within a short distance of each other, for example if the a/c unit is near a window of the room in which the system is located, airborne RFI that is generated when the a/c kicks on may be affecting the computer through the air. Perhaps as a result of being picked up by the cables or power cord that are connected to the computer. In which case trying a different computer may be worthwhile, if that is practicable. And for that matter, trying a different computer may be a worthwhile experiment in any event, if my first suggestion and the suggestions by the others don’t help.

Regards,
-- Al