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Transformers .. Is It Just Me?

I have 2 line conditioners in my system in series -- the SR PowerCell 10SE Mark II (according to Ted_d's information, thanks) plugged into a Bybee Stealth. Frankly, with my recent experience with an isolation transformer, if I had to do it all over again I would have made different choices. I think I could have had a lot more bang for my buck. Let's just say that the Bybee Stealth made it worthwhile.

After experimenting with a lot of Bybee products I have come to the conclusion that it is hard to do too much AC cleaning. Lately, I have been doing research into balanced conditioners, isolation transformers and power regenerators. Since I live overseas it would cost an arm and a leg to have one of those mammoth balanced transformers shipped over -- not to mention the cost of the item. This is beyond my budget. So I have been looking at relatively inexpensive "alternatives". I cannot afford a balanced conditioner or balanced isolation transformer at the moment so I decided to gamble on a relatively inexpensive medical grade isolation transformer.

I found what I thought might be a good choice on Ebay. (I also found an inexpensive power regenerator. That's a story that will have to wait for another thread.) I just put this isolation transformer into my system and have been doing some A/B-ing. I have read where non-balanced transformers will have minimal effect -- but I did read (I lost the thread) where one Audiogon poster was not convinced of this. My initial experience -- is it just me? This is amazing. The holographic effect with this unit in my system is astonishing. This is unmistakable. When I unplug the unit the air around instruments and vocalists is gone. The sound is still holographic but it is not the same at all.

OK, the unit has a hum due to the internal fan. But with all but very low volume I cannot detect it. I'll have to work on damping the hum. Has anyone else had a positive experience with a medical grade isolation transformer? My unit was made in Germany by Block, by a top maker of transformers. It weighs about 40 lbs. and the toroidal is encased in resin. Do different medical transformers give different results?
sabai
mikeba316's avatar
mikeba316
65 posts
 
Here is an article I found that might be helpful

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_3/feature-article-isolation-transformer-8-2003.html
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
it's not surprising that you reaped this much benefit from an isolation xformer. Like you said it's results are often YMMV. If you have a lot of grunge on your AC line & you do not have sufficient common-mode rejection then installing an isolation xformer will get you great results 'cuz one thing that an isolation xformer does is provide something like 100dB, 120dB, 140dB of common-mode rejection. They also break-up ground loops (since the pri & sec are isolated with mu-metal casing around each). So, it's no surprise that your noise floor dropped & various textures of the music came popping out!
enjoy the music. :)

P.S. if I may ask, where do you live? your username info says USA. where ever you live, your power is pretty dirty...
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
Mikeba316,
Thanks for the link. I'll have a look today.

Bombaywalla,
Thanks for your comments. I live in Asia. I don't divulge personal information so I do not specify which country. Suffice it to say the AC here is very dirty. I have used a lot of Bybee products to clean up the AC and have had great results. The isolation transformer does this in spades for me.
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
Mikeba316,
I just checked the link. It refers to balanced AC output. The isolation transformer I bought is not balanced. It is medical grade. This is why I have been pleasantly surprised with the sonic results. Common wisdom says the transformer has to be balanced for any sonic benefits to accrue.
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
Common wisdom says the transformer has to be balanced for any sonic benefits to accrue.
Sabai
no, this is NOT a true statement at all. A transformer can be benefitial even if it's single-ended. it just has to be designed correctly for the job that it is intended to do. In a balanced xformer by making the AC signal differential the architecture allows for rejection of common-mode in the topology itself. Whereas in a single-ended xformer you have to use mu-metal cans for shielding & reduction of capacitative coupling. Just 2 different ways to skin the cat....
what do you think - all the transformers used in solid-state audio are all balanced? Do you think that the EI transformers so widely used in tube equipment are all balanced? Do you think that all the wonderful super expensive, wonderful sounding MC step-up transformers are balanced? No, they are not.....
Yet their impact on the sonics is remarkable.
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